Have you ever tried to get sponsorship to help your triathlon participation?  Maybe you qualified for a GB age group place and tried to get help from some local companies to ease your financial burden?  If you have, then today's guest will have some familiar stories for you.

Amy Kilpin calls herself an average age group triathlete and yet she has managed to gather together a group of very impressive sponsors (which you can see if you visit her web page here…..http://amykilpin.co.uk/).

In today's conversation Amy shares her secrets for success as a ‘brand ambassador’ including:

How to open the conversation with potential sponsors

The importance of finding a different angle for brands

Why social media is critical to your success

Amy's top 3 tips to help in your search for sponsors

When writing to sponsors which bits of information are NOT relevant?

Brand loyalty and why it is important for you and your sponsor

What you must do to provide value to your sponsors

To find out more about Amy you can visit her website http://amykilpin.co.uk/.  You can also find her on 

Twitter @akilpin

Facebook amy.kilpin

Instagram akilpin

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email [email protected].

In today's episode, Simon interviews professional triathlete and reigning Outlaw triathlon champion Kit Walker.

Although he races as a Pro, Kit also has a part time job as well as a young family.  In this conversation he candidly discusses the reality of life as a professional triathlete and how that differs massively from the lifestyle that most age group athletes think of.  We discuss:

Progressing from a novice triathlete to a pro in 5 years

The reality of life as a pro triathlete

The valuable lesson Kit learned from his first few months of training as a pro

Mallorca 70.3 and the "baptism of fire" at his first pro race

Time management, food preparation, and the daily balancing act

Choosing to race as a pro placing 7th, versus being the best age grouper

Kit’s advice to age groupers thinking of turning pro

 

To find out more about Kit Walker you can follow him on Twitter @kit_walker_tri, on Instagram at kit_walker_tri, Facebook at KWTriathlon, or his website at https://kitwalkertriathlon.com/.

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email [email protected].

How to be “Race Ready” with Gerry Rodrigues.  This week's guest is from a place where open water swimming is an absolute pleasure, the beaches of Santa Monica, California.  In fact his swim squad is named after the lifeguard tower where the swimmers meet, Tower 26.

His name is Gerry Rodrigues and certainly on the West Coast of America he has an awesome reputation for the work he has done and still does with both novice and elite swimmers.  Our first call was hampered by technical issues so Gerry graciously agreed to another call so we could learn from his experiences.

It's another 45 minute conversation (how often am I giving you an extra 50% for FREE?) during which we discover:

What being race ready really means

How to deal with open water anxiety

What your 15’ pre race warm up must include

How to warm up when you can’t access the water before the race start

When to introduce open water skills ahead of your first event

The key elements to include in your pool training to prepare for open water

How to join the Tower 26 squad if you're ever in Santa Monica

To find out more about Gerry Rodrigues visit his website http://tower26.com/, where you can also find his weekly podcast, "Be Race Ready".  Subscribe to his weekly newsletter or receive the Tower 26 Training Plan at https://coaching.tower26.com/.

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email [email protected].

In a change to the regular format, there is no guest this week.  Instead, Simon answers a selection of questions submitted by The Triathlon Coach Cafe members.  This week's topics are based on the ever popular subject of how to train for triathlon. 

For the next 45 minutes listen in while Simon provides answers to the following questions and more.

How to schedule all 3 disciplines, weight training, and recovery into one week.  What is the best way to create a training plan?  

How much and how many times a week should I be training? 

How to balance a training plan correctly?

Time based training versus distance based, which is better?  

How do I know if I’m over training?  

How to spend less time, to get better results?  

What does training smart look like for me? 

Train by heart rate, or feel?  

How to increase pace?

How significant is the effect of not training for a week?

Can/should I do speed work throughout the whole year? 

Best recovery methods? 

Brick session during IM training? 

How many triathlons can I realistically do in one season/month? 

Follow me on Facebook - simon.ward1

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email [email protected].

Dr. Tom Hughes is back to discuss some of the practicalities around nutrition leading up to and during your races.

In today's conversation we discuss the difference between low carb and lower carb. In particular we try to outline the ideal nutrition strategy for race week and race day for athletes who habitually consume lower than average levels of carbohydrate including:

Why keto athletes can race well but may face challenges on hilly courses

How a pre-race course recce can shape not just your pacing but also your nutrition 

Why in race week you aren’t trying to carbo load, you are trying not to de-load

The exact point in the week before your race when you reduce fibre intake and why it will help you to avoid gut issues on race day

Why vegetables are better than fruits for your everyday nutrition 

Your ideal pre-race meal and why it's not pizza or pasta

How a small glass of wine can help you relax on the evening before your race

Sleep, and why it's not a big issue if you don't get much the night before your event

Pre-race nutrition - What, when, and how much?

Tom’s thoughts on the best race nutrition and why you need to experiment to find the best option

To find out more from Tom please visit his website www.trimechanics.co.uk.  You can also hear his thoughts on a range of subjects in his own podcast, Tri-Mechanics Triathlon Podcast, or find him on Twitter @trimechanics.

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email [email protected].

Dan Plews - More on Heart Rate Variability

Yorkshireman Dr. Dan Plews is one of the world's top exercise physiologists, and researcher at Auckland University. He is also a leading expert on the subject of Heart Rate Variability having written at least 8 papers on the subject. (https://www.plewsandprof.com/hrvpublications).  He has spent the last few years advising the Kiwi Olympic Gold medalist rowers. On top of that, he currently advises 3 of the world's top Ironman distance triathletes.

A husband and father, he also manages to find the time to express his obvious endurance talent, having recently finished Ironman New Zealand as the fastest age grouper posting a time of 8hrs 35 minutes.

Clearly, he practices what he preaches and in today's conversation we discuss the practical ways to use heart rate variability to mange training load and maintain optimum health as we look at:

The role of common sense in monitoring recovery

What to do when the plan says train and HRV suggests rest

Training slow vs. training fast - which is better?

Why HRV rises when you train hard

How to use the data provided by the HRV4 training app

The 3 pillars of recovery that you should take note of when monitoring recovery

Why you should prepare for sleep as diligently as you do for a track session

You can’t manage what you can’t measure

How your HRV score can predict your health in later life, and why HRV isn’t just for athletes.  It's also an indicator of basic wellness.

 

Athletes: Fit, but unhealthy? An article by Paul Laursen and Phil Maffetone can be found here.  https://sportsmedicine-open.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40798-016-0048-x

Please visit their website https://www.plewsandprof.com/

Follow Dan on Instagram at theplews

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email [email protected].

Matt Bottrill is back for part 2 as we discuss some of the aspects of training you might want to consider in order to get your best performance in the bike section of your triathlon.

In this episode we will reveal:

Why even pacing doesn’t work

Optimal cadence and what it means for you

How to practice laying down power at the right time

Why an intricate knowledge of the course profiles a big advantage

The value of varying your cadence and position during training rides

To book a session with Matt Bottrill or receive his weekly newsletter please visit www.mattbottrillperformancecoaching.com.  You can also follow Matt on Twitter @BottrillMatthew.

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email [email protected].

Matt Bottrill part 1 of 2 - Bike aerodynamics

Matt Bottrill is currently one of the hottest cycle coaches around, working with some of our best known long distance triathletes including Lucy Charles, Tim Don, Suzie Cheetham, Rachel Joyce and Will Clarke.

During this conversation Matt and Simon discuss the crucial role of aerodynamics in helping you to achieve your best bike performance.  You will discover:

The two biggest elements that Matt thinks are missing from the bike performances of even the elite triathletes

The optimal amount of time you should be spending in the aero position in your bike workouts

The real aero differences between the top triathlon bikes

Why it's not all about power

Matt’s thoughts on THE best bike position

To book a session with Matt Bottrill or receive his weekly newsletter please visit www.mattbottrillperformancecoaching.com.  You can also follow Matt on Twitter @BottrillMatthew.

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email [email protected].

This week our roving triathlon reporter Tim Heming is back as he and Simon discuss triathlon events at the Commonwealth Games last week.  In particular they chat about what lessons you can learn from the performances on the Gold Coast including:

Swim stroke - fast, ugly, but effective

No matter how experienced or smart you race, there's no cheating fitness (and your body needs time to get there).

Bike/handcycle/racing-chair handling

Confidence breeds results

A second can make or break the race

Left-field thinking can go a long way

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email [email protected].

This week we have a podcast just for the busy mums among you. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t useful information for everyone struggling to fit training into a busy day, just that this advise is dispensed by the perfect people to answer the question, "How does a super busy Mum fit in her triathlon training?”

My guests, Kate Offord (L3 triathlon coach and head coach at Manchester Tri club) and Mel Hayes (personal trainer and age group world duathlon champion) are both mums with 2 children. As a coach Kate deals with this issue on a regular basis with athletes she coaches and Mel has found a successful solution  to help her be the best in the world in her age group.

Listen in as we discuss:

How to fit in the necessary training ad ensure you get full recovery

Why the emotional strain of motherhood can be as tiring as physical strain

What to do when you really can’t train

How to cope with guilt and loss of confidence

Why it's critical to have a solid support network

The 6 point plan that Kate and Mel use to make sure they and their athletes stay on track

If you would like to receive Kate and Mel's top tips, please visit them at https://www.facebook.com/smilingtricoach/, like their page, and post a message requesting this.

To find out more about Kate and Mel please visit their website, https://www.smilingtricoach.co.uk/.

Simon [email protected] me on Facebook - simon.ward1

For more information please go to www.SimonWardTriathlonCoach.com, or www.TheTriathlonCoach.com, or email [email protected].