Simon Ward, The High Performance Human Triathlon Podcast Simon Ward

Have you watched the Paralympics? What about when you are taking part in or volunteering/spectating at  a running event or a triathlon? Have you ever observed the wheelchair triathletes? For them, it’s swim, to hand cycle, to racing chair. Everything is about the upper body, and I’ve always been curious about how they take care of their shoulders, and what constitutes a rest day.
 
Today I’m chatting with Bret Crossley, a paratriathlete who lives in the Leeds area. Bret has been involved in triathlon since a motor bike racing accident in 2006 damaged his spine. He has been part of the British Triathlon talent programme, raced triathlons up to half Ironman distance, and competed in the London Marathon many times.  This is an inspirational conversation, and I hope you enjoy it. We chat about:
 
Motor bike racing days and competing in the Isle of Man 
The accident, and how he coped in the immediate months after knowing he would never walk again.
Finding wheelchair sport 
Gaining inspiration from those worse off than yourself
Bret's training and racing schedule
Some challenges you might not have considered for chair racers and hand cyclists
 
To find out more about Bret and follow his progress, follow him on
Twitter (X) - @BretC22
 
In the conversation Bret mentioned how he had raced at the Isle of Man. If you want to get a sense of the absolute concentration needed to race on the island, take a look at this video of Peter Hickman setting a fastest ever lap with an average speed of almost 137mph.
Peter Hickman - Fastest ever lap of the Isle of Man TT
 
Bret also mentioned the Yorkshire Ability Triathlon that he is involved with.
Watch a truly inspirational video HERE.
 
Challenged Athlete Foundation who have provided Bret with funding for some of his equipment.
 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please visit her website at BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 


Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

The female monthly cycle and how it impacts training and competition is a conversation that athletes and coaches should have. The reality is that it can be awkward for both parties, so to avoid awkwardness it usually gets pushed aside. Which means that female athletes can feel isolated in navigating this part of their life. We should also include perimenopause and menopause in that conversation as it will affect most females at some point.
 
As a coach I do believe that we need to have these conversations, and that they should not be awkward.
 
Education is a big part, so to help us better understand the ways in which training and competition can be managed, I have invited Dr Natalie Brown onto the show as a guest. Natalie is a research assistant for the Welsh Institute of Performance Science. She works predominately with Sport Wales, leading on research with female athletes and the impact of the menstrual cycle on sport participation and performance. In this conversation with Natalie we talk about:


 

To truly understand the patterns of your monthly cycle, track it for at least 3 cycles
Lifestyle factors have a huge influence on the severity of your monthly cycle
Carbohydrate supplementation prior to HIT sessions might mitigate some symptoms
Menstrual cycle apps are good, but listening to your body is better
Perimenopause is ‘chaos’ but healthy lifestyle factors can help
How to arrange your training during the menopause
HRT for females? It depends!
Some guidance for coaches on how to open a menstrual cycle/menopause conversation with their athlete
 
To find out more about Natalie Brown and her work please visit these channels:
Instagram Optimal.Period 
Website www.optimalperiod.com, 
 
You can find some other really good resources at the following links:
Podcasts The Female Athlete, 
For continued education please check out Menstrual cycle online coaching modules:
UK Coaching resources
 
I also asked Natalie to recommend a book. This is her choice:
Good for a Girl Lauren Fleshman
 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please visit her website at BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 


Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

My guest today is Jim Vance  There are few individuals in the world with the teaching background, elite athlete experience, and coaching experience with elites, amateurs and juniors, as well as knowledge of training and a passion and understanding of tech. Jim has been the coach to US pro triathlete Ben Kanute for 8 years. He has also written 2 triathlon books (details of which you can find in the show notes) and is a consultant to several tech companies in the Multisport space including 80/20 Endurance and Velocity, a software programme for cycle coaching.
 
Jim and I have a great chat about the rapid advancements in technology and their impact on triathlon coaching. We get into the weeds on the physical toll of triathlon racing for pro athletes, given the ever increasing intensity of the races especially when racing in extreme heat.  Finally, and I think most importantly for you, the listener, we discussed the significance of personal harmony and relationships in achieving optimal athletic performance, and the crucial role of mental and physical preparation in triathlon. 
 
Topics include:
18:14 Athletes need to learn to trust themselves - "I care more about athlete mindset on the start line than I do about training."
28:25 On harmony in your relationships - "We've got to really enhance our world. That brings more stability to it, that reduces stress."


56:41 On how to get the best recovery and stress levels - "So what affects that recovery cycle? Home life, stress outside of it, nutrition, sleep, all those things probably come back again to relationships in your daily life."
1:17:35 On the power of showing vulnerability - "David Warden kept getting all these questions. And he kept saying, 'Well, I don't know the answer', and  afterwards it became this crazy thing, where all these coaches just came up to him."
 
 
To find out more about Jim please check out his Instagram page @coachjimvance

The most popular blog post he ever wrote: https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/10-things-endurance-athletes-need-to-stop-doing/
Other cool stuff:
80/20 Endurance Coach Certification and community, with Matt Fitzgerald
Book recommendation for coaches, is a book called, "Motivational Interviewing in Sports", it's a game changer! 
 
Some of the coaches Jim mentioned have been podcast guests. You can find links to their work in the show notes for their respective episode:
Bobby McGee
Matt Pendola
 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please visit her website at BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 


Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Lucy Gossage has been around on the long distance triathlon scene for a long time, and she's instantly recognisable with her blue Erdinger kit and infectious smile. If you don’t know Lucy, she has 14 Ironman victories to her name including IMUK, IM Wales, IM Lanzarote and Patagonman (basically all the toughest ones). In 2019 she stepped back from IM racing to focus more on her work as an Oncologist in Nottingham. You’ll get a sense of how Lucy likes to challenge herself with that race resume, and today's conversation is all about another of those challenges. And they don’t really come much bigger than The Winter Spine Challenge - 268 miles on the Pennine Way in the depths of winter.
 
It’s a non-stop event requiring participants to be self sufficient. The temperature barely gets above 0ºC, with knee deep snow and blizzards at times, and as if that's not enough the sleep deprivation can literally be a nightmare. We chat about:



 

Weekly power strength yoga - "I just knew that I had to get as strong as I could"  
The benefits of commuting to work and keeping it fun
Walking poles in ultra racing - "As soon as I got them, I was like, oh my god, these are a game changer."
Sleep walking - "The most terrifying discombobulating experience I've ever had."
Shoe selection - "I went with Hoka Speedgoats, which many say is crazy for that terrain. But they were so comfortable."
Sleep deprivation and cognitive function - "I could see the red lines on my Garmin where I'd gone off the course and I was like bloody hell I am actually sleepwalking."
 
To find out more about Lucy please use these channels:


Twitter @lucygoss Insta @lucygossage


 
 
Link to topics we covered in the show
NHS Blog posts
Lucy and I talked for quite a bit at the start about the NHS and she mentioned some blog posts she had written. You can find those HERE.
Lucy’s favourite book Shantaram:A Novel - by Gregory Roberts “It’s a long book but an incredible read."
Developing an Iron Mind
This is the podcast I recorded with Lucy, Helen Davis and Helen Gorman
Developing an Iron Mind -
How to access the Iron Mind course - https://www.thinkbelieveperform.co.uk/iron-mind/
 
Green Runners
Lucy talked about the The Green Runners  eco running group formed by Jasmine Harris and Damian Hall
 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please visit her website at BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 


Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

Triathletes like to call themselves multi-sport athletes. In a manner of speaking, they are. They have generally mastered 3 disciplines and combine them all in one single race.
Today's guest, Dougal Allen, is a true multi-sport athlete of the highest order. He’s won the NZ Coast to Coast twice (run/kayak/MTB), had many victories and top 10 finishes in both IM & Challenge events, and completed many multi-day adventure races around the world. As well as running and cycling, these events have included, kayaking, rafting, inline skating, horse riding,  as well as rope work for climbing and abseiling.
 
Dougal is a very strong cyclist and in the last 2 years he has put these skills to good use with a complete change of direction. He is now a Cyclor on board the 8 man crew defending America’s Cup for Emirates Team New Zealand. And if you're wondering what a Cyclor is, you can find out HERE.
 
In this episode we chat about:

Building a team and racing without ego
Training to race, or racing to train. Which are you?
Over-racing and losing fitness
Boring high performance habits to ensure best performance


 
If you’d like to find out more about Dougal Allan please visit the following sites:
Website - http://DougalAllan.com
Instagram: dougal_allan 
Facebook: Dougal Allan



Dougal Allan Mini documentary
Trials for the role of Cyclor on board Emirates team New Zealand
Dougal at the 2019 NZ Coast to Coast event
YouTube video of NZ Team Emirates Cyclor’s
 
Dougal is an ambassador for Precision Fuel and Hydration. He has written many articles for them which you can find HERE, including:
How to balance training, work, family and life
The art of gut training
How a pro athlete strategically uses caffeine
 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please visit her website at BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 


Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes. Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.

"The RED-S project is a club for sustainable performance. And sustainability to me brings up a few different words, I think about fueling and enjoyment. And no, no process is sustainable unless it's enjoyable. And for me, if I was to get close to a recreational race, and I started to think about race weight, that wouldn't tie in with enjoyment for me."
 
In this week's episode of the High Performance Human, our guest is Alex Vendittelli, a RED-S Ambassador and a recreational runner. We discuss the prevalence and impact of RED-S Syndrome in athletes, emphasising the need for education and support. We also explore the intricate relationship between health and performance in sports, highlighting the importance of prioritizing overall well-being rather than solely focusing on athletic performance. We chat about the challenges of navigating unrealistic body ideals and performance pressures in sports, and the need for a more balanced approach to fitness and body image. Alex shares his personal experience of feeling pressure to conform to a certain body type after reading one specific book, and how another book rescued him from the mire. Even elite athletes with support services can get it wrong, with some openly admitting to health problems caused by an overemphasis on body image.
Lighter might mean faster but it isn’t always healthier
Sore legs and fatigue are not the norm when training for endurance events
Should we be focussing on a sustainable approach to nutrition rather than a specific race weight?
Coaches need to work on changing the mindset of athletes
Giving yourself permission to enjoy life
 


Alex doesn't have a social media presence. He is an ambassador for RED-S Project and you can find out more about RED-S project HERE.
 
Some other links you might be interested in:
 
Some RED-S articles:
Pro Cyclist Jonas Abrahamsen - Gaining weight to achieve greatness
Cyclist Jackson Long - When the power to weight ratio bottoms out
Two articles related to pre-conceived ideas about how we should behave, look and live our lives to meet these 'elite standards' - examples of how trying to be what we're not, can lead to a slippery slope
Niamh Bridson-Hubbard - A Runner’s Body
Are athletes supposed to look a certain way? The Athletic Aesthetic - 

 
Great LinkedIn Post by Mental Performance Coach Aaron Walsh
The Dark Side of High Performance - can you distinguish between mastery and perfectionism?
 
Matthew McConaughey video - Don't ask for permission
 
Research papers:
Carbohydrate fear, skinfold targets and body image issues: Perceptions of the nutrition culture within elite female soccer - McHaffie et al 
 Includes specific examples of things coaches have been heard saying to players etc. relating to food. 
 
Nutrition for Female Soccer Players—Recommendations (Dobrowolski, Karczemna, Włodarek)
 
Alex's book recommendations:
Seven Deadly Sins: My pursuit of Lance Armstrong - David Walsh 
Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson - Beautifully written book about Steve Jobs and how his personality was the reason for his success but also his ill health. It highlights how our behaviour and decisions will always have a knock on effect in later life. 
 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please visit her website at BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.

 


Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
Join our SWAT/High Performance Human tribe using this link, with a happiness guarantee! You can watch a brief video about the group by going to our website here, and join our SWAT High Performance Human tribe here.
Purchase a copy of my High Performance Human e-book featuring more than 30 top tips on how to upgrade your life.
If you would like to help offset the cost of our podcast production, we would be so grateful. Please click here to support the HPH podcast. Thank you!
Visit Simon's w