The TriDot Triathlon Podcast

Racing at the front of the pack in triathlon comes with its own unique challenges and rewards. Coach Will Usher gives us a sneak peek into the insights he shares with his elite athletes. Will discusses the importance of consistency in training and offers advice on optimizing every aspect of performance, from swim, bike, and run to strength, nutrition, and recovery. Whether you're chasing a podium or looking to take your performance to the next level, this episode offers valuable lessons from the elite side of triathlon.

If you're a diabetic triathlete, you know how important it is to listen to your body day to day. But what happens when you take on the unique demands of race day? Coach Tony Hampton and Taryn Richardson from the Triathlon Nutrition Academy join the podcast to discuss how athletes with diabetes can thrive in triathlon. Tony, who is diabetic himself, shares his personal experience and the guidance he gives his athletes, from managing blood sugar and dialing in nutrition to preparing for training and race day. They also discuss the importance of having a supportive care team and a plan that helps athletes train confidently and perform at their best. Whether you're a triathlete living with diabetes or simply looking to improve your approach to nutrition and fueling, this episode is packed with advice you can take into your next workout or race.

Some triathletes are striving for podiums, while others are focused on crossing the finish line. And then there are those in the middle of the pack! This week, we're focusing on how to thrive as a middle-of-the-pack triathlete and take your performance to the next level. Coach Ken Presutti joins the podcast to share the tips and strategies he uses with his athletes, including sport-specific training techniques to help maximize performance across swimming, cycling, and running. Ken also explains how setting smaller goals during a race and applying important training principles can help athletes perform at their best on race day. From the essential keys to a successful race to the gadgets worth having for training and racing, Ken breaks it all down and shares advice for getting stronger and more confident on race day. He shares his coaching advice for athletes looking to move from the middle of the pack to the front!

How do you handle the pressure of an important race? What is an appropriate relationship with pre-race nerves? On today's episode, learn from champions who know how to cope with competing on the biggest stages: Mark Allen and Michellie Jones! Mark and Michellie identify common sources of pressure for a triathlete, suggest strategies for mental preparation, and offer advice for race day pressures. After a great discussion, don't miss Mark and Michellie's three best coaching tips for thriving during a pressure-filled race.

Some triathletes are striving for podiums, while others simply take a little longer to make their way around the course. This week, we're talking about how to thrive as a back-of-the-pack triathlete. Coach April Spilde joins the podcast to share the tips and strategies she gives her athletes, starting with one of the biggest challenges: meeting race-specific cutoff times. And just because you identify as a back-of-the-pack athlete does not mean longer-distance events are off the table. The biggest difference is understanding how to fuel and hydrate properly and preparing your body to perform in each discipline for a longer period of time. So, how should training look different? April breaks it all down and shares advice for getting stronger and more confident on race day. She shares her coaching advice for athletes looking to move from the back of the pack to the middle or even to the front.

As a triathlete, you've probably dealt with your fair share of aches, niggles, and injuries. But being injury-prone doesn't mean you can't succeed, it may just mean giving your body a little extra attention. This week, Dr. B.J. Leeper joins the podcast to share strategies for staying healthy and continuing to train when injuries seem to be a recurring challenge. B.J. breaks down common injuries, how everyday mistakes can contribute to them, and how to tell the difference between normal discomfort and pain that means you should stop. We also discuss the importance of adapting your training to meet your needs. Plus, B.J. shares tips for stretching, mobility, and recovery tools that can help keep your body healthy and moving. Finally, B.J. introduces his newest offering, Leeper Labs, which provides virtual consultations for athletes looking for additional guidance. If you've ever felt like injuries are holding you back from reaching your running goals, this episode is packed with advice to help you keep moving forward.

For more information on Leeper Lab visit https://leeperbioperformance.com and follow @leeper_lab on Instagram.

Everyone started their triathlon journey somewhere, and thriving as a beginner is absolutely possible! With plenty of experience helping new athletes, including giving “beginner talks” at race packet pickups, Coach Elizabeth James knows what beginners should focus on now and what they can worry about later. And this week she's bringing her tips to the podcast. From the value of having a coach and structured training plan to practical tips for swimming, cycling, and running, Elizabeth covers it all. She also breaks down what equipment is worth investing in when you're starting out and what you can upgrade over time. Whether you're a brand-new triathlete or a seasoned athlete, there's something to learn in this episode. And if you know someone thinking about trying triathlon, send this episode their way and help get them hooked!

Do you have an unconventional schedule and still want to train and race to your maximum potential? Do you struggle to fit in training with travel? Can you still prioritize nutrition while on the road? Coaches April Spilde and Julie McPhilomy join host Vanessa Ronksley to share how they balance training, racing, and their social life with their non-traditional work schedules. From April's service in the Air Force to Julie's life in the sky as a flight attendant, they have each made it work while training for multiple distances, including IRONMAN. Whether it's early mornings, late nights, or listening to your body and resting, April and Julie share their experiences and provide suggestions for successfully executing workouts. It comes down to planning ahead and if April and Julie can do it, so can you!

Triathletes come to the sport from all kinds of backgrounds. Some discover it from scratch, while others bring years of experience in another discipline. For Coach Chris Navin, that foundation was cycling. In this episode, Chris shares how he found triathlon and how his background as a cyclist shaped his journey across all three disciplines. He breaks down the advantages and challenges that come with a cycling background, including how those strengths translated to swimming and running and where he had to adapt. Whether you're a lifelong cyclist or completely new to the sport, this episode is packed with practical tips to help you balance swimming, cycling, and running and prepare for your next race.

Triathletes come to the sport from all kinds of backgrounds. Some discover it from scratch, while others bring years of experience in another discipline. For Coach Matt Bach, that foundation was running. In this episode, Matt shares how he found triathlon and how his background as a runner shaped his journey across all three disciplines. He breaks down the advantages and challenges that come with a running background, including how those strengths translated to swimming and cycling and where he had to adapt. Whether you're a lifelong runneror completely new to the sport, this episode is packed with practical tips to help you balance swimming, cycling, and running and prepare for your next race.

You may know Flo as @desktotriathlete on Instagram, but her journey is about so much more than social media. In this special episode, Flo shares how she went from a complete beginner to qualifying for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, all while training with TriDot under the guidance of Coach Will Usher. Flo and Will join Andrew to talk about setting ambitious goals, what it took to achieve them, and how data-driven training and mental resilience helped Flo push beyond what she thought was possible. They also discuss the challenges and adaptations that came with race day, what Flo learned along the way, and what’s next for this ambitious triathlete. Discover how data-driven training, mental resilience, and a daring goal can lead to extraordinary results.

Triathletes come to the sport from all kinds of backgrounds. Some discover it from scratch, while others bring years of experience in another discipline. For Coach Will Usher, that foundation was swimming. In this episode, Will shares how his background as a swimmer shaped his journey across all three disciplines. He breaks down the advantages and challenges that come with a swimming background, including how those strengths translated to cycling and running and where he had to adapt. Whether you're a lifelong swimmer or completely new to the sport, this episode is packed with tangible tips to help you balance swimming, cycling, and running and prepare for your next race.

Being a triathlete takes time. Being a parent takes even more. So can you really be both? Absolutely! Coaches and busy parents Katrine Trolle and Brady Hoover join the podcast to share their practical tips for balancing training with the demands of family life. From school, homework, and playdates to finding time for those important workouts, they share strategies for fitting triathlon into a busy family schedule without missing the moments that matter most. They also dive into the pieces of training that can easily get pushed aside when life gets busy, including strength, mobility, recovery, and nutrition. Plus, they tackle one of the biggest challenges of all: race day. Katrine and Brady share how to plan ahead, communicate with your family, and set everyone up for a successful race day so you can focus on doing your job when it's time to race. Being a parent and a triathlete doesn't have to be an either-or and with a little planning, flexibility, and the right mindset, you can make both work.

Fresh off her personal-best performance at IRONMAN 70.3 Elsinore, Emma Weiss joins Andrew alongside her coach, Katrine Trolle, to recap the race and the journey that led her there. Emma shares how consistent training, race-day experience, and mental strength came together for a breakthrough performance, while Katrine explains the role she played in Emma’s development and preparation. Together, they highlight just how important a strong athlete-coach relationship can be when it comes to reaching your goals. Katrine also shares stories from Emma’s progression and how TriDot’s adaptive, data-driven training helped keep her prepared and ready to perform when race day arrived. This is a great look at what happens when the right training, a strong coach-athlete relationship, and a determined athlete come together.

There’s no age limit on triathlon and getting older doesn’t mean you have to stop getting faster. While many athletes discover triathlon when they’re younger, more and more athletes are finding success later in life. This week, coaches Kurt Madden and Kathy Hudson join the podcast to share practical tips for thriving as an older triathlete and continuing to train, race, and improve with age. They cover the key areas that become increasingly important over time, including strength and mobility, recovery, nutrition, and adapting training to meet your changing needs. Kurt and Kathy also discuss race-day expectations and how to approach competition with confidence. The sport of triathlon continues to evolve, and so does the athlete lifecycle. Don't let a number hold you back whether you're new to triathlon or looking to keep improving, there's always another finish line to chase!

As triathletes, many of us simply open TriDot, complete the workout, and move on. But what if your brain processes training differently? The good news is that neurodivergent athletes can not only succeed, they can thrive. This week, Coach Raya Usher joins the podcast to discuss what it's like to train and race as a neurodivergent athlete. Drawing from both her personal experience and her work as a coach, Raya shares the strategies she's developed to help athletes adapt their training, build confidence, and maximize their potential. From navigating day-to-day workouts to managing the unique challenges of race day, this episode is filled with tips for athletes and coaches alike. Whether you're neurodivergent yourself, coach athletes with different learning styles, or simply want to better understand how people experience training differently, Raya shares valuable insights into creating a more effective and inclusive approach to endurance sports.

For more information visit Raya's blog: https://www.precision-coaching.co.uk/rayas-blog-2

More and more athletes are asking ChatGPT to build their training plans, and what comes back looks professional, detailed, and personal. In this episode, Jeff Booher, founder and CEO of Predictive Fitness and creator of FitLogic, explains why a language model can produce a plan that sounds exactly right and still be wrong for the athlete running it. The catch is built into the situation: the reason you asked for help is the same reason you cannot tell whether the help was any good. Jeff breaks down what a language model actually is, why confident is not the same as correct, why a plan can have every phase in the right place and still be built on nothing, and what a tool would truly need to do to get your training right. This is not an attack on AI. It is the case for the right tool for the right job.

More is better. It is the most common belief in endurance sport, and it is quietly costing runners and triathletes their best results. In this joint TriDot and RunDot episode, Jeff Booher joins Andrew and Carrie for the follow-up to “Triathlon Training’s Biggest Lie.” If more isn’t the answer, what is? Jeff takes apart the volume-versus-intensity debate, explains why the popular 80/20 rule was never built for you, and lays out the order training should actually be designed in, where volume is the last thing you figure out, not the first. He also names the fear that keeps athletes stuck, the belief that cutting volume means losing fitness, and shows why it isn’t true. The answer isn’t more. It’s better, first. Full breakdown at http://FitLogic.tech.

From cardio machines and stretch mats, to free weights and fitness classes; there are many options for how a triathlete can spend their time at the gym. Today, ACSM Certified Personal Trainer Brady Hoover joins the show to teach us what we should and should not be doing at the gym. Brady talks about how to balance swim, bike, and run with strength training; and even offers a peek at his personal strength training routines.

You PLAY a sport, meaning that there should be an element of fun included! So how can you infuse more fun into swim, bike, and run? Host Vanessa Ronksley chats with TriDot Coaches Elizabeth James, Kurt Madden, and Matt Sommer about "15 Ways to Make Triathlon Training Fun." After listening to this episode, you'll be more excited to get after your upcoming training sessions, conquer your next assessment, whip-up a delicious post-training snack, and recover in the right ways to do it all again!