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.
Why Your FTP Is Not the Problem — And What Actually Decides a Gravel Ultra
There is a type of athlete who has ticked every box in triathlon. They have done the Iron Man, they know how to suffer, and they are not afraid of a big day out. At some point they discover gravel racing or ultra mountain biking, and they assume their fitness will carry them through. It does not. At least, not in the way they expect. Dave Schell has been coaching endurance athletes for fifteen years. These days he works predominantly with gravel and mountain bike athletes targeting events...
Be Battle Ready Podcast - Your FTP Won't Save You at Mile 150 — With Dave Schell
Hi Reader, Most athletes I know who've made the move from triathlon to gravel will tell you the same thing. They thought their fitness would carry them. It didn't — at least not in the way they expected. Dave Schell has spent 15 years coaching cyclists through some of the most demanding events on the calendar, ultra-distance gravel and mountain bike events like Unbound 200, Leadville or the Glorious Gravel events in the UK. Before that he spent seven years at Training Peaks as coach education...
Be Battle Ready - Your race just told you something. Did you hear it?
Hi Reader If you've raced recently - or you've got a warm-up event coming up in the next few weeks - I want to share something that might change how you think about it. Most athletes finish a race and immediately sort it into one of two piles. Either it went well, or it didn't. Then they get back to training. What they miss is that the race just gave them a level of information that no training session can replicate. How your body managed sustained effort under real pressure. Where your...
Why Your Hyrox Nutrition Plan Is Probably Behind Your Training
There is a pattern that repeats itself almost every time a triathlete turns up to their first Hyrox event. They have trained hard. They have the running base, the gym confidence, and probably a decent understanding of how to fuel a long endurance effort. What they have not done is rethink any of that for a sport that asks something quite different of the body. Hyrox is not a long, steady-state effort. It is a sequence of high-intensity, repeated anaerobic bouts punctuated by running. The...
Carbon Shoes: Faster Isn’t Always Better
The modern running shoe has changed endurance sport completely. World records are falling. Marathon times that once looked impossible are now becoming normal. Recovery between sessions appears faster, and almost every serious runner now owns some version of a carbon-plated “super shoe”. But there is another side to the story that very few people are talking about. As part of the podcast this week, I spoke with runner and physiotherapist Andy Smith about the impact these shoes are having, not...
Health First: Why More Athletes Over 50 Need to Change the Way They Train
For years, the endurance world sold us a simple message. Train more. Push harder. Be disciplined. Sacrifice now and enjoy the rewards later. And for many athletes, especially those chasing Ironman goals, that approach worked… at least for a while. But there comes a point where the pursuit of performance starts to come at the expense of health. The problem is that many athletes do not realise it until something forces them to stop and take a proper look. That was exactly the journey former...
What Ironman Training Teaches You About Business
Most people see Ironman as a physical challenge. Swim, bike, run. Long hours. Big race day. It looks like a test of fitness. But when you speak to someone like Jane Hansom, you realise it’s something else entirely. (You can listen to our recent podcast HERE) Jane didn’t follow the usual path. She stepped away from sport for nearly 20 years, came back in her mid-30s, ran a sub-3 marathon within a year, and went on to become an Ironman World Champion in her age group. At the same time, she was...
Be Battle Ready - Are you actually on track?
Hi Reader At this point in the season, most athletes are deep into their build. The volume or intensity is increasing, key sessions are starting to matter more, and race day is beginning to feel closer. On the surface, everything looks like progress. But there’s a question most athletes don’t really ask themselves. Are you actually on track? Not “am I training consistently?”Not “did I have a good session this week?” But whether the training you’re doing is genuinely moving you towards the...
Don’t Mess This Up: 5 Decisions That Will Make or Break Your Ironman
If you’re 6 to 16 weeks out from your Ironman, this is the phase where most athletes get it wrong. Not on race day, but right now. At this stage, your fitness is largely built. Of course it will still improve, but the bigger risk isn’t being underprepared. It’s making decisions that quietly derail everything you’ve already done. This is the execution phase. Once you know where you stand, the question becomes simple. What are you going to do about it? This is serious now! 1. Stick to the plan...
Are You Actually Ready for Your Ironman? (Use This Simple Sanity Check)
If you’ve signed up for an Ironman this year, this is the point where things start to get real. We’re into April. The race is no longer a distant idea. It’s coming. For most athletes in the UK and Europe, you’re now counting down in weeks rather than months. The long sessions are creeping in, fatigue is starting to build, and a question quietly starts to surface. Am I actually where I should be? This is the point where things either come together or begin to drift off course. The danger is...
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.