Miles From Ordinary Podcast

Why Do We Train Well but Race Below Our Potential? | Sports Psychologist Chris Gunn

Why can you nail session after session in training, only to find yourself struggling to perform when race day arrives? And what does self-control actually mean when you're pushing your physical and mental limits?

This week on Miles from Ordinary, we're joined by sports psychologist Chris Gunn to explore the mental side of endurance performance and how we can get better at training it.

We unpack what self-control really means in sport, how motivation influences our training, and what to do when race-day anxiety starts to creep in. We also discuss why acknowledging how you're feeling in the moment can be more useful than trying to ignore or fight it.

Plus, we get into the gap between training performance and race-day execution. What might be holding athletes back from delivering when it matters, and how can we start to bridge that gap?

And the big takeaway? There's no life hack for mindset. Just like your fitness, strength or technique, the mental side of performance is a skill that needs to be practised.
Whether you're chasing a PB, preparing for your next triathlon or trying to understand why your performances don't always reflect your training, this one's for you.

🎧 Tune in and train your mind alongside your body.

In this episode:
What self-control really means in sport
Motivation and how it affects training
Managing anxiety and emotions on race day
Why acknowledging how you feel matters
Bridging the gap between training and racing
Why mindset is a skill, not a quick fix

Chris Gunn Links
Website - https://www.chrisgunnpsychology.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chrisgunnpsych/

The Tri Project links
Website - https://thetriproject.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the.triproject/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@The.triproject

Miles from Ordinary links
Miles from ordinary Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/Milesfromordinarypodcast
Jess's instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jesslearmonth/?hl=en-gb
Bex's instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bexmilnescoaching/

Drop us a voice note here - https://www.speakpipe.com/milesfromordinary
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tech We Actually Use: From Swim Toys to Rider Safety

What bits of tech are actually worth the money when you’re a triathlete or endurance athlete? And what’s just another gadget to add to the drawer?!

This week on Miles from Ordinary, we’re talking all things tech, sharing our favourite bits of kit, the tools we rely on, and the recommendations you’ve sent in.

From swim toys and training platforms to wearables, gadgets and rider safety, we cover the tech that’s making a difference to how you train, race and go about your everyday lives.

We also share your favourites, because who better to recommend a bit of kit than the people actually using it?

Whether you love a new gadget, want to train a little smarter, feel safer on the bike or simply want to know what’s worth investing in, there should be something for you.

As always, we’re keeping it practical, honest. Because sometimes the best bit of tech is genuinely game-changing… and sometimes it’s just another thing to charge.

🎧 Tune in, steal some recommendations and let us know what’s your favourite bit of tech right now?

The Tri Project links
Website - https://thetriproject.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the.triproject/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@The.triproject

Miles from Ordinary links
Miles from ordinary Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/Milesfromordinarypodcast
Jess's instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jesslearmonth/?hl=en-gb
Bex's instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bexmilnescoaching/

Drop us a voice note here - https://www.speakpipe.com/milesfromordinary
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're Back! Baby Updates, Kona & Listener Q&A

We're back! After a two-week break to give Jess some very good reasons to be otherwise occupied, Bex and Jess are back behind the mics and there's plenty to catch up on.

First up, we welcome little Orla into the world and hear how life has been since her arrival. Then it's time to turn our attention to the Big Island for a Kona debrief, sharing our thoughts on the Ironman World Championships and everything that makes Kona such a unique race.

And, of course, we finish by answering your listener questions. Because you never disappoint when it comes to giving us things to discuss!

A bit of life lately, a bit of triathlon, and a good old catch-up. Just how we like it.

Welcome back to Miles from Ordinary!

The Tri Project links
Website - https://thetriproject.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the.triproject/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@The.triproject

Miles from Ordinary links
Miles from ordinary Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/Milesfromordinarypodcast
Jess's instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jesslearmonth/?hl=en-gb
Bex's instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bexmilnescoaching/

Drop us a voice note here - https://www.speakpipe.com/milesfromordinary
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The season is over. The races are done. The training plan has disappeared… so what exactly are we supposed to do now?!

This week, Jess and Bex are talking all things end-of-season breaks. What they actually look like, what we love about them, and the bits that can be surprisingly difficult.

From eating everything in sight and rediscovering your social life, to the guilt of not training, worrying about losing fitness and wondering who you are when you don't have a race to train for, we dive into the very different ways athletes approach their time off.

We also share some of your listener experiences including the people who genuinely embrace doing absolutely nothing, those who can't resist picking up another sport, and the ones who say they're taking two weeks off… before sneaking out for an "easy" run four days later.

Because sometimes the hardest part of training is knowing when to stop.

The Tri Project links
Website - https://thetriproject.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the.triproject/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@The.triproject

Miles from Ordinary links
Miles from ordinary Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/Milesfromordinarypodcast
Jess's instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jesslearmonth/?hl=en-gb
Bex's instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bexmilnescoaching/

Drop us a voice note here - https://www.speakpipe.com/milesfromordinary
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jess and Bex cover a bit of everything in this episode, from Lanzarote training conditions and Jess’s latest pregnancy update to a wide-ranging discussion on viral sports controversies and what injuries really mean. The main thread is a thoughtful conversation about how much control athletes actually have over injury, and how the mental side of rehab can be just as important as the physical side.

Bex is in Lanzarote with athlete Kate Curran, training at Club La Santa ahead of Kona-style conditions. They discuss the heat, wind, rolling hills, and the value of training alongside other people, including Jess’s first test ride on the Tri-Project virtual riding platform. Jess shares an update on her pregnancy after a stretch and sweep, explaining that she was 2 centimetres dilated but still managed a 40-minute run the same day.

From there, the conversation moves through a series of sports stories and controversies, including a Hyrox athlete who continued after soiling herself, the Putney pusher incident, the backlash around a Sydney Sweeney betting advert, and Raheem Sterling’s laughing gas case.They also reflect on performances at the 70.3 World Championships, including strong results from Georgia Taylor-Brown and Sam Dickinson, before turning to the episode’s main topic: injury. Inspired by Mark Matthews’ discussion of training load, recovery, nutrition, and responsibility, Jess and Bex explore where the blame for injuries should sit and how athletes can learn from them.The conversation looks at the difference between a niggle and an injury, using practical examples from Bex’s recent adductor and knee problems. They discuss when pain requires a change in training, the risks of ignoring worsening symptoms, and why athletes can sometimes understand their own bodies better than the experts treating them.

Finally, they explore the psychological impact of injury, including fear of re-injury, loss of confidence, Googling symptoms, and rebuilding trust in medical staff. They also talk honestly about how being unable to train can affect mood, identity, and relationships, and whether becoming grumpy and antisocial while injured is simply normal athlete behaviour or a sign of a more difficult relationship with exercise.

The Tri Project links
Website - https://thetriproject.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the.triproject/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@The.triproject

Miles from Ordinary links
Miles from ordinary Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/Milesfromordinarypodcast
Jess's instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jesslearmonth/?hl=en-gb
Bex's instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bexmilnescoaching/

Drop us a voice note here - https://www.speakpipe.com/milesfromordinary
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.