The High Performance Human
I'm Simon Ward, Health, Wellness and Performance Coach. This newsletter is for athletes in their late 50s and beyond — the ones who aren't slowing down, but training smarter. Whether you're chasing finish lines or just want to keep doing the sports you love for years to come, we'll explore the best strategies for performance, recovery, longevity, and living well for longer.
Be Battle Ready - The Complete Guide to Fasting for Athletes: What 3 Hours with a Sports Nutritionist Taught Me
The Complete Guide to Fasting for Athletes: What 3 Hours with a Sports Nutritionist Taught Me The Complete Guide to Fasting for Athletes: What 3 Hours with a Sports Nutritionist Taught Me I'll be honest with you - before sitting down with Dr. Jules Strauss for three hours to discuss fasting, I thought I had a pretty good handle on the topic. I'd experimented with it myself, seen the social media hype, and watched athletes around me try everything from 16:8 protocols to extreme multi-day...
BeBattleReady - Creatine Isn't Just for Bodybuilders: The Brain-Boosting Supplement Every Endurance Athlete Should Consider
Creatine Isn't Just for Bodybuilders: The Brain-Boosting Supplement Every Endurance Athlete Should Consider I’ve had an on/off relationship with creatine for years. In my early twenties I hit the gym more than I rode my bike and wanted to get bigger. Creatine was my supplement. When I started in triathlon I didn’t think I needed it as an endurance athlete. Then I heard about the power benefits and started taking it again but after gaining a couple of pounds, I stopped (turns out I shouldn’t...
BeBattleReady - The Brain Training Revolution: Why 70% of Dementia Cases Don't Have to Happen
The Brain Training Revolution: Why 70% of Dementia Cases Don't Have to Happen I'll be honest with you, when Dr. Tommy Wood told me that up to 70% of dementia cases might be preventable, I nearly choked on my coffee. Here I was, at 61, thinking I was doing everything right by keeping my body in shape, but I'd barely given a thought to training my brain for the long haul. It's a conversation that's stuck with me for weeks now. We spend hours perfecting our swim stroke, obsessing over our FTP,...
BeBattleReady - If I Had To Do 1 More Ironman Race
If I Had To Do 1 More Ironman Race My last Ironman was Kona in 2017. It was my number one bucket-list goal and the whole reason I got started in triathlon over 30 years earlier. Since then, I’ve pretty much retired from Ironman racing. In fact, I haven’t done a triathlon of any kind since that day. Recently, I’ve found myself reflecting on all the things I got right, the many things I got wrong, and how differently I’d approach things if I had to do another one. Never say never, right? So, in...
BeBattleReady - 5 Race Day Mistakes That Ruined My Ironman (and How You Can Avoid Them)
5 Race Day Mistakes That Ruined My Ironman (and How You Can Avoid Them) Race Day Execution Mistakes: Lessons from 19 Iron-Distance Battles Between 1995 and 2017, I toed the line at 19 Iron-distance races. Nineteen times I stood on that start line, nerves jangling, wetsuit zipped, heart pounding. Nineteen times I swore I’d learned from the last one, and nineteen times I discovered that Ironman has a way of humbling even the best-prepared athlete. Last week, I shared some of the training...
BeBattleReady - Bad Break? Not Really. What a Busted Collarbone Taught Me from 22 Years of Racing
Bad Break? Not Really. What a Busted Collarbone Taught Me from 22 Years of Racing Sometimes it takes a crash to see clearly. Here's how one broken bone revealed the training truths I wish I'd known from day one. The Moment Everything Made Sense I was lying on the tarmac, collarbone clearly broken, wondering how a simple bike crash would affect my training. What I didn't expect was that this injury would finally solve a mystery that had plagued me for over a decade. For years, I'd been...
BeBattleReady -Part 2: How to Run Stronger After 50: 4 Key Solutions
Part 2: How to Run Stronger After 50: 4 Key Solutions In last week’s article, we explored why running slows down more sharply than swimming or cycling after 50. Neurological changes, muscle fibre loss, and persistent training myths all play a part. But decline isn’t inevitable. In this follow-up, run coach Bobby McGee and strength expert Matt Pendola share the key solutions that can help you rebuild speed, power, and resilience - so you can keep running well into your 50s, 60s, and beyond. 1....
BeBattleReady - Part 1: Why Running Slows Down More Than Swimming or Cycling After 50
Part 1: Why Running Slows Down More Than Swimming or Cycling After 50 For many athletes over 50, swimming and cycling performances hold steady — yet running times slide backwards, sometimes dramatically. Why does this happen? And why does it feel harder to arrest the decline despite training just as consistently?In this article, based on my recent podcast conversation with world-renowned run coach Bobby McGee and strength specialist Matt Pendola, we uncover the physiological, neurological,...
Wardy Wisdom - Part 2: Bodyweight Strength Training for Over-50s
Part 2: Bodyweight Strength Training for Over-50s Simple, joint-friendly exercises you can do anywhere to build lasting strength. Why Bodyweight Training Works After 50 If Part 1 gave you the framework, this is where we put it into action. The best place to start is with your own bodyweight. No kit. No excuses. Just you, the floor, and gravity. For over-50s, bodyweight training is ideal: it’s accessible, gentle on the joints, and builds strength in the same patterns you use in daily life....
Wardy Wisdom - The Season Debrief: Lessons from 2025
The Season Debrief: Lessons from 2025 This article is the first in a series on building your Battle Ready foundation for 2026. Before you can build for the future, you need to learn from the past. The temptation at the end of a season is to rush ahead, set bold goals for 2026, and dive straight into training. But if you skip reflection, you miss the opportunity to learn from what worked — and what didn’t. Honest review is the first step to becoming Battle Ready. Why Reflection Matters Race...
I'm Simon Ward, Health, Wellness and Performance Coach. This newsletter is for athletes in their late 50s and beyond — the ones who aren't slowing down, but training smarter. Whether you're chasing finish lines or just want to keep doing the sports you love for years to come, we'll explore the best strategies for performance, recovery, longevity, and living well for longer.