As an endurance coach, I'm well too aware of my biases towards Zone 2 training and long rides. It's probably not a bad bias to have for long-course triathlon training - Z2 work is the foundation we build from, and cycling is one of the safest ways to accumulate training volume without injury risk.

But what happens when an athlete comes to me with a completely different training philosophy?

Miss one session a week? That's 52 sessions a year you'll never get back. One of my athletes went sub-9 at IRONMAN Hamburg averaging 13.5 hours a week. His secret? He missed ONE session in 6 months. Not talent. Not unlimited time. Just relentless consistency.

If you've hit your 50s and think it's time to slow down, think again. This is when you need to ramp up intensity and push yourself harder. As a triathlon coach and athlete in my 50s, I've learned that 'use it or lose it' couldn't be more true for masters athletes.

Why do some triathletes pick up swimming quickly while others stagnate for years? One athlete in our squad went from 6:10 to 5:27 for 400m in just 12 weeks. Not through perfect technique or endless drills—through fixing five fundamental mistakes most age groupers make.