Feel Like You’re Training Hard But Still Underperforming?

If you're smashing out sessions, eating ‘healthy’ and still not seeing the results you deserve—you're not alone.

As a sports dietitian working exclusively with triathletes, I see the same problems time and time again. In this post, I'm walking you through the four biggest nutrition fixes I’d make for you if we were working together inside the Triathlon Nutrition Academy.

Because chances are, you’re under-fuelling, under-recovering or underestimating what proper nutrition can actually do.

1. You’re Probably Underfuelled (And Don’t Even Know It)

This is the most common issue I see with age group triathletes. You’re:

• Skipping pre-training fuel to "burn fat"

• Eating the same every day, regardless of session load

• Avoiding carbs because they’re “bad”

But underfuelled training = poor adaptation, slower recovery and flat sessions.

Training doesn’t work without the right fuel.

In the Academy, the first thing ...

18 years ago, Kathleen dipped her toe into the world of triathlon, then life, winter training and family demands got in the way. When she finally returned, she knew she needed to do it differently.

She didn’t want to spend another season second-guessing her nutrition or dealing with stomach issues mid-race. So, before even toeing the start line again, Kathleen signed up for the Triathlon Nutrition Academy.

💬 “I joined before I did my first sprint triathlon because I knew I couldn’t figure this out on my own.”

No More Gut Issues. No More Guesswork.

Before joining TNA, Kathleen thought she was doing the right thing (like eating a big salad before a long run 🙈). But every time she went past 8 miles, her gut disagreed.

💬 “I believed a big, healthy salad was the best thing to eat before a half marathon. It wasn’t.”

Working with Taryn and applying what she learned in the Academy, Kathleen identified exactly what was going wrong and made simple changes that made a massive difference.

✅...

When Kelly Estes returned to triathlon after years away, he quickly realised that training alone wasn’t going to cut it. He had tried to piece together his nutrition using articles, YouTube videos and podcasts, but nothing quite clicked.

💬 “I didn’t find that sweet spot until I found the Triathlon Nutrition Academy. It’s made a world of difference.”

From Guessing to Clarity

Before joining the Academy, Kelly was stuck in the all-too-common cycle of trial and error. Trying different gels, bars, powders, and hoping something would stick. It left him second-guessing whether he was doing the right thing and unsure if his fuelling strategy was actually helping or hindering his performance.

💬 “Having a good nutrition program takes out the guesswork… I became better at being a consistent triathlete with my training.”

Training Smarter, Racing Faster

Since joining the TNA program, Kelly has seen real results, not just in race performance, but in his everyday energy, recovery and body compo...

Are You Training Hard But Still Underperforming?

If you’re an age-group triathlete smashing big training blocks, chasing PBs and wondering why your results don’t match the effort, this one’s for you.

In this post, we dive into how Troy Bauerle went from regular injuries and average race results to podium finishes and Ironman confidence, all by sorting out his nutrition.

Through the Triathlon Nutrition Academy, Troy unlocked a whole new level of performance, recovery and mindset. Here's what he changed.

From Injured to Indestructible: The Power of Training Consistency

Like many triathletes, Troy used to struggle with training interruptions due to recurring injuries, especially as a high-volume athlete with a physically demanding job.

But after implementing a year of consistent, well-fuelled training through the Academy his highlights include:

• No injuries in 12 months. Previously unheard of for Troy!

• Completed 3-week blocks of 20+ hours of training feeling energised, inst...

If you’re a triathlete chasing performance, you already know nutrition is your fourth discipline. But here’s a hard truth: not all sports drinks are created equal - and choosing the wrong one could mean GI issues, under-fuelling or simply bonking at the worst possible moment.

In this deep dive, we’ll compare two products from Pure Sports Nutrition - Race Fuel and Electrolyte Hydration and unpack why knowing what’s in your bottle can make or break your race day.

The Problem with One-Size-Fits-All Sports Drinks

Both of these products are marketed as “sports drinks,” but they have vastly different compositions and uses:

• Race Fuel is designed for endurance fueling with a massive 90g of carbohydrate per serve
  
• Electrolyte Hydration is more of a traditional sports drink, containing 12.5g of carbohydrate per scoop
  

Sounds straightforward? Not quite. If you’re just following label instructions, you could be missing the mark entirely.

What’s in Pure Race Fuel?

Race Fuel sits in Pure’s...

When Samantha Zeps first got into triathlon, she never imagined she’d be standing on the top step of the podium — let alone qualifying for the Ironman World Championships in Kona.

A full-time professional, busy mum and dedicated age-group athlete, Sam was already training hard and showing up consistently. But like many triathletes, she found herself plateauing: tired in the afternoons, recovering poorly, and missing the spark to go from strong… to elite.

The Turning Point: From Calorie Counting to Performance Fuelling

For years, Samantha — like so many others — thought nutrition was just about eating less to stay lean. “I’d skip meals, do fasted training, and hold off eating after sessions to burn more,” she says.

The problem? She felt wrecked. By mid-afternoon, her energy would crash. Long training days left her completely wiped out. Recovery was slow. And race results didn’t match her effort.

The real shift came when she stopped thinking about food as something to restrict — and...

You’re training hard. You’ve got your swim, bike and run sessions scheduled in, maybe even some strength training. But if your nutrition isn’t dialled in, you could be flushing all that hard work down the drain.

In this post, I want to shine a light on something most triathletes never calculate: the real cost of poor nutrition. And spoiler, it’s not just a bad race day or a mid-run gut explosion. We’re talking about:

• Wasted time and energy
  
• Thousands of dollars down the drain
  
• Lost performance you didn’t even realise you had in you
  
  

Let’s lift the lid.

Obvious Costs: What You Do See

These ones hurt — and most triathletes can relate:

1. Race-Day Blow-Ups or DNFs

You’ve trained for months, only to DNF because of gut issues, dehydration, or cramping. Factor in race entry fees, travel, accommodation, gear — not to mention the emotional toll. It’s not just gutting. It’s preventable.

2. Injury from Underfueling

Think stress fractures, tendon issues, or burnout from poor recovery....

Completing an Ironman isn’t for suckers. It's something that many triathletes dream about and today, I want to share the story of one of my Triathlon Nutrition Academy athletes, Christina, whose journey to the finish line of her first Ironman is truly inspirational. 

Christina isn't a professional athlete – she's a full-time interior designer and dedicated mother who held onto her Ironman dream since her post-college days in Tucson, Arizona. Fast forward 18 years, after juggling work, family, and fitness, Christina finally decided to take the plunge into this mammoth challenge and recently completed the Texas Ironman.

While preparing for race day, Christina navigated the same challenges most of us face – demanding work schedules, family commitments and the constant juggle to fit training into an already packed life. What set her apart wasn't superhuman abilities, but rather strategic planning, a personal and professional support network and an unwavering commitment to her goal.

Her ...

You're logging endless kilometres in the pool, on the bike and in your running shoes. Your training plan is meticulous. Yet somehow, the numbers on the scale refuse to budge. If you're feeling exhausted, constantly hungry and frustrated that you’re not losing body fat despite all that training, you're not alone. This is one of the most common struggles I see as an advanced sports dietitian working with triathletes.

The truth is, you simply cannot out-train a poor diet.

There’s No One Size Fits All

Next time you're at an Ironman event, take a look at the athletes around you - they’re all different shapes and sizes. Many of them train 15+ hours a week but still struggle with body composition. The disconnect often stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of how our bodies respond to training and nutrition.

It sounds like a contradiction, but under-fuelling during heavy training doesn't lead to fat loss – it leads to compromised recovery, diminished performance and a body that clings ...

If you've ever found yourself 300 meters from the buoy on race day or struggling to maintain pace during training, there might be a high-tech solution out there for you.

No magic bullet will ever replace good old fashioned swim training, but could FORM Smart Goggles be game changer?

Or are they just a fancy new gadget, or even worse, a complete waste of money?

Today I’m joined by Brenton Ford from Effortless Swimming to give us a no BS review of the FORM Smart Goggles. These high-tech goggles provide real-time metrics displayed right before your eyes as you swim but at nearly $300, are they worth the investment? 

You might know Brenton from his popular technique videos on YouTube or his coaching programs that have helped thousands of triathletes become way more efficient swimmers. With thousands of success stories under his belt, Brenton shares his professional and practical perspective on this product. There’s no sponsorship here, so rest assured this is his honest and unbiassed r...