Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready triathlon podcast - The podcast for strength, resilience, and longevity cover art

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready triathlon podcast - The podcast for strength, resilience, and longevity

Simon Ward, Be Battle Ready triathlon podcast - The podcast for strength, resilience, and longevity

Written by: Simon Ward
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The Be Battle Ready triathlon podcast is where everyday athletes, adventurers, and seekers of strength come to forge resilience - in body, mind, and spirit.

Hosted by coach Simon Ward, each episode explores the true pillars of endurance: purposeful training, nourishing nutrition, restorative sleep, a resilient mindset, and the art of recovery. It’s designed especially for those in their 40s, 50s and beyond who refuse to rust - men and women who know that age is no excuse to stop sharpening the blade.

Whether you’re preparing for your next Ironman, rebuilding after setback, or simply training for the demands of life itself, this show will help you stay Battle Ready: strong, adaptable, and unbreakable.

Expect conversations with world-class coaches, scientists, and everyday warriors - those who walk the path of longevity and high performance - sharing wisdom, tactics, and stories from the front line of endurance.

👉 Subscribe now and step inside the ranks of the Battle Ready Society - where strength is forged, and rust never wins.

Copyright 2017 . All rights reserved. Hygiene & Healthy Living
Episodes
  • What Would Happen If an Age-Group Triathlete Trained Like an Olympian? — With Sue Reynolds

    What Would Happen If an Age-Group Triathlete Trained Like an Olympian? — With Sue Reynolds
    Jul 8 2026
    The highs, the crash, and what overtraining syndrome taught one age-group world champion about ambition, recovery and knowing when to stop. Sue Reynolds was a guest on this podcast three years ago. At that point she had lost over 150 pounds, taken up triathlon in her fifties, and become a world age-group aqua bike and mixed relay champion. Her first book, The Athlete Inside, told that story. But Sue didn't stop there. She wanted to answer a question most age-group athletes never dare ask seriously: what would happen if an ordinary amateur trained with the same expectations, the same daily habits, and the same meticulous standards as an Olympic-level athlete? That question took her to the World Triathlon Championships in Pontevedra in 2023, where she led the swim - alone, three minutes clear, asking an official which way to run because she had never been at the front before. It eventually took her somewhere she hadn't planned to go at all. Her new book, Across The Line, covers all of it. This conversation is one of the most honest I have had on this podcast about ambition, identity, the invisible damage of overtraining, and what it actually means to know your limits. 5 KEY POINTS Meticulous preparation is where races are won before the start gun. Studying the currents, dropping leaves in the water on race morning, switching pontoon position at the last minute. The details are where elite performance actually lives.Overtraining syndrome is not just tiredness. Unlike overreaching, which resolves with rest, OTS means the body can no longer adapt no matter how much recovery you give it. Sue calls it what it really is: under-recovery syndrome.‘Edited honesty’ is one of the most dangerous habits in endurance sport. Sue never asked for recovery. She dropped hints, pointed at data, said she felt like a walrus. But she never said the words and that gap is where things went wrong.An invisible injury is still an injury. OTS left Sue looking completely fine while being unable to function. Nobody could see it. Some days she could barely believe it herself.Periodised commitment beats single-minded obsession. Research shows athletes with interests outside their sport sustain performance better over time. Sue learned this the hard way, at considerable cost. 3 TAKEAWAYS Ask for recovery before you need it. Don't drop hints. Don't hope your coach spots it in the data. Say the words out loud.Saying yes when you should say no is not toughness. It is the thing that ends careers and breaks bodies.Fitness gives you options. Sue's goal is simply to get fit by 2027 and see what becomes possible. Not a specific race. Not a podium. Just options. KILLER QUOTE "I could have said I need a rest at any point. Why didn't I say that? I took a deep dive into all the cultural messages about sucking it up. We put people who push through on a pedestal. And I had bought into all of it." CONNECT with Sue Sue Reynolds is a two-time age-group world champion, author and student of high performance. All author proceeds from Across The Line go to the USA Triathlon Foundation to support athletes with disabilities. Website: suereynolds.net Instagram: https://instagram.com/sue.reynolds/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suereynoldstriathlon/ Across The Line - Sue Reynolds - A case study of world-class performance that examines elite coaching, ambition, and the systems that make and break athletes. The Athlete Inside - The inspiring true story of one woman's transformation from 335 pounds to world-class triathlete in just four years. Sue also recommended the following book by Brad Stulberg: The Way of Excellence: A Guide to Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World Mentioned in the episode: Podcast #1 with Sue Reynolds (Oct 2023) - From 150k to World Aquabike Champion in 4 years If this conversation has made you think differently about your own cardiovascular health, or you're someone juggling a demanding career with serious training and want a structure that looks at your whole picture, not just your swim, bike and run numbers, that's exactly what SWAT is built around. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION FREE Download👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out. Ironman Sanity Checklist Connect with me HERE: https://linktr.ee/simonward You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!
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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • When the Sport You Love Can No Longer Love You Back — With Jamie Bedwell

    When the Sport You Love Can No Longer Love You Back — With Jamie Bedwell
    Jul 15 2026
    Three years ago Jamie Bedwell and his wife Abi were on this podcast as newly licensed professional triathletes with the world opening up before them. This week Jamie is back, riding solo, and the story has taken a turn nobody planned for. Three years of gradual deterioration. Chronic back pain, loss of power in the left leg, pins and needles that left him feeling, in his own words, more like a pirate with a wooden leg than a semi-decent triathlete. Every race ended the same way. Every solution fell short. Until earlier this year, when he finally got a diagnosis: flow limitation of the iliac artery, FLIA, a condition where the main artery feeding blood to the leg kinks under the repeated stress of cycling and running. There was a surgery. There was a one in five chance of it going wrong. There was a man in the waiting room who had been back eight times. And there was a surgeon who asked Jamie a simple question: why would you risk so much just to compete in triathlon? Jamie didn't need the six weeks he was given to decide. He said no to the surgery, yes to swimming, and started figuring out what comes next. This is one of the most honest and quietly moving conversations I have had on this podcast. 5 KEY POINTS FLIA affects competitive cyclists and triathletes specifically. Millions of pedalling repetitions thicken the iliac artery over time, restricting blood flow under race conditions. Day to day there is no pain at all.The surgery carries a one in five failure rate. If it goes wrong, the athlete doesn't just lose their sport. They lose the ability to walk uphill or ride a bike with their kids.Jamie said no to protect something bigger than his career. He wanted to remain in sport for the rest of his life. The surgery put that at risk. Once he understood that, the decision was straightforward.Swimming has always been his weakest discipline. He won his first open water race on the River Arun and qualified for the national championships in Sheffield. He is just getting started.Resilience isn't about pushing through. It is about knowing what you are actually fighting for and making decisions that protect it. 3 TAKEAWAYS Know what you are protecting. Jamie turned down surgery not because he gave up on sport but because he refused to risk losing it permanently.Discipline and love will take you further than a fixed goal. Jamie doesn't know where swimming will take him. He just knows those two things are enough.Identity is bigger than the sport. Jamie is applying for ordination, building a community of Christian athletes with Abi, and becoming, in his own words, a more gentle and humble person. KILLER QUOTE "I'm so grateful there is such a thing called sport. Whether you're going to Park Run or competing at the highest level — sport gives every single person the opportunity to test themselves. And I'm grateful I still have that opportunity." CONNECT with Jamie Jamie Bedwell is a former professional triathlete and competitive open water swimmer. He and Abi run an email list sharing their journey in sport and faith. Join Jamie and Abi's email list: FuelledbyFaith@outlook.com for regular updates on their progress Instagram - Fuelledbyfaithajb Jamie and Abi are sponsored by Raceskin Wetsuits Jamie's favourite book: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - A Powerful WWII Survival Story of Endurance in the Pacific War If you haven’t listened to the previous Be Battle Ready podcast with James & Abi, you can find it here: Husband and wife racing duo If this conversation has resonated and you want a training structure built around your whole life, not just your performance targets, that is exactly what SWAT is designed for. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION FREE Download👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out. Ironman Sanity Checklist Connect with me HERE: https://linktr.ee/simonward You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Train Less, Recover More: The Science Behind a Recovery-Centred Training Plan

    Train Less, Recover More: The Science Behind a Recovery-Centred Training Plan
    Jul 22 2026

    Most athletes ask the wrong question. Instead of "how much training do I need to do?" the question that will actually change your performance is "how much training can I recover from?"

    In this episode Simon is joined by Beth for a conversation that challenges one of the most deeply held assumptions in endurance sport — that more training equals better performance. They dig into why recovery should underpin every training plan, what the evidence actually says about training volume versus training smarter, and the practical steps any athlete can take this week to shift their approach.

    This one is for anyone who is consistently tired, consistently below where they expect to be, and wondering why the training isn't working.

    5 KEY POINTS

    1. Training breaks you down, recovery builds you back up. The fitness gain happens during recovery, not the session itself. Compromise recovery and you compromise the adaptation.
    2. The WHOOP Project PR study showed runners on a dynamic recovery-based plan improved their 5k time by the same amount as those on a fixed plan, but trained up to 80 minutes less per week and reported 30% fewer injuries.
    3. Consistency compounds. Ten hours a week for twelve weeks beats fifteen hours followed by injury and two weeks off. After 50 this matters even more, fitness drops faster and takes longer to rebuild.
    4. Stress is stress. Training, work and life all draw from the same budget. Putting them in separate silos and ignoring the total load is a recipe for breakdown.
    5. The most important data source is still the one between your ears. Devices confirm what your body is already telling you. Learn to listen first.

    3 TAKEAWAYS

    1. Set your sleep target before your training target. Around 95% of daily growth hormone is produced during deep sleep. Cutting sleep to fit in a session is robbing Peter to pay Paul.
    2. Make easy days genuinely easy. If it felt like training, it wasn't recovery.
    3. Train to your number, not the plan's number. Ask honestly how much your body can absorb today — and respond to that answer, not the spreadsheet.

    KILLER QUOTE "Recovery isn't something you do when you aren't able to train. Recovery is the element that makes the training worthwhile."

    LINKS & RESOURCES Mentioned in the episode:

    WHOOP Project PR Study - the recovery-based training study referenced throughout this episode.

    Christine Clubbs episode - Be Battle Ready podcast - What your Garmin can’t tell you

    Sue Reynolds episode - Be Battle Ready podcast - What happens if an age group athlete trains like an Olympian.

    Want a training structure built around what you can actually absorb rather than a generic plan?

    CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

    If this conversation has resonated and you want a training structure built around your whole life, not just your performance targets, that is exactly what SWAT is designed for.

    CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

    FREE Download👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

    A simple checklist to see if you’re actually on track 3–6 months out.

    Ironman Sanity Checklist

    Connect with me HERE:

    https://linktr.ee/simonward

    You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube

    Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

    Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

    Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
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