Simon Ward, The High Performance Human Triathlon Podcast

Simon Ward and Bernie Shrosbree

This week I’m returning to the Legends of British Triathlon with another guest who was very prominent in the triathlon scene back in the mid to late 80’s.  Bernie Shrosbree started out in the Royal Marines and began his sporting career as a runner, then a cross country skier and biathlete.  A silly military bet saw him participating in his first triathlon in 1982 and Bernie quickly showed some talent at the sport, becaming overall British Triathlon champion in 1989.  Following this and his retirement from the military, he enjoyed a successful career as a fitness coach and mentor working with some very high profile athletes in a number of sports from Motor Rallying, Formula 1, Rowing and Mountain Biking.  Even though he has just turned 60 he retains a passion for the outdoors and the mountain life.  Later this year he is participating in the world famous swim-run event OTILLO with his daughter.  In this great conversation you’ll hear Bernie and I discuss a lot of topics so pay attention as we chat about:

• Taking part in forerunner of Arch to Arc
• Being a failed athlete (aka triathlete)
• Arthur Lydiard and his influence on Bernie’s athletic career
• Why a Norwegian skier told him “you look like you are skiing with your poles up your arse”
• Working with Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz, Jenson Button, James Cracknell and Jurgen Grobler
• Adapting to different cultures to become a better coach
• Why you should focus on yourself and not what others do, to improve as an athlete
• Technology and why it does Bernie’s head in
• Want to be a better older athlete? Hit the gym.
• Efficiency and why it’s the key to better performance

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com. 

Simon Ward and Paul Kaye

The finish line at an event is amazing!  The relief of finally ending the discomfort you’ve put up with for the last few hours, the joy of completing something you have dreamed of for many months, maybe years.  If it’s a big event, there will be your loved ones waiting, possibly some friends and lots of other spectators. And to cap it all off there will be an awesome commentator, whipping up the crowd as you cross the line, announcing your name to the world.  My guest today is Paul Kaye, commentator and finish line host for Ironman events in Europe, Africa and the middle East. In recent years he’s also been part of the finish line commentary team in Kona, alongside The Voice of ironman, Mike Reilly.  In today’s conversation you’ll hear a super enthusiastic and passionate talk about the job and the people he loves including:

• How he went from a radio DJ to a triathlon commentator
• Getting “iron fit” for commentating in Kona
• Why a good commentator should be ‘invisible’
• Choosing critical moments to capitalise on
• The best race he has ever commentated at
• Why you shouldn’t do silly things with your fellow commentator on the finish line
• The two events where Paul would most like to commentate
• His most embarrassing moment
• Dealing with bad days and emotions

To find out more about Paul Kaye please visit his website:  http://www.paulkaye.co.za/

Follow him on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/kayeman

Twitter:  @kayeman

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com. 

 

Simon Ward on How to Train for an Iron distance event

This week it’s another solo-cast as Simon is in the hot seat to provide some guidance on one of his favourite triathlon subjects:  How to train for an iron distance triathlon.  There is always lots of discussion on various forums, most of which is bad, on what works for an individual. In helping over 1000 athletes reach the finish of a 140.6 event, Simon has a unique insight into what really works for most people regardless of the level that they race at.  In this presentation you will hear:

• Why it’s crucial to create the right foundations before you start training
• The importance of planning strength, mobility, nutrition and sleep before you plan your swim, bike and run sessions
• Why you MUST “commit to consistency”
• How understanding what your limiters are will help you find the right training mix
• When training to avoid slowing down is better than training to be faster
• Unless you are Patrick Lange or Daniella Ryf, why "marginal gains” are not your main focus
• How the swim is more than just a warm up
• Why bike performance holds the key to your best race
• The risk vs reward of doing more running

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com. 

Simon Ward and Dave Scott, Paul Laursen, Jess Elliott, and Kathy Zawadzki

Hi Folks and Happy New Year!  To kick off 2019 I’m bringing you 4 guests who I interviewed about 18 months ago during trip to the Training Peaks conference in Boulder.  The conversations were originally recorded for Tri 247 and links are below if you’d like to watch the videos.  The Dave Scott video is particularly funny.  Each chat is on a different subject and each expert provides some very useful tips that you can use straight away.

First up, “The Man” Dave Scott who shares his top 5 tips for more efficient running form.  Hear also when Dave becomes the second person recently to poke fun at my weight.

Secondly, Prof Paul Laursen who talks about:

• Defines performance, health & longevity and explains why all are important for the best triathlon performances
• The “overfat syndrome” and why high volume triathletes can sometimes look fat
• The Prof offers one tip each to improve your own health, performance and longevity

Next up, Strength & Conditioning Specialist, Jess Elliott.

• Why good mobility comes before strength when building a solid foundation
• How a good S&C programme helps you to “turn up” for more sessions
• Jess’ top 5 tips for your S&C programme

Finally we have Kathy Zawadzki, expert trainer of Masters athletes (over 40 years old) who emphasizes:

• Importance of being realistic and flexible in your planning
• Why high intensity training is important for older athletes
• To boost training quality, increase recovery between reps
• The importance of hydration for older athletes

To watch the original interviews in video format please click here

Simon & Dave Scott

Simon & Jess Elliott

Simon & Prof Paul Laursen

Simon & Kathy Zawadzki

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com. 

 

 

Simon Ward and Russ Cox

Today my guest is Russ Cox,  tri coach and statistician. For the last 6 years Coach Cox has been compiling data on Ironman and, more recently, 70.3 events.

I do not know of anyone else who performs such a service for age group triathletes and so his site is well worth a visit (with the exception of Thorsten Radde who runs TriRating, a service mainly aimed at pro triathlete performances).

In our discussion, Russ reveals:

• Why a love of statistics got him started on this journey in 2012
• How technology helps him to crunch an ever growing supply of data
• Where best to race in Europe if you want to qualify for Kona
• Which races are best for a PB
• Europe's toughest Ironman triathlon 
• Why data from some races can be misleading
• The race which currently has the best odds of a Kona slot
• Why you should buy him a coffee to help him keep the site running

To find out more about Coach Cox and to make use of the mountains of valuable data he has created please visit his website www.coachcox.co.uk.

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com. 

Simon Ward and Georgia Taylor-Brown

This week I am so excited to welcome one of the world’s best female triathletes to the show.  Georgia Taylor-Brown is a rising star, make no mistake about that.  In her first full season in WTS triathlon she finished 3rd overall behind Vicky Holland and Katie Zaferes.  That still only makes her the second best triathlete in the UK but she is on the up.  It hasn’t always been this way.  4 years ago Georgia suffered an ankle injury which halted her career for almost 2 years.  In our conversation this remarkable young lady will talk about:

• The devastating moment when the Doctor called to tell her about the first ankle injury
• Suffering more setbacks on the road to recovery
• When Georgia thought that having a nap would cure yet another foot issue
• Why injuries can be a good thing, and how to find the positives from them
• When you twist your ankle the day before you are due to race your first WTS event in your home city
• How even elite athletes suffer “impostor syndrome”, and that feeling when you are one of the leaders in a WTS race
• The GTB top 3 tips for successful racing

 To find out more about Georgia Taylor-Brown you can follow her on:

Twitter - @georgiatb

Instagram - georgiatb

Facebook - Georgia Taylor-Brown

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com. 

Simon Ward and Shannon Fizer

As we approach the festive season I thought it would be a great idea to get some guidance on how to navigate the minefields of alcohol and rich, sugary food which every athlete has to face in the final few days of December.

My guest today is performance nutritionist Shannon Fizer, and in today’s conversation we discuss how to minimise the damage at Christmas, keeping to your normal healthy eating and training regime as much as possible.

• When it’s difficult to workout, some is always better than none - how to make the most of those limited opportunities
• Balancing ‘treats’ with real food
• Choosing your treats wisely - why crisps at the office party are out and Grandma’s special Christmas pudding is definitely IN
• Why it’s OK to have a drink or two at Christmas…but not every day
• Enjoying the season - sometimes you just need to forget about being an athlete
• Why attempting to lose weight at Christmas just makes you and those around you miserable
• Why flat water is better than carbonated water for helping you to feel full

To read Shannon’s Christmas eating blog in full please CLICK HERE 

To read about carbonated water please click here

To find out more about Shannon Fizer, please visit her website, www.Shannonfizer.com

Relative Energy Deficiency Syndrome – it’s not just a female thing!! Anna Boniface story

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com. 

Simon Ward and Andrew Messick

I’ve been a longtime fan of Ironman, right from that day over 30 years ago when I watched the 1982 coverage with Julie Moss, through to my first Ironman in 1995, and to 2017 when I finally got to the start (and finish line) in Kona.

On that journey I have seen massive changes at WTC - 3 changes of ownership, growth in Ironman events from 8 to over 40, and the introduction of 70.3 among the most notable.  Ironman is not without its detractors and many of them make some very vocal if slightly unfair comments.  Well today, I get to chat to the man at the top, CEO of Ironman, Andrew Messick.  He agreed in advance that I could ask him anything, although he also stated that he reserved the right to ‘pass’ on any question.  Fortunately that didn’t happen, and you will be able to hear in our conversation:

• The challenges of changing an Ironman race venue in less than 4 weeks (Ironman Florida 2018)
• Why compromising athlete safety is never an option for Ironman
• Delivering life changing events for incredible people
• Drafting in Kona - is changing the start the answer to congestion on the bike?
• Kona - why racing over 2 days is not feasible on the Big Island
• Drug testing - what WTC are doing right now
• Celebrities racing in Kona - why it’s a good thing for Ironman
• Why Ironman does not go back to some race venues
• Will they ever move the Ironman World Championships from Kona?
• M-dot tattoos - why Ironman is proud and scared of this trend
• Andrew explains how he was an Ironman athlete before an Ironman employee, and why Challenge Roth IS on his bucket list
• Deferrals, refunds, and special cases

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com. 

Simon Ward and Tim Heming

This week my erstwhile friend Tim Heming is back in the chair as I travel to deepest Gloucestershire to pin him down and chat about the 2018 triathlon season, and discuss some of this season’s winner and losers.  Listen in to our lively ‘debate’ and you’ll hear:

• Why we both think that the Commonwealth games messed up the season for a number of athletes
• That Tim is one of the most successful triathlon tipsters as he reveals just how good his Kona top 10 picks were this year
• ….. and then confesses that being pressured into including Lionel Sanders in his top 5 was a big error
• Which events did we pick as our ‘race of the year’
• Why we both love Super League
• Our final comments on 2018 WTS, why Vicky Holland is awesome and Georgia Taylor-Brown is a start of the future, and who else to watch out for in 2019
• Simon’s revolutionary plans to introduce darts into triathlon 
• Highlights of the year -  1 now legendary British female Ironwoman and 2 male pros who defied the odds

Here are links to several of the topics we discussed today:

*Tim talked about the Super league Highlights and you can watch those here

*The Man in the Halo - The incredible story of Tim Don’s comeback after a potentially life changing injury

*The CancerFit.me project with Gill Fullen and Lucy Gossage

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com. 

Simon Ward and Louisa Holmes

If you are still breathing you are still winning!

This week, Louisa Holmes (aka The White Witch) returns to the show to chat about one of the most fundamental human processes:  breathing.  Like me you probably think you have got this cracked, especially as you are still alive.  But that's not exactly true. 

There is a big difference between breathing to stay alive, and breathing to optimise your human and athletic performance. In this podcast you will be able to find out:

• The surprising percentage of the population who have dysfunctional breathing
• Three simple tests to determine whether you need to spend time learning to breathe effectively
• Why dysfunctional breathing can lead to health problems and restrict your athletic performance
• What happens to the body at rest, never mind exercise, when you breathe inefficiently
• Two breathing exercises you can do which will make a difference, in less than 10 minutes per day

The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062349484/the-oxygen-advantage/

Body Oxygen Level test (BOLT) http://oxygenadvantage.co.za/measure-bolt/

Videos of breathing tests:

Simple breathing pattern test - https://youtu.be/_J3Va1vvW80

Pursed lip breathing exercise https://youtu.be/POnGJM2FdDc

Previous podcasts with Louisa:

Louisa Holmes Part 1: Full body assessment & bike fit  https://simonward.podbean.com/e/simon-ward-and-louisa-edmonston-part-1/

Louisa Holmes Part 2: How to make the most of your bike fit https://simonward.podbean.com/e/simon-ward-and-louisa-edmonston-part-2/

Full Body MOT + Bike Fit https://www.cspc.co.uk/cspcservices/mot/2541-2/

Book an appointment with Louisa at the Coach House https://www.cspc.co.uk/

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email Beth@thetriathloncoach.com.