Welcome to a special Christmas Day episode of The Grumpy Old Coaches! Can you believe this is our very first podcast published on Christmas Day, after almost 400 episodes? In the spirit of the season, we’ve reunited at the White Lion in Wigan, with Steve Lumley and myself joining Marc Laithwaite for our annual Grumpy Old Coaches reunion. It’s been …

There’s no such thing as a silly question—if it’s important to you, it’s worth asking! As a coach, I love helping people solve their challenges, and curiosity is a huge part of that process. Asking questions and exploring ideas is how we grow, and I encourage you to keep them coming. This week’s podcast is a little different—there are no guests, ju…

In today’s episode I’m joined by Dr. Sam Shepherd, Head of Sports Science at Precision Fuel and Hydration, and a leading expert on lactate. Together, we dive into the fascinating world of lactate, training zones, and the cutting-edge Norwegian Method often associated with elite triathletes like Gustav Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt. We wrap up by ex…

Back by popular demand! Mrs. Ward returns to the podcast following the amazing feedback from her previous episode. This time, we dive deeper into the challenges she faces in the pool and explore solutions that resonate with many triathletes. As a coach, I’ve seen these obstacles time and again, which inspired me to create the "7 Steps to Swimming F…

Have you ever wondered if plyometrics could boost your performance as a triathlete or distance runner? On today’s episode, we’re jumping into the world of plyometric training (see what I did there?) — what it is, why it matters, and how it can take your endurance game to the next level. Joining me today is strength and fitness coach Joe Hotton, fou…

This week, I’m thrilled to welcome a very special guest . . my wife, Bethany Ward! Beth is training for Ironman Austria 2025, and her last long-distance was back in 2019. We thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share how I approach creating a training plan for a new athlete. In this episode, we cover: Structuring a training plan after y…

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Claire Carlin, an accomplished age-group triathlete, karate black belt, and dedicated Assembly of God minister. Claire shares her journey as an athlete navigating the unique challenges posed by her co-occurring conditions of autism and dyspraxia, conditions that often impact her ability to perform coordin…

Over 7 years I have recoded many podcasts on the topic of nutrition (you can find links for these in the show notes if you want to take a deeper dive into the topic). One topic we have not covered in detail to this point is female athlete specific nutrition. For our male listeners, please don’t turn off now. The information you are about to hear wi…

He’s back and he did it!! Age group triathlete Paul Robinson returns to share his story of conquering Arch to Arc. You might remember that Paul was on the show at the beginning of September. At that point, he was waiting to start the Enduroman (Arch to Arc) challenge which is billed as the toughest triathlon in the world for good reason. Run 87 mil…

Since starting the podcast in 2017, I've been fortunate to speak with quite a few Olympic Gold medallists. It’s even more fun when you have known them since before that victory and observed their progress. Today’s guest is Leeds-based triathlete, Jess Learmonth. I've known Jess for quite sometime, and I'm so pleased to be chatting with her today! A…

Age group athletes are the lifeblood of triathlon They are the ones who pay to enter races, and they make up 99% of the start list. Back in the day when I began in triathlon, the athletes were lifers. I can name a dozen or more who did their first event in the late 80's/early 90's who're still doing triathlons today. But in more recent years, triat…

"Simon, I’d like to lose some weight before my next Ironman event. I’m going keto!” Believe it or not, I hear this on a regular basis and it makes me anxious for the individual. Keto diets have been very successful in helping individuals lose weight although that's mostly due to the body needing to store less water from the reduced carbohydrate int…

In last week's email I briefly mentioned my adventurous spirit and pursuit of ’triathlon tourism’. Today’s podcast guest, Chris Brown, shares a similar and maybe even more enthusiastic approach to life. Chris is a triathlete, racing driver, entrepreneur, Guinness World Record Holder and explorer. I’ve known Chris for about 20 years. We first met th…

My guest today is Matt Spooner, who recently completed the Trans Continental Race - a 4200km non-stop bike ride from Roubaix in France, down to Istanbul in Turkey. Apart from the start & finish, there are 5 checkpoints and several compulsory sections known as parcours. There are also some roads which are banned, generally because they are unsafe fo…

As we all start to consider the ways in which we can improve our performances after 2024, I think it is really useful to consider the role that sleep plays. More and harder training is often the first resort for many athletes seeking improvements in fitness. What if you were to do similar training to the previous season, but explored ways in which …

What do you think is the toughest triathlon in the world? Ironman Lanzarote, Norseman, ICON Livigno? They are all tough and have a legitimate claim, but what about this one? Enduroman, also known as Arch to Arc. The athletes attempting this will run 87 miles from London to Dover, then swim at least 21 miles from Dover to France (distance could be m…

"If you want to run faster, move better." That's the advice of several top running coaches I have spoken with. It’s particularly important for us older athletes, because as you might already know (and be experiencing) lack of mobility is part of the aging process. Fortunately, today's guest Tim Anderson from Original Strength has a solution to the …

Gravel biking is growing really fast, and as much as I like being on my road bike, I find gravel riding much more fun. I discovered gravel riding during the pandemic, which is also what happened to this week's podcast guest. She is professional gravel racer Danni Shrosbree, and she races globally for the Felt UN1TD racing team. She was UK National …

Kay Bretz is an ultra-runner and corporate leader from Australia. Kay has a passion for inspiring the magic, and shares his life lessons in his book Turning Right. Kay thrives on embarking on quests which appear impossible. He was already accomplished in the corporate world, before going on to seek personal growth by entering the world of ultra-run…

In last week’s podcast about recovery, our guest Natalie Brown told us that there were 3 key elements to good recovery - sleep, nutrition and stress management. One area which many athletes (and non-athletes) are keen to explore is a plant based diet. There is certainly plenty of anecdotal evidence about how it can improve health and performance. I…

Building fitness in the long term is quite a simple equation. You workout, and then you recover. If you get the balance of these two right, you should see a steady upward progress over time. Most folks I know and work with are pretty good at the training part, but maybe they could do better on the recovery side. I don’t know about you, but over the…

Regular listeners will have heard me talking about turning 60 in February of this year, and how it has sharpened my mind and prompted me to adjust my focus around training and life habits. I’ve also become a lot more curious about how others are tackling life post-60. Are they just waiting for the inevitable, or are they being proactive and doing e…

The Paris Olympics start this week, and I have clear memories dating back to the first one I can remember: Munich 1972. Every 4 years we witness amazing performances and emotional moments. Hopefully, 2024 in Paris will be the same. For our podcast guest this week it will be a magical moment, when he steps onto the pontoon for the Men's Individual T…

On the podcast this week, we have Kyle Smith! Kyle is a professional triathlete from New Zealand. Raised in Blackburn, UK on a diet of motocross and modern pentathlon, he moved to Taupo in his youth, found triathlon and set about becoming one of the best in the world. He is often first off the bike with blistering swim and bike splits, and this yea…

If you struggle to find a reason to insert regular strength work into your training plan, maybe the motivation from entering a HYROX event will help.HYROX is a relative newcomer to the mix of indoor events combining strength and endurance. At first glance you might think it’s similar to CrossFit, but actually it's quite different. To help you and m…