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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 Jul 22, 2020
Wednesday Jul 22, 2020
In this week’s podcast we return to the theme of High Performing Humans as I chat with a friend and triathlete I used to coach, Dan Williams. Dan entered the triathlon world a few years ago and was drawn to the challenge of Ironman, despite the fact that he could hardly swim. We both laugh about the fact that when I first met Dan at the pool my first words were, “You’ve got a bit of work to do then!” Fortunately, hard work is something Dan isn’t afraid of and since that first meeting, his triathlon progress has been rapid. At the same time, he was working his way up the business ladder. When we met he was Sales Director for Orean Personal Care, the company for whom he is now Managing Director.
Dan has two small boys (Bear and Rain) with his now ex-wife, and as you can imagine he has a lot going on in his life. However, as you’ll hear during our conversation, he is incredibly mindful of keeping his life balance so that he can be a good father to Bear and Rain, be effective at work, and achieve his triathlon goals. With only 24 hours in the day, this requires careful attention to make sure everything stays on target instead of crashing to the ground.
- Make time or make excuses
- The value of daily meditation
- How to recognise when life is getting out of balance
- What's the worst that can happen - Why you should throw caution to the wind when you are young
- How to make marriage separation work
- Not compromising on spending time with your children, and how that adds discipline to your working hours
- The 5am club, and Dan’s morning routine
- Being nominated as one of the Top 50 most ambitious business leaders of 2019
- Having a daily plan and why you should have one
LINKS
We talked about a LOT of books including
Simon Sinek - Leaders Eat Last
Titan - John D. Rockefeller
Podcast with Admiral Scott Jones
William McRaven - “Make your bed” video
Living with a Seal - Jesse Itzler
The best places to follow Dan is via his Instagram page just_being_dan and also on Linkedin
Dan also has a podcast which he started during lockdown to share the experiences of other entrepreneurs.
It’s called The Pocket mentors and you can find it here iTunes
To find out more about Simon’s SWAT programme, please click HERE
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 Jul 15, 2020
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
I love the concept of disrupting an industry. Think PayPal or Monzo with banking, Netflix with streaming TV, Amazon with book sales, Tesla with cars, and in the bike industry think Cervelo. At a time when most bikes were Italian made with traditional round stainless steel or aluminium tubing, along came Cervelo with aero designs and carbon fibre. If you want an example of their first design, look at the Barracchi concept bike which looks very similar to the P5x which came out a few years ago.
My guest today is one of the co-founders of Cervelo, Phil White. Despite not being a bike geek, I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. Phil was a great guest and I learned a huge amount about what drove he and his partner Gerard Vroomen to make what have become the most popular triathlon bike brand. Having sold Cervelo to PON bikes in 2012, Phil stayed on as a consultant to the company for another 5 years, leaving in 2017. Recently (as in the last 3 months), Phil joined 4iiii as acting president. You may know 4iiii for their range of power meters and heart rate monitors. Their goal is to empower athletes by providing them with the tools they need to get the most accurate results. With Phil White on board, you can bet that they’ll be able to deliver this and more going forward.
We cover a lot of topics including:
- Why triathlon was a good market for Cervelo
- To create good bikes you need to be an engineer and a designer
- "Who dares wins"
- Making cool bikes that are different and better
- Creating a strong company structure
- Understanding what the customer wants
- On leaving the company that you founded, and the challenges of letting go
- City Bikes - Congestion, pollution, and solving the problem of moving large masses of people in cities
- Being afraid of not doing good work
- Tubeless tyres, carbon rims, disc brakes, and the future of bike wheels
LINKS
To find out more about 4iiii please visit their website 4iiii.com
To find out more about Cervelo
To Make Riders Faster The inside story of Cervelo and the Dan Empfield Review on SlowTwitch.com
We also talked about these books….
Will it Make the Boat Go Faster? Ben Hunt-Davies
Car Guys vs Bean Counters by Bob Lutz
Phil expressed admiration for the work done by Dan Bigham
That first Cervelo Bike - The Barrachi
The purists will like this page - Cervelo Engineering Field Notes
To find out more about Simon’s SWAT programme, please click HERE
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 Jul 08, 2020
Wednesday Jul 08, 2020
In this week’s podcast I catch up with the Endurance Physio, Mike James. Mike came to my attention about 14 months ago when he started posting how-to videos on various social media platforms and tagging me in. I’ve watched a lot of his videos, replied to many of his tweets, and it's become clear that Mike and I share a similar philosophy - do the basics well and they will never let you down!
In this conversation we chat about Mike’s life starting out as an aspiring football player, transitioning to ultra running, triathlon, long distance swimming and back to ultra running. At the same time, he was open active duty with the RAF and beginning his rehabilitation career working with injured servicemen at Headley Court. On leaving the RAF he decided to study to become a physiotherapist and is now based in Cardiff, South Wales. We find a lot of common ground during this chat and Mike shares some valuable bits including:
- Choosing Sir Alex Ferguson as his virtual mentor for a month and why as a Spurs fan he admires him so much
- Why it’s important to be in the moment, and how having children helps one appreciate the smaller things in life
- Telling the same story over and over to patients prompted the filming of his many videos
- 3 key lessons learned from treating severely injured servicemen at Headley Court
- Why sexy sells but boring is best
- Why Mike’s job as a physio is to help you stay uninjured
- Why rest IS NOT rust!
- 3 simple things to do better that will improve your health and performance
- Why marginal gains are really only for elite athletes
If you want to find out more about Mike James, you can follow him on:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheendurancePT/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/theEndurancePT
The Endurance Podcast with Mike James and Marc Laithwaite
Kicksology by Brian Metzler
Mike’s chosen signature tune The Rocky Soundtrack
To find out more about Simon’s SWAT programme, please click HERE
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 Jul 01, 2020
Wednesday Jul 01, 2020
Back in 1995 when I started my triathlon coaching career, my first published article for 220 Magazine was about strength training for triathletes. Back then I was in a tiny minority of coaches who felt that this was an important piece of the puzzle in helping athletes to build resilience, stay injury free, boost consistency, and ultimately improve their performance.
You can often hear me talking about how important it is to build a strong foundation, and 25 years later I feel that we might actually be making some progress.
In today’s podcast I’m delighted to be chatting with Performance Coach Jess Elliot from Boulder, Colorado. Jess and I share a very similar philosophy when it comes to athlete preparation and in today’s call Jess shares this philosophy as she answers questions sent in by members of my SWAT and Triathlon Coach Cafe Facebook pages:
- Why we should call it “physical preparation” instead of "strength & conditioning”
- Your goals should just be “move better” and “build resilience"
- Why we are all on a journey to the same destination form different starting points
- Jess shares her ideas on how to create a simple home gym
- The best exercises to build a strong core
- Effective strength training when you are 70 years old
- Why your gym programme should include activities which are the opposite of those in your sport
- How often should you change your strength programme
Here are some of the links mentioned in the show:
Monster resistance bands for your home gym
Sports Research resistance band set which Jess bought for her father
How to make your own sandbag
How to use sliders
Jess’ favourite book “The Language of Coaching”
To find and follow Jess, please visit this Link Tree which has links to all of her social media channels
To find out more about Simon’s SWAT programme, please click HERE
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 Jun 24, 2020
Wednesday Jun 24, 2020
We have all been affected by the Coronavirus to some extent, but I dont personally know many people who have been affected as severely as today’s guest. Paul Regan is a 51 year old triathlon coach who contracted COVID19 sometime in February or March and from there, life went downhill. By the end of March he was in an ICU ward at his local hospital and a few days later he was placed in an induced coma which lasted for over 3 weeks. He spent another few weeks in hospital before being allowed home at the beginning of May. This is an amazing insight into what it’s like to suffer and survive Coronavirus. Frankly, I was amazed at Paul's recovery. In our Zoom call he looked very healthy, although as you’ll hear in the conversation, he is only at the start of what could be a long journey back to full health.
We talked about his whole experience of the last 6 months including:
- Why someone who was not considered 'at risk' developed such a serious illness
- Why coma drugs paralyse you and are some of the dirtiest chemicals for your system
- Vivid dreams including kidnapping, drowning in blood, organ donation, and pirates
- When your dead grandma tells you “you’re not ready to join us yet"
- PTSD, survivor guilt, and the ’survivors club’
- Why the NHS staff really are out of this world
- Managing expectations and a 6-12 month journey to regain health
- Why being blasé about catching Coronavirus could cost you your life
To find out more about Simon’s SWAT programme, please click HERE
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 Jun 17, 2020
Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
The three “Grumpy Old coaches" are back in the house as Simon is joined by Steve Lumley and Marc Laithwaite as they discuss a subject that is going to affect us all at some stage: Getting old.
Even if you are just turning 30 you might as well listen as it will happen to you at some stage and it’s better to be prepared. Think of it like a pension. If you don’t start putting money into your pot until you’re 45, you won’t have as much to draw on compared to starting at 30.
Each of our intrepid trio are still training regularly and facing the challenges of ageing, head on. They are all coaching athletes who have similar challenges. In this podcast you’ll hear:
- What specifically has changed in their training in the last 10 years
- What steps they take to guide themselves and athletes through the ageing process
- The psychology of ageing and why you will have advantages over your younger self
- One activity you MUST include to improve EVERY aspect of your life.
- Why some of the things you have heard about ageing are NOT inevitable
- Why you should train hard and recover harder
- Top tips on what to do MORE of and what to do LESS of as you get older
Ned Overend article - Rocking beyond retirement
Joe Friel’s book "Fast after 50”
To find out more about Simon’s SWAT programme, please click HERE
To comment on this podcast, please visit Simon's Facebook page HERE
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes
For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com
Wednesday Jun 10, 2020
Wednesday Jun 10, 2020
In the past 3 years we have had several podcasts where I've answered questions sent in by The Triathlon Coach Cafe members. It's part of the joining process, and leads to some great content. One of the questions we ask new members is, “What is the ONE question you would like to ask Simon?”.
This show is different because I have invited three of the Cafe members on to the show as guests to ask their “one” question of me LIVE. I hope you enjoy the new format and that you find the answers useful in your own training.
My 3 guests are:
Stuart Melling who asks, “How can I get to 15-hours training a week without being chronically fatigued?”
- Why it is better to target a volume that you can consistently achieve, versus one promoted by a book/magazine
- How to get better results by identifying your limiters
Gutun Morgan wanted to know, “Any tips for training whilst working shifts? I work 4 days on/4 days off, 12 hour shifts when I work. I haven’t yet seen a training plan which incorporates shift work.”
- When the plan you have is already the right one for you
- Why it is important to frequently reflect on your current plan and make minor adjustments
Kevin Powell asked, "Best way to approach a recovery week? I see a lot of people on Strava doing a recovery week with still quite high intensity, but they cut volume. Isn’t this tapering?”
- Why you must include periods of recovery and for how long
- What type of workouts should you do in a recovery week and what to avoid
To find out more about Simon’s SWAT programme, please click HERE
To comment on this podcast, please visit Simon's Facebook page HERE
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes
For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com
Wednesday Jun 03, 2020
Wednesday Jun 03, 2020
In all sports there are iconic characters and iconic events. In the world of ultra-running, Runner’s World compiled a list of the ‘hardest races in the world’. One of them was the Barkley Marathons and my guest today is the legendary figure who organised Barkley, and many other unique events. He is such an icon that he even has a pseudonym, “Lazarus Lake” (his real name is Gary Cantrell).
If you haven’t yet heard of the Barkley Marathons then here are some facts that might get your attention. The race has only ever been completed 18 times. There are minimal directions. Competitors have 60 hours to complete 5 laps of approximately 20 miles. Each laps alternates direction. None of this stops hundreds of hopefuls submitting their entrance essay to Laz every year in the hope that he will pick them to be one of the lucky 40 competitors to try their hand at the event known to disciples as “the race that eats it’s young”.
It took me 6 months to get Laz onto the show so I hope that you agree it was worth the wait!
- When getting an entry is almost as hard as the event itself
- Who is “Big”?
- Books with quirky titles and why book pages prove you have completed the full course
- The inspiration behind the first Barkley Marathons
- Problem solving and why most of the Barkley finishers have a PhD
- What makes the Barkley Marathons so tough
- The Great Virtual Race across Tennessee - The longest virtual event of lockdown?
You can find a great documentary about the Barkley Marathons on Netflix
Here you can find a link to the article about the Strolling Jim event and Laz’s formula for calculating gender differences for prize money
Oustide magazine referred to Laz as a “sadist creature”. Read the full article HERE.
To find out more about Simon’s SWAT programme, please click HERE
To comment on this podcast, please visit Simon's Facebook page HERE
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes
For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com
Wednesday May 27, 2020
Wednesday May 27, 2020
In today’s podcast I’m back with another of my High Performance Human guests. This week it’s Toby Baxendale, who I have been coaching for almost 15 years. We met by chance as Toby came to a bike exhibition in central London to purchase a product which I was selling, and shortly after he asked me to coach him towards his triathlon goals. We have become good friends since then. During that time Toby has built and sold a large fish distribution business, retained a strong marriage with his wife Katherine, reared 3 healthy children, developed an investment business helping companies in the fish business around the world, and managed to train on average 8-10 hours/week, every week. Toby truly epitomises a high performance human but as you will hear during our conversation, there have been times when life did get a bit out of balance.
Listen in as we chat about:
- Dogged determination and why you don’t need to be the best to succeed, just consistent
- Making a success of your life when you are labelled ‘Educationally Sub Normal'
- The law of comparative advantage
- Paul Clayton - Health Defence
- Book of Proverbs and how it’s so relevant to life during the COVID19 outbreak
- Purchasing a Sloane Square nightclub at 18 years old
- The power of listening
- Learning to delegate, and how that led to a thirtyfold increase in turnover
- How the book “Primal Endurance” had a profound effect on Toby’s life
- COVID19 exit plans and positioning for success
- The truth behind the phrase “behind every successful man there is an even better woman"
Find out more about Toby Baxendale by visiting his website HERE
"The man is the head, but the woman is the neck", scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding
To find out more about Simon’s SWAT programme, please click HERE
To comment on this podcast, please visit Simon's Facebook page HERE
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes
For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com
Wednesday May 20, 2020
Wednesday May 20, 2020
The “Legends of British Triathlon” has been a really enjoyable experience as it has allowed me to wander back down memory lane and chat with some of the characters who were prominent in the sport when I first started over 30 years ago. My guest today is another of those individuals, and was the other half of the “two Sarah’s”,
Sarah Springman and Sarah Coope (a previous podcast guest) who were big rivals in the late ’80’s, female versions of Coe and Ovett if you like. Since retiring from competitive sport, Sarah Springman has continued her involvement in triathlon as an administrator serving twice as Vice President of the ITU, while also progressing her academic career as Rector of ETH, Zurich. This was another great dive back into the early days of triathlon and we speed through 30 years in under 90 minutes so I guess we missed some good bits as well.
I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did as we chat about:
- That first triathlon - how did it work out?
- Making a living from triathlon in the late ‘80s
- How I nearly took Sarah out during a bike workout in Lanzarote
- Those training camps at Club La Santa
- ITU Vice President and working with Les McDonald
- Sarah’s proudest triathlon moments
- Getting Paratriathlon into the Paralympics
- Academia - studying soil mechanics at Cambridge University and the job of Rector at ETH in Zurich
To find out more about Simon’s SWAT programme, please click HERE
To comment on this podcast, please visit Simon's Facebook page HERE
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes
For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com