ONE STEP AHEAD: Thyroid issues. WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: Recovery. HOT PROPERTY INTERVIEW ONE - SARAH PIAMPIANO: This week we welcome back Sarah Piampiano after her recent win at Ironman Western Australia. HOT PROPERTY INTERVIEW TWO - LAURA SIDDALL: Laura Siddall is a Yorkshire girl with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and no background in triathlon. In 2010 she decided to give it a go and in her time as an age grouper won the 2013 Half Distance World Championships following that up with a win at the ITU Olympic Distance World Championships just one week later. Last year, Laura moved to San Francisco to pursue a career as a professional triathlete. She’s seen success in the pro ranks already, taking second at the full distance Challenge Wanaka race earlier this year and more recently coming 3rd at Mandurah 70.3. GEEK OUT: The Prof (Paul Laursen) talks to us in Paris from the ITU Science and Triathlon Conference and brings us an interview with world famous sports scientist Yann Le Meur. They discuss one of Yann’s studies ‘Functional overreaching: the key to peak performance during the taper?’ CONTACT US: Find out more about us at http://www.fitter.co.nz  Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fittercoaching/ for the latest news and information. Mikki Williden can be found at https://www.facebook.com/mikkiwillidennutrition

ONE STEP AHEAD: Aqua Alert. A new app to help track your water intake. WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: Stride rate for running. HOT PROPERTY INTERVIEW - GRANT SCHOFIELD: Professor Grant Schofield is a respected PhD public health academic of 20 years. Dubbed 'The Fat Professor' he is at the forefront of challenging the widespread fat phobia that has pushed us to eat a diet full of processed, carb-laden food. In his latest book 'What The Fat? Sports Performance: Leaner, Fitter, Faster on Low-Carb Healthy Fat' Prof Grant focuses on the science and practice of low carb eating for peak athletic performance. "Retraining your body and brain and turning on your fat burning almost seems like an unfair advantage when it’s applied to the sporting environment. For decades the brightest minds in the athletic performance nutrition field have had carbs pegged as the ultimate good guy - forget everything you were taught by your old-school sports performance nutritionist and learn how to become the ultimate fat burning athletic machine". 5 MINUTE FOCUS: Meredith Kessler gives us her race tips for Ironman 70.3 Taupo.  GEEK OUT: This week our geeky contributors 'The Prof and The Plews' talk to us about a recent paper published in the British Medical Journal Open Sports and Exercise Medicine - 'Rethinking the Role of Fat Oxidation - substrate utilisation during high intensity interval training in well trained and recreationally trained runners'. CONTACT US: Find out more about us at http://www.fitter.co.nz  Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fittercoaching/ for the latest news and information. Mikki Williden can be found at https://www.facebook.com/mikkiwillidennutrition

Matt Fitzgerald, prolific endurance author and frequent contributor to Ironman and Training Peaks, discusses his book 'How Bad Do You Want It - Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle'. He explores the power of the mind in endurance sports, highlighting the achievements of physically disadvantaged athletes and the importance of positive thinking. The chapter also discusses tapering in training for endurance races and creating an engaging event village.

ONE STEP AHEAD: Avoiding weight gain over the holiday season. WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: We bring back Cam Brown and Dylan McNeice to talk about Ironman Taupo 70.3 and what they do in their taper phase leading into an event. HOT PROPERTY INTERVIEW - BRADEN CURRIE: Braden Currie is one of the world's most respected multi-sport adventure racing athletes. He's the 2 x winner of New Zealand's iconic Coast to Coast race as well as numerous other multisport races both here and overseas. This month he not only raced to 2nd place in the Xterra World Champs in Maui but also made the announcement that he's giving ITU a crack with the hopes of possibly qualifying for Rio. GEEK OUT: Introducing our new contributors who join us this week for our Geek Out. 'The Prof' (Paul Laursen - who leads the Performance Physiology Team at High Performance Sport New Zealand) and 'The Plews' (Dan Plews - Physiologist for High Performance Sport New Zealand).  This week they talk to us about 'Factors affecting performance in ultra-endurance triathlon'. CONTACT US: Find out more about us at http://www.fitter.co.nz  Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fittercoaching/ for the latest news and information. Mikki Williden can be found at https://www.facebook.com/mikkiwillidennutrition

ONE STEP AHEAD: Tips to help get your 'significant other' on board with your eating plan. WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: Mindfulness training. HOT PROPERTY INTERVIEW - JOE GAMBLES: Competing at the highest level of triathlon since the age of 16, with 17 professional victories, a bronze at the 2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, and having won the first full distance Ironman he ever entered in Wisconsin, Aussie Joe Gambles is already one of triathlon's greats. One of the Bahrain Endurance 13 Team, media and fans have dubbed him, 'Smokin' Joe' as he packs some major heat, with a power-house bike-to-run combination that makes him a threat for the win every time he lines up. GEEK OUT: Introducing our new contributors who join us from next week for our Geek Out. 'The Prof' (Paul Laursen - who leads the Performance Physiology Team at High Performance Sport New Zealand) and 'The Plews' (Dan Plews - Physiologist for High Performance Sport New Zealand). 5 MINUTE FOCUS: An excerpt from Matt Fitzgerald's new Book - How Bad Do You Want It - Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle. CONTACT US: Find out more about us at http://www.fitter.co.nz  Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fittercoaching/ for the latest news and information. Mikki Williden can be found at https://www.facebook.com/mikkiwillidennutrition

ONE STEP AHEAD: Listener question around race nutrition plus Mikki talks to us about the top most addictive foods. WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: Self-esteem. HOT PROPERTY INTERVIEW - SARAH PIAMPIANO: This year Sarah pulled out an amazing 7th place at Kona. Amazing because Sarah only got into triathlon in 2009 over a bet with a friend.  She barely knew what a triathlon entailed. Sarah was born in Maine in the US and was on skis at age 2.  She went to a ski academy in Vermont and for three years raced around the globe against the World's best skiers. She also loved cross-country running but gave it up to concentrate on her skiing. Not only did Sarah win her bet but she loved the triathlon experience so much that she walked away with a fire in her belly and thought – 'I love this. I can be GOOD….or maybe even great'. GEEK OUT: Logging your miles in nature does wonders for your mental health. 5 MINUTE FOCUS: Bike insurance. CONTACT US: Find out more about us at http://www.fitter.co.nz  Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fittercoaching/ for the latest news and information. Mikki Williden can be found at https://www.facebook.com/mikkiwillidennutrition

ONE STEP AHEAD: Is red meat carcinogenic. WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: This week Bevan talks to Chris Ritter of Ritter Sports Performance about weight training for endurance athletes. Chris has over a decade of experience successfully coaching a diverse population of athletes and clientele. His professional and academic credentials include a degree in Exercise Science & Kinesiology, CSCS, NASM-PES, USAW and IYCA-YFS. RITTER Sports Performance offers Personal Training, Athletic Development Programs as well as Nutritional Services. Chris has set up a link for all our Fitter Radio Podcast listeners. Sign-up via the link below to gain access to Ritter Sports’ newsletters and receive tips and updates plus instant access to their ‘Pull-up Progression’ - one of the most beneficial exercises to improve your performance. http://rittersp.com/fitter-radio/ HOT PROPERTY INTERVIEW - NON STANFORD: Non comes from a running background and after transitioning to triathlon had a breakthrough year in 2012 with senior gold in the ITU Triathlon Mixed Relay and U23 gold at the ITU World Championships. She carried on to become the ITU World Champion in 2013. 2014 was a tough year during which she missed the entire season through injuries, but she came back strongly in 2015 to finish second at the Rio Olympic Test Event and the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Chicago - meeting the British Triathlon Olympic selection criteria for Rio 2016 in the process. GEEK OUT: Muscle memory - is it real or not. 5 MINUTE FOCUS: We bring back Terenzo Bozzone to talk about his training regime and what he does during the build phase leading into an event.  CONTACT US: Find out more about us at http://www.fitter.co.nz  Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fittercoaching/ for the latest news and information. Mikki Williden can be found at https://www.facebook.com/mikkiwillidennutrition

ONE STEP AHEAD: Breakfast Cereals. WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: We bring back Cam Brown and Dylan McNeice to talk about Ironman Taupo 70.3 and what they do in their build phase leading into an event. HOT PROPERTY INTERVIEW - MICHELLE VESTERBY: Michelle Vesterby of Denmark came 4th in Kona this year with a finish time of 9:18:50. She qualified only 7 weeks out from the race with a sub-9 win at Ironman Copenhagen, after 2 DNF’s at both Frankfurt with dehydration and the UK having gone the wrong way on the bike course! Her next race, Ironman Arizona, is in 3 weeks and Michelle is ready to go. Her goals for next year? Back to Copenhagen again and then a podium in Kona 2016. GEEK OUT: The joy of running. 5 MINUTE FOCUS: Bev talks to Shannon Rae, Regional Sales Representative for Garmin Australasia about their new Varia Rearview Radar. The world's first cycling radar, Varia helps create a safer cycling environment by warning cyclists of vehicles approaching from behind up to 153 yards (140 meters). The radar tail light also warns approaching vehicles of a cyclist ahead. Works independently or integrates seamlessly with compatible Edge cycling computers. The Edge computer or Varia head unit can show multiple approaching vehicles and indicates the relative speed of approach and threat level. CONTACT US: Find out more about us at http://www.fitter.co.nz  Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fittercoaching/ for the latest news and information. Mikki Williden can be found at https://www.facebook.com/mikkiwillidennutrition

ONE STEP AHEAD: Mikki interviews Dr Stacy Sims of Osmo Nutrition (http://osmonutrition.com). Stacy, an athlete in her own right (former pro-cyclist and Ironman World Championship Qualifier), is an innovative Exercise Physiologist and Nutrition Scientist of Thermoregulation, Hydration, and Performance Nutrition. Stacy and Mikki discuss these areas giving us a fascinating insight into the very real and significant differences between male and female athletes. WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: No hills? Bevan gives us some cycling strength endurance training workouts and suggestions on how to incorporate them into your programme. HOT PROPERTY INTERVIEW - SUSIE CHEETHAM: Susie Cheetham (nee Hignett) came from a competitive international running background in the UK and moved into long distance triathlon only so she could join her boyfriend on his long rides! A year later, she found herself competing as a professional triathlete. Susie astounded the triathlon community by coming 6th in her debut performance at Kona this month, her 3rd ever Ironman distance triathlon. She slowly picked off her fellow competitors with a run time of 03:06:55 finishing in an overall time of 09:23:50. GEEK OUT: Placebo - the power of the brain over performance. 25 MINUTE FOCUS!: We turned our 5 min focus section into a 25 min focus but we guarantee it's worth the extra listening time! Bev talks to Dan Plews, Physiologist for High Performance Sport New Zealand and the fastest Kiwi (adopted) in Kona this year (9hrs 12mins). Dan tells us about his race and how he prepared. CONTACT US: Find out more about us at http://www.fitter.co.nz  Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fittercoaching/ for the latest news and information. Mikki Williden can be found at https://www.facebook.com/mikkiwillidennutrition

KONA 2015: A round up. ONE STEP AHEAD: Glucomannan - a weight control supplement. WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: Swim drafting. HOT PROPERTY INTERVIEW - LUCY GOSSAGE: She's a four time Ironman champion and part of the 'sub-9 club' – a small group of female athletes who've finished a long-course triathlon in less than nine hours. Not only that, Lucy achieved it all whilst juggling the sport with her day job as a cancer doctor. She completed her PHD in Kidney Cancer in March last year and yesterday achieved her goal of becoming one of the top 10 fastest female Ironman competitors in the world. GEEK OUT: Mindfulness techniques and athletic performance. 5 MINUTE FOCUS: A listener email - Oakes Trust. CONTACT US: Find out more about us at http://www.fitter.co.nz  Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fittercoaching/  for the latest news and information. Mikki Williden can be found at https://www.facebook.com/mikkiwillidennutrition