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PODCAST

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for strength, resilience, and longevity

The Be Battle Ready podcast is where everyday athletes, adventurers, and seekers of strength come to forge resilience - in body, mind, and spirit. Hosted by coach Simon Ward, each episode explores the true pillars of endurance: purposeful training, nourishing nutrition, restorative sleep, a resilient mindset, and the art of recovery. It’s designed especially for those in their 40s, 50s and beyond who refuse to rust - men and women who know that age is no excuse to stop sharpening the blade. Whether

sports nutrition

All Episodes

01:38:27

Margaret Sills - A true pioneer of UK Triathlon

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2024/02/14

Today's guest is Margaret Sills. I met Margaret about 20 years ago when she asked me to coach her. During the time we worked together she represented GB triathlon as an age grouper and also qualified for Kona twice. I can still remember waiting at the finish line for her to complete her first Kona (which she mentions in the conversation). She had some struggles on the day but she made it and as she crossed the line I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. The reason I invited Margaret on to

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01:36:44

The high altitude life of Rick Peters: Pilot,...

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2024/02/07

This podcast is called the High Performance Human podcast for a reason. It gives me the opportunity to showcase individuals who excel in their chosen sport, but also in many other areas of their life, while still focussing on basics such as sleep and nutrition. Next time you take a flight, think about what you would like to know about your pilot - skills at their job (obviously) but also that they prioritise health and fitness, turn up each day having slept well and eaten the right foods to help

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01:15:19

Coaching triathletes over 50 * Jo Lewis

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2024/01/31

You might have noticed a theme with some recent podcasts, as I've been searching out inspirational older athletes to share with you just what the future might hold if you have the enthusiasm and adjust your approach in the right way for you. I've struggled to find other coaches who specialise in working with older athletes, but that's corrected today as I speak with Jo Lewis. Jo is a female triathlete in the 65-69 age group. As you will hear in the conversation, 14 years ago, Jo started a coaching

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01:14:18

How to go sub-8 for an Ironman - Saying NO, time...

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2024/01/24

Today’s podcast guest is Dr Dan Plews. Dan is one of our most frequent and popular guests. He and ‘The Prof' Paul Laursen have an on going competition to be at the top of the list with most appearances on the show. It’s been a while since I chatted with Dan and since the last conversation he’s made a welcome and very successful return to racing, having crossed the line first overall at the 2022 IM New Zealand, and then getting a personal best of 8:18 at Challenge Roth despite a troublesome

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01:20:35

Riding the bike is the easy part (even though it's...

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2024/01/17

This week we're back with James Risley as we continue the conversation about riding Le Loop - 3,500km of riding with 55,000m (yes, FIFTY FIVE HUNDRED METRES) of climbing, including some of the toughest climbs in France and Spain. Last week we talked about the preparation for the event and navigating life challenges - work, relationships, sleep - in order to get enough miles on the clock. In today’s episode we talk about the event itself and James outlines a few issues he never even considered

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01:02:59

Get me to the start line healthy! * Dr James Risley

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2024/01/10

Have you ever thought about attempting a multi-day bike tour? Maybe the Raid Pyrenees (4-5 days) or Land's End-John o'Groats (8-10 days)? Those are both big challenges, but how far would you push it? What about the full Tour de France route including rest days? 3,500km of riding, 55,000m of climbing in 22 days. There is actually an event called Le Loop which does exactly that, including a finish in the centre of Paris (although you don't ride all 8 laps). Today's podcast guest is Dr James Risley,

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01:41:05

It’s easy to be fit . . but being a good triathlete...

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2024/01/03

In the last 6 years I have chatted with many great coaches, and today's guest is right up there with them! Darren Smith is arguably one of the best triathlon coaches we have seen working with Olympic triathletes. I first met Darren when he was appointed as head coach for Scottish Triathlon, and our paths crossed at regular coaches meeting at British Triathlon. After 4 years at the helm of Scottish Triathlon Darren left and set up his own private nomadic triathlon group which became known as the D

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01:18:42

The Outlaw triathlon helped save my life * Liam...

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2023/12/27

Triathlon is a metaphor for life. The challenges we encounter on race day are like the ups and downs of life squeezed into a few small hours. In reaching the finish line we often achieve what we once thought impossible. It helps us to grow. For some, triathlon can literally be a lifeline. My guest on this week’s podcast is Liam Colebrook. Liam is one of the Outlaw Triathlon ambassadors for 2024. As you'll hear in the show, being involved with the Outlaw events as a volunteer in 2023 played a

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01:06:48

Get Simon on a horse! * Grumpy Old Coaches Christmas...

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2023/12/20

Ok, it’s nearly Christmas and you know what that means? Yes, it’s time for a Grumpy Old Coaches Christmas get together! Last year we recorded our show live from the pub and it proved to be quite popular with the coaches and the listeners, so we’ve continued the trend this year. Last Friday we all went over to Wigan and recorded the show from Marc’s local, The White Lion. We calculated that between us we have over 80 years of coaching experience and probably about the same number of years

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12:49

Bite Sized * Simple ways to boost your bike...

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2023/12/16

In a recent bite sized podcast I outlined the steps you could take to improve your swim performance. Today I'm discussing how to improve your cycling. Cycling is by far the biggest portion of any triathlon and so if you have a strong bike, that will enhance not only your overall time but also your ability to run well (as long as you don't push too hard on the bike). In today's bite sized podcast I outline some steps you can take to boost your bike performances in 2024, including: Why you should

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57:39

How to create an Olympic champion * Jack Maitland part 2

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2023/12/13

Today we have the 2nd part of my conversation with Jack Maitland. Last week we talked about Jack's journey from orienteer to mountain runner to elite triathlete and then into coaching. We talked about our work together, his work in Leeds and then the development work with Alistair & Jonathan Brownlee finishing at the end of 2011 when Alistair was a favourite for Olympic Gold at the London 2012 Triathlon. Today we talk about the lead up to that event, the 4 year cycle up to Rio 2016, what

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13:28

Bite Sized * Breathing 101 - Inspire before you expire

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2023/12/09

This week, following a request from regular listener David Hill, I’m going to take a short dive into what is called breath work. So thank you David for a great suggestion! I’ve had several podcast conversation about this specific subject and there's no doubt in my mind that it makes a real difference to health and performance by managing anxiety, improving that ability to relax, and all of the positive knock ons from there. Breathing is controlled by our autonomic nervous system (ANS), so for the

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01:07:24

Performance triathlon in Leeds: From a small idea, to...

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2023/12/06

Back in 2000, I decided to rebrand my coaching business as TheTriathlonCoach.com. I’d been coaching for 4-5 years and built up a good roster of age group athletes. I was having to turn folks away so I asked my friend (also a coach) if he’d like to join me and take on some clients. His name was Jack Maitland, and he's my guest on the podcast this week and next week. Jack and I started to grow TTC as it was known, but that wasn’t all. In 2001 we put our names in the hat to run the Regional Talent ID

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08:45

Bite Sized * Losing weight and triathlon performance

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2023/12/02

Is losing a few kilos one of your winter training goals for the next few monthsIf it is, you're probably not alone. At least once a month I get an email or have a phone conversation with an endurance athlete who tells me they need to lose weight to help them achieve their goals in the summer. As a coach I feel like it’s easy to get overly focused on this aspect of improving performance. I much prefer an approach where we concentrate on doing the right things. In this case, finding a healthy

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01:25:18

How to be an UnBreakable Runner with Brian MacKenzie

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2023/11/29

Regular listeners will know that I’m a big fan of mobility and strength work, to the point where I have regularly recommended to athletes that they reduce their swim, bike, and run volume and use that time to work out in the gym (or at home). Several years ago I came across a book written by this week's guest, Brian MacKenzie. The book was “Unbreakable Runner” and the principle was to replace a lot of running volume with CrossFit-style workouts. Brian used this approach to complete his first 50 mile

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12:43

Bite Sized * Consistency is the key to success

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2023/11/25

Almost 34 years ago to the day, November 1989, I attended my first triathlon training camp. The venue was Eilat on the Red Sea in Israel and the host was a chap called Bernie Shrosbree who at that time was GB triathlon champion. I learned a lot on that course, but this lesson was one of the most valuable and which will always stand true: "Consistency is the key to success" It felt so significant to me at the time that I wrote it down in the front cover my training diary (if you visit my Facebook

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01:39:04

Finding your physical and mental limits: Is it nature...

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2023/11/22

When I first started working in elite sport I believed that not only did the best athletes have natural talent and a good work ethic, but that they also had a life which was completely under control. From the outside looking in, many armchair fans think that elite athletes, in any sport, have it all. Nothing could be further from the truth, as you'll hear in this week's podcast. It's a very open and honest conversation with elite female fell runner, Emily Cowper-Coles. During the chat we

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14:35

Bite Sized Edition - 7 steps to being a better...

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2023/11/18

Swimming is the most skill-dependent of the 3 triathlon disciplines, and the one which brings the least gain in terms of minutes saved on race day. And yet it's also the one where most triathletes are frustrated by their apparent lack of progress despite regular visits to the pool. In this bite sized podcast I’m going to lay out my 7 step process for becoming a better swimmer this winter. I've also thrown in a bonus step for you at the end, including: Why you need to see a swim coach

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56:29

Going from Couch to 5k up to Ironman * Bianca Fernandez

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2023/11/15

Most triathletes are good at spinning plates. They're high achievers and it's normal practice for them to have a lot going on. Today's guest is no exception. When Bianca Fernandez was growing up, she excelled at her school work but had no interest in PE or sporting activities. At the age of 29 she decided to follow the Couch to 5k programme. She wasn’t fast but she finished and was so proud of her achievement that it motivated her on to greater challenges - marathon, 70.3 distance triathlon, and

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10:41

Bite sized edition - Understanding zone 2 training:...

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready - The podcast for... ·

2023/11/11

Zone 2 training is a hot topic now, and rightly so. You might be surprised to learn more about the full range of benefits that training in this zone can have. If you're able to engage in the process of zone 2 training, and have patience, a few months of working in this zone will result in amazing fitness gains for the next season. Some of them are: Improved fat oxidisation at sub-maximal efforts Better lactate clearance capacity Faster recovery from training sessions, leading to improved

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