A new format to the podcast (although familiar to readers of the Scientific Triathlon newsletter), I go solo and discuss three topics I've been thinking about recently in my coaching practice, and how you might think about them to become a better (and even happier!) triathlete. 

       

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

-The ROI of swim, bike and run training, and how to optimise your distribution of the three sports

-Running hills to run faster and stronger

-Rethinking how you select races and events to sign up for

 

SHOWNOTES:

https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts432/

 

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:

No links specific for this episode, but do check out the latest episodes of That Triathlon Show:

• Christophe Balestra - Obstri, PTO, and Fantasy Tri | EP#431

• Melanie McQuaid | EP#430

• Bex Milnes | EP#429

• Tomasz Kowalski | EP#428

 

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.

Bonus episode with Andy Blow, founder of Precision Fuel & Hydration.    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.   LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• All you need to know about Precision Fuel & Hydration at the IRONMAN European Series
• Should you combine your carbohydrate and electrolyte drinks? - article by Andy Blow
• Free Fuel & Hydration Planner
• Nutrition and hydration data from Kona and 70.3 Worlds with Andy Blow | EP#365
• Caffeine in racing – best practices with Andy Blow | EP#346
• Race nutrition and hydration – current best practices with Andy Blow | EP#293
• Race hydration, calories and sodium – a 2020 update with Andy Blow | EP#218
• Hydration in endurance sports: a Q&A with Andy Blow | EP#191
• Effective Swimrun Training with Andy Blow | EP#126
• Hydration, sodium and cramping with Andy Blow | EP#49

  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.

Christophe Balestra is a (retired) amateur triathlete with a background in game development. He has brought his talents to the triathlon space with products such as The Obsessed Triathlete (obstri), the PTO's stats pages, and Fantasy Triathlon on The Daily Tri. 

 

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

-The story behind obstri.com, and why Ironman wanted it shut down

-Christophe's time with the PTO, including shipping their stats pages

-Triathlon as a broadcast sport - the needs and the challenges

-Fantasy triathlon - how it came about and where it's going

-Christophe's lessons learnt and advice for other amateur triathletes

 

SHOWNOTES:

https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts431/

 

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:

• Christophe's Twitter

• The Daily Tri - Fantasy Triathlon

• 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.

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!