248 episodes
- This week Coach Rob tackles a question from a first-time IRONMAN athlete juggling training with a full-time job:
"how do you structure your training year, and how many weeks out should IRONMAN-specific training actually start?"
Rob breaks down the winter base-building phase vs. the ~20-week specific build, how to shift focus from indoor FTP work to outdoor endurance riding as the days lengthen, and how to set a realistic finish-time goal from your half-IRONMAN pace.
Then it's onto three brilliant IRONMAN Leeds success stories — including a negative-split marathon PB, a FTP transformation, and a top-25% finish off just eight weeks of training. Plus a preview of IRONMAN Wales and the 70.3 World Championships in Nice.
Got a question for the show? Send it to help@oxygenaddict.com
Plus: Rob is having three and a half years' worth of hair cut off in mid-September and donating it to be made into a wig for a child with cancer. It costs around £700 to make the wig and he'd be so grateful for anybody that can share any amount - big or small - via this donation link
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SPONSORS
* * * * * * * *
Thinking about your first Ironman or 70.3 in 2027? At Team Oxygenaddict, we specialise in helping busy professionals fit high-quality training around demanding jobs and family life.
Book an application call today to find out if you'd be a good fit for Team Oxygenaddict here: https://team.oxygenaddict.com/consultation-call/
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precisionfuelandhydration.com
Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fuelling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get a personalised race nutrition plan for your next event.
And then book a free 20-minute video consultation with a member of the PF&H Athlete Support Team to refine your strategy.
Listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolytes with Precision Fuel & Hydration. Simply use code OXYGEN26 at checkout to claim your 15% discount - Most IRONMAN disasters aren't down to a lack of fitness, they're mistakes made in the weeks before race day that felt completely logical at the time.
This week Coach Rob breaks down the five most common reasons a first IRONMAN goes wrong: riding the bike too hard, under-fuelling on the bike, cramping from poor electrolyte planning, walking the back half of the marathon, and panicking in the open water.
Each one is avoidable with the right preparation, and Rob gives you the fix for all five.
If you're planning a 70.3 or IRONMAN in 2027 and you don't want your big day undone by something you could've sorted in training, this one's for you.
Got a question for the show? Send it to help@oxygenaddict.com
Plus: Rob is having three and a half years' worth of hair cut off in mid-September and donating it to be made into a wig for a child with cancer. It costs around £700 to make the wig and he'd be so grateful for anybody that can share any amount - big or small - via this donation link
* * * * * * * *
SPONSORS
* * * * * * * *
Thinking about your first Ironman or 70.3 in 2027? At Team Oxygenaddict, we specialise in helping busy professionals fit high-quality training around demanding jobs and family life.
Book an application call today to find out if you'd be a good fit for Team Oxygenaddict here: https://team.oxygenaddict.com/consultation-call/
* * * * * * * * * * * *
precisionfuelandhydration.com
Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fuelling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get a personalised race nutrition plan for your next event.
And then book a free 20-minute video consultation with a member of the PF&H Athlete Support Team to refine your strategy.
Listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolytes with Precision Fuel & Hydration. Simply use code OXYGEN26 at checkout to claim your 15% discount The 4 Power Numbers You Should Have On Your Bike Computer (Plus: Late-Night Training, and Coming Back After Serious Injury) | Ep 605
2026/08/26 | 36 mins.In this episode:
Power data fields on your Garmin or Wahoo: why the default power reading is useless, and the four numbers Rob wants on your screen instead...
How to get an accurate outdoor FTP number...
Listener question: with two kids under seven and a 9-to-5, midweek sessions don't start until 8pm. Is there a caffeine substitute to get going without wrecking sleep?
Listener question: after a car accident and a rebuilt shoulder, breaststroke is the only stroke available. Can you race a 70.3 or IRONMAN breaststroke? Rob talks wetsuit fit, swimming wide of the buoys, and the harder work of setting realistic new goals when you've raced Kona
Got a question for the show? Send it to help@oxygenaddict.com
Plus: Rob is having three and a half years' worth of hair cut off in mid-September and donating it to be made into a wig for a child with cancer. It costs around £700 to make the wig and he'd be so grateful for anybody that can share any amount - big or small - via this donation link
* * * * * * * *
SPONSORS
* * * * * * * *
Thinking about your first Ironman or 70.3 in 2026? At Team Oxygenaddict, we specialise in helping busy professionals fit high-quality training around demanding jobs and family life.
Book an application call today to find out if you'd be a good fit for Team Oxygenaddict here: https://team.oxygenaddict.com/consultation-call/
* * * * * * * * * * * *
precisionfuelandhydration.com
Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fuelling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get a personalised race nutrition plan for your next event.
And then book a free 20-minute video consultation with a member of the PF&H Athlete Support Team to refine your strategy.
Listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolytes with Precision Fuel & Hydration. Simply use code OXYGEN26 at checkout to claim your 15% discountManaging Swim Start Panic, Trtiathlete-Specific Strength Training, and Training Around Your Menstrual Cycle | Ep 604
2026/08/19 | 29 mins.In this week's podcast:
Hyperventilating in the first five minutes of the swim (when you're a confident open water swimmer and it never happens in training): Listener Helen has had it wreck two 70.3 swims and wants Weymouth 2026 to be her comeback race.
Rob explains what's actually going on (it's a CO2 problem, not an oxygen one) and gives her the mental and physical fixes to stop it before it starts.
Also in this episode:
Why the adrenaline surge on the start line drives hyperventilation, and how "arousal control" lets you rehearse a calm swim start weeks before race day
The breathing-every-fourth-stroke and go-out-slower protocol, plus why swimming wide is worth the extra metres
How to practise close-contact swimming with club mates so bumped shoulders stop triggering panic
Rob's approach to strength work: small "s", big "C" conditioning to stay injury-free, not lifting to get bigger
Glute and hamstring activation for anyone who sits at a desk all day, and why hamstrings need so little work to stay healthy
Maintaining muscle mass as an older athlete: compound lifts at 50–70% of one-rep max, stopping well short of failure
How to periodise strength blocks around your FTP build so the gym work doesn't wreck your key bike sessions
Training around the menstrual cycle - why it has to be individual, and how syncing recovery weeks with your cycle takes the pressure off
Looking ahead at the race calendar so race day doesn't land at the worst possible time
A race report from Joe at IRONMAN Lake Placid: a 12:46 finish on a 6,700ft bike course
Cramping in the first mile of the run, and the electrolyte lesson from the med tent afterwards
Plus: Rob is having three and a half years' worth of hair cut off in mid-September and donating it to be made into a wig for a child with cancer. It costs around £700 to make the wig and he'd be so grateful for anybody that can share any amount - big or small - via this donation link
* * * * * * * *
SPONSORS
* * * * * * * *
Thinking about your first Ironman or 70.3 in 2026? At Team Oxygenaddict, we specialise in helping busy professionals fit high-quality training around demanding jobs and family life.
Book an application call today to find out if you'd be a good fit for Team Oxygenaddict here: https://team.oxygenaddict.com/consultation-call/
* * * * * * * * * * * *
precisionfuelandhydration.com
Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fuelling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get a personalised race nutrition plan for your next event.
And then book a free 20-minute video consultation with a member of the PF&H Athlete Support Team to refine your strategy.
Listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolytes with Precision Fuel & Hydration. Simply use code OXYGEN26 at checkout to claim your 15% discountDealing With Cold Swim Starts, Smart Trainers vs Gym Bikes, and Tips for Racing IRONMAN Leeds in the Heat | Ep 603
2026/08/12 | 29 mins.This week Coach Rob Wilby answers two listener questions.
Elizabeth DNF'd at IRONMAN Lake Placid after standing on a cold beach for 40 minutes before the swim start.
Angie wants to know whether her gym bike is enough, or whether it's time to invest in a proper smart trainer setup.
Plus a preview for everyone racing IRONMAN UK in Leeds this weekend, where the bike course and the forecast are both going to test you.
Got a question for the show, or a first IRONMAN or 70.3 story to share? Send it to help@oxygenaddict.com
* * * * * * * *
SPONSORS
* * * * * * * *
Thinking about your first Ironman or 70.3 in 2026? At Team Oxygenaddict, we specialise in helping busy professionals fit high-quality training around demanding jobs and family life.
Book an application call today to find out if you'd be a good fit for Team Oxygenaddict here: https://team.oxygenaddict.com/consultation-call/
* * * * * * * * * * * *
precisionfuelandhydration.com
Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fuelling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get a personalised race nutrition plan for your next event.
And then book a free 20-minute video consultation with a member of the PF&H Athlete Support Team to refine your strategy.
Listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolytes with Precision Fuel & Hydration. Simply use code OXYGEN26 at checkout to claim your 15% discount
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About Oxygenaddict Triathlon Podcast
Triathlon training tips and coaching advice for busy age-groupers training for IRONMAN & 70.3 triathlon.
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