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Simon Ward, multiple award-winning triathlon coach, shares insights on how to improve your triathlon performance with a High Performance Human approach to life.
Episodes
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
Running is the final leg of a triathlon and the one where most people seem to struggle. Whether that's because of a lack of running fitness or going too hard on the bike it’s a hard puzzle to solve. The obvious solution would be to just run more, but that does increase the risk of injury. Myself and many other coaches prefer to focus on consistency by building a robust framework combined with better technique and running efficiency.
Today's guest, Eoin Everard, is one such coach. An elite runner, now physiotherapist and back pain specialist from Ireland, Eoin knows a thing or two about running fast, having run under 4 minutes for a mile, 14 minutes for 5k, and 30 minutes for 10k, and competed for Ireland internationally. He also treats a lot of elite runners and knows a thing or two about how to keep runners healthy and consistent with their training.
I love chatting about how to help athletes get faster, and today as usual we cover plenty of ground, including:
- Typical triathlon injuries and how to prevent them
- Building running economy with strength training and some simple plyometrics
- Should you change your foot strike to run faster
- Why you should make proactive visits to your physiotherapist
If you’d like to follow Eoin on social media you can find him here
Facebook Everard Physio & Pilates
If you would like to try Eoin’s sport Pilates class you can take a FREE Trial HERE
Eoin also mentioned the two books he has written
Get to the Line in the Best Shape Possible
The Secrets of a Healthy Spine. (This one is FREE)
Eoin recommended this book -
The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle
To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here. For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
Wednesday Oct 26, 2022
Wednesday Oct 26, 2022
Sleep and HRV trackers are becoming more popular, and the best ones have a smart dashboard that provides lots of information on your sleep performance, and HRV trends. They also have algorithms that assess all of the data and give a daily recovery score. I started using the Whoop tracker in 2017 and I have to confess that there have been times when I have been over focussed on the data to the point where I actually worried whether I was going to have a good night's sleep. Note: This is actually a diagnosable condition known as orthosomnia - obsessing over the perfect night's sleep.
Over time I came to realise that the real value in devices like this is from the long-term trends and the behavioural changes which result.
Today's guest is Garron Mosley, an elite age group triathlete. Garron qualified to race at the recent Ironman World Championships in Hawaii and as you’ll hear the trip didn’t go quite according to plan.
More interesting to me was the fact that Garron had started wearing a Whoop band and has made some pretty significant changes to his life with amazing results as a result of analysing the data.
We talk about a lot but some topics you might be interested in include:
- Qualifying for Kona
- His scary bike crash which resulted in a DNS at The Ironman World Championships
- How Garron manages a high volume of training each week, all while running a growing business and being a good family man
- Behavioural changes from wearing the Whoop
- How better sleep leads to better decision-making at work
- Why reducing or eliminating alcohol will lead to better sleep
- Caffeine and sleep. It’s not good - don't be fooled if you can drink coffee in the evening and fall asleep easily
If you're interested in finding out more about Garron, he hangs out at these social media places:
Facebook - @garronmosley
Instagram - @garronmosley
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/garron-mosley-0143349
To find out more about Whoop, please go here Whoop.com
If you're interested in signing up for a Whoop subscription click on the link and it will give you a FREE 30 days at the start of your subscription.
Garron recommended these podcasts:
The Diary of a CEO - Steven Bartlett
The Rich Roll Podcast - Rich Roll
Other Cool Stuff
Garron recommends nutrition products from Ethic Sport, his go-to race nutrition since 2017. As he says, "I pay for it, so it's a choice."
Books
Relentless - From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim Grover
Scary Smart - Mo Gawat
Life Without Limits - Chrissie Wellington
To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here. For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Do you ever think that the people most qualified to perform particular tasks are those who have an intimate knowledge of that task?
For example, an ex-footballer or rugby player might be best suited for a job as a referee. How about sports photography? If you've participated in a sport and know exactly what the performers are going through, do you think that might help you to frame even better pictures? Maybe that’s why today's podcast guest Jack Schofield has risen to the top of the triathlon photography world so quickly.
Not only does Jack take some brilliant photos, he's also a pretty decent triathlete himself. Earlier this year he finished second overall at the age group only Ironman UK and just a few days before we chatted he had completed this year's Ironman World Championships in Kona. In fact, Jack was splitting his time between preparing for the race and taking photos for Ruth Astle on her Thursday Kona race day. Dividing your energies like this is challenging and we get into this topic, as well as:
- The conversion from rowing to triathlon
- How studying architecture helps him to frame good photographs
- How understanding exactly what triathletes go through helps him frame good photos
- Training with Patrick Lange and other elite triathletes
- Jack has a rant about triathletes who use but don't pay for finish-line photos
To find out more about Jack he hangs out mostly on Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/two26_photography/
In our conversation, Jack talked about his first photography book which he also (unsurprisingly) recommends as his favourite book😉.
That book is Stravaig Adventure Book - by Jack Schofield - A group of disillusioned millennials goes on a walking adventure in the Scottish highlands.
If you like books with great photographs associated with stories, Jack also recommends Wayward by Chris Burkard.
To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here. For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
Wednesday Oct 12, 2022
Wednesday Oct 12, 2022
I get a lot of inspiration from hearing the stories of elite athletes. That's what got me started in the sport! But I get way more inspiration from hearing stories from ‘normal’ people like you and me. None more so than those who have survived overwhelming odds not just to complete a triathlon but to actually stay alive.
Steve Lovelace is one such person.
At the age of 20, Steve suffered catastrophic injuries in a lumberjack incident. After being trapped for 2 hours, and when he eventually made it to the hospital, he was given a 50/50 chance of surviving the night. He was temporarily paralysed below the waist due to his spinal injuries but not only did he walk a few steps when he finally left hospital, he subsequently completed that triathlon!
Some of the questions I asked Steve in today's chat were:
- Did you have any challenged athletes who served as an inspiration to you (i.e. Pat Griskus)?
- How did you go about training?
- Given the severity of your injuries from the accident, did you throw caution to the wind? Or did you worry that if you pushed yourself too far you’d exacerbate your injuries?
- Did you have to make any adaptations to your equipment?
- Talk about that first triathlon
- What impact did finishing that first triathlon have on your life?
- What do you do now, and what are the long-term effects of your accident?
The best place to follow Steve is on Twitter
There are a couple more podcasts where Steve shares his story
Don't say I can't, say I'll try
Steve shares his story on the Dadcast
Also, this great article in Triathlete magazine
How Finishing Last Set This Triathlete’s Life on a Winning Path
And finally, the YouTube video outlining Steve’s accident and his journey back to health and fitness (look for the picture of the tree split in two!!) The Last Place Winner
To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here. For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
Wednesday Oct 05, 2022
Wednesday Oct 05, 2022
With the Ironman World Championships happening this week I wanted to share a conversation with one of our British females who will be racing.
Back in May, Ruth Astle finished an amazing 5th place at the 2021 version of the IMWC in St George Utah. As she bids for another top 5 finish we chat abut her journey from age group novice to world-class athlete in just 10 years. We get into a lot of topics, including:
- The start of her triathlon journey
- A big breakthrough
- From AG to pro-athlete - what did she change about her training/lifestyle
- Working for Lloyds & balancing work with triathlon racing/training
- St George race and result
- The Sub 8 project with Kat Matthews and "happy heads make for fast legs"
- Kona preparation & expectations
To find out more about Ruth or to follow her on social media, you can use the following channels:
Website Ruthastle.com
Social media links:
Instagram: Rastle07
YouTube: Ruth Astle
Ruth also recommended the following book Talking to Strangers, Malcolm Gladwell
To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here. For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
Wednesday Sep 28, 2022
Wednesday Sep 28, 2022
Nutrition is actually a really simple topic but many folks seem to make it way more complicated than necessary. Like with most things, it's important to have the basics in place before you start trying to get clever.
We are all guilty of this, including me, and I’m fortunate that on a regular basis I get to chat with an expert on a topic who brings me back to reality. With nutrition, what we need is an expert who can translate the scientific data and then cut through the marketing B/S to give us some simple pointers. That sounds like a job for a straight-talking Yorkshireman! Luckily we have Nigel Mitchell on hand to help. Nigel was the nutritional game changer who worked with team GB cyclists in the early 2000s and after that with Team Sky.
It's a pleasure to have another Yorkshireman on the show to discuss:
- Injecting vitamins for recovery in pro cycling
- Teaching Geraint Thomas & Luke Rowe to cook
- Even vegan food can be rubbish
- Making your own sourdough bread, and buying flour directly from the mill
- Focussing on food quality
- Real barriers to eating healthily
- Nigel's simple tips to eat better
Nigel doesn’t really do social media but he's written some really good books about nutrition for cyclists:
As for other book recommendations of course as a good Yorkshireman, he recommends
Relentless: Secrets of the Sporting Elite by Alistair Brownlee
To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here. For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
Wednesday Sep 21, 2022
Wednesday Sep 21, 2022
This weekend sees the final Outlaw event of 2022, Outlaw X.
To this date, there are only two men who have completed every single Outlaw triathlon starting with the first Outlaw full in 2010.
During that time, Gary Goacher and Graham Yare have completed 32 Outlaw races and have become known in the Outlaw family as “The Last Men Standing”.
This is no easy task! The series has grown from one event to five and with each passing year the task of staying healthy, training for, racing, and then recovering from each race becomes that little bit harder. Prior to this weekend's event, I took the time to sit down with Gary and Graham to talk about their Outlaw journey and how it has shaped the last 12 years of their life, including:
- How it all started
- A growing friendship
- What happens when the streak is broken
- Planning family holidays around races
- Overcoming illness and injury to get to the start line
If you're interested in joining Gary and Graham at one of the Outlaw events for 2023, entries are open via www.outlawtriathlon.com. By entering before 14 November, your entry comes with a free deferral or transfer guarantee - so your entry is protected if the unexpected happens.
To find out more about our resilient Outlaw athletes please see the links below:
Gary Goacher
Chiropractor - https://livewelltherapy.co.uk/
Graham Yare
Twitter @UltraOutlaw
Strava UltraOutlaw
Gary and Graham also recommended some books which they have found inspirational:
Graham -Mental Training for Ultra Running by Addie Bracy
Gary - The Lost Art of Running by Shane Benzie, The Triathlete’s Training Bible by Joe Friel.
To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here. For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
Wednesday Sep 14, 2022
Wednesday Sep 14, 2022
Did you watch any of the Phoenix Sub 7/Sub 8 coverage recently? Other than the disciplines and the distances, it bears no resemblance to an Ironman, but who cares? Whatever you think about the project, it was a fantastic exercise in teamwork, logistics, and finding out just how fast elite athletes can go over 140.6 miles.
And the documentary, 'Defy the Impossible’, is fantastic to watch!
Today’s guest is Jacob Tipper, a talented cyclist and performance coach who was instrumental in helping Joe Skipper's team formulate and execute a strategy for the Sub 7 project which resulted in the fastest bike split of the day with them only 3 minutes away from overall victory. With a Masters in Applied Sports Science, he thoroughly enjoys applying his knowledge to helping triathletes and cyclists go faster. We get properly into some rabbit holes today so I hope you enjoy the journey as we chat about:
- Consistency and why it is always the #1 factor in fitness development.
- What’s the best interval training workout?
- The value of being as aero as possible in your long-distance cycling/triathlon events
- Is Vo2 max or FTP really that important?
- Jacob's top 5 tips to incorporate into your winter training
If you’d like to follow the adventures of Jacob Tipper, please visit these social media channels:
Website - https://www.jtperformancecoaching.com/
Twitter @JacobTipper
Instagram @jacobtipper and @jtp_coaching
Click on the link to watch the Phoenix sub7/sub 8 film 'Defy the Impossible’
You might also be interested in Huub Design, especially the Huub Cycle Wear that Jacob is involved with and the Huub Anemoi Aero Triathlon suit.
Jacob's book recommendation was 'Start at the End' by Dan Bigham
To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here. For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
Wednesday Sep 07, 2022
Wednesday Sep 07, 2022
Eating disorders and disordered eating have long been a thing in endurance sports. The combination of disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis was originally referred to as the “female athlete triad”. But this is not an exclusively female issue and more recently we have started using the term RED-S or Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport.
Today my guest is Pippa Woolven, the founder of Project RED-S. This is a collaborative initiative formed by a group of athletes, parents, and partners whose lives have been impacted by the condition. They have 3 main aims - Awareness, Prevention, and Recovery. In this episode, Pippa and I will cover each of those topics to help you have a better understanding of how you might be able to help athletes you train with, coach or support.
It's a very informative chat as we cover:
- Pippa’s story and how Project RED-S started
- What is RED-S and what are the long-term mental/physical health consequences
- Impacts on athletic performance
- What you can do if you are a coach/parent/supporter
- Chasing the perfect diet and what to do if you think your clean eating has gone too far
- Social media and sports culture
- Ending on a positive note
To find out more about Pippa and RED-S please use these social media links:
Website red-s.com
Instagram www.instagram.com/project_red_s_/
Twitter twitter.com/ProjectRED_S
Facebook facebook.com/ProjectREDS
LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/projectred-s/
Pippa also shared these useful links to other podcasts and blogs:
Nourish Balance Thrive - a good podcast about all things sports & nutrition
Rich Roll - one focused on wellness and forward-thinking
A brilliant simplified summary of fuelling by Chris Lowe
A brilliant website full of training and nutrition advice for women
Pippa's article in Runner's World
Elite mountain biker Evie Richards talking about RED-S
And finally, some recommended books to add to our growing list:
The Book of Joy - Dalai Lama & Desmond Tutu
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Macksey
ROAR by Stacey Sims
To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here. For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
Wednesday Aug 31, 2022
Wednesday Aug 31, 2022
It gives me great pleasure to observe the success of Yorkshire triathletes, especially when I've watched them from a young age, and then see them progress to the international stage. First, it was the Brownlees, then Jess Learmonth, and now this week's podcast guest Dominic Coy.
Dominic started out as a junior member of my own club Leeds Bradford Tri and progressed up to the Yorkshire Academy. After leaving school he went to University in Cardiff and is part of the triathlon squad, training there with Coach Luke Watson. Just a few short weeks ago Dom represented Wales at the Commonwealth Games in both the individual race and the team relay where he won a silver medal with his 3 teammates including Non Stanford. Dom clearly has a bright future so it’s a great pleasure to chat with him today as we cover:
- The benefits of being a triathlete in Leeds
- Moving to Wales
- Typical training schedule
- Commonwealth Games
- Can he make it on the big stage?
If you’d like to follow the adventures of Dom Coy please go to:
Instagram - dom.c113
Twitter @DomCoy02
Dominic also recommended a couple of books:
Range : Why generalists triumph in a world of specialists by David Epstein
Around the world in 80 days - Mark Beaumont
To download your FREE 4-week mobility plan, please click here.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe now, with a happiness guarantee! Join SWAT/High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here. For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.