Episode summary
Emz, Tim and Cal talk about injuries in triathlon. They cover why injuries show up late in a build, the warning signs to watch for, and how to decide whether to race hurt. They also talk about why the people around you matter on race week. The episode opens with Cal's 2027 race plans.

What we cover

• 2027 race planning (1:04): Cal weighs 70.3 Cairns, Port Macquarie, Taupō, Vietnam (Da Nang, in May) and a possible Hawaii trip. His aim is to choose courses that play to your strengths.
• Allostatic load (5:06): Injuries often appear late in a build, when training stress adds to work, family and life stress. Some athletes do better on 15 hours a week than on 20.
• Common injuries (6:45): Tim sees calf, Achilles and hamstring injuries, plus lower back issues and bone stress injuries in iron-distance athletes. He cites a study of 26-week Ironman builds. In it, 56% of injuries were overuse and there was one acute injury per 1,000 training hours.
• Race-week stress and tapering (8:33): Travel, bike builds and a busy work life all add load. Taking load off before a race matters. Tim and Cal also discuss Christian Blummenfelt's 40K race-pace run the week before the Ironman World Championship.
• Racing hurt or not (13:37): Cal raced Port Mac with a calf strain and kept perspective. Emz shares why she skipped the start line this year after racing on a stress fracture in the past. A friend raced with a knee injury and is now facing a long layoff.
• Honest coaching (18:06): Tim says to get a coach or friend who will be honest, and to think long term.
• Warning signs (19:24): Tim watches for:
  • tightness in the same spot every morning that doesn't ease with a warm-up
  • performance drops
  • mood changes, poor sleep and dreading sessions
• Tendons and bones adapt more slowly than fitness does. Tim recommends a quick body check every morning.
• Managing niggles over a career (23:02): You build a toolbox of strategies over time. The balance is between being wrapped in cotton wool and pushing too far.
• Fuelling and weight (25:14): Emz talks about her stress fracture, under-fuelling and heavy training volume. She now weighs more and is fitter, stronger and faster.
• Your support crew (27:06): Cal and Tim discuss the pros who insulate themselves in race week, including Lucy Charles-Barclay, Jan Frodeno and Greg Bennett. They say the right people lower stress, and the wrong ones can push you in the wrong direction.

Key takeaways

1. Overuse injuries are the most common kind, and they often appear late in a build.
2. Treat a niggle early. A stress reaction caught early can mean about four weeks out instead of a stress fracture.
3. Training load is only part of total life load.
4. Choose honest, long-term-minded people for your team.
5. There is always another race.

Come find us Cartel Coaching — Swim. Bike. Run. Together.

Emz and Tim preview Ironman Australia and 70.3 Port Mac for athletes racing that weekend, with a strong focus on course execution, weather risk, and how to make smart decisions under pressure. They also talk through pacing mistakes, bike setup, swim conditions, and the emotional side of backing out when an injury makes racing the wrong call.

In this episode:

• Emz explains why she withdrew from Ironman Australia after an ATFL ligament rupture made the run risk too high for the rest of the summer
• Tim and Emz unpack the emotional toll of delaying decisions and why gathering evidence matters, but so does committing early
• They discuss the Port Mac bike course, including Matthew Flinders Drive, rolling terrain, rough road surfaces, and why power capping matters
• Emz revisits a past Port Mac bike effort where she surged hard up Matthew Flinders late in the ride after being carried away by crowd energy
• The pair break down bike handling on rough chip seal, including bottle security, tire pressure, gearing, and why road surface changes demand a different setup
• They cover the run course, which is largely flat and scenic, but still punishes athletes who blow up on the bike
• They talk through the swim, including the possibility of cancellation, the Aussie exit, low visibility, boat traffic, and sighting strategy
• Emz shares how she has improved her open-water confidence in Noosa and how regular exposure has helped her adapt fast
• Tim gives practical race-week guidance: arrive prepared, do not leave logistics to Saturday, and use practice sessions to settle nerves
• The episode closes with a broader reminder that race day is the race of the day, whether or not the original swim goes ahead

Come find us Cartel Coaching — Swim. Bike. Run. Together.

Emz and Tim discuss motivation through the lens of Emz’s recent ankle injury and the emotional fallout of potentially missing an Iron Man race just under two weeks away. They explore how motivation rises and falls with fatigue, pressure, routine, and purpose, and why the goal is not to eliminate dips but to recognise them early.

This conversation also gets practical about overreaching, overtraining, and how athletes can tell the difference between a normal motivational dip and a warning sign. Tim frames coaching as the external rational voice, while Emz reflects on how injury, identity, and race goals can get tangled together.

Key topics

• Emz opens up about a ruptured tendon in the ankle and the risk of pushing through it so close to race day.
• Tim shares that his own motivation is high again because he’s back skiing and riding, showing how activity can restore drive.
• The pair discuss how athletes often attach extra meaning to a race, using Emz’s Iron Man as a bookend to a year of change.
• Emz admits to “rage training” and doubling down after the injury, even though she knew it was the wrong move in the moment.
• Tim explains that motivation is not linear and that healthy dips are part of training and life.
• They break down the difference between fatigue, monotony, internal pressure, and genuine loss of motivation.
• Tim warns about non-functional overreaching and overtraining syndrome, where poor recovery and rising pressure can lead to months away from sport.
• They note that mood state can be a stronger indicator of athlete wellbeing than blood markers or other physiological measures.
• Tim emphasizes purpose as the anchor: enjoying the sport, staying healthy, and building community, not just chasing performance.
• Emz and Tim talk about keeping the sport sustainable by mixing structure with joy, variety, and off-script activities.

Come find us Cartel Coaching — Swim. Bike. Run. Together.