The Ironman Principles That Stood the Test of Time (15 years on)

Beth has been doing what she does best lately: keeping me honest.

She dug out a poster I made about 15 years ago, back in 2011/2012, with a list of training and racing principles I used to send out to athletes. “Guiding lights,” I called them. And then she decided the only fair way to revisit them was to read them out to me while I was not allowed to look at the list. No cheating. No polishing the answers. Just a live audit of whether I still believe what I wrote.

Listen to the podcast HERE:

The good news is this: most of it still stands. Not because I am some sort of endurance prophet, but because the fundamentals never really change. Tech changes. Trends change. Social media changes what people worry about. But the basics still win.

So rather than dump all 31 into this post, I’m going to group the big ideas into a few Battle Ready themes. You can grab the full list as a free download if you want it as a checklist.

1) Choose your race like an adult

This one sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed how many people pick a race based on vibes, ego, or what their mate is doing.

One of the first principles was “choose your races carefully”, and Beth immediately brought up Norseman.“Great race. Brutal. Stunning. Also not ideal if you are not a strong climber. I still loved it, but I remember getting overtaken by everyone on that first long climb and thinking, this felt like a great idea until the first big hill and then I had a quiet word with myself.”

The point is not “avoid hard races.” The point is: know what you are getting into. Learn the course early. Understand what it demands. If the bike is hilly, train hills. If the swim is in the sea, get in the sea. Do not turn up on race day hoping the water behaves like your local pool.

This is one of those principles that feels boring until you see someone on the start line who has done months of training, but never practised the one thing the race is famous for.

2) Build a support team before you need one

A lot of people think “support team” means your partner and kids. It does, but it is bigger than that.

Yes, it starts with home. One of my favourite stories from years ago is asking a packed room of Ironman hopefuls who had spoken to their partner or family before entering. Most hands went up for “doing an Ironman”. Very few hands stayed up for “yes, I checked with my family first.” That is how arguments are born.

But it also means the people who keep your body and kit working: physio, bike mechanic, swim support, a coach or mentor you actually trust. Not social media. Social media is not your support team. Asking strangers “I’m five days post pneumonia, should I do an eight hour ride?” is not a plan.

The deeper point here is Battle Ready living: endurance sport looks solo, but you do it better when you stop pretending you are alone.

3) Consistency beats heroics

If I could tattoo one principle on every athlete’s forehead (politely), it would be this:

I have had that written in training diaries since I started in triathlon 39 years ago. It is not sexy, but it is true. The best season you’ll ever have is the one where you string weeks together without breaking down.

This is also where plans and coaches come in. A plan is not magic. It is just a guardrail that stops you flip flopping. One week you are doing long slow distance, next week you panic and go full gas because you saw a reel about “Zone 2 being overrated.” A good plan keeps you on the path, and a good coach helps you reroute when life inevitably gets in the way.

4) Train like a pro, live like a human

Beth asked what I meant by “think and act like a pro.” It is not about trying to be genetically gifted. It is about being professional with what you can control.

Pros warm up properly. They take sleep seriously. They plan food. They turn up prepared. They do the basics well. And here’s the bit I love: that is available to everyone, regardless of age or talent.

But there is a Yorkshire add on to this: get a life.

If you are an age grouper, your race is not paying your mortgage. If your whole world collapses because you missed a PB by two minutes, you need a brew and a quiet word with yourself. You can care. You can be ambitious. Just do not make it your identity.

5) Recovery is training, stress is stress

This is the area I probably emphasise even more now than I did 15 years ago.

Rest and relaxation are part of the programme. Stress is cumulative. Work stress, life stress, training stress, it all goes in the same cup. If you keep topping it up without taking any out, it overflows. That is when illness, injury, and burnout arrive.

This is also why “back to back big races” is a trap. You might get away with it for a while, but you are storing up problems. A personal best effort requires a personal best recovery. Take time to enjoy the win, then rest properly afterwards, physically and mentally.

6) Race day is messy, so have a Plan B

The perfect race hardly ever happens. Deal with it.

That sounds blunt, but it is freeing. If you expect perfection, every wobble becomes drama. If you expect mess, you stay calm and keep moving forward. That is a skill you can practise.

And while you are at it, help someone. Thank volunteers. It costs nothing, and it reminds you what this is really about. Most of us are doing this because we get to, not because we have to.

Want the full list?

If you want the full set of principles, I’ve turned them into a simple free download you can print out and use as your checklist. Stick it on the fridge, keep it by your turbo, or send it to that mate who keeps entering races without telling the family first. Grab it below, and if you’d like help applying these in your own training with proper structure, strength work, and coaching support, come and join us inside the SWAT Inner Circle. It’s built to keep you consistent, healthy, and genuinely Battle Ready for the long game.

Thanks for being part of the tribe — I’m here to help you stay Battle Ready! Simon