How Non-Negotiable Training Can Level Up Your Performance!

TOGETHER WITH THE FEED

Good morning everyone,

I’m really excited for you to check out today’s interview with pro triathlete Cam Wurf. His fueling insights are super intriguing, and his unique training philosophy is something that I think a lot of busy athletes (myself included) could benefit from!

And if inspires you to purchase something from The Feed here’s two ways to save AND support The Tempo,

• Join their Strava club and save 15% off your first order using this link. 

• Or join my nutrition club and immediately get $20 off your first order, plus an additional $20 every quarter after that!

In today’s edition: 

• 🚀 Why “non-negotiable” training can lead to your next performance breakthrough!

• 🚲 The principles of a comfortable, and fast, bike fit.

• 🏃‍♀️ Plus: a resource for women’s specific health and performance!

Thanks for being here,

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

Have a triathlete in your life who can't stop swimming, biking, or running? Fire this off to them. Forwarded from a friend? Sign-up for free. 

TOGETHER WITH THE FEED

How Cam Wurf’s Non-Negotiable Training Method Can Help You Level Up Your Performance!

Cam Wurf (AUS) is one of the most interesting endurance athletes on the planet. He’s a former Olympian who currently balances World Tour cycling for Ineos-Grenadiers and full distance IRONMAN races.

We caught up with Cam after his impressive podium finish at IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz to learn about his high-performing fueling secrets, and how he believes his adherence to "non-negotiable” training sessions can help any athlete perform their best!

Were you happy with your podium at IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz? Any big takeaways from the race?

I was certainly happy to be on the podium, and any podium at this level is always something to be pleased with!

• It was also my wife’s birthday and every race she reminds me before the start that she’d love some flowers. So considering how the race panned out, the greatest satisfaction I took away from my performance was getting her those flowers! 

• I’m always happy to finish on the podium in a high-quality field, but I was extremely disappointed overall in my performance.

My swim was terrible, I wasn’t a factor on the bike, and at no point did I feel I was having an impact on the race until the last miles of the run. I only decided to race on Friday morning so it wasn’t a targeted race for me. I was extremely fatigued from training and far from fresh for the race.

• Still, I love the opportunity to race the best guys and get an idea of what I have to work on. It turned out to be a very good reality check of the work that needs to be done between now and Kona.

If there’s a positive to take away, it’s that I’m running better at this time of the year than ever before! It’s the discipline that takes the most work for me to get on top of, and now I have more flexibility to target swimming and biking in the lead-up to Kona. These are the two disciplines that usually are the easiest ones to get on top of, and ideally, that’s how it pans out between now and October. 

How did you fuel your full-distance IRONMAN race?

My nutrition strategy for IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz involved me fueling a lot more pre-race. Probably double the calories I usually consume!

Pre-race: Between waking up and race started I consumed,

• 1x Ketone IQ shot,

• 1x SIS beta fuel drink mix,

• 1x water bottle with an LMNT sachet to pre-load the sodium,

• 1x Fast Food Gel,

• 2x Enervit Jelly

And 30 minutes before the race started I took an SIS Nutropics gel. So in total 220 grams of carbs before the race even started!

Bike fuel: On the bike, I was able to take in 370 grams of carbs and 7500mg of sodium between two products,

• 10 x Powerbar Duel Source Gels,

• 6 x Precision Hydration 1500 tablets in my bottles,

• 2 x SIS Jellies.

Run fuel: On the run I stuck to my fueling strategy which included;

• 1x Ketone IQ shot,

• 6x SIS Beta Fuel gels,

• 2x SIS Nutropics gels

• 2x SIS Beta Fuel hydration mix,

• And as much coke as I could consume at every aid station while running 2:44 marathon pace!

So in total 320 grams of carbs with an estimated 500ml of coke. 

Judging by how well I ran and with zero gastro discomfort on the run, I’m going to test taking in more carbs on the bike as I actually consumed more carbs on the run than I did on the bike!

Have you had any past weaknesses in training or racing? How have you overcome them?

In the past, I’ve struggled with fueling on the run and faced a lot of gastro discomfort. Basically, the point at which my level of energy expenditure stopped me from digesting my nutrition and turning it into fuel was when my body started rejecting it.

• Thanks to focusing on this in training, I’ve been able to consume a lot more carbs and feel stronger throughout the run. Allowing me to finally nail the final kilometers of the marathon!

Since partnering with The Feed what's been the biggest change in fueling your training/racing?

I’ve battled in the past with eating so much of the same nutrition that I simply got sick of it and didn’t fuel enough in training. By working with The Feed I’ve become far more educated on the different products and how they can be used. I’ve also enjoyed testing a wide variety of brands to find what’s optimal for race day, basically keeping it all a bit fresh!

• Matt’s (co-founder of The Feed) emails have been particularly fundamental in this learning process and choosing which products to test for different disciplines & purposes. 

Have any of The Feed products really surprised you?

LMNT. I’ve always taken sodium loading seriously. I believe you can make a race comeback from running out of fuel, but you CANNOT recover from dehydration!

• I’ve found the LMNT sachets to not only have a high sodium level but are also very palatable and easy to drink.

To help increase my carb intake in training I’ve been balancing my preferred race-day products from SIS and Powerbar with more natural gels from Fast Food, and Honey Stinger, and energy chews from Skratch Labs. Having a wide variety of fueling sources has allowed me to tolerate a higher carb intake without getting stale on a single product.

In a recent blog post, you mentioned having weekly "non-negotiable" training sessions that must be completed. Is this a training concept that age group athletes could also find success with?

I believe taking this non-negotiable session approach has transformed my season.

I’m quite time-poor for my IRONMAN training in the first half of the season due to my World Tour cycling schedule. Committing to a “non-negotiable” triathlon workload that I can manage during this period has boosted my morale since I’m able to maintain a high level of performance. It’s allowed me to focus on, and improve, a single discipline during the busier times.

For myself, first part of the season I focused on swimming with 3 non-negotiable sessions per week. This paid off in South Africa with a very good swim for me. For the past 10 weeks, I’ve been focusing on the run and had a very good run performance in Vitoria-Gastez.

• I now have more time to focus on triathlon, so the plan is to bring the best levels of all disciplines together in time for Kona! 

For age group athletes, I think this is an ideal approach as you all have so many other things going on in your life! Identifying key sessions that are easily attainable AND give you confidence that you’re maintaining or even improving your condition will physically and mentally fit.

• The mental side of training is so important. So staying in a positive frame of mind is crucial.

It’s easy to focus on all of the things that you’re not doing or would like to do which can get you down. This happens simply because life gets in the way. It’s inevitable. Triathlon, or any sporting activity for that matter is meant to be a passion, something you can enjoy that makes you a better person. It’s pointless to allow something out of your control like wishing you could train like a professional, you’ve simply got other things far more important to do daily.

• By achieving key sessions that are easily attainable you will find consistency and improved performance. And when you do get some additional time to do even more sessions, then you will really feel fantastic about yourself!

Even at the highest level of sport I’ve found this, and the non-negotiable training has definitely transformed my season thus far!

What is your ultimate goal for the season?

To have my absolute best-ever sporting performance in Kona.

FAVOURITES

💰 Olympic earnings: Although triathletes at the Olympics won’t earn any money for their incredible achievement on the day, their earning potential from competing, and winning a medal can be stratospheric! Here’s how much we’re talking. [220 Triathlon]

🚲 Bike fit principles: Are you trying to improve your bike fit and looking for somewhere to start? These triathlon bike fit principles are a great way to learn how to be more comfortable on the bike so you can ride faster and pain free! [Custom Bike Fit]

🏃‍♀️ Women’s health and performance: Dr. Stacy Sims, PhD, is a renowned exercise physiologist and expert in female-specific nutrition and health. This incredibly wide-ranging interview touches on the unique sleep needs of women based on age, and why certain types of diets can be harmful for women’s health, and so much more! [Huberman lab]

🤖 Triathlon tech: The Olympics is a great opportunity for sporting innovations. Team Great Britain has developed a new race suit that they hope will win medals in Paris. And someday, you might be wearing it as well! [The Guardian]

🤰 Pregnant athlete initiatives: IRONMAN has announced a new pregnancy deferral program for its athletes. New initiatives include the ability for athletes who become pregnant after registering for an event to defer their race for up to two years. Full policy breakdown here. [Feisty Triathlon]

REEL TIME

Transition can’t be won in transition, but maybe it can be lost? 🤷😅

tri_robbie

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RACE WEEKEND

IRONMAN Lake Placid

Women’s race: Danielle Lewis (USA) overcame a significant swim deficit and a crash on the bike to take a strong win against a world-class field. Olympian Sarah True (USA) was leading well into the run before she sadly DNF’d.

• 🥇 Danielle Lewis (USA)

• 🥈 Jackie Hering (USA)

• 🥉 Alice Alberts (USA)

Men’s race: Trevor Foley (USA) overtook longtime race leader Matthew Marquardt (USA) in the final miles in what was a course-record performance. Lionel Sanders (CAN) returned to a full-distance podium for the first time since 2018.

• 🥇 Trevor Foley (USA)

• 🥈 Matthew Marquardt (USA)

• 🥉 Lionel Sanders (CAN)

Full results

Other pro races 👇

Challenge Cap Quebec

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