Simon Ward, The High Performance Human Triathlon Podcast

It’s easy to be fit . . but being a good triathlete also requires good technique! Darren Smith

In the last 6 years I have chatted with many great coaches, and today's guest is right up there with them!

 

Darren Smith is arguably one of the best triathlon coaches we have seen working with Olympic triathletes. I first met Darren when he was appointed as head coach for Scottish Triathlon, and our paths crossed at regular coaches meeting at British Triathlon. After 4 years at the helm of Scottish Triathlon Darren left and set up his own private nomadic triathlon group which became known as the D Squad. At the 2012 Olympics in London he had 6 triathletes from 6 different countries competing in the triathlon event. He gained a reputation for taking triathletes with an average swim and turning them into world class athletes. In 12 months he guided Annie Haug from a world ranking of around 60 to 2nd.  Some of the many topics we discuss today are:

• swim technique and why triathlon swimming is very different to the pool and requires a different technique
• the importance of working on run technique
• does gym based strength training have any value for triathletes? 
• total training load, and overtraining markers 
• how to build athlete consistency over many months/years

 

To follow Darren, please check out his LinkedIn profile and also follow him on Twitter (X)

LinkedIn

Twitter - Coachdaz

 

We also talked about:

Alex Popov Swim technique video

DISC profile test used by Darren with all of his athletes and mentioned by Sue Reynolds in her podcast.

 

Darren presented at the Science Triathlon Conference in 2015. You can see his presentation HERE. One attendee said, "I learnt more in a few days with Darren than I had done in years of my triathlon career. An incredibly intuitive coach - not afraid to think and apply outside the box. Bravo Darren."

 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please email her at Info@BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 

To leave a review of the podcast on Apple podcasts CLICK HERE.

 

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our 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.

The Outlaw triathlon helped save my life * Liam Colebrook

Triathlon is a metaphor for life. The challenges we encounter on race day are like the ups and downs of life squeezed into a few small hours. In reaching the finish line we often achieve what we once thought impossible. It helps us to grow.

 

For some, triathlon can literally be a lifeline.

 

My guest on this week’s podcast is Liam Colebrook. Liam is one of the Outlaw Triathlon ambassadors for 2024. As you'll hear in the show, being involved with the Outlaw events as a volunteer in 2023 played a big part in turning Liam's life around, and literally helped to save his life.

 

Before we start, it's important for you to know that we talk about some very sensitive topics  - anxiety, depression, mental health as well as gambling addiction, drinking, and suicidal thoughts. If, on listening, you feel that this has triggered something in you, please make sure you reach out to someone. You can find links for help in the show notes.

 

Liam speaks very candidly about many topics in the course of the next 90 minutes including:

• long term anxiety issues and addiction to gambling
• wearing many masks to cover his addiction 
• therapy, dark thoughts, the day of realisation, rehab and the beginning of his recovery
• volunteering at Outlaw events
• sharing magical moments with his children
• finding his tribe
• high performance habits which Liam uses every day to continue the lifelong recovery process

 

PLEASE READ

Liam’s LinkedIn post - In the podcast, Liam speaks of a LinkedIn post he wrote where he shared his struggles with mental health and gambling. If you would like to read that original post you can view it HERE.

 

Outlaw Triathlon also shared a post about Liam’s experiences as an Outlaw volunteer. 

 

To find out more about Liam please follow his new Instagram page

RecoveryLiam

 

Liam also wanted me to share the links for these charities that have helped him:

• Epic Start Foundation - Rebuilding a positive life after gambling harm: https://www.epicrestartfoundation.org/
• GamCare - Gambling support starts here: https://www.gamcare.org.uk/
• Gordon Moody - treatment for gambling addiction: https://gordonmoody.org.uk/
• Step Change - can help you be free from debt: https://www.stepchange.org/

If you're ever struggling to cope, and need to speak with someone confidentially, please contact Shout or Samaritans.

 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please email her at Info@BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 

To leave a review of the podcast on Apple podcasts CLICK HERE.

 

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our 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.

Get Simon on a horse! * Grumpy Old Coaches Christmas Special

Ok, it’s nearly Christmas and you know what that means? Yes, it’s time for a Grumpy Old Coaches Christmas get together!

Last year we recorded our show live from the pub and it proved to be quite popular with the coaches and the listeners, so we’ve continued the trend this year. Last Friday we all went over to Wigan and recorded the show from Marc’s local, The White Lion.

 

We calculated that between us we have over 80 years of coaching experience and probably about the same number of years competing in triathlon. Anyway, as we are all knocking on we decided to have a chat about how our approach to training has altered with our age. Then it seemed a natural jump to talk about how our coaching approach had changed.

Finally, Mrs Ward (who definitely isn’t grumpy at all) got the opportunity to ask a few rogue questions.

 

• Steve shares his admiration for an 83 year old lady
• Marc declares that he has given up training
• Steve has a rant about how boring triathlon is
• What’s all this about a horse?
• How darts could make triathlon more interesting
• What do Marc and Robin Hood have in common?
• The ultimate winter comfort foods revealed

 

And much more!

 

CLICK HERE To join the new Small Group Coaching programme with Simon and Beth.

 

You can contact Steve Lumley via his email, TriCoach.Lum@gmail.com.

Marc Laithwaite runs The Endurance Store, an independent running and triathlon store in West Lancashire, and B-spoke cycles (currently based in Aintree, Liverpool) which is moving to a new home in Croston, Lancashire, just down the road from The Endurance Store! Epic Events organise swim, cycle, run, and triathlon events throughout the North West. 

Www.theendurancestore.com 

Www.b-spokecycles.com

Www.epicevents.co.uk

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please email her at Info@BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 

To leave a review of the podcast on Apple podcasts CLICK HERE.

 

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our 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.

Bite Sized * Simple ways to boost your bike performance for 2024

In a recent bite sized podcast I outlined the steps you could take to improve your swim performance. Today I'm discussing how to improve your cycling.

 

Cycling is by far the biggest portion of any triathlon and so if you have a strong bike, that will enhance not only your overall time but also your ability to run well (as long as you don't push too hard on the bike).

 

In today's bite sized podcast I outline some steps you can take to boost your bike performances in 2024, including: 

• Why you should be realistic and consistent
• The importance of mobility and strength
• Ways to improve your technique
• Embrace group riding and improve your bike handling skills
• Test regularly to set targets and check progress

Finally, I have some advice on the type of sessions you might choose and some guidance for the older athletes who feel they might be stagnating a little.

 

I hope that by the time you've finished listening, you'll have a little more clarity and you can fine-tune your training goals for the winter. And if you don’t like smashing yourself in every session, this episode provides other options available to become a better cyclist.

 

Some other podcasts you might find useful after listening to this episode are:

Super cycle coach Matt Bottrill on how to get faster - Part 1 & Part 2

Tom Morisson - Simplistic Mobility Method

Jacques DeVore - Strength training for cyclists

 

If you're a new listener, you can subscribe to the podcast HERE so that you never miss an episode!

 

I would love for you to share the episode with one person you think could benefit!

 

To leave a review of the podcast on Apple podcasts CLICK HERE.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our 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.

How to create an Olympic champion * Jack Maitland part 2

Today we have the 2nd part of my conversation with Jack Maitland.

Last week we talked about Jack's journey from orienteer to mountain runner to elite triathlete and then into coaching. We talked about our work together, his work in Leeds and then the development work with Alistair & Jonathan Brownlee finishing at the end of 2011 when Alistair was a favourite for Olympic Gold at the London 2012 Triathlon. Today we talk about the lead up to that event, the 4 year cycle up to  Rio 2016, what happened when Jack moved on from the Leeds performance Centre, and the start of a collaboration with Beth Potter.

 

• Never assume anything
• The stress of the 4 year Olympic cycle
• More success in Rio 2016
• 2017 - revolving doors in Leeds
• It takes time to build a champion - the 7 year journey with Beth Potter
• The importance of yoga

To find out more about Jack please visit the following:

Website: thesportsashram.com

Instagram: Thesportsashram

Twitter: @JackTheTriCoach

Facebook: The Sports Ashram

 

Book Recommendation: Coherence by Dr Alan Watkins

 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please email her at Info@BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 

To leave a review of the podcast on Apple podcasts CLICK HERE.

 

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our 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.

Bite Sized * Breathing 101 - Inspire before you expire

This week, following a request from regular listener David Hill, I’m going to take a short dive into what is called breath work. So thank you David for a great suggestion! I’ve had several podcast conversation about this specific subject and there's no doubt in my mind that it makes a real difference to health and performance by managing anxiety, improving that ability to relax, and all of the positive knock ons from there.

 

Breathing is controlled by our autonomic nervous system (ANS), so for the majority of your day it happens unconsciously. And, you’re probably thinking, "Well, I’ve got to 30, 40, 50 without ever having to really think about this so I must be doing something right." Yes, you are doing enough to keep your body alive and running.

 

In fact, with some conscious breathing you can make some really positive changes to your mind and your body, helping you to be more relaxed or more activated.

 

I’m going to divide this into 3 categories and provide an example of each that you can try:

• Purposeful breathing to maintain ease
• Breathing to improve exercise technique and recovery
• Calm down breathing to lower anxiety and physiological anxiety

I’m going to finish the episode with a couple of little experiments you can try to see how different types of breathing affect your heart rate.

 

To revisit (or listen for the first time) to the longer podcasts about breathing please click on the links below.

 

How to improve your health and athletic performance with nose breathing - George Dallam

How you can gain the Oxygen Advantage to supercharge your health and fitness - Patrick McKeown

How to be an UnBreakable Runner - Brian MacKenzie

If you are still breathing you are still winning - Louisa Holmes

 

If you're a new listener, you can subscribe to the podcast HERE so that you never miss an episode!

 

I would love for you to share the episode with one person you think could benefit!

 

To leave a review of the podcast on Apple podcasts CLICK HERE.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our 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.

Performance triathlon in Leeds: From a small idea, to Olympic gold medals * Jack Maitland

Back in 2000, I decided to rebrand my coaching business as TheTriathlonCoach.com. I’d been coaching for 4-5 years and built up a good roster of age group athletes. I was having to turn folks away so I asked my friend (also a coach) if he’d like to join me and take on some clients. His name was Jack Maitland, and he's my guest on the podcast this week and next week.

 

Jack and I started to grow TTC as it was known, but that wasn’t all. In 2001 we put our names in the hat to run the Regional Talent ID Programme in the North of England. Having two coaches wasn’t quite what British Triathlon had in mind, but we persuaded them and that was the beginning of performance triathlon in Leeds. A few years later the Leeds Performance Centre was born with Jack at the helm. And the rest, as they say, is history.

 

In this episode we talk about Jack's journey from orienteer to mountain runner to elite triathlete and then into coaching. We talk about our work together, his work in Leeds and then the development work with Alistair & Jonathan Brownlee. Today's episode finishes at the end of 2011 when Alistair was a favourite for Olympic Gold at the London 2012 Triathlon. It was a great trip down memory lane for both of us and I hope you enjoy it too as we discuss:

 

• Competing at the Commonwealth Games demo event in 1990
• Starting and developing the Leeds High Performance Centre in 2001
• Building squads of athletes and coaching teams
• Coaching an Olympic medal contender at London 2012

To find out more about Jack please visit the following:

Website: thesportsashram.com

Instagram: Thesportsashram

Twitter: @JackTheTriCoach

Facebook: The Sports Ashram

 

Book Recommendation: Coherence by Dr Alan Watkins

 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please email her at Info@BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 

To leave a review of the podcast on Apple podcasts CLICK HERE.

 

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our 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.

Bite Sized * Losing weight and triathlon performance

Is losing a few kilos one of your winter training goals for the next few monthsIf it is, you're probably not alone.

 

At least once a month I get an email or have a phone conversation with an endurance athlete who tells me they need to lose weight to help them achieve their goals in the summer.

 

As a coach I feel like it’s easy to get overly focused on this aspect of improving performance. I much prefer an approach where we concentrate on doing the right things. In this case, finding a healthy nutritional approach (whatever that looks like), being patient, and letting the body sort the rest.

In today's podcast I’ll lay out an alternative solution to cutting calories to reach race weight. Just a few of the things covered are:

• Eat more vegetables and fruits, and more fibre
• Get a good balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats
• Reduce your intake of products containing refined sugars 
• Avoiding ultra processed foods

If you're a new listener, you can subscribe to the podcast HERE so that you never miss an episode!

 

I would love for you to share the episode with one person you think could benefit!

 

To leave a review of the podcast on Apple podcasts CLICK HERE.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our 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.

How to be an UnBreakable Runner with Brian MacKenzie

Regular listeners will know that I’m a big fan of mobility and strength work, to the point where I have regularly recommended to athletes that they reduce their swim, bike, and run volume and use that time to work out in the gym (or at home). Several years ago I came across a book written by this week's guest, Brian MacKenzie. The book was “Unbreakable Runner” and the principle was to replace a lot of running volume with CrossFit-style workouts. Brian used this approach to complete his first 50 mile ultra on a much lower volume of running than you might expect, and he uses this approach with athletes he coaches. In our chat we discuss:

• The Unbreakable Runner - less volume, more intervals, and a lot more strength work
• Breathing as a measure of exercise intensity - Brian introduces the 5 gear system (22:00)
• Skill development for endurance athletes to reduce injuries (40:50)
• The negative impacts of wearable technology (56:45)
• Why mood is the most valuable metric for athlete performance (1:00:10)
• Valuing your time, and aligning behaviours with goals (1:01)

To find out more about Brian please visit the following places

Websites HHP Foundation Brian MacKenzie

Instagram @shift_adapt

 

To purchase Brian’s books

PowerSpeedEndurance

UnBreakable Runner

UnPlugged

Brian also recommended the following book: Awareness by Anthony deMello

During the conversation Brian also mentioned the unique strength workouts created by the BEST BIG WAVE SURFER of all time,

Laird Hamilton. Please visit XPTLife  and view a workout here: Laird Hamilton’s Revolutionary Pool Workout.

 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please email her at Info@BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 

To leave a review of the podcast on Apple podcasts CLICK HERE.

 

Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our 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.

Bite Sized * Consistency is the key to success

Almost 34 years ago to the day, November 1989, I attended my first triathlon training camp. The venue was Eilat on the Red Sea in Israel and the host was a chap called Bernie Shrosbree who at that time was GB triathlon champion.

I learned a lot on that course, but this lesson was one of the most valuable and which will always stand true: "Consistency is the key to success"

 

It felt so significant to me at the time that I wrote it down in the front cover my training diary (if you visit my Facebook page you’ll be able to see a photo of that exact note I made).

 

If you hear any elite athlete talk about why their season has been so good you'll often hear them refer to the consistency of training that they've enjoyed. If you could choose just one focus for your winter training, or indeed your training for the next 10 years, it should be to stay consistent.

This, above anything else, will  hugely influence whether you reach your goals!

 

In this short podcast I’ll explore some of the reasons why you might lose your training consistency, and then offer some solutions to help you stay as consistent as possible, including a key reason why the Brownlee’s became such dominant runners in the triathlon world.

 

As you think about your training for the next few months, as well as planning your path to faster swim times or a higher FTP, think also about how you can make sure you miss as few training sessions as possible. Your ability to complete as many of your planned sessions as possible will have a huge influence on your progress.

 

If you're a new listener, you can subscribe to the podcast HERE so that you never miss an episode!

 

I would love for you to share the episode with one person you think could benefit!

 

To leave a review of the podcast on Apple podcasts CLICK HERE.

Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our 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.