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What was your most painful workout and how did you get through it?

The Painful Reality of Triathlon: Embracing the Uncomfortable

Hey, Jamie, I'm not sure. I can remember too many workouts where I wasn't in pain, if I think about swimming, I always would going to the pool Philly fatigue. The the legs were fatigued felt like they were dragging along the bottom of the pool and just trying to keep good body position and swimming. For me was always somewhat uncomfortable and painful. The bike was a little less painful in the sense. I was sitting on something and I could actually take a little break. Every now and then but biking when your time trialling, you know can be quite painful running running. I was always in pain whether it was niggling injuries or just absolute fatigue and kind of grinding yourself trying to get the miles in or do the work. I very rarely had those moments of flow where the body was responding and it felt really fantastic. In fact, I can probably remember those workouts more than I can. The painful ones because it was just so many painful workouts, and I think that's the goal of the sport is to be a bit cliche to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. That is really what the sport of triathlon is all about becoming just comfortable with being in pain and going. This is where I'm meant to be if I want to improve. I'm not sure if that helps. Cheers.

Triathlon is often a painful sport and it requires you to become comfortable with being in pain. The goal of the sport is to be able to push through the pain and get better.

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I can't recall a specific workout that stands out as the most painful, as there were many instances where I experienced discomfort and fatigue. When it comes to swimming, I often felt my legs dragging along the bottom of the pool, making it challenging to maintain good body position. Cycling provided a bit of relief since I could take occasional breaks while sitting on the bike. However, during time trials, it could still be quite painful. Running was consistently painful, whether due to minor injuries or sheer fatigue from pushing myself to complete the miles or training sessions.

In triathlon, there were few moments of flow where everything felt fantastic. The sport is about embracing discomfort and being comfortable with the uncomfortable. Enduring pain and pushing through it is essential for improvement. So, rather than recalling a specific painful workout, the goal is to become accustomed to the discomfort and recognize it as a necessary part of the journey.

I hope this provides some insight. Cheers!

What is your go-to meal before a 60-90min high-intensity run, bike, or swim? Does it change per discipline?

Maximize Performance: Fueling for High-Intensity Workouts with Fasting and Espresso Coffee

My suggestion for a go to work out. I think I would not eat at all. I don't if I'm gonna do something really intense. I don't want my digestive system to feel full or or any I like to be hungry. And so I probably make sure I'd eat two to three hours before. If it was in the afternoon the workout, but in the mornings, otherwise, I just have an espresso coffee. Maybe something very, very light, but generally just the espresso coffee would do. And And that's it. And it doesn't matter. Whether I'm swimming biking running doing gym or whatever. I prefer to stay alert and not have anything in my digestive system. Just

Before any intense workout, I make sure to have no food in my digestive system by having my last meal two to three hours before, and only drinking an espresso coffee if necessary.

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My go-to meal before a 60-90 minute high-intensity workout is actually not eating at all. I prefer not to have my digestive system feel full or heavy during intense exercise. Instead, I like to be slightly hungry. If my workout is in the afternoon, I would make sure to eat a light meal two to three hours beforehand. However, if it's in the morning, I would simply have an espresso coffee. I prefer to stay alert and not have anything in my digestive system, regardless of whether I'm swimming, biking, running, or doing any other type of exercise.

What high impact/low cost tips do you have for improving in triathlon? It's such an expensive sport! 

Triathlon improvement: Consistency, visualization, nutrition, and gear tips!

Hey, Peter, Well, in terms of free things your training. I think you can stay consistent every day. Don't do one massive workout. And then a couple of days off just try and stay consistently doing something every single day. I think you'll find that to be enormous for your improvement. Curve. The other one. I would say more on the mental. Emotional side is visualizing, really spend some time. Seeing yourself do the activity over. Over again and see yourself doing it really well. Spend some time really visualizing. I think you'll find that. That's really empowering. They both free obviously eating. Well, not necessarily free. But if you have a choice, do the best you can to, to eat, well, sleep obviously, prioritize that get the best sleep, you can and drink a lot of water stay hydrated. So they're all things that you can do that are somewhat free obviously eating well is Not free, but if you have a choice, I would really focus on that then things that you might want to buy. I would say, like things aerodynamically. I wouldn't stress about the bike frame too much. I choose a helmet and we'll choice is probably more into in terms of aerodynamics, decent running shoes, but make sure they fit well. And that goes for the bike to actually make sure the bike really fits. Well, so probably worth spending bit of money to get the right bike fit and and you might want to Do that sort of every six months and then running shoes, maybe Orthotics or at least looking at you by biomechanics to make sure you get the right pair of running shoes. So you can stay consistent, things like a reasonable wetsuit, for wetsuit swims, it's expensive. But if you can find one, that's not too expensive, maybe talk to the professionals out there that seem to get given loads of wetsuits and see if they'll sell you any cheap. And I don't have any anymore. That's about it. Mate. I'm just off the top of my head. There's some of the things you can do to find some speed. Cheers, mate.

To improve for free, stay consistent with your training every day, visualize yourself doing the activity well, eat well, prioritize sleep and drink lots of water. Spend some money on a good bike fit, decent running shoes, and an affordable wetsuit if you plan to swim.

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Hey Peter, when it comes to improving in triathlon without breaking the bank, here are some high impact/low-cost tips:

1. Stay consistent with your training. Instead of doing one massive workout and then taking days off, aim to do something every day. Consistency is key for improvement.

2. Visualize success. Spend time visualizing yourself performing well in each activity of the triathlon. This mental practice can be incredibly empowering.

3. Prioritize good nutrition. While it may not be free, making smart choices with your diet can have a significant impact on your performance. Focus on eating well and fueling your body properly.

4. Get quality sleep and stay hydrated. These are essential factors for optimal performance and recovery.

In terms of purchases, here are a few items worth considering:

5. Choose aerodynamic gear. While you don't need to stress about the bike frame, investing in a streamlined helmet and other aerodynamic accessories can make a difference.

6. Invest in well-fitting running shoes. Properly fitted shoes can prevent injuries and improve your running performance. Consider getting a biomechanics assessment or orthotics if needed.

7. Look for reasonably priced wetsuits. If you need a wetsuit for swims, try reaching out to professionals who may have extra suits they're willing to sell at a lower cost.

Lastly, ensure your bike fits you well. Investing in a professional bike fit every six months can optimize your comfort and performance.

These are just a few suggestions off the top of my head. I hope they help you find some speed and improve your triathlon performance. Cheers!

Endurance Training at Its Peak: My Epic Ironman Journey

Biggest Training Day of My Life. Well, maybe not the hardest but probably the longest day of my life was I would do this every Thursday when I was trying to get ready for Ironman. And I think I overtrained and that was generally on a Wednesday. We would have done a long ride in the mountains of Colorado 180 to 220 km on the bike. Then the Thursday I get up usually and run. And km warm up very early. It would be dark then jump on the bike warm up for about 2 to 3 kilometers. But literally, it was almost straight out the door time trial, 90 kilometers and have about 5 km cool down. Make it home in time to go to the 11 a.m. Swim Squad. At Scott Carpenter and swim between three and a half and four kilometers have a quick lunch at Whole Foods. And then make my way up to the Switzerland Trail and run that Loop up there, which I think was around about 25 kilometers. Do that reasonably well, and that would be the day but it would end up being a pretty significant day in itself. But I always overtrained cheers.

I would do a long ride in the mountains of Colorado of 180-220 km, followed by a time trial of 90 km, swim squad of 3-4 km, and finish with a run of 25 km. It was a very long day but I got used to it as part of my Ironman training.

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The biggest training day of my life was during my preparation for an Ironman. It wasn't necessarily the hardest, but it was definitely the longest. Every Thursday, I would embark on an intense training regimen.

On Wednesdays, we would have a long ride in the mountains of Colorado, covering a distance of 180 to 220 kilometers on the bike. Then, on Thursdays, I would wake up early, start with a kilometer warm-up run in the dark, and then jump on the bike for another 2 to 3 kilometers of warm-up. From there, it was almost straight out the door for a 90-kilometer time trial, followed by a 5-kilometer cool-down ride.

After making it home, I would head to the 11 a.m. Swim Squad at Scott Carpenter, where I would swim between three and a half to four kilometers. Following the swim, I would have a quick lunch at Whole Foods. The day wasn't over yet, as I would then make my way up to the Switzerland Trail and complete a 25-kilometer run loop.

Overall, this training day was quite significant and demanding. Looking back, I realized that I may have overtrained during that time. But it was all part of the journey. Cheers to pushing our limits!

Do you take a full rest day every week? Is it okay to do a swim only day instead of a rest day?

Consistency Trumps Rest Days: An Athlete's Perspective

Hey, Mandy, personally, I never scheduled in rest days. I would have an idea of when easier days might occur. And I made sure I took those easy days. Very easy. So I was ready for my hard days, but I didn't like days off. I didn't like the feeling of the next day trying to get the body moving again. So I generally an easy day for me would have been, you know, 5 to 10 km run. The morning may be followed by a 2 km swim and maybe even an easy bike in the afternoon, but I didn't I tried to have a training program. That was hard enough that I could get a lot out of myself, but not so hard that I couldn't stay consistent and doing work every single day. I think I went almost six years without missing a run day. It was just, but I never over did any one of those days. So I just I think that consistency mattered more than having one days. One day of full recovery. I think we're all different though. Some people are going to need to take more rest days than others. As I got older, I need to do. Probably take a little bit more time off the legs, and we're just do a swim day. But otherwise, I think the idea is, if you can keep turning up every day, consistently without doing one massive day and then having to take rest days. I think that's a better formula anyway, cheers.

I never scheduled in rest days, but would take easier days to give my body a break. I tried to make sure my training program was hard enough to get good results, but not so hard that I couldn't stay consistent with it. As I got older, I started taking more breaks and doing swim days instead to give my legs a rest.

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Personally, I never scheduled specific rest days in my training. Instead, I would have easier days where I took it very easy to prepare for harder training days. I didn't like the feeling of taking a full day off and then having to get my body moving again the next day. On my easy days, I would typically do a 5 to 10 km run in the morning, followed by a 2 km swim, and maybe an easy bike ride in the afternoon. I aimed for a training program that was challenging enough to push myself but still allowed me to stay consistent and train every single day. In fact, I went almost six years without missing a run day. Consistency was more important to me than having one designated rest day.

However, everyone is different, and some people may need more rest days than others. As I got older, I found that I needed to give my legs a bit more time off and would sometimes have a swim-only day. Ultimately, the key is to find a balance that allows you to consistently show up for training without needing to rely on one big day followed by rest days. Cheers!

If you had to compete in a triathlon relay, which leg would you do and who would you pick to take the other two disciplines?

Triathlon Relay: Peter's Secret Weapon Revealed - Why He'd Choose the Bike Leg

That's an easy one Peter. I think the bike for me. I feel like I could probably fake the bike pretty well these days still even though I'm not very fit compared to five, six, seven years ago. I think, although I would, if I had to travel anywhere, I wouldn't want to do the bike ride because I don't have to travel with my bike. So I probably picked the run or maybe the swim. But yeah, if I had to travel probably the run and if it was local, I do the bite. Cheers, mate.

If I had to travel, I would probably pick running over biking, but if it's local, I would choose biking.

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If I had to compete in a triathlon relay, I would choose the bike leg. Despite not being as fit as I was in the past, I still feel confident in my ability to handle the bike portion. However, if I had to travel for the event, I might opt for the run or swim instead, as I wouldn't have to deal with transporting my bike. If the event was local, I would happily take on the bike leg. Cheers!

Greg Bennett answers your Triathlon questions. See all the advice Greg Bennett has and get answers to your own Triathlon questions.

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Greg Bennett is the Co-founder and Chief of Staff at AnyQuestion. He is also the podcast host of, “One Moment Longer with Greg Bennett” which dives into what makes a world-class athlete and High Performer. Greg is a retired professional triathlete. Greg grew up in Sydney, Australia and found a passion for triathlon at a young age. He competed for Australia at the 2004 Olympics and has raced over 500 international races and won over 100. Greg has won multiple World titles, the worlds largest prize purse wins, and been awarded the International Triathlon Unions President trophy. He has been named one of the “Top 15 Triathletes of all time” (Inside Triathlon, 2011) and “Triathlete of the year” on multiple occasions (Triathlete magazine). Greg had a strong desire to become better and set goals, which helped him reach the highest level in sport and sustain it for almost three decades.