What I wanted to explore in this conversation is not the race results but the bigger picture. What does a career that long actually teach you about how to train, how to look after yourself and how to keep going? The answers are not complicated. But they are consistent, and they are exactly what I keep telling the athletes I coach.

IN THIS EPISODE WE COVER:

• Growing up playing multiple sports and why Ashleigh believes that gave her a robust physical foundation that has protected her throughout her career
• The junior and under-23 years, the lessons learned early, and the coach who shaped her approach to sustainable training
• A decade on the World Triathlon Series circuit, the highlights, and why she eventually made the move to middle distance
• How she discovered she had probably been under-fuelling her entire short course career, and what changed when she started working with Precision Fuel and Hydration
• Training and racing alongside husband Josh Amberger, and what that has meant for her relationship with the sport
• The daily habits and routines that have kept her healthy and performing at the highest level for over 15 years
• Strength training: the two years she stopped doing it, the chronic injuries that followed, and why she has never dropped it since
• What the next chapter looks like, on and off the start line

KILLER QUOTE "If I tried to do what I did 10 years ago now, I would be ruined. It's not that I'm weaker or not as capable. It's just that you've got to respect your body and what it's been through. That adds up. That counts for something."

CONNECT with Ashleigh Ashleigh Gentle is a two-time Olympian and professional triathlete based in Brisbane, Australia.

Instagram: @gentle_ash

Ashleigh’s favourite books is ‘The Nightingale’ by Kristin Hannah.

She also recommended ‘Too much Lip’ by Melissa Lucashenko

CONNECT with Precision Fuel and Hydration precisionfuelandhydration.com

FREE Download👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

Find out why some triathletes keep improving into their 60s while others plateau in their 50s. Why Some Triathletes Keep Improving Into Their 60s

If what you heard today resonates and you want a training structure built around these principles, with individuality, recovery, strength and the long game at its centre, that is exactly what SWAT Inner Circle is designed around.

New members join at £65 a month. No minimum term, cancel any time.

Details at simonward.co.uk/swat-inner-circle

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Dr Marc Pietropaoli is an orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist based in Buffalo, New York. He trained under Dr James Andrews, widely regarded as the greatest sports medicine doctor of all time, and has spent 35 years challenging one of the most deeply held assumptions in his own profession. His book, Repair Not Replace, is an Amazon number one bestseller and the title tells you exactly where he stands.

This is a personal conversation as much as a clinical one. If you are an endurance athlete in your 50s or 60s with creaky knees and a little voice in the back of your head asking how long you can keep doing this, it is well worth your time.

IN THIS EPISODE WE COVER:

• What is actually happening inside an ageing knee, and why bone on bone is not the death sentence most patients are told it is
• The three questions you must ask before agreeing to a knee replacement
• Cortisone, hyaluronic acid, PRP and bone marrow concentrate: what the evidence says about each
• The French study showing an 82% chance of avoiding knee replacement for up to 20 years with the right regenerative approach
• Why running does not cause arthritis, and what actually does increase your risk
• The most common mistakes endurance athletes make that accelerate knee damage
• Why strength training is the single most important thing you can do to protect your joints at any age
• Why getting in early, before things deteriorate, changes everything

KILLER QUOTE "Being proactive and preventive is the most important thing. Most people in your age category wait too long, and then it's to the point where, if you had just gotten in earlier, this would be so much easier to treat."

CONNECT with Dr Marc Pietropaoli Dr Marc Pietropaoli is an orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist based in Buffalo, New York. He trained under Dr James Andrews and specialises in regenerative medicine and non-surgical knee treatment.

Book: Repair Not Replace  available on Amazon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoryinmotion1/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VictoryInMotion1/videos Website: https://victoryinmotion.com/

LINKS & RESOURCES Mentioned in the episode:

Repair Not Replace by Dr Marc Pietropaoli

Dr Marc's Instagram post on the three questions to ask before knee replacement: https://www.instagram.com/p/DcwymEWhs8-/

FREE Download👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

Find out why some triathletes keep improving into their 60s while others plateau in their 50s. Why Some Triathletes Keep Improving Into Their 60s

If what you heard today resonates and you want a training structure built around these principles, with individuality, recovery, strength and the long game at its centre, that is exactly what SWAT Inner Circle is designed around.

New members join at £65 a month. No minimum term, cancel any time.

Details at simonward.co.uk/swat-inner-circle

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Taryn Richardson is an advanced sports dietitian based in Brisbane who spent six years as the sports dietitian for Triathlon Australia, working with elite and para-triathlon athletes all the way to Olympic level. She also runs a private practice and hosts the Triathlon Nutrition Academy podcast. She has been working with triathletes for two decades and has seen pretty much everything. This conversation is specifically focused on masters athletes, the physiological changes that drive different nutritional needs after 50, and what to actually do about it.

IN THIS EPISODE WE COVER:

• Why nutritional requirements start changing in your 30s, not your 50s, and why laying groundwork early matters
• Protein as the non-negotiable foundation for masters athletes, how much you actually need, and why most are not getting close
• The barbecue study and what it reveals about protein timing and muscle protein synthesis
• Plant-based athletes and what to watch out for when animal protein sources are removed
• The male and female differences in nutritional needs as we age, including calcium, vitamin D and the hormonal changes that drive them
• The tension between body composition goals and performance fuelling, and why lighter does not mean faster
• Recovery nutrition and why getting the bookends of training right is the highest leverage move most athletes are not making
• Gut health, fibre, fermented foods, and why 70% of your immune system lives in your gut
• A practical habit stacking action plan to change one thing at a time without getting overwhelmed

KEY PRINCIPLES

1. Protein first. Masters athletes are almost universally under-eating protein. Aim for 1.6 to 2 grams per kilo of bodyweight, spread across the day, and time it around key training sessions.
2. Stoke the fire. Eat as much as you can without gaining weight. Under-fuelling suppresses metabolism, accelerates muscle loss and compromises recovery.
3. Lighter does not mean faster. The athlete who races heavier but fuelled properly will almost always outperform the one who arrived lean but depleted.
4. Habit stack, do not overhaul. Start with recovery nutrition. Get that entrenched before adding the next layer. Compound it like interest.
5. Your gut is your immune system. 70% of immune function sits in the gut. Fibre, variety of plants, and fermented foods are the big levers, not expensive microbiome tests.

KILLER QUOTE "The best time to work on your nutrition was probably 10 years ago. But the second best time is now. Do one thing today. It doesn't matter what it is."

Free 5-part audio series

Taryn has created a free 5-part audio series "The 5 Biggest Nutrition Mistakes Costing You Time on Race Day" I recommend checking it out before your next race

CONNECT with Taryn Taryn Richardson is an advanced sports dietitian, host of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy podcast, and founder of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy programme.

Website: dietitianapproved.com Podcast: Triathlon Nutrition Academy Podcast

Instagram: dietitian.approved

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DietitianApproved

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dietitianapproved

LINKS & RESOURCES Mentioned in the episode:

Taryn talked about the BBQ study - check that out here: The 100g protein "BBQ" Study

GUT HEALTH

She was also quite vocal about The Gut microbiome testing study  BOTTOM LINE: Save your money!!!!

The alternative is to absorb some of the content produced by Megan Rossi The Gut Health Doctor. That might be the best starting point if you want to improve gut health.

Taryn’s book recommendation is Up to Speed by Christine Yu. The groundbreaking science of women athletes is a goodie for both men and women.

FREE Download👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

Find out why some triathletes keep improving into their 60s while others plateau in their 50s. Why Some Triathletes Keep Improving Into Their 60s

If what you heard today resonates and you want a training structure built around these principles, with individuality, recovery, strength and the long game at its centre, that is exactly what SWAT Inner Circle is designed around.

New members join at £65 a month. No minimum term, cancel any time.

Details at simonward.co.uk/swat-inner-circle

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Seven years on, Debbie is a health practitioner, author and coach based in San Diego, and she has built an entire philosophy around what she learned. She calls it the holistic method - eight elements of health that go well beyond the training plan. This conversation picks up where we left off, and covers the bigger picture questions that most athletes never think to ask until something goes wrong.

IN THIS EPISODE WE COVER:

• Why just exercising is not enough and what the other 85% of the health pie chart looks like
• The body as a communication system - what chronic stress is actually telling your body and why it stops trying to build and repair
• The go-go years, the slow-go years and the no-go years - how to visualise your future self and reverse engineer from there
• Debbie's eight elements of holistic health and why happiness, community and joy are as important as sleep and nutrition
• The blue zones - what people living well into their 90s actually have in common
• The vagus nerve, HRV and why they tell you far more than just whether you recovered from yesterday's session
• What Debbie's own daily routine looks like - and she genuinely walks the talk

KILLER QUOTE "We should be striving to thrive as we age - not struggle. And so much of that comes down to the choices we make today, in middle age, before the labels start arriving."

CONNECT with Debbie Debbie Potts is a health practitioner, coach, author and podcast host based in San Diego, California. She specialises in helping masters athletes thrive as they age through functional testing and her holistic method.

Website: https://debbiepotts.net/ Podcast: The Debbie Potts show Book: Life Is Not a Race, it’s a journey by Debbie Potts The Holistic Method Workbook: [PLACEHOLDER]

Previous Be Battle Ready episodes with Debbie Potts

Episode 1 - Dealing with HPA Axis syndrome

Episode 2 - Recovering from Chronic Fatigue

LINKS & RESOURCES Mentioned in the episode:

Outlive by Peter Attia

Blue Zones documentary

FREE Download👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

Find out why some triathletes keep improving into their 60s while others plateau in their 50s. Why Some Triathletes Keep Improving Into Their 60s

If what you heard today resonates and you want a training structure built around these principles, with individuality, recovery, strength and the long game at its centre, that is exactly what SWAT Inner Circle is designed around.

New members join at £65 a month. No minimum term, cancel any time.

Details at simonward.co.uk/swat-inner-circle

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

This week Simon and Beth sit down to unpack one of the core concepts behind the Battle Ready philosophy. The physical pension. The idea that the decisions you make today about how you sleep, move, eat and recover determine what you have available to you at 60, 70 and beyond. Not just as an athlete, but as a human being who wants to actually enjoy the life they have worked hard to build.

This is not a performance conversation. It is a longevity conversation. And it applies to everyone.

IN THIS EPISODE WE COVER:

• Where the physical pension concept came from and why the financial analogy works so well
• The five key deposits every athlete should be making, starting now
• Why it is never too late to start, including the story of a 105-year-old French cyclist who improved his aerobic capacity at 102
• What the withdrawals look like and how they accumulate silently over years
• What a well-funded physical pension actually looks like in practice
• How the Battle Ready philosophy and SWAT Inner Circle are built entirely around making these deposits consistently

KILLER QUOTE "The best time to have started would've been 20 years ago. But the second-best time is today."

LINKS & RESOURCES Mentioned in the episode:

Dan John episode: The Physical Pension: Strength, Longevity and the Only Secret That Exists

Fast After 50 by Joe Friel: Fast After 50

FREE Download👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

Find out why some triathletes keep improving into their 60s while others plateau in their 50s. Why Some Triathletes Keep Improving Into Their 60s

If what you heard today resonates and you want a training structure built around these principles, with individuality, recovery, strength and the long game at its centre, that is exactly what SWAT Inner Circle is designed around.

New members join at £65 a month. No minimum term, cancel any time.

Details at simonward.co.uk/swat-inner-circle

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

But saying it and doing it are very different things. Particularly through winter, when the race season is over, the mornings are dark, and the motivation that carried you through summer starts to feel a long way away.

This week Simon and Beth do a proper deep dive into what consistency actually means in practice, and specifically what habits and actions protect it through the winter months.

IN THIS EPISODE WE COVER:

• Why the single biggest threat to consistency is not motivation or weather, but injury and illness, and what to do about it
• Why recovery should be planned before training, not fitted around it
• How to identify the weekly training load you can actually sustain across many months, not just the maximum you can tolerate for a few weeks
• The recovery day question: do you actually need complete rest or can active recovery do the same job?
• How to plan and protect recovery weeks before the training blocks start, not as a reaction to exhaustion
• A simple three-question morning protocol for managing the grey areas when you are not clearly well but not clearly ill
• Four winter-specific habits that protect your immune system and keep you showing up through the darker months

KILLER QUOTE "Consistent imperfect training through winter is worth far more than sporadic perfect training. The promise of consistency is not glamorous. It does not make for exciting social media content. But it works. Every time."

LINKS & RESOURCES Some podcasts you might find useful to go along with this one

WHOOP Project PR Study

Train Less, Recover More

Recovery Based Training, Your Questions Answered

Christine Clubbs episode: What your Garmin Can’t Tell You

FREE Download👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

Find out why some triathletes keep improving into their 60s while others plateau in their 50s. Why Some Triathletes Keep Improving Into Their 60s

If what you heard today resonates and you want a training structure built around these principles, with individuality, recovery, strength and the long game at its centre, that is exactly what SWAT Inner Circle is designed around.

New members join at £65 a month. No minimum term, cancel any time.

Details at simonward.co.uk/swat-inner-circle

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

When I went back and listened to those conversations recently, something struck me. They were all saying the same things. Different words, different experiences, different athletes, different levels of the sport. But the core principles kept coming up again and again.

This episode pulls those threads together. Six coaches. Eight principles. And one idea that runs underneath all of them.

THE SIX COACHES

Joe Friel - author of the Triathlete's Training Bible and Fast After 50, one of the most widely respected voices in endurance coaching.

Chris Jones - head coach for British Triathlon at the Sydney Olympics and one of the most influential coaches the sport has produced in the UK.

David Tilbury-Davis - professional triathlon coach who has worked with elite athletes across the world.

Mark Allen - six-time Ironman world champion and one of the most thoughtful people about training and performance I have ever spoken to.

Jack Maitland - builder of the Leeds Triathlon Centre and coach to the Brownlee brothers from the beginning of their careers.

Jim Vance - American coach with extensive experience across both elite and age-group athletes.

8 KEY PRINCIPLES

1. Individuality is the first principle. There is no plan. There is only a person and a plan that fits them.
2. Simplicity beats complexity. A few principles applied consistently will always outperform a complicated programme executed badly.
3. Consistency is the most important variable. Not volume, not intensity, not methodology.
4. Recovery is where adaptation happens. Compromise recovery and you compromise everything the training was supposed to produce.
5. Strength and mobility are non-negotiable. It is the platform that makes consistent training possible.
6. The athlete's life context is part of the programme. Training stress and life stress draw from the same budget.
7. Honesty and self-awareness are coaching tools. You cannot manage what you do not honestly understand.
8. The long game is the only game. Health first, performance built on top of that, longevity as the goal.

KILLER QUOTE "None of these coaches described exceptional talent as the primary ingredient. All of them described wisdom, patience, honesty and consistency as the things that determine how far an athlete goes and how long they last."

LINKS & RESOURCES Original episodes with each coach: Chris Jones David Tilbury-Davis: Developing a Performance Mindset Mark Allen: Fit Soul, Fit Body Jack Maitland: How to create an Olympic Champion Part 1 - Part 2 Jim Vance; Start line Mindset

Joe Friel; Fast After 50

FREE Download👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

Find out why some triathletes keep improving into their 60s while others plateau in their 50s. Why Some Triathletes Keep Improving Into Their 60s

If what you heard today resonates and you want a training structure built around these principles, with individuality, recovery, strength and the long game at its centre, that is exactly what SWAT Inner Circle is designed around.

New members join at £65 a month. No minimum term, cancel any time.

Details at simonward.co.uk/swat-inner-circle

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Georgia is a competitive age-group aquabike athlete and sports journalist writing for Aquabike.World. Her journey to the European Age Group Aquabike Championships in Spain, which she made alone, 12 hours of travel, bike box and all, has not been straightforward. She has navigated an eating disorder, RED-S, a labral hip tear, and the transition from triathlon to aquabike as a way of staying competitive while protecting her long-term health.

This is a very honest conversation about subjects that don't get discussed enough in endurance sport. Georgia talks about them with clarity, humour and a refreshing absence of self-pity. Her story is still being written and it is well worth following.

IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT:

• How Georgia found the podcast driving between parkruns in Northern Ireland and why the timing changed how she heard it
• Her experience of disordered eating, why it started, and what finally shifted
• RED-S, the labral hip tear, and the cumulative impact of training before she was ready
• How working with coach Nat Lawrence helped her build a sustainable approach to training and fuelling
• The transition to aquabike, the European Championships in Spain, and what she is building through her writing at Aquabike.World

KILLER QUOTE "Even though it's been quite a wibbly wobbly journey, I absolutely love it. I wouldn't change it for the world now. Because I personally know how hard I found it to get through those things, it gives me a lot of self belief that I'll achieve some of my other goals too."

CONNECT with Georgia Georgia Hamblett is an age-group aquabike athlete and sports journalist based in the UK.

Instagram: @georgias_tris_and_tribulations ,

Aquabike.World

Writing: Aquabike.World LinkedIn: Georgia Hamblett

Georgia’s book recommendation: Unbroken by Katarina Johnson-Thompson

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES Mentioned in the episode:

Previous Be Battle Ready episode with Nat Lawrence: Spinning Plates - The Amazing Life of Outlaw champion Natalie Lawrence

If you or someone you know is navigating disordered eating or RED-S, please seek support from a professional who understands athletes. In the UK, Beat is the leading eating disorder charity and can help signpost specialist support.

RED-S Project -where athletes of all ages, genders, sports and abilities come together to prevent and overcome Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport.

If today's episode has made you think about building a training approach that works around your whole life, your health included, that is exactly what SWAT Inner Circle is built around.

New members join at £65 a month. No minimum term, cancel any time.

Details at simonward.co.uk/swat-inner-circle

FREE Download👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

Find out why some triathletes keep improving into their 60s while others decline in their 50s.

simon-ward.kit.com/keepimproving

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Six of them. Jamie Bedwell, a professional triathlete who had his career ended by a rare arterial condition and turned down surgery to protect something more important. Christine Clubbs, a GB age-grouper who has spent two and a half years tracking the human side of training with nothing more than a notebook and a pen. Justin Robbins, a long-time triathlete who discovered he was fit but not healthy, and made a really interesting change in his approach. Sue Reynolds, a two-time age-group world champion who pushed herself to the edge of overtraining syndrome chasing an extraordinary question. Jane Hansom, Ironman world champion, who walked away from the sport she'd dominated and built something completely new. And Nick Parkes, a masters open water swimmer who suffered a cardiac arrest mid-race with absolutely no warning and survived to tell the story.

This episode is about what all six of them have in common.

7 KEY LESSONS

1. Identity is not your sport. When the sport can't give you what it once did, you need something else to stand on.
2. The body sends signals we routinely ignore. Fit people are particularly bad at this — partly because fitness masks the moment of reckoning.
3. Consistency and discipline are the foundation. Not talent. Not volume. Consistent effort over long periods.
4. Self-knowledge is a performance tool. Honest self-assessment beats data every time.
5. Letting go of a goal is not the same as giving up. Every guest who did this ended up in a better place.
6. Get checked. Fitness does not make you invincible. Nick Parkes is the proof.
7. Community makes individual sports possible. Every journey in this episode was made possible by other people.

THE ONE QUESTION What are you actually doing this for?

KILLER QUOTE "When the sport couldn't give them what it once did, they had something else to stand on. That's the thing that made the difference."

LINKS & RESOURCES Jamie Bedwell: When the sport you love can no longer love you back - Christine Clubbs: What your Garmin can’t tell you Justin Robbins: Fit but not healthy. The wake up call that changed everything Sue Reynolds: What would happen if an AG triathlete trained like an Olympian? Jane Hansom: From 20 year break to Ironman World Champion Nick Parkes: The day my heart stopped mid-race

Book recommendation -  Simon Sinek: Start with Why How great leaders inspire everyone to take action.

If the answer to that question is that you want to keep performing well, stay healthy and be genuinely durable into your 50s, 60s and beyond, that is exactly what SWAT Inner Circle is built around.

New members join at £65 a month. No minimum term, cancel any time.

Details at simonward.co.uk/swat-inner-circle

FREE Download👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out.

Ironman Sanity Checklist

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Dan John is one of the most respected strength coaches in the world. A former All-American discus thrower, a prolific author with close to 20 books to his name, and someone who has been coaching athletes across multiple sports for over four decades. He has a rare gift. The ability to take genuinely complex ideas and distil them into something so simple you wonder why you ever made it complicated in the first place.

This conversation covers the difference between health, longevity, fitness and performance, and why most athletes confuse them. We get into why the basics consistently applied over years are the only secret that actually exists, what strength and mobility work should look like for endurance athletes over 50, what equipment you actually need, and a phrase that came up in the conversation that I think every person over 40 should sit with. The physical pension.

5 KEY POINTS

1. Health, longevity, fitness and performance are four different things. Most athletes chase fitness and performance while neglecting health and longevity. Get the order wrong and the whole house eventually falls down.
2. Fitness is simply the ability to do a task. Nothing more. Stop comparing yourself to people doing different tasks. The best couch carrier in the world isn't automatically fitter than the best Ironman athlete. They're just fit for different things.
3. The only secret is consistency over time. Five days a week, 52 weeks a year. One to five workouts will be brilliant, one in five will be embarrassing, and three out of five will be ordinary. Multiply that by 10 years and the ordinary ones quietly do all the work.
4. Strength work becomes non-negotiable after 50. The 35 to 55 window is when you build the strength reserves that stay with you for the rest of your life. Future you will be very glad you did.
5. The physical pension is real. Regular deposits into your physical health now, while you can, build the pot you'll draw on in your 60s, 70s and beyond. Every consistent week compounds.

3 TAKEAWAYS

1. Mobility before strength. If you're limited in range of movement, getting stronger within that limited range won't give you much return. Fix the mobility first, then build strength through the full range.
2. Focus on movements, not muscles. Squats, hinges, pushes, pulls and loaded carries work the biggest number of muscles in one hit and build the kind of functional strength that transfers to sport and life.
3. Ask yourself: will future me be happy with this decision? If you're 45 and making training, nutrition and lifestyle choices, run them through that filter first.

KILLER QUOTE "It's hard to sell a secret when there's no secret. You do the basics right, you recover well, and you repeat the next day. That's it."

CONNECT with Dan Dan John is a strength coach, author and educator based in the United States. He has coached athletes from high school level through to Olympic standard across multiple sports. To find out more about Dan John, please visit these channels:

Website - Dan John University

Sign up for Dan’s weekly newsletter “Wandering Weights” 

Easy Strength with Dan John & Pavel Tsatsouline

Check out Dan John’s other books HERE

Dan is a prolific writer. Check out his articles and blogs 

Dan John talks about the physical pension — putting regular deposits into your physical health now so future you has something to draw on. That's exactly the philosophy behind SWAT Inner Circle. Structured training plans from Sprint to Ironman, strength and mobility built in, recovery centred, and designed for the age you are now, not the age you were.

New members join at £65 a month. No minimum term, cancel any time.

Details at simonward.co.uk/swat-inner-circle

FREE Download👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out.

Ironman Sanity Checklist

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

This week we’re back to work through the most common challenges and questions that came in. From why the pros train 30 hours a week to whether recovery-centred training is just an excuse to be lazy, this episode tackles the pushback head on and gives honest, practical answers to the questions every serious endurance athlete will recognise.

If you haven't listened to last week's episode yet, it's worth doing that first. The link is in the show notes.

5 KEY POINTS

1. Volume works up to the point you can recover from it. The pros train 30 hours a week because their entire life is structured around absorbing it. Match your volume to your recovery capacity, not theirs.
2. You still need long sessions for long races. The question is how many and how often, given what you can actually recover from. Fewer long sessions done well beats grinding through all of them on accumulated fatigue.
3. Following a plan blindly isn't discipline. It's blind optimism. Making a daily judgment call, acting on the honest answer and overcoming your ego to do it - that takes more discipline, not less.
4. A good plan is a starting point, not a rigid prescription. Good coaching builds in flexibility to adapt when life happens - because no coach can predict a sick child or a difficult week at work.
5. Panic training in the final weeks rarely works. Athletes who cram volume onto a foundation they haven't built usually end up injured or ill. Consistency is always a better bet than a hero block.

3 TAKEAWAYS

1. Check your actual training data before planning your next block. Look at what you genuinely averaged over the last three months. That number, without ego, is probably closer to your real training capacity than anything on a plan.
2. If your goal isn't achievable this year, it might just be set a year too early. Stay healthy, stay consistent, and build on it next season.
3. A happy, healthy finish line is always a win. Arriving fresh and consistent will beat arriving exhausted from a plan you couldn't absorb every single time.

KILLER QUOTE "How much training can you actually recover from, and how much can you consistently complete? If you can answer that honestly, without any part of your ego being involved, you'll probably get to the right answer."

LINKS & RESOURCES Mentioned in the episode:

Previous episode — Train Less, Recover More

Sue Reynolds episode — What Would Happen If an Age-Group Triathlete Trained Like an Olympian?:

WHOOP Project PR Study

Tim Gabbett research — The training—injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder?

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/5/273

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Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

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Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

In this episode Simon is joined by Beth for a conversation that challenges one of the most deeply held assumptions in endurance sport — that more training equals better performance. They dig into why recovery should underpin every training plan, what the evidence actually says about training volume versus training smarter, and the practical steps any athlete can take this week to shift their approach.

This one is for anyone who is consistently tired, consistently below where they expect to be, and wondering why the training isn't working.

5 KEY POINTS

1. Training breaks you down, recovery builds you back up. The fitness gain happens during recovery, not the session itself. Compromise recovery and you compromise the adaptation.
2. The WHOOP Project PR study showed runners on a dynamic recovery-based plan improved their 5k time by the same amount as those on a fixed plan, but trained up to 80 minutes less per week and reported 30% fewer injuries.
3. Consistency compounds. Ten hours a week for twelve weeks beats fifteen hours followed by injury and two weeks off. After 50 this matters even more, fitness drops faster and takes longer to rebuild.
4. Stress is stress. Training, work and life all draw from the same budget. Putting them in separate silos and ignoring the total load is a recipe for breakdown.
5. The most important data source is still the one between your ears. Devices confirm what your body is already telling you. Learn to listen first.

3 TAKEAWAYS

1. Set your sleep target before your training target. Around 95% of daily growth hormone is produced during deep sleep. Cutting sleep to fit in a session is robbing Peter to pay Paul.
2. Make easy days genuinely easy. If it felt like training, it wasn't recovery.
3. Train to your number, not the plan's number. Ask honestly how much your body can absorb today — and respond to that answer, not the spreadsheet.

KILLER QUOTE "Recovery isn't something you do when you aren't able to train. Recovery is the element that makes the training worthwhile."

LINKS & RESOURCES Mentioned in the episode:

WHOOP Project PR Study -  the recovery-based training study referenced throughout this episode.

Christine Clubbs episode - Be Battle Ready podcast - What your Garmin can’t tell you

Sue Reynolds episode - Be Battle Ready podcast - What happens if an age group athlete trains like an Olympian.

Want a training structure built around what you can actually absorb rather than a generic plan?

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Three years of gradual deterioration. Chronic back pain, loss of power in the left leg, pins and needles that left him feeling, in his own words, more like a pirate with a wooden leg than a semi-decent triathlete. Every race ended the same way. Every solution fell short. Until earlier this year, when he finally got a diagnosis: flow limitation of the iliac artery, FLIA, a condition where the main artery feeding blood to the leg kinks under the repeated stress of cycling and running.

There was a surgery. There was a one in five chance of it going wrong. There was a man in the waiting room who had been back eight times. And there was a surgeon who asked Jamie a simple question: why would you risk so much just to compete in triathlon?

Jamie didn't need the six weeks he was given to decide. He said no to the surgery, yes to swimming, and started figuring out what comes next. This is one of the most honest and quietly moving conversations I have had on this podcast.

5 KEY POINTS

1. FLIA affects competitive cyclists and triathletes specifically. Millions of pedalling repetitions thicken the iliac artery over time, restricting blood flow under race conditions. Day to day there is no pain at all.
2. The surgery carries a one in five failure rate. If it goes wrong, the athlete doesn't just lose their sport. They lose the ability to walk uphill or ride a bike with their kids.
3. Jamie said no to protect something bigger than his career. He wanted to remain in sport for the rest of his life. The surgery put that at risk. Once he understood that, the decision was straightforward.
4. Swimming has always been his weakest discipline. He won his first open water race on the River Arun and qualified for the national championships in Sheffield. He is just getting started.
5. Resilience isn't about pushing through. It is about knowing what you are actually fighting for and making decisions that protect it.

3 TAKEAWAYS

1. Know what you are protecting. Jamie turned down surgery not because he gave up on sport but because he refused to risk losing it permanently.
2. Discipline and love will take you further than a fixed goal. Jamie doesn't know where swimming will take him. He just knows those two things are enough.
3. Identity is bigger than the sport. Jamie is applying for ordination, building a community of Christian athletes with Abi, and becoming, in his own words, a more gentle and humble person.

KILLER QUOTE

"I'm so grateful there is such a thing called sport. Whether you're going to Park Run or competing at the highest level — sport gives every single person the opportunity to test themselves. And I'm grateful I still have that opportunity."

CONNECT with Jamie Jamie Bedwell is a former professional triathlete and competitive open water swimmer. He and Abi run an email list sharing their journey in sport and faith. Join Jamie and Abi's email list:   FuelledbyFaith@outlook.com for regular updates on their progress

Instagram -  Fuelledbyfaithajb

Jamie and Abi are sponsored by Raceskin Wetsuits

Jamie's favourite book: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - A Powerful WWII Survival Story of Endurance in the Pacific War

If you haven’t listened to the previous Be Battle Ready podcast with James & Abi, you can find it here: Husband and wife racing duo

If this conversation has resonated and you want a training structure built around your whole life, not just your performance targets, that is exactly what SWAT is designed for.

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Sue Reynolds was a guest on this podcast three years ago. At that point she had lost over 150 pounds, taken up triathlon in her fifties, and become a world age-group aqua bike and mixed relay champion. Her first book, The Athlete Inside, told that story.

But Sue didn't stop there. She wanted to answer a question most age-group athletes never dare ask seriously: what would happen if an ordinary amateur trained with the same expectations, the same daily habits, and the same meticulous standards as an Olympic-level athlete?

That question took her to the World Triathlon Championships in Pontevedra in 2023, where she led the swim - alone, three minutes clear, asking an official which way to run because she had never been at the front before. It eventually took her somewhere she hadn't planned to go at all.

Her new book, Across The Line, covers all of it. This conversation is one of the most honest I have had on this podcast about ambition, identity, the invisible damage of overtraining, and what it actually means to know your limits.

5 KEY POINTS

1. Meticulous preparation is where races are won before the start gun. Studying the currents, dropping leaves in the water on race morning, switching pontoon position at the last minute. The details are where elite performance actually lives.
2. Overtraining syndrome is not just tiredness. Unlike overreaching, which resolves with rest, OTS means the body can no longer adapt no matter how much recovery you give it. Sue calls it what it really is: under-recovery syndrome.
3. ‘Edited honesty’ is one of the most dangerous habits in endurance sport. Sue never asked for recovery. She dropped hints, pointed at data, said she felt like a walrus. But she never said the words and that gap is where things went wrong.
4. An invisible injury is still an injury. OTS left Sue looking completely fine while being unable to function. Nobody could see it. Some days she could barely believe it herself.
5. Periodised commitment beats single-minded obsession. Research shows athletes with interests outside their sport sustain performance better over time. Sue learned this the hard way, at considerable cost.

3 TAKEAWAYS

1. Ask for recovery before you need it. Don't drop hints. Don't hope your coach spots it in the data. Say the words out loud.
2. Saying yes when you should say no is not toughness. It is the thing that ends careers and breaks bodies.
3. Fitness gives you options. Sue's goal is simply to get fit by 2027 and see what becomes possible. Not a specific race. Not a podium. Just options.

KILLER QUOTE "I could have said I need a rest at any point. Why didn't I say that? I took a deep dive into all the cultural messages about sucking it up. We put people who push through on a pedestal. And I had bought into all of it."

CONNECT with Sue Sue Reynolds is a two-time age-group world champion, author and student of high performance. All author proceeds from Across The Line go to the USA Triathlon Foundation to support athletes with disabilities.

Website: suereynolds.net

Instagram:  https://instagram.com/sue.reynolds/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/suereynoldstriathlon/

Across The Line - Sue Reynolds - A case study of world-class performance that examines elite coaching, ambition, and the systems that make and break athletes.

The Athlete Inside - The inspiring true story of one woman's transformation from 335 pounds to world-class triathlete in just four years.

Sue also recommended the following book by Brad Stulberg: The Way of Excellence: A Guide to Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World 

Mentioned in the episode:

Podcast #1 with Sue Reynolds (Oct 2023) - From 150k to World Aquabike Champion in 4 years

If this conversation has made you think differently about your own cardiovascular health, or you're someone juggling a demanding career with serious training and want a structure that looks at your whole picture, not just your swim, bike and run numbers, that's exactly what SWAT is built around.

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Several months ago I wrote a LinkedIn post about my own decision to start taking statins, after several years of resisting that path. Katherine Caris-Harris, a performance nutritionist and fellow triathlete, reached out afterwards. She felt there were gaps in the conversation, and she was right.

Katherine is a degree-qualified nutritionist who works with what she calls corporate athletes, driven, high-performing people who often push themselves too hard across every area of life. In this episode we dig into the limitations of standard GP cholesterol testing, why LDL alone is a poor predictor of cardiovascular risk, the role of insulin resistance and thyroid function in driving cholesterol up, what the actual numbers needed to treat for statins really look like, and why cholesterol itself is essential, not the villain it's often made out to be.

This isn't an anti-medication conversation. Katherine isn't here to tell you what to do. It's about giving you the fuller picture so you can make an informed decision for yourself, whatever that ends up being.

5 KEY POINTS

1. LDL alone is a poor predictor of risk. Standard GP testing estimates LDL using a crude calculation, and doesn't account for particle size or how easily those particles are damaged by inflammation.
2. Better markers exist, but aren't routinely offered. ApoB and Lipoprotein(a) give a far more accurate picture of cardiovascular risk than standard LDL testing, but most GPs don't test for them due to cost.
3. The number needed to treat varies hugely. For primary prevention in a low risk group, you may need to treat 100 to 200 people with statins to prevent one cardiovascular event. That context rarely makes it into the conversation.
4. Insulin resistance can quietly drive cholesterol up. Even lean, fit endurance athletes can develop elevated blood sugar and insulin resistance through excessive use of gels, energy drinks and fasted training.
5. Cholesterol is essential, not the enemy. It's required for hormone production, cell repair, brain health and vitamin D synthesis. The real driver of arterial damage is oxidative stress and inflammation.

3 TAKEAWAYS

1. Get tested properly before deciding. Standard GP panels are a useful starting point but rarely tell the full story, particularly for athletes.
2. Context matters more than a single number. Genetics, insulin resistance, thyroid function and inflammation all contribute to your real cardiovascular risk.
3. Make your decision from a position of knowledge, not fear. Whatever you choose to do, do it with the fuller picture in front of you.

KILLER QUOTE "You wouldn't ignore your FTP test results. So why would you ignore what's actually happening under the hood with your cardiovascular health?"

CONNECT with Katherine Katherine Caris-Harris is a performance and functional nutritionist working with driven, high-performing clients juggling demanding careers with serious training. She is also a long-time age-group triathlete.

🌐 Website: kchnutrition.co.uk 💼 LinkedIn: Katherine Caris-Harris

LINKS & RESOURCES BMJ (British Medical Journal) podcast on Statins for Primary Prevention - How good is the Evidence?

Podcast with Cardiologist Dr. Aseem Malhotra on ’The Shocking Truths about Cholesterol, Statins and Heart Disease

CoQ10  - why you should be taking it and which brand to choose

Katherine also recommended the following book: Integrative Sport & Exercise Nutrition - How to view the body holistically. “Need to enjoy science to read it!”

Join us in SWAT

If this conversation has made you think differently about your own cardiovascular health, or you're someone juggling a demanding career with serious training and want a structure that looks at your whole picture, not just your swim, bike and run numbers, that's exactly what SWAT is built around.

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A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out.

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Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

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Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Phil's argument: FTP is overrated. Not useless, but overrated. From there we get into why 165mm cranks are worth serious consideration for a lot of riders, why a bag full of expensive saddles is almost never the answer to the problem people think it is, and why after five or six hours in the saddle your position matters far more than your power numbers. We finish by talking about MyVeloFit, the app Phil has developed with a Canadian tech team that lets you access his expertise from anywhere in the world, without leaving your house.

If you ride a bike for any serious amount of time, this one is worth your full attention.

5 KEY POINTS

1. FTP is the engine but the chassis matters too. The right position, crank length and body robustness matter far more than power numbers beyond the five-hour mark.
2. Asymmetry is normal and usually not a problem. British Cycling never worried about anything less than a 45/55 power split — trying to make people symmetrical often makes them worse.
3. Saddles are almost never the actual problem. Phil's first question is always about the position the saddle sits in, not the saddle itself.
4. Stance width is the next frontier. There is a 30cm difference in natural stance width across the human population, yet every bike uses the same pedal spacing.
5. Comfort is performance in long distance events. After five hours anything suboptimal in your setup becomes a battle you don't need.

3 TAKEAWAYS

1. Get the foundations right before chasing numbers. Bike fit, crank length and contact points are the platform everything else is built on.
2. You don't know what you don't know. Even if nothing feels wrong, a bike fit can confirm that — which is just as valuable as finding a problem.
3. Expert advice no longer requires geography or a big budget. MyVeloFit puts Phil's expertise within reach of anyone, anywhere in the world.

KILLER QUOTE "After five hours there's a lot of fight going on already. Anything that's suboptimal in your setup, we just make more optimal. You don't want to be fighting anything you don't have to fight."

CONNECT with Phil Phil Burt is one of the world's leading bike fitting experts, former head physiotherapist and bike fitter for British Cycling and Team Sky, and saddle designer for Physique. He runs his own clinic at the Manchester Institute of Performance in Manchester.

Website: philburtinnovation.com LinkedIn: Phil Burt

LINKS & RESOURCES Mentioned in the episode:

MyVeloFit —  Optimise your bike fit with Phil Burt and access Phil's expertise from anywhere in the world. CLICK HERE

Phil Burt Innovation Clinic — in-person bike fitting in Manchester with full biomechanical analysis, saddle pressure mapping and motion tracking.

Want help building durable training?

If what I talked about today resonates and you want a training structure built around your whole life, not just your swim, bike and run numbers, SWAT is where it happens.

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A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out.

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For the last two and a half years Christine has been tracking a remarkable range of data, but not in the way you might expect. No Whoop, no Oura ring, no algorithm telling her how recovered she is. Just a notebook, a pen, and an honest monthly reflection system covering motivation, mood, sleep, stress, training load, nutrition and how she actually feels about her racing.

What makes this conversation genuinely interesting is that Christine's personal perception data often tells a completely different story to her Garmin and Training Peaks numbers. Learning to sit with that tension, and to trust her own read of what's going on, has made her a better, more consistent and more self-aware athlete. This one will make you think differently about the data you're collecting and the data you might be ignoring.

5 KEY POINTS

1. Perception and performance data often contradict each other. Both tell you something important and neither should be ignored.
2. Tracking the human side of training reveals patterns wearables miss. Motivation dips and mood shifts show up in a notebook long before they show up as a poor HRV score.
3. Simple beats sophisticated. High, medium or low. Good, okay or rubbish. Christine's deliberately unsophisticated system is exactly why she's stuck with it for two and a half years.
4. Reflect before you look at the results. Writing down your honest perception of a race before checking the data means the numbers don't overwrite your own experience of what happened.
5. Tracking evolves over time. What matters to record changes as habits form and patterns emerge. The goal isn't a permanent system, it's a living one.

3 TAKEAWAYS

1. Start before you're ready. Pick a few things that matter, buy a notebook you like, and begin. There's no right or wrong, only the system you'll actually maintain.
2. Don't let the data become the verdict. Your perception of how you performed and what you learned is where the real value sits.
3. Self-knowledge transfers beyond sport. Knowing when to push and when to back off is a skill that works everywhere.

KILLER QUOTE

"My perception and the stats are sometimes absolutely polar opposite to each other. That difference is exactly what I wanted to understand."

LINKS & RESOURCES Mentioned in the episode:

Christine had 2 favourite books which she recommended. One we have had before

The Chimp Paradox - Dr Steve Peters - The Mind Management Programme to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence and Happiness

The Brave Athlete: Calm the F**k Down And Rise To The Occasion - Lesley Patterson & Dr Simon Marshall - The Brave Athlete solves the 13 most common mental conundrums athletes face in their everyday training and in races.

Want help building durable training?

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A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out.

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Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

This is a solo episode, and I want to talk about something I see constantly with athletes over 50, and it frustrates me because it's so avoidable. High volume training feels like commitment. It feels like the right thing to do. But for athletes in their late 40s, 50s and 60s, it's often the thing that's quietly breaking them down.

In this episode I explain what's actually happening physiologically when you stack training stress on top of work stress, poor sleep and a less forgiving hormonal environment. I talk about what smart training looks like for this stage of life, and why the athletes I've coached who go sub 10 or earn Kona slots are almost never the ones doing the most hours.

This isn't about doing less. It's about doing better.

5 KEY POINTS

1. The body doesn't distinguish between types of stress - training load, work pressure and poor sleep all land in the same bucket, and chronic overload triggers sustained cortisol elevation that works directly against recovery and adaptation.
2. The hormonal environment after 50 is fundamentally different - lower testosterone and growth hormone mean the margin for error is much smaller than it was in your 30s. You can no longer outwork a poor recovery strategy.
3. Sleep is where adaptation happens - around 95% of daily growth hormone is released during deep sleep. Cut sleep to squeeze in an extra session and you're adding fatigue, not fitness.
4. Consistency beats volume every time - 10 hours a week for 52 weeks is 520 hours. Sporadic 20-hour weeks followed by burnout or injury will never outperform steady, sustainable training across a full year.
5. Recovery weeks are not a weakness - planned recovery weeks are a strategic tool, not an optional extra. Without them, training stress accumulates without the adaptation following.

3 TAKEAWAYS

1. Make easy sessions genuinely easy and hard sessions genuinely hard - most athletes do everything at medium intensity, which delivers neither recovery nor adaptation.
2. Strength and mobility are non-negotiable - schedule them first and never cancel them for an extra swim or run session.
3. If your times are going backwards, it's not a motivation problem or a commitment problem. It's a strategy problem and strategy can be fixed.

KILLER QUOTE

"These athletes aren't lazy and they're definitely not lacking commitment. If anything, commitment is the problem, because they're committed to an approach that is quietly breaking them down."

LINKS & RESOURCES

Want help building durable training?

If what I talked about today resonates and you want a training structure built around your whole life, not just your swim, bike and run numbers, SWAT is where it happens.

Find out more and join SWAT here

FREE Download👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out.

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Connect with me HERE:

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Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

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Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

There have been plenty of books written about drugs in sport. Confessions, memoirs, exposés. But this one is different.

James Witts is a sports journalist and former editor of 220 Triathlon Magazine — someone I've known for well over a decade. His new book, Dope, isn't a first-person account of falling from grace. It's a proper state-of-play analysis of where the battle between dopers and anti-dopers actually stands in 2025 and 2026. Who's winning? How are athletes sidestepping detection? And what's driving people to dope in the first place — because it's rarely as simple as wanting to win.

We talk about Colin Chartier, David Millar, Team Sky, TUEs, blood bags, the Enhanced Games, AI, and why this issue reaches much further than elite sport. Including age-group athletes who will go to extraordinary lengths just to qualify for Kona. This is a nuanced conversation that will change how you see this subject.

5 KEY POINTS

1. Doping is rarely just about winning — identity, imposter syndrome, financial pressure and team dynamics all play a significant role.
2. TUEs are widely exploited — therapeutic use exemptions are legitimate in principle but have become a well-documented route to legal performance enhancement.
3. The Enhanced Games raises an uncomfortable question — if records aren't broken when athletes can openly dope, what does that say about clean sport?
4. Social media is a direct pipeline for dangerous substances — young athletes are being targeted by adverts for drugs like DNP, linked to over 30 deaths in the UK alone.
5. AI cuts both ways — it could help create novel undetectable drugs, but also help anti-doping agencies crunch data faster than ever before.

3 TAKEAWAYS

1. Look beyond the headlines — calling athletes cheats and moving on ignores the complex web of pressure and identity that leads many there.
2. The line is rarely clear — from TUEs to grey-area supplements, the boundary between legal and illegal is often deliberately blurred.
3. This isn't just an elite problem — age-group athletes and recreational competitors operate in the same ecosystem, with more similar pressures than we'd like to think.

KILLER QUOTE 

"It's so damning if someone is found to have taken a prohibited substance — it almost feels worse than murder. At least with murder there's a sense of rehabilitation."

CONNECT with James James Witts is a sports journalist and author specialising in cycling and endurance sport. His new book Dope is available now from Waterstones and all major booksellers.

X/Twitter: @jameswitts

LinkedIn: James Witts

Buy the book: Dope - available at Amazon, Waterstones and all major booksellers

James's favourite book: Racing Through the Dark by David Millar

LINKS & RESOURCES Mentioned in the episode:

WADA Prohibited List 2026

Enhanced Games

Other blogs, Videos etc you might want to check out

Honest Sport Substack - Edmund Wilson

Icarus documentary - If you haven’t seen this you must. Film maker and amateur cyclist Bryan Fogel sets out to investigate the furtive world of illegal doping in sports and ends up revealing the biggest international sports scandal in living memory.

The hidden cost of doping sanctions on Kenyan athletes

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Dave Schell is the founder of Kaizen Endurance, based in Boulder, Colorado, and has spent 15 years coaching cyclists and endurance athletes through some of the most demanding events on the calendar — Unbound 200, Leadville, ultra-distance gravel and mountain bike. Before that, he spent seven years at Training Peaks as coach education manager, so he understands both the science and the real-world application better than most.

We talk about why FTP is overrated as a race predictor, why skill and technique will give you more free speed than another training block, how to actually prepare your body for eight to ten hours in the saddle, the mental game of ultra-distance events, and why consistency remains the most unsexy and most powerful tool any athlete has. There's a lot in here that applies well beyond gravel.

5 KEY POINTS

1. FTP is overrated for long events — after eight hours everyone regresses to the same sustainable pace. Durability and fat oxidation decide the result.
2. Skill delivers free speed — technique improvements will outperform another fitness block for most athletes, most of the time.
3. Race your race bike — training on the road and racing gravel leaves your body unprepared for the physical demands, regardless of fitness level.
4. Recovery is where adaptation happens — most athletes need permission to rest, not encouragement to go harder.
5. Consistency is the only secret — the work never changes, you just keep doing it week after week.

3 TAKEAWAYS

1. Sign up for something that scares you — if there's no real possibility of failure, you'll wing it. The fear is what gets you out the door.
2. Context beats data — RPE and athlete feedback tell you more than power numbers alone. Data without context is just noise.
3. Extreme moderation wins — train at the right load, not the highest load. The athletes who stay consistent are the ones who progress.

KILLER QUOTE 👉 "My job is facilitating consistency — because over 15 years of coaching, consistency is the biggest secret. Whatever helps you be consistent, that's what leads to progress."

CONNECT with Dave Dave Schell is the founder of Kaizen Endurance, coaching cyclists and endurance athletes for ultra-distance gravel and mountain bike events.

Website: kaizenendurance.coach

Instagram

Substack

Podcast

Dave's favourite book: Endurance by Alex Hutchinson - Alex was a guest on the show talking about this book. You can listen to that episode HERE

LINKS & RESOURCES Mentioned in the episode:

Tim Gabbett research papers -

Should athletes be training harder & smarter

Acute vs Chronic Workload ratio

Dave also mentioned Goodhart’s Law - “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure” - worth considering for any athlete

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A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out.

Ironman Sanity Checklist

Want help building durable training?

Inside the SWAT Inner Circle you’ll find structured training plans, strength programmes and regular coaching insights designed to help endurance athletes train consistently without breaking down.

£30 per month.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

5 KEY POINTS

1. Don't run HYROX and triathlon simultaneously — use HYROX as your off-season focus instead.
2. Carbs, not protein, are the missing link — most athletes have protein nailed but aren't periodizing their carbohydrate intake around session demands.
3. HYROX is 60–70% running at high intensity — fuelling during the race is non-negotiable, even if it only lasts 60 minutes.
4. The interference effect is real — strength and endurance adaptations compete, so session sequencing matters.
5. Race start times vary wildly — practise your fuelling strategy for different scenarios long before race week.

3 TAKEAWAYS

1. Match your carbs to the session — fuel for the work you're actually doing, not out of habit.
2. Rehearse race day nutrition in training — know your timing, your meals and how you'll carry fuel during the race.
3. A healthy athlete is a fast athlete — under-fuelling is one of the fastest routes to injury and inconsistency.

KILLER QUOTE 👉 "If you're putting this much time, effort and money into your training — get the nutrition right. The improvement you'll see is going to be second to none."

CONNECT with Kelsie

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/kelsiejohnson_/

https://www.instagram.com/nxpcoaching/

LINKS & RESOURCES Mentioned in the episode:

1. Carbohydrate periodisation  Fuel for the work required
2. ⁠Interference Effect https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5407958/
3. ⁠Females and underfueling: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/23/3773

Kelsie’s favourite book : There Is No Wall - Allie Bailey

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A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out.

Ironman Sanity Checklist

Want help building durable training?

Inside the SWAT Inner Circle you’ll find structured training plans, strength programmes and regular coaching insights designed to help endurance athletes train consistently without breaking down.

£30 per month.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

World records are tumbling. Recovery between sessions seems quicker. And for many runners and triathletes, they feel almost impossible to ignore.

But are they coming with a hidden cost?

In this episode, I’m joined by physio and sub-30-minute 10k runner Andy Smith to explore what these shoes are actually doing biomechanically, why we may now be seeing different injury patterns in runners and triathletes, and how to use carbon-plated shoes without breaking yourself in the process. This is a practical conversation about performance, durability, strength, and why “faster” isn’t always as simple as it looks.

5 KEY POINTS

1. Carbon shoes change running mechanics - They reduce load on the calf and Achilles… but shift stress further up the chain.

2. Injury patterns may be changing - Andy is seeing more bone stress injuries in areas like the femur and pelvis.

3. Faster recovery can be deceptive - The shoes may allow athletes to handle more training volume… before the body is ready.

4. Strength is now non-negotiable - Foot, calf, hip, pelvis and core strength all become even more important.

5. Most athletes transition too aggressively - Andy recommends gradually building into carbon shoes rather than using them for every run.

3 TAKEAWAYS

1. Don’t let the shoes do the work - The stronger you are, the more benefit you’ll get from them.

2. Protect your weak links - Hip stability, calf strength and foot control matter more than ever.

3. Build gradually - Introduce carbon shoes slowly and strategically.

KILLER QUOTE

👉 “The shoes don’t reduce injury risk… they just change where the load goes.”

CONNECT with Andy

Andy works at my favourite physio Clinic Coachhouse Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Clinic - West Park, Leeds

This is his bio page - https://cspc.co.uk/member/andy-smith/

Andy’s favourite book is The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.  an unforgettable novel about the essential wisdom of listening to our heart and, above all, following our dreams.

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES

Mentioned in the episode:

It’s the shoes - great article by former podcast guest Alex Hutchinson

Research from Tim Gabbett

1. The training—injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder?
2. Load management: What it is and what it is not

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A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out.

Ironman Sanity Checklist

Want help building durable training?

Inside the SWAT Inner Circle you’ll find structured training plans, strength programmes and regular coaching insights designed to help endurance athletes train consistently without breaking down.

£30 per month.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

In this episode, I’m joined by Justin Robbins, a former Ironman athlete and coach who was training consistently, performing well, and doing all the things we’d typically associate with good health. But a routine blood test told a very different story. What followed was a complete rethink of how he approaches training, health, and life. This is an honest conversation about identity, balance, and what really matters if you want to stay fit for the long term.

5 KEY POINTS

1. Fitness doesn’t equal health - You can train hard and still be metabolically unhealthy.

2. Identity can become a trap - When your identity is tied to performance, it’s hard to step back.

3. More isn’t always better - High training volume doesn’t guarantee better outcomes.

4. Awareness creates change - It often takes a wake-up call to reassess what you’re doing.

5. Health is a long-term game - Short-term performance should never come at the expense of longevity.

3 TAKEAWAYS

1. Ask better questions - Don’t assume your current approach is working.

2. Look beneath the surface - Feeling fit isn’t the same as being healthy.

3. Think long term - Train in a way that supports your future self.

KILLER QUOTE

“I was training 15 to 16 hours a week… and still got told I was pre-diabetic.”

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES

Connect with Justin HERE on

Instagram 

LinkedIn 

Justin's favourite book:

Be useful - Arnold Schwarzenegger (surprisingly inspiring)

Justin mentioned getting a full blood panel via an online lab. This is the link:

https://healf.com/zone

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A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out.

Ironman Sanity Checklist

Want help building durable training?

Inside the SWAT Inner Circle you’ll find structured training plans, strength programmes and regular coaching insights designed to help endurance athletes train consistently without breaking down.

£30 per month.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

In this episode, I’m joined by Jane Hansom, who did exactly that. From a long break after university to running a sub-3 marathon, winning her age group at Kona, and building a successful marketing business alongside her training, Jane’s story is a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to start. We talk about consistency, mindset, coaching, and how the lessons from endurance sport translate directly into business and life.

5 KEY POINTS

1. It’s never too late to start - Progress doesn’t depend on your past.

2. Consistency wins - Show up. Do the work. Repeat.

3. Coaching is about people - The best coaches adapt to the individual.

4. Mindset transfers - What works in sport works in life.

5. Details matter - Small things make a big difference.

3 TAKEAWAYS

1. Be clear on your goal - Know exactly what you’re aiming for.

2. Do the work, then trust it - Confidence comes from preparation.

3. Find your people - Support makes everything easier.

KILLER QUOTE

“There wasn’t a single day in that entire year that I pressed snooze.”

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES

• Nevis to St Kitts Cross Channel Swim - https://www.nevistostkittscrosschannelswim.com/
• UltraSwim 33.3 (Caribbean Edition) - https://ultraswim333.com/
• Listen to our recent podcast about the Nevis cross channel swim - https://simonward.podbean.com/e/nevis-to-st-kitts-swim-why-i-finally-decided-to-take-statins/

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A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out.

Ironman Sanity Checklist

Want help building durable training?

Inside the SWAT Inner Circle you’ll find structured training plans, strength programmes and regular coaching insights designed to help endurance athletes train consistently without breaking down.

£30 per month.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

5 Main Points

1. Stick to the plan - Consistency beats last-minute changes.

2. Respect fatigue - Recovery is part of the training, not a weakness.

3. Practise race day - Don’t leave pacing, nutrition and conditions to chance.

4. Fuel properly - You can’t train hard and under-fuel at the same time.

5. Arrive fresh - Better to be slightly underdone than overcooked.

3 Key Takeaways

• Most Ironman plans fail in the weeks before race day • Durability and consistency matter more than volume • The goal now is to arrive healthy, not fitter

Killer Quote

“It’s not about doing more… it’s about getting it right.”

If you didn’t listen to last weeks podcast

Racing an Ironman this year? Ask yourself these 5 questions.

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A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out.

Ironman Sanity Checklist

Want help building durable training?

Inside the SWAT Inner Circle you’ll find structured training plans, strength programmes and regular coaching insights designed to help endurance athletes train consistently without breaking down.

£30 per month.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

You’re no longer thinking about training… you’re already in it. And for many athletes, this is the phase where small cracks begin to appear. Missed sessions, niggles, fatigue, and a growing sense of uncertainty about whether you’re actually on track.

In this episode, Simon and Beth walk through the key questions every Ironman athlete should be asking 3 to 6 months out from race day. Not to create panic, but to provide a clear and honest sense-check of where you are right now.

Because at this stage, it’s not about doing more. It’s about doing the right things consistently, staying healthy, and making sure you arrive at the start line ready to execute.

5 Key Talking Points

1. This phase of training is where most Ironman campaigns either come together or begin to unravel.
2. Consistency matters more than volume. Stop-start training is a major red flag.
3. Durability is critical, especially for older athletes managing fatigue and recovery.
4. Race-specific preparation, including pacing and nutrition, must be practised well before race day.
5. The goal now is not to get dramatically fitter, but to protect your fitness and stay healthy.

3 Takeaways

• Be honest about where you are. Small issues now can become big problems later.
• Focus on consistency, recovery, and smart training rather than chasing more volume.
• Your primary goal is to arrive at the start line healthy, not exhausted or injured.

Key Quote

“The goal now isn’t to get fitter… it’s to arrive at the start line healthy.”

FREE Download👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out.

Ironman Sanity Checklist

Resources I promised you

Race day nutrition Strategy - Get 20 minutes with a Precision Fuel & Hydration expert

Train your gut

The art of gut training

How to train your gut

Want help building durable training?

Inside the SWAT Inner Circle you’ll find structured training plans, strength programmes and regular coaching insights designed to help endurance athletes train consistently without breaking down.

£30 per month.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

We talk about the event itself, the experience of swimming across open water in a stunning setting, and what we learned from it.

Then we shift gears into a more personal topic. I share why, after years of resisting it, I’ve decided to start taking statins. It’s not medical advice, but an honest conversation about health, ageing, and the difference between being fit and being truly healthy for the long term.

Key Points

• The Nevis to St Kitts swim experience A 2.5-mile open water swim in warm Caribbean waters, inclusive, well organised, and accessible to a wide range of swimmers.
• Adventure vs preparation You don’t need perfect preparation to take on meaningful challenges, but the experience highlighted where more specific endurance work would help.
• Battle Ready in action Being consistently fit allowed us to step into an event like this with confidence and enjoy the experience.
• Fit doesn’t equal healthy You can look strong, perform well, and still have underlying health risks that aren’t visible on the surface.
• Why I changed my stance on statins After years of resisting medication, a combination of medical advice, real-life examples, and perspective on long-term risk led me to rethink my position.

3 Takeaways

1. Train for life, not just events Being Battle Ready means you can say yes to opportunities without needing perfect preparation.
2. Don’t confuse fitness with health Performance metrics don’t tell the full story. What’s happening “under the hood” matters just as much.
3. Play the long game Whether it’s training, lifestyle, or medical decisions, the goal is to keep doing what you love for decades, not just today.

Killer Quote

“Just because you’re fit, it doesn’t mean you’re invincible.”

Resources

Find out more about the Nevis - St Kitts Cross Channel Swim

Nick Parkes podcast - The Day My heart Stopped Mid-Race

Want help building durable training?

Inside the SWAT Inner Circle you’ll find structured training plans, strength programmes and regular coaching insights designed to help endurance athletes train consistently without breaking down.

£30 per month.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Most athletes ignore it until something hurts. Then it suddenly becomes important.

In this episode, I’m joined by Tom Morrison, creator of the Simplistic Mobility Method. I first came across Tom through athletes I work with, and his name kept coming up again and again.

What stood out to me is that Tom hasn’t just studied mobility. He lived the consequences of ignoring it.

From overtraining and constant injuries to a serious back issue that stopped him in his tracks, Tom had to rebuild his body from the ground up.

What he shares in this conversation is simple, practical, and very relevant if you want to keep training as you get older.

This isn’t about adding more to your week. It’s about doing the right things so you can keep showing up.

5 Key Talking Points

1. Most people wait for pain before they act - Mobility only becomes a priority when something breaks down.
2. Injuries often come from what you don’t train - If one joint lacks movement, another area takes the strain.
3. More training isn’t always better - Tom’s own experience shows how high volume without balance leads to injury.
4. Pain doesn’t always mean damage - You can have structural issues and still move well if your body is strong and adaptable.
5. Small daily habits work best - Five to ten minutes a day can make a big difference over time.

3 Takeaways

• Train your joints as well as your engine
• Be consistent, not extreme
• Do a little every day

Key Quote

“You don’t get injured in places where you move well. You get injured in places where you don’t move at all.”

Final Thought

If you want to keep training for the long term, mobility isn’t optional.

It’s the thing that keeps you consistent.

And consistency is what delivers results.

Resources

To find out more about Tom please visit these channels:

Website: https://tommorrison.uk

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TomMorrison

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MovementandMotion

Instagram: https://instagram.com/tom.morrison.training?igshid=MmIzYWVlNDQ5Yg==

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tom_morrison?_t=8eMnk3YfqBf&_r=1

These are some of Tom’s most popular blog posts:

The best advice for chronic back pain

The Non-Negotiables for better movement

How to fix chronically tight hamstrings

Tom has a really fun YouTube page and these are some of his most popular videos:

Piriformis Pain

Struggle to sit crossed legged

10 Minute Follow Along

Want help building durable training?

Inside the SWAT Inner Circle you’ll find structured training plans, strength programmes and regular coaching insights designed to help endurance athletes train consistently without breaking down.

£30 per month.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

For many athletes, that moment feels like the rug has been pulled from under them. Motivation drops, structure disappears, and the question becomes… what now?

In this episode, Simon and Beth explore the emotional and practical impact of losing a key event. They discuss why races matter, why so many athletes rely on them, and how to respond in a way that keeps your progress moving forward.

More importantly, they challenge the idea that your fitness should depend on a single race, and offer a more durable way to think about training for the long term.

5 Key Talking Points

1. Races provide structure, motivation and purpose, especially for recreational athletes.
2. Losing an event can feel destabilising because it removes the external driver for training.
3. Motivation alone is unreliable. Habits and routine are what sustain long-term progress.
4. There are different levels of athlete mindset, from event-driven to identity-driven.
5. A cancelled race does not mean lost fitness. It’s an opportunity to pivot and build further.

3 Takeaways

• Use races as motivation, but don’t depend on them completely.
• Build habits that keep you active even when there is no event on the calendar.
• When plans change, focus on what you can control and redirect your fitness into a new challenge.

Key Quote

“You didn’t lose your race… you just gained a level.”

Want help building durable training?

Inside the SWAT Inner Circle you’ll find structured training plans, strength programmes and regular coaching insights designed to help endurance athletes train consistently without breaking down.

£30 per month.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

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💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Most endurance athletes assume that getting better simply means doing more training. More miles. More hours. More big sessions. But after decades of coaching and competing, Simon argues that the athletes who achieve the best long-term results are rarely the ones doing the most volume. They are the ones who train consistently without breaking down. In this episode Simon and Beth explore the idea of durability versus volume, why chasing big sessions can backfire, and how athletes can build the resilience needed to train consistently for years rather than weeks.

5 Talking Points

1. The volume trap Many endurance athletes believe more training automatically leads to better results.

2. What durability really means Durability is the ability to train consistently without injury, illness or burnout.

3. The foundations of durable training Sleep, strength, mobility, nutrition and sensible training loads allow athletes to absorb training and recover.

4. Why hero sessions backfire Big one-off workouts often look impressive but can disrupt consistency if they leave you exhausted or injured.

5. Consistency beats intensity The athletes who improve the most are usually the ones who train steadily week after week.

3 Takeaways

• Consistency beats volume when it comes to long-term endurance performance. • Durable athletes prioritise recovery, strength, sleep and sensible training loads. • Ask yourself before a big session: will this make me more durable or less durable?

Quote from the Episode

“Fitness might come from a few big weeks of training. Real performance comes from years of consistent work.”

Stay strong. Stay curious. Stay Battle Ready.

Want help building durable training?

Inside the SWAT Inner Circle you’ll find structured training plans, strength programmes and regular coaching insights designed to help endurance athletes train consistently without breaking down.

£30 per month.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Learn how triathletes can practise open water swim skills in the pool and feel more confident on race day.

Can you really prepare for an open water swim if all you have access to is a pool?

In this episode, Simon and Beth explain how triathletes can build open water skills into normal pool sessions before the race season begins. They cover sighting, breathing to both sides, faster cadence, group starts, drafting and learning to stay calm when the swim gets crowded and chaotic.

If you have an early season triathlon coming up and the swim already feels a bit intimidating, this episode will help you arrive on the start line far more prepared and confident.

5 Talking Points

1. Pool fitness alone does not guarantee a strong open water swim.
2. Good swim coaching starts with identifying your own technical flaws.
3. Sighting, bilateral breathing and faster cadence can all be practised in the pool.
4. Training with others helps you stay calm in the chaos of race day swimming.
5. The more specific your preparation, the more confident you will feel in open water.

3 Takeaways

1. Practise open water skills in every pool session, not just when you get outside.
2. Staying calm in a crowded swim is a skill you can train.
3. Confidence on race day comes from preparation, not hope.

Quote

“Just because you cannot get into open water in March, it does not mean you cannot still practise your open water skills.”

Stay strong. Stay curious. Stay Battle Ready.

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

If you want help applying these ideas in your own training, that is exactly what we do inside SWAT Inner Circle.

Plans, guidance, monthly coaching calls and direct access to me.

£30 per month.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Different disciplines. Same foundations.

5 Talking Points

1. Broken Endurance for the Ultra Run-walk intervals to reduce impact, improve pacing and finish stronger.
2. Strength After 50 Lifting is non-negotiable for bone health, posture and long-term durability.
3. Protein & Muscle Protection Spreading protein across the day to support recovery and maintain muscle as we age
4. Brain & Gut Health Better fuelling, smarter decisions under fatigue and protecting consistency.
5. Heat & Alcohol Discipline Using heat exposure strategically and being intentional with alcohol to improve sleep and recovery

3 Takeaways

• Train for durability over ego.
• Protect consistency above hero sessions.
• The foundations win, not the flashy stuff.

Quote

“The real story isn’t the events. The foundations are the things that help you win.”

Stay strong. Stay curious. Stay Battle Ready.

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

If you want year-round structure built around these enduring principles — strength, fuelling, recovery and smart intensity — join the SWAT Inner Circle.

Plans, guidance, monthly coaching calls and direct access to me.

£30 per month.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

That’s reactive.

Used early in the season, heat training can increase plasma volume, improve heart rate control and build durability before racing even starts.

This episode was recorded last year and I’m re-releasing it now because this is exactly when smart athletes should be using it.

I’m joined by Lindsey Hunt from Precision Fuel & Hydration to break down how it works and how to apply it safely.

In This Episode

• Why heart rate spikes in hot conditions • How plasma volume rises in just a few days • The difference between acclimation and acclimatisation • Whether it helps if you race in the UK • Lab vs DIY approaches • How long adaptations last

KEY QUOTE

“Often our ability to lose heat limits performance more than our actual fitness.”

To follow Lindsey or Precision Fuel and hydration please check out the following social media channels

Twitter (personal) -  LindseyHunt_24

Instagram (PF&H) - Precision Fuel & Hydration  

Instagram (personal) - Lindseyh.u.n.t.

Lab page - https://www.precisionhydration.com/lab/ 

Precision Fuel & Hydration Stuff

A recent interesting blog about wearable sweat sensors

A recent blog about how fuelling requirements change at altitude

Free online sweat test: https://sweattest.precisionhydration.com/pages/why-personalise-your-hydration-strategy

Quick carb calculator: https://www.precisionhydration.com/products/precision-fuel-sample-pack/#thecarbcalculator

Athlete Case Studies: https://www.precisionhydration.com/athletes/case-studies/triathlon/

Cool Videos

Pro Tour cycle team Lotto Destiny use heat training to optimise performance

Heat acclimation and hydration at Marathon des Sables

If you want help applying strategies like this properly, that’s exactly what we build inside the SWAT Inner Circle.

Train smart. Start early. Get ahead of the season.

£30 per month.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

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https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

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💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

It’s what hasn’t.

Training trends come and go. Methods get rebranded. New tools promise breakthroughs.

But the fundamentals that drive performance, health and longevity have barely moved.

In this episode, I explain why most athletes don’t need more information — they need more consistent application of what already works.

In This Episode

• Why most “new” training methods aren’t actually new
• The common mistake of chasing hours instead of protecting fundamentals
• The five principles that have endured for 30 years
• Why consistency beats optimisation every time

Key Takeaways

• Most athletes are not missing a secret. They are missing repetition.
• If it doesn’t improve durability, capacity or sustainability, it probably doesn’t matter much.
• Build the foundation first. Volume and performance sit on top of that.

Quote From This Episode

“You probably don’t need more information. You need more consistency.”

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

If you want year-round structure built around these enduring principles — strength, fuelling, recovery and smart intensity — join the SWAT Inner Circle.

Plans, guidance, monthly coaching calls and direct access to me.

£30 per month.

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Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

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💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

We talk about choosing races that suit you (not your ego), understanding the course early, and setting realistic expectations so you don’t torch yourself chasing a fantasy. We dig into the boring stuff that works: consistency over hero sessions, sensible progression, and training specifically for the event you’ve entered. And we cover race day reality: the perfect race almost never happens, so you’d better have a Plan B and a calm head.

4–5 key bullet points

• Why your support team at home matters more than your latest gadget
• How to choose races that fit your strengths and lifestyle, and learn the course early
• The principles that stood the test of time: consistency first, progression without ego, and specificity that makes sense
• Stress is cumulative, so recovery is not optional, it’s training
• Race day reality: expect chaos, define success properly, and use Plan B thinking

3 key takeaways

1. Pick the right target: choose races and goals that suit you, and learn the course early so you can prepare properly
2. Win the boring weeks: consistent, repeatable training beats occasional brilliance every time
3. Recover and adapt: stress adds up, recovery is non negotiable, and flexibility on race day is a skill
4.  

Quote of the episode

“Consistency is the key to success. Make the priority to stay healthy and uninjured.”

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

And if you want structure, accountability, and a tactical plan for staying strong, mobile, and resilient all year round, the SWAT Inner Circle is where you’ll find the support to stay Battle Ready for life’s adventures. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

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💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

It’s about the thing we all quietly assume, until we cannot: being fit does not make you bulletproof.

Nick shares what happened when he suffered a heart attack and cardiac arrest during the GB National Open Water Championships (July 2023), mid-race, in open water. He was resuscitated on site, later underwent a double bypass, and then began the long, patient process of rebuilding his health, fitness, and confidence.

It’s an honest conversation about preparation, prevention, and the responsibility we all carry, not just for our own health, but for the people training around us.

What you’ll learn in this episode

• What it felt like in the lead-up, what happened in the water, and why rapid action mattered
• The chain of survival: bystanders, CPR, defibs, and how quickly outcomes change
• Double bypass surgery and what recovery really looks like in the real world
• Returning to training after a major cardiac event, physically and mentally
• The uncomfortable truth for masters athletes: training is brilliant, but it is not a health screen

Battle Ready takeaways (5 punchy ones)

1. Fitness improves your odds, not your immunity. You can be in great shape and still have hidden risk.
2. Learn CPR and how to use a defib. Not “someone should”, you should.
3. Get your checks done, especially over 45. Do not wait for a scare to start paying attention to your numbers.
4. Rehab is training. Cardiac rehab and gradual progression are the comeback plan.
5. Your lifestyle habits are part of performance. Sleep, stress, nutrition, and strength are not extras, they are the foundations.

One key quote

“Being fit doesn’t make you immune.”

Practical actions to take after listening

• Book a proper health check and get your key markers reviewed (blood pressure, lipids, glucose control, plus anything your GP recommends for your age and history).
• Do a CPR course and find out where the nearest defib is at your pool, track, gym, and local venues.
• Have the conversation with your training mates: who calls, who does CPR, where’s the defib, what’s the plan.
• Take the boring stuff seriously: sleep, alcohol, ultra-processed food, and stress load all matter more as you get older.

Some links from Nick:

Book recommendation- “Motivation is P.E.A.R. shaped” by author and psychologist Simon Hartley.

http://www.yorkshireairambulance.org.uk

http://www.suddencardiacarrestuk.org

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

And if you want structure, accountability, and a tactical plan for staying strong, mobile, and resilient all year round, the SWAT Inner Circle is where you’ll find the support to stay Battle Ready for life’s adventures. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

J

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

We cover six actions that help you keep performance climbing while protecting recovery: less volume but better quality, HIIT done sensibly, reducing alcohol, daily creatine, the broken endurance run-walk approach, and regular health checks.

The big themes (what this episode is really saying)

Over 50, you do not need to train like a hero. You need to train with intent, recover properly, and stop letting the “small” lifestyle habits quietly sabotage the work.

Punchy takeaways

• Less volume, better quality: stop collecting miles and start making sessions purposeful.
• HIIT matters for life, not just racing: keeping VO2 max and fast-twitch fibres buys you function later, not just fitness now.
• Choose safer ways to go hard: you can hit high heart rates on a bike, rower, swim, or loaded carries without risky sprinting.
• Alcohol is the sneaky recovery thief: it hits sleep, decisions, mood, and training quality more than most people admit.
• Creatine is not hype: it is well researched, supports muscle, and there is growing support for brain health and cognitive function too.
• Run-walk is not cheating: broken endurance is a strategy to stay consistent, hold form, manage heart rate, and finish stronger.
• Health checks are health-first performance: a short appointment now can prevent a long, messy problem later.

One key quote

“Hoping things are fine is not the same as knowing.”

Practical “pick one lever” challenge

Do not try to do all of this at once. Pick one lever this week:

• reduce volume and sharpen key sessions
• add one HIIT session and recover properly
• cut alcohol back and watch what happens to sleep
• start daily creatine
• try a run-walk interval on a familiar route
• book a health check

SWAT Inner Circle

If you want help applying all of this with proper structure, support, and a plan you can trust, the SWAT Inner Circle is the simplest way to stay consistent and stay Battle Ready.

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

And if you want structure, accountability, and a tactical plan for staying strong, mobile, and resilient all year round, the SWAT Inner Circle is where you’ll find the support to stay Battle Ready for life’s adventures. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

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Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

We cover five core actions that make everything else work: regular strength training that you can actually stick to, doing something that challenges your brain (not just your body), sorting your sleep so recovery is no longer optional, eating enough protein to support muscle and healthspan, and building stability and balance so you move well now and stay upright later. Simple stuff, but it is the simple stuff that most people skip.

Part two will take it on from there with less volume, more smart intensity, alcohol, creatine, broken endurance running, and health checks.

5 key takeaways 

• Strength training should be regular and progressive, not a weekly punishment session that leaves you sore and inconsistent.
• Training your brain means learning new skills (bonus points if it’s social), not just repeating the same puzzles forever.
• Better sleep is your cheapest performance enhancer, and small habit changes beat overthinking it.
• Most active over-50s need more protein than they think, spread across the day, not crammed into one meal.
• Stability and balance are both performance tools and long-term “life insurance”, so test them and train them.

One key sentence from the episode:

Strength Training - “You do not need to be sore for it to be working”.

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

And if you want structure, accountability, and a tactical plan for staying strong, mobile, and resilient all year round, the SWAT Inner Circle is where you’ll find the support to stay Battle Ready for life’s adventures. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

What we cover

• What “1.5-2.0 g per kg” looks like in real food Why most people under-do protein at breakfast and over-do it at dinner.
• A simple way to build meals “Protein first”, then build the meal around it.
• Make breakfast and lunch count Easy upgrades to porridge, yoghurt bowls, eggs, fish tins, and grab-and-go meals.
• Meal prep without becoming a full-time chef The “go-to meal” approach and why repetition can be a feature, not a flaw.
• Supplements and quality Whole foods first, supplements to top up, and why athletes should look for batch-tested options.
• The post-workout window Useful, but not panic stations. Context matters (session length, depletion, and how soon you train again).
• Chocolate milk as a recovery option Old-school, practical, and surprisingly effective.
• Who should be cautious with high protein? Mainly those with existing kidney issues, who should follow medical guidance.
• Protein and periodisation Carbs get periodised. Protein stays foundational.

Five practical takeaways

1. Set your number: know your daily protein target for your body weight and age.
2. Protein at every meal (and snack if needed): stop leaving it all for dinner.
3. Build meals from the protein source first: then add carbs, colour, and flavour around it.
4. Keep it simple: 5-7 repeatable meals beats chaos and good intentions.
5. Prep once, benefit all week: small batch cooking beats daily decision fatigue.

Quote to steal

“Think about building your meal out from the protein source rather than the carbohydrate source.”

J

Listener action

• Pick two high-protein breakfasts you actually enjoy and rotate them for the next 14 days.
• Do a quick audit: are you getting a meaningful protein hit at breakfast and lunch, or are you relying on dinner to save you? Jules - Protein audio_otter_ai

Connect with Dr. Jules Strauss:

• Website: totalendurancenutrition.com
• Instagram: @drjulesstrauss_nutritionist

Resources recommended by Jules

Beyond muscle hypertrophy. Why dietary protein is important for endurance athletes

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

And if you want structure, accountability, and a tactical plan for staying strong, mobile, and resilient all year round, the SWAT Inner Circle is where you’ll find the support to stay Battle Ready for life’s adventures. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

What we cover

• The RDA vs athlete reality

      Why 0.8-1.0 g per kg is a general population target, not an “optimal for performance” target.

• How much protein do endurance athletes need? Typical ranges for endurance athletes and how masters athletes may benefit from the higher end.
• Anabolic resistance (ageing and protein) Why older athletes may need a bigger protein dose per meal to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. J
• Strength training plus protein is the power combo Why lifting and protein work better together than either one alone.
• Sarcopenia and healthspan Muscle loss is not just a “gym issue”. It is independence, falls risk, and quality of life.
• Protein quality, plant vs animal, and what actually matters The truth: differences exist, but you can thrive on multiple approaches if you plan properly.
• Too much protein, kidney worries, and what happens to the excess Where the sensible upper limits sit for endurance athletes.
• Protein and fat loss Why protein can help appetite and muscle retention in a calorie deficit, but it is not magic.

Key takeaways

• If you are an endurance athlete, the RDA is a floor, not a target.
• As you age, you may need more protein per meal to get the same muscle-building signal.
• Protein plus resistance training is one of the best “anti-rust” strategies going.
• Plant-based can work brilliantly, but it needs more planning to cover bases like essential amino acids and leucine.
• More is not always better. Most endurance athletes do not need to live at extreme intakes.

Key quote regarding the RDA numbers

“Those numbers are about survival rather than thriving or optimal performance.”

Listener action

• Work out your daily protein target and write it down (especially if you are over 45).
• Add one simple rule: protein at every meal. Breakfast is usually where people fall apart.

Connect with Dr. Jules Strauss:

• Website: totalendurancenutrition.com
• Instagram: @drjulesstrauss_nutritionist

Resources recommended by Jules

Beyond muscle hypertrophy. Why dietary protein is important for endurance athletes

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

And if you want structure, accountability, and a tactical plan for staying strong, mobile, and resilient all year round, the SWAT Inner Circle is where you’ll find the support to stay Battle Ready for life’s adventures. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

https://linktr.ee/simonward

Including links for - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channel

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

In this episode

• Beth’s Ironman Austria reflections and post race burnout
• Why UK winter can crush motivation, and how three weeks in California changed everything
• The Chevin Chase on Boxing Day: a muddy reminder you can still perform without perfect prep
• Simon’s Battle Ready year: consistent training, fewer extremes, and still ticking off big goals
• Big habits that matter: strength, protein, sleep, and drinking less during the week
• 2026 plans: ultra trail running, potential 70.3 options, gravel adventures, and maybe a long swim

Podcasts

• Beth - Post Ironman Austria reflections
• Simon - Post Centurion and Bosphorous swim reflections
• Outlaw Middle with extended cut offs

Takeaway

Consistency beats heroics. Stay Battle Ready with sustainable training, solid habits, and a life that still has room for adventures.

See you next week (or next year).

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

And if you want structure, accountability, and a tactical plan for staying strong, mobile, and resilient all year round, the SWAT Inner Circle is where you’ll find the support to stay Battle Ready for life’s adventures. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

You can find link for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channel

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

We kick off with the state of triathlon participation and what Marc is seeing on the ground as an organiser, including the way athletes are now leaving entries later and how that makes it harder to predict numbers. From there we zoom out and compare triathlon to what’s booming elsewhere, especially road running, open water swimming and cycling.

Next up, we dig into why running is flying right now, particularly half marathons and marathons. We talk simplicity, cost, time commitment, and why formats like Parkrun, plus the rise of newer fitness events, are pulling people in.

We also go properly into the youth pathway problem. Marc shares the TryKidz work in primary schools and why the missing piece is not enthusiasm or delivery, it’s the “what next?” step after the taster day.

Then we take on Ironman age group qualification. The principle seems fair, but the real-world experience can be confusing, with Beth mentioning a calculator tool a friend built to help make sense of it.

And because it’s Christmas, we finish with a proper 2025 debrief and 2026 goal setting session. Steve’s return to long-distance racing at 60, Beth’s Ironman Austria recap (including the WhatsApp group drama and a very honest observation about what people pay attention to), plus Simon’s Bosphorus swim from Asia to Europe and why destination events just hit different. Then it’s onto 2026 with Hyrox, ultras, swims, 70.3 plans, gravel adventures, and Beth trying to bundle unfinished 2025 business into one slightly chaotic solution involving a horse.

Key takeaways

• Triathlon may have bottomed out, but recovery depends on costs, accessibility, and the on-ramp for newcomers.
• Road running’s growth makes sense: low barrier, low faff, easy to fit around life.
• Destination events (point-to-point swims, iconic routes) create memories, not just results.
• Youth participation is fixable, but only if there’s a clear next step after “try it” days.
• Ironman qualification can be fairer in theory, but the system has to be understandable and consistent to earn trust.

Some memorable quotes

• “If you want anybody to care, you either win or you almost don’t make it.”
• “Fitness is very specific, isn’t it? You’re fit for purpose.”
• “I started off with low expectations, and I was not disappointed.”

Listener action steps

1. If you’re feeling stuck or bored, plan a destination event for 2026 (swim point-to-point, iconic route, a proper adventure).
2. If triathlon feels like too much right now, there’s no shame in leaning into a 70.3, open water swims, or running while life is busy.
3. Coaches and clubs: if you’re working with juniors, build a clear next step after “intro sessions” so kids have somewhere to go next.

Have a brilliant Christmas, enjoy the food and the downtime, and don’t try to “win Christmas” by smashing training when your body is begging for a breather. The Grumpy Old Coaches will be back next year, and the mission rolls on: 500 episodes first… then a million downloads.

Steve Lumley is back in the market for athletes. You can contact Steve via his email, TriCoach.Lum@gmail.com

Marc Laithwaite runs The Endurance Store, an independent running and triathlon store in West Lancashire, and Croston Cycles, just down the road from The Endurance Store! Epic Events organise swim, cycle, run, and triathlon events throughout the North West. 

Www.theendurancestore.com 

https://www.crostoncycles.com/

Www.epicevents.co.uk

Marc also talked about his charity: TryKidz (triathlon introduction days in primary schools, NW England)

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

And if you want structure, accountability, and a tactical plan for staying strong, mobile, and resilient all year round, the SWAT Inner Circle is where you’ll find the support to stay Battle Ready for life’s adventures. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

You can find link for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channel

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

We talk about fibre, fermented foods, stress, sleep, pre- and probiotics, the Mediterranean diet, and how simple, consistent choices can transform gut health for athletes and everyday individuals alike.

Key Topics

• Why variety in your diet is key to microbial diversity
• Fibre vs fermented foods – understanding their different roles
• How to audit your current diet and identify triggers
• The truth about IBS, intolerances, and exclusion diets
• Prebiotics vs probiotics vs symbiotics – what they actually do
• How stress, sleep, and lifestyle shape gut balance as much as food does
• The Mediterranean diet as a model for long-term gut health

Key Quote ( 01:27:58 )

“Every meal needs to feed you – and your microbes. When you look after your gut, you’re really looking after your whole body.” – Harvey Fortis

Key Message

Gut health isn’t about cutting things out – it’s about adding the right things in. Feed your microbes with colour, fibre, and variety, and you’ll build the foundation for lasting health and performance.

How to Connect with Harvey:

Instagram – @fortis.sportsci Website – www.totalendurancenutrition.com

Recommended resources for listeners:

A couple mod highly recommended books

Gut by Giulia Enders The Athlete’s Gut: The Inside Science of Digestion, Nutrition, and Stomach Distress – Patrick Wilson

2 interesting research documents The Athlete Gut Microbiome and its Relevance to Health and Performance: A Review GSSI Sports Science Exchange: Gut Microbiome Function, Stability, and Profiling and Relevance to Athletes

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

The SWAT Inner Circle is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their health span.  You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE: https://linktr.ee/simonward

You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, Podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

We start by laying the foundations of what the gut microbiome actually is, but quickly move into why it matters in everyday life. We explore how gut health influences sleep, stress, immunity, inflammation, mood, and even how well you tolerate training and racing.

If you’ve ever struggled with poor sleep, anxiety, IBS, repeated illness, or unexplained fatigue, this episode will help you understand why the gut is often the missing piece.

• What the microbiome is and why it behaves like a “city within”

• Why gut health starts before birth and stabilises early in life

• How gut imbalance can disrupt sleep and keep the nervous system switched on

• The gut–brain axis and why 80% of signals travel from gut to brain

• How chronic low-grade inflammation starts in the gut

• Why frequent illness and poor recovery often point to gut health issues

• The link between gut health and skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis

• Why many performance problems aren’t training issues at all, but gut issues

Key Quote ( 00:09:59 )

“We host around 30 to 40 trillion bacterial cells – roughly as many as your own human cells – and they all work together like a thriving city inside you.” – Harvey Fortis

Key Message

Your gut is more than a digestive system – it’s a living ecosystem that drives energy, recovery, mood, and resilience. When the good bacteria thrive, everything else follows.

How to Connect with Harvey:Instagram – @fortis.sportsci Website – www.totalendurancenutrition.com

Recommended resources for listeners:

A couple mod highly recommended books

Gut by Giulia Enders The Athlete’s Gut: The Inside Science of Digestion, Nutrition, and Stomach Distress – Patrick Wilson

2 interesting research documents The Athlete Gut Microbiome and its Relevance to Health and Performance: A Review GSSI Sports Science Exchange: Gut Microbiome Function, Stability, and Profiling and Relevance to Athletes

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

And if you want structure, accountability, and a tactical plan for staying strong, mobile, and resilient all year round, the SWAT Inner Circle is where you’ll find the support to stay Battle Ready for life’s adventures. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Connect with me HERE:

You can find link for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channel

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

This week on the Be Battle Ready Podcast, I’m joined by Clifford Stephan, the founder of Booze Vacation. Clifford’s work focuses on helping people take intentional breaks from alcohol in order to reboot their sleep, metabolic health, energy, cognitive function, and long term wellbeing. Far from preaching sobriety, his approach is rooted in real-world experience, practical strategies, and understanding the way modern life, ageing, stress, and habitual drinking fit together.

Clifford shares his own journey from Silicon Valley consultant and lifelong social drinker to discovering how even “normal” drinking patterns were quietly sabotaging his sleep, hormones, recovery, performance at work, and motivation to train. His story will resonate with anyone in their forties, fifties or beyond who has ever wondered whether alcohol is pulling more from their life than it is giving back.

Together we explore:

• Why the habits you “get away with” in your twenties begin to cost you dearly in your forties and fifties
• How alcohol disrupts sleep architecture, metabolic health, hormones, cravings, energy, and recovery
• Why taking one long break from alcohol often unlocks improvements that short-term “cutting back” never delivers
• The powerful link between stress, poor sleep, overeating, belly fat, and reward systems
• How to navigate social situations without alcohol, re-write your internal story, and update your identity
• The impact alcohol has on performance at work, clarity of thought, productivity, and ability to show up for your family
• Why health span, not lifespan, should be the real goal in midlife
• Simple steps you can take today if you want to feel and function better in the next 30 to 90 days

This episode is packed with insights for anyone wanting to build more energy, better sleep, sharper thinking, and greater resilience as they age. Clifford’s experience, honesty, and practical approach make this a genuinely eye-opening conversation.

Listen now

Tune in to learn how smarter alcohol choices can become a genuine performance enhancer for training, work, mood, and long term health.

Connect with Clifford

Website- BoozeVacation.com

TikTok-  TikTok.com/@cliffordstephan1

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliffordstephan

Instagram- instagram.com/boozevacation/

Men's health Quiz- http://boozevacation.scoreapp.com/

Sleep blog - https://boozevacation.com/sleep-and-alcohol/

Other resources-  https://boozevacation.com/resources/

TikTok-  TikTok.com/@cliffordstephan1

Clifford’s book recommendation: Good Energy by Dr Casey means - The groundbreaking connection between glucose levels, metabolism, limitless health and longevity

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

And if you want structure, accountability, and a tactical plan for staying strong, mobile, and resilient all year round, the SWAT Inner Circle is where you’ll find the support to stay Battle Ready for life’s adventures. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channel

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

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Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

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As Bobby said "This is absolutely a performance tool, a performance approach. It is not a concession. You know, when people view it as a concession, then the whole mindset goes... You will perform better utilising this, not only as a training strategy, but very, very definitely for the large majority of endurance athletes, as a racing strategy, as a superior racing strategy." - Bobby McGee

In the conversation we talk about psychological barriers that prevent runners from adopting this approach, some compelling success stories, and we have some practical guidance on how to implement broken endurance in both your training and racing.

Key Points Discussed:

Broken endurance as a performance tool: This isn't a concession - it's a strategic approach that allows athletes to perform better, cover longer distances, and recover faster than continuous running.

The physiological benefits: Better heat management, improved cardiac drift control, enhanced fluid absorption, superior blood circulation during walk breaks, and reduced neurological fatigue.

Real-world success stories: From a 2:40 marathoner who ran 2:22 using walk-run, to age group athletes consistently outperforming their continuous running times by 4-5 minutes.

Overcoming the ego barrier: Why cultural perceptions of endurance and the "Iron Man" mentality prevent athletes from adopting superior racing strategies.

Practical implementation: How to find your optimal run-walk ratio (starting with 4:1 or 3:1), the importance of systematic data collection, and adapting intervals based on conditions.

Walking technique matters: Maintaining 14-17 minute mile pace during walk breaks, keeping rhythm and cadence, and using the walk as active recovery rather than collapse.

Recovery advantages: Dramatically reduced post-workout fatigue, ability to maintain higher training frequency, and reduced injury risk from better form maintenance.

Connect with Bobby McGee:

Website - bobbymcgee.com

Instagram - bobbymcgeerunning

Pendola Project - Run Form

Bobby also recommends the following books

Endure - Alex Hutchinson

The Transformational Power of Pure Intelligence Cory Reich

Bobby is a consultant for STRYD power meters,  He highly recommends the Duo if you want state of the art mechanical data to work on your run

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

The SWAT Inner Circle is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their health span.  You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channel

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic - https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

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💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Jules brings her expertise in sports nutrition to provide practical guidance on timing fasting protocols around training seasons, the difference between fasting for weight loss and fasted training for metabolic adaptation, and how to monitor whether a fasting approach is helping or hindering performance.

Key Points Discussed:

1. Should endurance athletes fast? It depends on individual circumstances, but fasting is not a performance enhancer - it's about careful management to maintain performance while pursuing other goals.
2. Timing within the training year: Off-season is ideal for experimenting with fasting protocols, while build phases, competition prep, and race periods should avoid restrictive approaches.
3. The planning complexity: How fasting requires more careful attention to meeting macronutrient needs (6-7g carbs/kg, 1.6-2.2g protein/kg) within restricted eating windows.
4. Fasted training vs. fasting protocols: The difference between acute fasted training sessions (for metabolic flexibility) and chronic fasting approaches (for weight management).
5. Monitoring and red flags: How to track whether fasting is working through training metrics, recovery markers, immune function, and menstrual health in females.
6. The performance-health-body composition triangle: Jules' framework for balancing competing priorities and staying within the "sweet spot" of all three goals.

Key Quotation:

"I think the key thing to recognise is that this (fasting) isn't going to be a performance enhancer. This isn't an approach that an athlete should pursue from an improved performance perspective. That's not to say that we can't maintain our performance if we carefully manage a fasting approach" — Dr. Jules Strauss

Connect with Dr. Jules Strauss:

• Website: totalendurancenutrition.com
• Instagram: @drjulesstrauss_nutritionist

If you are training for endurance sport and tempted by fasting please check out this research first:

Fuel for the work required

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

The SWAT Inner Circle is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their health span.  You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channel

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

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💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Jules walks through the continuum of fasting approaches and importantly discusses who should avoid fasting altogether, drawing on her expertise in female-specific nutrition and eating disorder awareness.

Key Points Discussed:

1. Time-restricted eating (TRE): The most common and manageable approach, typically 16:8 or 14:10 windows, with early eating windows showing slightly greater benefits for insulin sensitivity.
2. Intermittent fasting (5:2 approach): Five normal eating days with two very low-calorie days, and why this can be challenging for endurance athletes to manage around training.
3. Red flag approaches to avoid: The "Warrior Diet," "Lean Gains," and other extreme protocols with fancy names that often promote disordered eating behaviour’s.
4. Who should avoid fasting: Anyone with a history of disordered eating, youth athletes, pregnant/lactating women, older athletes with higher protein needs, and those with recurrent injuries.
5. The reality check on benefits: Fasting doesn't provide superior results compared to traditional calorie restriction - it's simply another tool that works for some people.
6. Individual considerations: How training schedule, lifestyle, and personal circumstances should guide whether fasting is appropriate.

Key Quotation:

"I think it's important to recognise and acknowledge that, on the face of it, that is the time restricted eating approach. But when we kind of layer on all these additional kind of rules and restrictions, that's the point at which this becomes incredibly challenging for anyone to really implement... and actually lean more towards promoting and supporting people to engage with more kind of disordered eating behaviour’s." Dr. Jules Strauss

Connect with Dr. Jules Strauss:

• Website: totalendurancenutrition.com
• Instagram: @drjulesstrauss_nutritionist

**If you are training for endurance sport and tempted by fasting please check out this research first:

Fuel for the work required

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

The SWAT Inner Circle is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their health span.  You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channel

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic - https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Together, they unpack how our hunter-gatherer ancestors evolved to handle periods without food, the hour-by-hour changes that occur during fasting, and why our relationship with hunger is far more complex than we might think.

Key Points Discussed:

1. Our evolutionary relationship with fasting: Humans evolved with intermittent access to food, developing metabolic flexibility to switch between glucose and fat burning during feast and famine cycles.
2. The fasting timeline - what happens hour by hour: From overnight fasting (insulin drops, fat burning begins) to extended fasting (liver glycogen depletion, ketone production) and the physiological stress responses that occur.
3. Understanding hunger signals: How appetite hormones like ghrelin and satiety signals work, why hunger often disappears during fasting, and the difference between true hunger and habitual eating patterns.
4. The real benefits backed by science: Improvements in insulin sensitivity, glucose control, and body composition - but with the important caveat that most studies are done on metabolically unhealthy populations, not athletes.
5. Fasting as physiological stress: Why fasting increases cortisol and adrenaline, and how this compounds with training stress in athletes.

Key Quotation:

"We all typically will fast overnight, and you know, depending on bedtime and waking time, the duration of that overnight fast that we all have will be slightly variable... but ultimately, that overnight fast will mean that we lean slightly more towards fat metabolism." Dr. Jules Strauss

Connect with Dr. Jules Strauss:

• Website: totalendurancenutrition.com
• Instagram: @drjulesstrauss_nutritionist

If you are training for endurance sport and tempted by fasting please check out this research first:

Fuel for the work required

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

The SWAT Inner Circle is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their health span.  You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channel

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic: https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Key Points Discussed:

1. Creatine as a brain protector: Originally known for supporting strength and power, creatine also acts as an energy buffer for the brain, helping maintain cellular energy after head trauma and possibly reducing cognitive decline.
2. Who benefits most: While everyone can gain from adequate creatine levels, the strongest evidence shows benefits for older adults, athletes at risk of head injury, and women in peri- and post-menopause — particularly for memory and bone health.
3. Dosing, loading, and myths: You don’t need the old “loading phase.” Regular small doses (3–5 g daily) are safe and effective. The minor weight gain some notice is simply better muscle hydration, not “bloating.”
4. Sleep, mood, and cognition: Studies show creatine can offset mental fatigue and cognitive decline during sleep deprivation, and even support mood when used alongside standard therapy for depression.
5. Safety and practical takeaways: Creatine monohydrate (especially the Creapure® form) remains the gold standard. It’s safe for most people, though those with kidney issues should consult their doctor. Foods like sardines, herring, mackerel, and red meat also provide natural sources.

Key Quotation:

“Creatine is probably one of the most studied supplements in the world — and on balance, it’s safe, effective, and beneficial for both the body and the brain.” — Dr Tommy Wood

Connect with Dr. Tommy Wood:

• Website: drtommywood.com
• Instagram: DrTommyWood
• Substack: Better Brain Fitness
• Podcast: Better Brain Fitness Podcast

Dr. Tommy Wood's Book (Pre-order now):

• The Stimulated Mind: Future-Proof Your Brain from Dementia and Stay Sharp at Any Age (Release: March 24, 2026)

Book Recommendations:

Attention Span by Gloria Mark - how to find focus for a fulfilling life.

The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter - embrace discomfort to reclaim your wild, happy, healthy self.

Join the SWAT Inner Circle

The SWAT Inner Circle is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their health span.  You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channel

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

From proprioception and fast-twitch muscle loss to hormonal chaos and identity questions, this episode tackles the real challenges facing athletes over 50 - and more importantly, the proven solutions that can keep you strong, durable, and competitive for decades to come.

Quote of the Episode "70% of what we call aging is about inactivity. The areas where you've made the biggest losses over time are the areas where you can make the biggest gains." - Bobby McGee

Key Talking Points

1. The Proprioception Problem - Why losing your "feel" for the ground costs you speed and how to restore it
2. Fast-Twitch Muscle Recovery - he 5-10% per decade loss isn't permanent if you train smart
3. Broken Endurance Strategy - Bobby McGee's run-walk approach for better performance
4. Training Through Menopause - Lucy Hearn's practical advice for navigating hormonal chaos
5. Identity vs. Performance - Are you still an athlete without a race on the calendar?
6. The Minimum Effective Dose - How little training can still deliver results as you age

Key Takeaways

1. Listen to your body and respect its signals - Fatigue from hormones feels different than training fatigue
2. Eat more protein - Your body becomes less efficient at processing it as you age
3. Do what makes you uncomfortable - Avoid only the "safe" training you've always done
4. Start with mobility, then stability, then strength - Build your foundation before adding power
5. Be flexible with your training plans - Consistency matters more than perfection
6. Focus on what you can control - Sleep routines, nutrition timing, and recovery habits

Practical Applications

• Try the cross-hopping drill to assess your proprioception
• Implement run-walk intervals in training and racing
• Include 4-6 rep strength work with longer rest periods
• Track symptoms to identify patterns during hormonal changes
• Prioritise protein at every meal, especially during menopause

If you want listen to the full podcast conversations, here are the links,

Bobby McGee & Matt Pendola - Part 1 - Why running performance declines so fast after 50

Bobby McGee & Matt Pendola - Part 2 - Solutions for maintaining running speed after 50

Lucy Hurn - Qualifying for Kona through the menopause

Beth & Simon Ward - Are you still an athlete if you have no races on the calendar

The SWAT Inner Circle is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their health span.  You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channel

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Dr. Wood, who has also worked with professional athletes in multiple sports including several Olympians and world champions and is releasing his book "The Stimulated Mind" in March 2026, shares his groundbreaking "3-S" model and explains why up to 70% of dementia cases may be preventable through lifestyle choices we make today.

Quote of the Episode

"The brain is essentially the same as your body - if you want bigger biceps, you need to do bicep curls. If you want a stronger brain, you need to challenge it with complex, novel activities throughout your life." Dr. Tommy Wood

Key Talking Points

1. The Preventable Nature of Dementia – Why 45-70% of dementia cases could be avoided through lifestyle interventions
2. The 3-S Model – Stimulus, Supply, and Support as the foundation of brain health
3. Cognitive Stimulation Beyond Crosswords – Languages, music, complex motor skills, and social connection
4. The Athlete's Advantage – Why complex sports like orienteering beat simple endurance for brain health
5. Nutrition for Neuroplasticity – Omega-3s, B vitamins, and the critical role of energy availability

Key Takeaways

1. Challenge your brain like you challenge your body – Novel, complex activities drive neuroplasticity
2. Social connection is medicine – Isolation and loneliness are major dementia risk factors
3. Energy availability matters – Under-fueling affects brain health as much as physical performance
4. Sleep is when adaptation happens – Both physical and cognitive improvements occur during rest
5. It's never too late to start – Even in your 60s and 70s, the brain responds to new challenges

Dr. Tommy Wood's Book (Pre-order now):

• The Stimulated Mind: Future-Proof Your Brain from Dementia and Stay Sharp at Any Age (Release: March 24, 2026)

Connect with Dr. Tommy Wood:

• Website: drtommywood.com
• Instagram: DrTommyWood
• Substack: Better Brain Fitness
• Podcast: Better Brain Fitness Podcast

Book Recommendations:

Attention Span by Gloria Mark - how to find focus for a fulfilling life.

The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter - embrace discomfort to reclaim your wild, happy, healthy self.

Thank you for tuning in to this week’s episode. If you enjoyed the conversation, please share it with a friend or training partner who might find it inspiring.

The SWAT Inner Circle is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their health span.  You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channel

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

In this episode, Simon is joined by Dr Juliet McGrattan and Dr Catherine Jackson to explore what really keeps bones battle ready: the truth about calcium, vitamin D, hormones, strength training, and why endurance sport alone isn’t enough.

Together, they unpack how both men and women can protect their bone health, maintain strength through midlife and beyond, and build habits that last decades.

Quote of the Episode

“Use your future self as a motivator. I know 80-year-old Juliet pretty well now — and every time I’m doing something good for my bones and longevity, she’s waving her pom-poms.” — Dr Juliet McGrattan

Key Talking Points

1. Bone Health Basics – Why both men and women need to take bone strength seriously, not just post-menopausal women.
2. Hormones & HRT – How menopause, testosterone, and modern HRT options affect bone density and long-term health.
3. Strength & Impact Training – Why bones need load, impact, and multidirectional movement to stay strong.
4. Nutrition Foundations – Getting calcium, vitamin D, and protein right — plus fuelling properly for endurance.
5. Sleep, Recovery & Lifestyle – How rest, sleep, and everyday movement protect your healthspan as much as your bones.

Key Takeaways

1. Bones need impact – Walking, hopping, lifting, and loading keep your skeleton strong.
2. Endurance isn’t enough – Running, cycling, or swimming alone won’t protect bone density.
3. Fuel properly – Under-eating and low energy availability are major risks for bone loss.
4. Recovery matters – Sleep and rest are when your bones and muscles actually rebuild.
5. Train for your future self – Every strength session today is an investment in how you’ll move at 80.

🔗 Links & Resources

• Royal Osteoporosis Society:  — practical guidance on exercise and nutrition.
• NHS guidance on Osteoporosis

Follow Dr Juliet McGrattan:

Website - https://drjulietmcgrattan.com

Instagram - @drjulietmcgrattan

Facebook - @DrJulietMcGrattan

LinkedIn - @DrJulietMcGrattan

Blogs: https://drjulietmcgrattan.com/2023/02/01/8-tips-for-looking-after-your-bones-when-youre-a-runner/

Book Recommendation:

From Simon: Outlive by Peter Attia — exploring healthspan vs lifespan.

From Juliet:  The Power of Fun: How to feel alive again' by Catherine Price

From Catherine: This is going to hurt … by Adam Kay

Thank you for tuning in to this week’s episode. If you enjoyed the conversation, please share it with a friend or training partner who might find it inspiring.

The Battle Ready Society is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their health span.  You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channel

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Together they share how they navigated the trauma of that day, the long road of rehab and recovery, and how they went on to cycle 19,200km through 27 countries. This conversation is about resilience, partnership, and finding perspective when life throws you the unexpected.

What You Will Learn in This Episode

• How Tom coped with a devastating accident and what it taught him about resilience
• Julia’s perspective on racing while not knowing what had happened to Tom
• Why rehab demands the same discipline and mindset as Ironman training
• How their year-long world cycling trip helped rebuild confidence and strength
• The lessons this experience offers about perspective, gratitude, and living fully

Resources and Links

Check out Tom & Julia’s YouTube channel for an incredible video of their travels

1 year from Singapore to London

You can also follow their adventures on Instagram

Pedallingbikes

They also love reading and recommend the following books

Tom - How Not to Age by Dr Michael Greger

Julia - Roar by Dr Stacey Sims

Thanks for Listening 🙏

Thank you for tuning in to this week’s episode. If you enjoyed the conversation, please share it with a friend or training partner who might find it inspiring.

The Battle Ready Society is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their healthspan. You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channels

Join the BattleReadySociety - For those who want to be ready for anything — adventure, challenge, life. Get in early and be first in the fight.

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

If part one painted the picture of why running performance declines after 50, today is all about how to fight back. From mobility and stability foundations to strength, power, and “broken endurance” running, Bobby and Matt lay out practical strategies that any athlete can implement to keep running strong well into their later years.

Whether you’re in your 40s, 50s, or 60s and want to maintain speed, resilience, and confidence on the run, this episode is packed with actionable advice.

What You’ll Learn

• Why mobility and stability are the true foundation before strength work
• The role of power training (and why it matters more than brute strength)
• How the soleus muscle acts as your “second heart” — and why training it is essential
• The benefits of broken endurance running (run-walk strategies that actually make you faster)
• Gender-specific considerations: mobility vs. stability focus for men and women
• How to reframe ageing as an opportunity for your biggest gains

Connect with Us

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a training buddy or leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform. Subscribe now to make sure you don’t miss upcoming episodes on fasting, midlife performance drops, and more awkward questions from Beth.

Connect with Bobby McGee

Website - bobbymcee.com

Instagram - bobbymcgeerunning

Pendola Project - Run Form

Bobby also recommends the following books

Endure - Alex Hutchinson

The Transformational Power of Pure Intelligence Cory Reich

Bobby is a consultant for STRYD power meters,  He highly recommends the Duo if you want state of the art mechanical data to work on your run

Connect with Matt Pendola

Website - Pendola Project and check out his programs including a free movement improvement assessment and protocol

Instagram: @PendolaProject

Facebook: PendolaProject

Matt recommended the following book:

Win the Inside Game by Steve Magness- I feel this book has helped me to navigate modern life's "threats" with tools on how to turn them into meaningful "challenges". 

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channels

Join the BattleReadySociety - For those who want to be ready for anything — adventure, challenge, life. Get in early and be first in the fight.

https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadyvanguard

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

This isn't just anecdotal - it's a well-documented phenomenon that affects both male and female endurance athletes. The trio dive deep into the physiological, neurological, and cultural reasons behind this decline, setting the stage for practical solutions in part two.

Key Point 1: It's Neurological First, Physical Second

Your brain loses the ability to judge foot-to-ground distance, causing harder landings and longer ground contact times.

Key Point 2: Running is Biomechanically Unique Among the Three Sports

Unlike supported swimming and cycling with concentric contractions, running demands unsupported eccentric loading under massive forces.

Key Point 3: We Do What We're Good At (And Avoid What We Need)

Aging athletes gravitate toward endurance work while abandoning the sprinting, plyometrics, and strength training they desperately need.

Key Point 4: 70% of "Aging" is Actually Inactivity

Most performance decline attributed to age is actually due to lack of specific training - your greatest gains come from your greatest losses.

Connect with Bobby McGee

Website - bobbymcee.com

Instagram - bobbymcgeerunning

Pendola Project - Run Form

Bobby also recommends the following books

Endure - Alex Hutchinson

The Transformational Power of Pure Intelligence Cory Reich

Bobby is a consultant for STRYD power meters,  He highly recommends the Duo if you want state of the art mechanical data to work on your run

Connect with Matt Pendola

Website - Pendola Project and check out his programs including a free movement improvement assessment and protocol

Instagram: @PendolaProject

Facebook: PendolaProject

Connect with Us

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a training buddy or leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform. Subscribe now to make sure you don’t miss upcoming episodes on fasting, midlife performance drops, and more awkward questions from Beth.

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channels

Join the BattleReadySociety - For those who want to be ready for anything — adventure, challenge, life. Get in early and be first in the fight.

https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadyvanguard

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

In this raw and practical episode, Lucy shares her journey from struggling with fatigue, irregular recovery, and changing physiology to finally earning her spot at the Ironman World Championships. This isn't just about getting faster — it's about adapting, listening to your body, and redefining what success looks like.

Key insights from this conversation:

• Listen to your body becomes non-negotiable — especially when hormones make recovery unpredictable

• Fuelling enough is harder than you think — why most female athletes under-eat and how it sabotages performance

• Your thoughts aren't facts — learning to reframe negativity can transform your training and racing

• The guilt factor — why women struggle more with training time and how to navigate family responsibilities

Practical takeaways for training through perimenopause:

• Build flexibility into training plans — some days you adapt, some days you skip entirely

• Prioritise protein at every meal (minimum 1g per kg bodyweight, building up from there)

• Focus on what you can control: sleep hygiene, nutrition quality, stress management

• Track your symptoms to understand patterns and communicate effectively with healthcare providers

Resources & Links:

• Book recommendation: A Life Without Limits by Chrissie Wellington — Lucy's inspiration for her Kona goal

• Research mentioned: Work by Dr. Natalie Brown on training around menstrual cycles and menopause -

• Training philosophy: "You don't get fitter from training — you get fitter from recovery from training"

Connect with Lucy Hurn:

Lucy is the owner of Feel Fit with Lucy and helps women achieve big race goals while building both fitness and confidence. Her coaching covers training, nutrition, mindset, race planning, and stress management.

Instagram: @feelfitwithlucy

Facebook: Feel Fit with Lucy

LinkedIn: Lucy Hurn

YouTube: Mobility Monday videos 

Membership for female triathletes and runners: feelfitwithlucy.co.uk/membership 

Free resources: feelfitwithlucy.co.uk/freebies

Connect with Us

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a training buddy or leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform. Subscribe now to make sure you don’t miss upcoming episodes on fasting, midlife performance drops, and more awkward questions from Beth.

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channels

Join the BattleReadySociety - For those who want to be ready for anything — adventure, challenge, life. Get in early and be first in the fight.

https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadyvanguard

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

In this episode, Simon and Beth dig into the messy subject of identity in sport:

• Are you still an athlete without an event to aim for?
• Is identity shaped by how we see ourselves, or how others see us?
• Why it’s vital to build interests beyond swim, bike, run.
• Practical ways to navigate transitions and protect your sense of self.

A conversation every athlete will face sooner or later.

Resources & Links:

Check out this blog post which explains The Change House model

• Models on managing change (including The Change House). Links in show notes.

Coming up soon: Episodes on fasting, and why so many runners notice a decline in their 50s (and what you can do about it). If you have questions, please share them with us.

Battle Ready reminder: WE DON'T RUST, WE RISE!

Connect with Us

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a training buddy or leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform. Subscribe now to make sure you don’t miss upcoming episodes on fasting, midlife performance drops, and more awkward questions from Beth.

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channels

Join the BattleReadySociety - For those who want to be ready for anything — adventure, challenge, life. Get in early and be first in the fight.

https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadyvanguard

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Connect with Us: Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

They also look back at Simon’s recent 218km gravel ride across Salisbury Plain, discussing how consistency, strength training, and sustainable routines can keep you prepared for big adventures—whether you’ve got three months’ notice or just a week.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The history and logistics of the Bosphorus Swim, including how to qualify and what makes it so different from a normal open-water race.
• Why navigation and currents are just as important as fitness on race day.
• The reality of swimming among thousands of jellyfish—and why they weren’t as scary as expected.
• How Simon’s regular three-times-a-week swim routine (plus strength and mobility) was enough preparation.
• Reflections from a 218km gravel ride: pacing, heat, cramp, and the importance of being “always ready.”
• Why Battle Ready training is less about huge training blocks and more about building a consistent lifestyle.

Get a feel for the event by watching this video Bosphorous Cross Channel swimmers guide

Connect with Us

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a training buddy or leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform. Subscribe now to make sure you don’t miss upcoming episodes on fasting, midlife performance drops, and more awkward questions from Beth.

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channels

Join the BattleReadySociety - For those who want to be ready for anything — adventure, challenge, life. Get in early and be first in the fight.

https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadyvanguard

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Connect with Us: Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Why do some people train consistently, even without a race on the calendar, while others need the pressure of an event to get out the door? Is one approach better than the other? And how does motivation evolve as we age?

With Beth firmly on Team Extrinsic and Simon on Team Intrinsic, this episode dives into a light-hearted but deeply useful discussion around how to stay consistent — especially when your goals change or life gets in the way.

🧠 Topics Covered

• The difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in endurance sport
• How your “why” changes over time — and why that’s OK
• Coping with the post-race flatness and loss of direction
• The power of habit, routine and process goals
• How injuries, illness, and life stress affect motivation
• Tips for staying active when you're short on time or feeling low
• The role of coaching, journaling, and accountability
• Why motivation isn't always the answer — and what matters more
• Beth’s honest take on racing, training, and getting out in British weather
• Why ageing athletes need to rethink their long-term goals

Key Takeaways

• Motivation will come and go — but habits, routines, and a strong “why” will keep you moving forward.
• You don’t always need a race — you need a rhythm that supports your life.
• Tracking small wins (like consistency streaks or journaling progress) builds real momentum.
• Whether you're aiming for performance or long-term health, staying Battle Ready is about showing up — imperfectly, but persistently.

Listener Poll

Are you Team Intrinsic (like Simon) or Team Extrinsic (like Beth)? Vote on our Instagram stories or drop us a message with your take!

Connect with Us

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a training buddy or leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform. Subscribe now to make sure you don’t miss upcoming episodes on fasting, midlife performance drops, and more awkward questions from Beth.

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channels

Join the BattleReadySociety - For those who want to be ready for anything — adventure, challenge, life. Get in early and be first in the fight.

https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadyvanguard

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Connect with Us: Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

You’ll hear:

• Why daily mobility work became non-negotiable after injury
• The link between sleep quality and mood, recovery, and long-term brain health
• How reducing alcohol and sugar/ultra-processed foods has transformed energy levels
• The importance of strength training for functional fitness and ageing well
• The “next habit” Simon is adding — and Beth’s new challenges

Expect practical tips, relatable stories, and a few laughs along the way (plus some background “input” from Olympia the Labrador).

Check out this photo of Olympia and me doing downward dog yoga pose

Join the BattleReadySociety - For those who want to be ready for anything — adventure, challenge, life. Get in early and be first in the fight.

https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadyvanguard

Listen to the podcast with Helen Gorman - Unlocking Swim Potential without Extra cost or Effort

Looking for more content from me?

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channels

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Connect with Us: Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Drawing from decades of experience, including his work with the Brownlee brothers, Simon shares key traits like consistency, coachability, and a strong work ethic. The conversation unpacks how subtle behaviours—like showing up on time, maintaining a positive attitude, and preparing well—can have a huge cumulative effect on performance and longevity.

The episode also covers:

• Insights from coaching elite and Masters athletes
• Longevity habits: sleep, hydration, mobility, and strength
• Travel tips for international competitions (especially relevant for those heading to Singapore or Wollongong)
• Why strength training matters more as you age
• Adapting to heat and time zones without derailing performance

Whether you’re a seasoned swimmer, a triathlete, or just want to optimise your training after 50, this chat is packed with practical, zero-cost takeaways to elevate your performance.

Listen now and discover what it really takes to be “talented.”

Discover more from Helen Gorman on the Freestyle Media podcast – click here to listen.

Looking for more content from me?

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channels

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Connect with Us: Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Want to Stay Battle Ready?

If you want to build a stronger, healthier, more resilient version of yourself, there are two ways to get started:

1-1 Coaching with Simon Ward – Get a personalised programme designed for your lifestyle and goals. Book a call today Join Simon’s SWAT Inner Circle – a community for athletes over 40 focused on strength, health, and longevity.

You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.

We discuss:

• How Liz first got into triathlon in 1990 – and won her debut race
• Her Scottish roots, sunny winters in Cyprus, and love of paddleboarding
• Overcoming injuries: ACL surgery, broken bones, and osteopenia
• Why strength training and flexibility become more important with age
• Her long streak of racing in triathlons (even during COVID!)
• Training habits that keep her fit, healthy and happy
• How she copes with fluctuating motivation – and her plans for future racing

A joyful, energetic, and honest conversation about what it takes to stay battle ready—well into your 60s and beyond.

Refreshingly, Liz doesn’t do social media which is probably how she manages to get so much training done!

She did however share a great book to read.

Till the dust settles -  by Pat Young. “A wickedly unnerving thriller”

Looking for more content from me?

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channels

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Connect with Us: Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Want to Stay Battle Ready?

If you want to build a stronger, healthier, more resilient version of yourself, there are two ways to get started:

1-1 Coaching with Simon Ward – Get a personalised programme designed for your lifestyle and goals. Book a call today Join Simon’s SWAT Inner Circle – a community for athletes over 40 focused on strength, health, and longevity.

You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.

We discuss:

• How an ankle injury sparked new reflections on risk, adventure, and storytelling
• Why many women feel conflicted about long-distance triathlon training
• The surprising power of community, confidence, and showing up
• How Pretty Gritty grew from a local swim session to a thriving community, apparel brand, and retreat business
• Why they’ve stuck to their “women only” ethos — and how it’s shaped their success

Resources & Links:

Follow Pretty Gritty on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube (For adventure videos, workouts, marathon training vlog.)

You can also join the community of over 6000 women. At their Facebook group PrettyGrittyWomen

Pretty Gritty have some amazing retreats coming up in September and October with availability. Find out more by visiting their website

As you know we ask all guests to recommend their favourite books:

From Katie - Ultra Processed People by Chris van Tulleken

From Emma - Shoe Dog, a Memoir by the Creator of NIKE by Phil Knight

Looking for more content from me?

Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channels

Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’seekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

Connect with Us: Website: www.simonward.co.uk

Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!

Want to Stay Battle Ready?

If you want to build a stronger, healthier, more resilient version of yourself, there are two ways to get started:

1-1 Coaching with Simon Ward – Get a personalised programme designed for your lifestyle and goals. Book a call today Join Simon’s SWAT Inner Circle – a community for athletes over 40 focused on strength, health, and longevity.

You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.