Melanie McQuaid is a triathlon coach and veteran professional triathlete. In 2023 she became the first ever 50-year-old to qualify for and race in the professional field in the Ironman World Championships in Kona. In this interview we discuss that feat and Mel's general thoughts on longevity in the sport and on maintaining performance at an older age. Then we go into a long Q&A segment, answering listener questions on a large variety of topics. 

       

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

-Training considerations with older age, and how to maintain and improve performance as you get older

-Testing, training zones, and training prescription

-Shift work and training

-Use of heart rate in training

-Balancing "aerobic base" training and intensity

-Are brick sessions necessary? 

-VO2max intervals

...and more

 

SHOWNOTES:

https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts430/

 

SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:

www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/

 

SPONSORS:

Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fueling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event. That Triathlon Show listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolyte products. Simply use this link and the discount will be auto-applied at the checkout.

 

ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer allows you to improve technique, power, and swim training consistency. You can target specific aspects of your stroke, like catch and pull-through, work on core activation and body position, and make sure you stay consistent in your swim training even when you don't have time to go to the pool. Try the Zen8 risk-free for 30 days, and get 20% off your first order on zen8swimtrainer.com/tts.

 

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• Mel's website, Instagram and Twitter

• Coach Melanie McQuaid | EP#374

• Training for Xterra and off-road triathlon with five-time world champion Melanie McQuaid | EP#196

• That Triathlon Show guests Olympic Podium picks for Paris 2024

 

RATE AND REVIEW:

If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/

 

CONTACT:

Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at [email protected] or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

Bex Milnes is a triathlon coach of age-group and professional athletes with over 15 years of experience in endurance sports. She has helped multiple athletes and teams achieve Paralympic and Commonwealth medals, as well as pro and age group podiums in Ironman and Ironman 70.3 racing. In this interview we discuss the training of age-group athletes training for half and full distance triathlon. 

       

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

-How to train efficiently on a limited time budget

-How to maintain consistency and make good decisions

-How to combine family, work and training

-The importance of an aerobic base

-How to get your race preparation right

-How to execute on race day considering the typical dynamics of AG racing

-Comparing specific race preparation for Kona and Nice Ironman World Championships

-Considerations for perimenopausal women 

-Listener questions

...and more

 

SHOWNOTES:

https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts429/

 

SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:

www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/

 

SPONSORS:

Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fueling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event. That Triathlon Show listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolyte products. Simply use this link and the discount will be auto-applied at the checkout.

 

ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer allows you to improve technique, power, and swim training consistency. You can target specific aspects of your stroke, like catch and pull-through, work on core activation and body position, and make sure you stay consistent in your swim training even when you don't have time to go to the pool. Try the Zen8 risk-free for 30 days, and get 20% off your first order on zen8swimtrainer.com/tts.

 

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• Bex' Instagram and website

• Training talk with Bex Milnes | EP#353

• The Well HQ - Women’s health courses for coaches, teachers and trainers

 

RATE AND REVIEW:

If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/

 

CONTACT:

Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at [email protected] or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

Tomasz (Tomek) Kowalski, is a triathlon coach and sport scientist from Poland. Tomek's coaching experience includes working with both elite and age-group triathletes, including coaching Ironman World Champions in their respective age-groups, and in his academic work his main focus is on the effect of respiratory muscle training (RMT) on endurance performance. 

       

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

-Tomek's coaching philosophy and methodology

-What it takes to podium or win the Ironman World Championships as an age-grouper

-Pacing and race execution

-Advice for improving your swim, bike and run training and performance, respectively

-What is Respiratory Muscle training (RMT) and is it beneficial for endurance athletes? 

-Practical recommendations for implementing RMT in a triathlon training program

-Listener questions

...and more

 

SHOWNOTES:

https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts428/

 

SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:

www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/

 

SPONSORS:

Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fueling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event. That Triathlon Show listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolyte products. Simply use this link and the discount will be auto-applied at the checkout.

 

ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer allows you to improve technique, power, and swim training consistency. You can target specific aspects of your stroke, like catch and pull-through, work on core activation and body position, and make sure you stay consistent in your swim training even when you don't have time to go to the pool. Try the Zen8 risk-free for 30 days, and get 20% off your first order on zen8swimtrainer.com/tts.

 

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• Tomak's Instagram and Research Gate

• Trinergy (Tomek's coaching business) website

• Effect of Respiratory Muscle Training on Exercise Performance in Healthy Individuals - A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - Illi et al. 2012

• Distinguishing science from pseudoscience in commercial respiratory interventions: an evidence-based guide for health and exercise professionals - Illidi et al. 2023

 

RATE AND REVIEW:

If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/

 

CONTACT:

Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at [email protected] or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

Rune Kjøsen Talsnes, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. In this interview, we discuss overtraining, training progression and periodisation, and some general topics within endurance training and in particular, insights from the world of cross-country skiing. 

       

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

-Overtraining and non-functional overreaching: definitions and diagnosis

-Prevention strategies and monitoring for overtraining and non-functional overreaching

-Research on increasing training load via intensity and volume, and implications for short and medium-term performance and physiological markers

-Training insights from the world of cross-country skiing

-Listener questions

...and more

 

SHOWNOTES:

https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts427/

 

SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:

www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/

 

SPONSORS:

Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fueling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event. That Triathlon Show listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolyte products. Simply use this link and the discount will be auto-applied at the checkout.

 

ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer allows you to improve technique, power, and swim training consistency. You can target specific aspects of your stroke, like catch and pull-through, work on core activation and body position, and make sure you stay consistent in your swim training even when you don't have time to go to the pool. Try the Zen8 risk-free for 30 days, and get 20% off your first order on zen8swimtrainer.com/tts.

 

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• Rune's Twitter and Research Gate

• The return from underperformance to sustainable world-class level: A case study of a male cross-country skier - Talsnes et al. 2023

• Effects of Increased Load of Low- Versus High-Intensity Endurance Training on Performance and Physiological Adaptations in Endurance Athletes - Talsnes et al. 2021

• How Do the Effects of an 8-Week Intervention Influence Subsequent Performance Development in Cross-Country Skiers? - Talsnes et al. 2022

• Training characteristics of world class distance runners with Øyvind Sandbakk, PhD | EP#363

• Training talk with Eirik Myhr Nossum, national team coach of Norway’s cross-country skiing team | EP#245

 

RATE AND REVIEW:

If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/

 

CONTACT:

Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at [email protected] or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

Björn Geesmann is the coach of Patrick Lange and Kat Matthews, and the CEO of HYCYS and The Aerow wind tunnel. He returns to the podcast for a long discussion on a number of training-related topics.          IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Psychology in training, racing and coaching -Run training and running economy -Considerations for how to distribute volume and intensity within and between swimming, biking and running -Tapering -Listener questions ...and much more   SHOWNOTES: https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts426/   SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE: www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/   SPONSORS: Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fueling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event. That Triathlon Show listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolyte products. Simply use this link and the discount will be auto-applied at the checkout.   ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer allows you to improve technique, power, and swim training consistency. You can target specific aspects of your stroke, like catch and pull-through, work on core activation and body position, and make sure you stay consistent in your swim training even when you don't have time to go to the pool. Try the Zen8 risk-free for 30 days, and get 20% off your first order on zen8swimtrainer.com/tts.   LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• Björn's Instagram and podcast (in German)
• HYCYS (Björn's coaching business)
• The Aerow wind tunnel
• Training talk with Björn Geesmann | EP#291
• That Triathlon Show guests Olympic Podium picks for Paris 2024

  RATE AND REVIEW: If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/   CONTACT: Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at [email protected] or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

James Spragg, PhD, is a cycling coach at the Tudor Pro Cycling Team and performance consultant. His PhD research focused on durability, which is the main topic of today's interview. 

       

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

-The concept of durability 

-The relationship between training characteristics and durability in cycling

-The relationship between physiological measures and durability in cycling

-The type of intensity, not just the amount of work done, impacts the downward shift in power profile 

-Critical Power (or Critical Speed) is a more comprehensive marker of performance physiology than VO2max

-Listener questions: how to know when to work on what part of the power-duration curve and more

 

SHOWNOTES:

https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts425/

 

SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:

www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/

 

SPONSORS:

Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fueling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event. That Triathlon Show listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolyte products. Simply use this link and the discount will be auto-applied at the checkout.

 

ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer allows you to improve technique, power, and swim training consistency. You can target specific aspects of your stroke, like catch and pull-through, work on core activation and body position, and make sure you stay consistent in your swim training even when you don't have time to go to the pool. Try the Zen8 risk-free for 30 days, and get 20% off your first order on zen8swimtrainer.com/tts.

 

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• James' Twitter, website and Research Gate

• Training talk with cycling coach James Spragg | EP#251

• The relationship between training characteristics and durability in professional cyclists across a competitive season - Spragg et al. 2022

• The Relationship between Physiological Characteristics and Durability in Male Professional Cyclists - Spragg et al. 2022

• Viewpoint: Using VO2max as a marker of training status in athletes - can we do better? - Podlogar et al. 2022

• The intensity rather than the quantity of prior work determines the subsequent downward shift in the power duration relationship in professional cyclists - Spragg et al. 2024 (in review)

• Intensity, volume, rest, nutrition, coaching and triathlon myth-busting with Dr. Philip Skiba | EP#173

• Scientific Training for Endurance Athletes with Dr. Philip Skiba | EP#311

• Power profiling, critical power, and U23 cycling research with Peter Leo | EP#319

• Carbohydrates – science and practice with Tim Podlogar, PhD | EP#354

 

RATE AND REVIEW:

If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/

 

CONTACT:

Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at [email protected] or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

Jacob Tipper is a cycling and triathlon coach working and having worked with athletes such as Ben Healy, Dan Bigham, Lucy Byram and Jonathan Brownlee, and a former elite cyclist himself. In this interview we discuss Jacob's experience in triathlon, two years into his transition from cycling to triathlon, including several important lessons learnt. 

       

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

-Your training doesn't have to fit into popular frameworks

-The outsized cost of improving swimming

-How Jacob let his strength (cycling) slip

-How lots of "easy volume" failed to improve Jacob's run

-Modern-day training biases: there's much more to performance than physiology

-Advice for cyclists considering getting into triathlon

-Advice for triathletes considering becoming cyclists

 

SHOWNOTES:

https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts424/

 

SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:

www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/

 

SPONSORS:

Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fueling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event. That Triathlon Show listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolyte products. Simply use this link and the discount will be auto-applied at the checkout.

 

ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer allows you to improve technique, power, and swim training consistency. You can target specific aspects of your stroke, like catch and pull-through, work on core activation and body position, and make sure you stay consistent in your swim training even when you don't have time to go to the pool. Try the Zen8 risk-free for 30 days, and get 20% off your first order on zen8swimtrainer.com/tts.

 

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• Jacob's website, Twitter and Instagram

• Training Talk with Jacob Tipper | EP#345

• Sub7/Sub8 with Jacob Tipper | EP#344

 

RATE AND REVIEW:

If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/

 

CONTACT:

Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at [email protected] or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

 

Email your application to [email protected].

We have an exciting career opportunity for coaches out there. As our team is approaching full capacity of coached athletes, we are looking to bring on a new coach to join our team and work with athletes from around the world. 

To apply, respond to this email with your CV and tell me a bit more about yourself as a person, as a coach, and why you want to join Scientific Triathlon. 

Here is a list of a few important characteristics, skills, and experiences in a prospective coach: 

• Cognitive skills and desire to learn 

• Communication skills and interpersonal skills

• Coaching experience

• Athletic experience

• English language skills

• Coaching certifications

Specific knowledge, education and experience in any of the following areas would be considered a plus and is worth highlighting.

• Languages other than English

• Strength training

• Biomechanics

• Physiotherapy

• (Sports) medicine

• (Sports) Psychology

• (Sports) Nutrition

• Bike fitting

• Aerodynamics

• Sports physiology & exercise science

• Behavioural science

• Communication sciences

• Pedagogy 

• Statistics or data science

There is one requirement, without which your application will unfortunately not be considered, so please clarify your goals in this regard. 

• Ambition to eventually dedicate 50% to 100% of a full-time job to coaching. In practice, this means that you will want to coach a minimum of 10 athletes eventually. 

The work is on an independent contractor basis, where payment is based on the athletes coached. The work can be done remotely from anywhere in the world. More details about the nature of the work, compensation etc. will be given to serious applicants. 

Feel free to ask for clarification, or send in your application, by emailing [email protected]. If the role is not for you, but you know someone that might be interested, please share this with them and encourage them to apply. 

I look forward to hearing from as many exceptional coaches as possible. Good luck! 

Marinus Petersen is a cycling coach and road cyclist, with a win in the 2021 Welsh road cycling championships on his palmarès. In this interview we discuss Marinus' approach to coaching and training. 

       

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

-Marinus' overall coaching methodology

-The importance of nutrition within the training process

-The value of doing "oversized" endurance rides

-How to balance aerobic volume and intensity

-Testing and athlete profiling

 

SHOWNOTES:

https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts423/

 

SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:

www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/

 

SPONSORS:

Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fueling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event. That Triathlon Show listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolyte products. Simply use this link and the discount will be auto-applied at the checkout.

 

ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer allows you to improve technique, power, and swim training consistency. You can target specific aspects of your stroke, like catch and pull-through, work on core activation and body position, and make sure you stay consistent in your swim training even when you don't have time to go to the pool. Try the Zen8 risk-free for 30 days, and get 20% off your first order on zen8swimtrainer.com/tts.

 

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• Marinus' personal and coaching Instagram

• Fueling Endurance podcast

• How to Skate a 10k by Nils van der Poel

 

RATE AND REVIEW:

If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/

 

CONTACT:

Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at [email protected] or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

Mikael and David Dhooge answer listener questions in a supersized Q&A edition for the holiday season.     

       

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

-Favourite TTS episodes of the year

-Differences in training between sprint and middle distance races

-Weight loss

-Muscle fibre composition - how to estimate your phenotype

-When and how to get back into training after illness

-Pace or heart rate targets for Zone 2 training

-"Big Days" in Ironman preparation

-Our proudest athletic achievements, and bucket-list events

-Threshold-training

-Combining a training camp with a race

-Starting and marketing a coaching business

 

SHOWNOTES:

https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts422/

 

SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:

www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/

 

SPONSORS:

Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes perform at their best through their online tools, patented Sweat Test and range of electrolytes and fueling products. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner and receive a personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake. If you want further help, book a free 20-minute video consultation to chat through your plan. Listen out for the code in today's show to get 15% off your first order of PF&H electrolytes and fueling products. If you missed the code, just email [email protected].

 

ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer is a unique Dryland Swim Trainer that allows you to improve technique, power, and swim training consistency. With the trainer you can do specific power and technique work, including working on your catch and core activation, and it helps you stay consistent even if you don’t have much time to train. You can try the Zen8 risk-free for up to 30 days, and you can get 20% off your first order on zen8swimtrainer.com/tts.

 

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• Bent Rønnestad, PhD | EP#386

• Richard Laidlow | EP#403

• Dan Lorang | EP#417

• Vasco Vilaça | EP#401

• Sophie Coldwell | EP#395

• Q&A on run training (part 2) | EP#388

• Q&A on run training (part 1) | EP#385

• Q&A on bike training | EP#381

• Q&A on swim training | EP#377

• Q&A on season planning, goal setting, and personal limiters | EP#372

• Q&A episode archive

• David Dhooge

 

RATE AND REVIEW:

If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/

 

CONTACT:

Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at [email protected] or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

Craig Kirkwood is a triathlon and endurance coach from New Zealand. His introduction to endurance sports was in running where he raced at a high level (marathon PB 2:13) and got his introduction to coaching, working under Kim McDonald with numerous high-level athletes including World Championships and Olympic Games medalists. As a triathlon coach Craig is known as the long-time coach of Hayden Wilde, bronze medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, but he also coaches age-group runners and triathletes of all different levels. 

       

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

-Hayden Wilde's trajectory to the top of triathlon

-How Hayden has improved his swimming 

-Season planning and periodisation for the Olympic year of 2024

-A sample training week from Hayden

-Advice for age-groupers on how to optimise race-day performance

-Tips for age-groupers to improve their swim, bike and run

-Considerations for time-crunched athletes

 

SHOWNOTES:

https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts421/

 

SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:

www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/

 

SPONSORS:

FORM Smart Swim Goggles give you unprecedented real-time feedback in your swim training through a display on the goggle lens. See every split to stay on pace, track your stroke rate and don't let it drop, use heart rate to become more scientific and precise with your training (through integration with Polar HR monitors) and analyse more in-depth metrics post-swim in the app. You can also use a vast library of workouts or training plans, or build your own guided workouts. Get 15% off the goggles with the code TTS15 on formswim.com/tts. 

 

ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer is a unique Dryland Swim Trainer that allows you to improve technique, power, and swim training consistency. With the trainer you can do specific power and technique work, including working on your catch and core activation, and it helps you stay consistent even if you don’t have much time to train. You can try the Zen8 risk-free for up to 30 days, and you can get 20% off your first order on zen8swimtrainer.com/tts.

 

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• Craig's website and Instagram

• Craig Kirkwood – Coach of Hayden Wilde and Sam Tanner | EP#220

 

RATE AND REVIEW:

If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/

 

CONTACT:

Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at [email protected] or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.