Triathlon Nutrition Academy

Are you actually going to hit the start line ready - or are you going to arrive having done all the training but undone the work in race week?
Taryn is recording this one live from Cairns, where the TNA crew has flown in from all over the world to race the 70.3 and Ironman. Every single one of these athletes had their race nutrition dialled in months ago. Not this week. Not over last night's bowl of pasta. Months ago.
In this episode, Taryn shares the five habits that separate triathletes who arrive on race morning topped up, adapted and confident from those who roll up to the start line under-fuelled before the gun has even gone off.

What you'll learn:
Why race week is not the time to train harder or eat less - and what the taper trap actually does to your fuelling
How recovery nutrition session by session is what makes the hard work stick
Why rehearsing your race fuelling on long sessions is non-negotiable (and what happens when you wing it on race day)
The one habit that quietly takes more athletes out of their A-race than any fuelling mistake out on course
How to carb load properly - because no, it is not a giant bowl of pasta the night before

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction — Live from Cairns
06:37 Habit 1 — Bank the adaptations and protect the taper
09:11 Habit 2 — Recover from every session
12:38 Habit 3 — Rehearse race fuelling on long sessions
15:02 Habit 4 — Protect your immune system
17:48 Habit 5 — Plan and practise your carb load
20:14 Race Day Pack List
21:40 Summary and close

RESOURCES MENTIONED
Recovery Accelerator - the exact framework Taryn teaches TNA athletes for what to eat after every training session and every race (the four R's, when to eat, what to eat and when to prioritise it). You can get through it all in one trainer session or one long run
Free Race Day Pack List - everything you need for swim, bike and run, plus before and after your race, ready to print and reuse for every race

STUDIES MENTIONED
Gunzer, W., Konrad, M., & Pail, E. (2012). Exercise-induced immunodepression in endurance athletes and nutritional intervention with carbohydrate, protein and fat: What is possible, what is not? Nutrients, 4(9), 1187-1212. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu4091187
Knowledge of carbohydrate requirements does not predict carbohydrate intake around competition in endurance athletes. PMC11451575
(2025). A review of carbohydrate supplementation approaches and strategies for optimising performance in elite long-distance endurance. Nutrients, 17(5), 918. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17050918
Gatorade Sports Science Institute. Dietary carbohydrate and the endurance athlete: contemporary perspectives.

If you want to toe a start line with the TNA crew somewhere in the world, get your name on the Triathlon Nutrition Academy waitlist at dietitianapproved.com/academy. You'll be first to know when the next cohort starts.
Download the FREE audio series The 5 Biggest Nutrition Mistakes Costing You Time on Race Day
Recovery Accelerator Program
SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE
CONNECT WITH TARYN
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The Triathlon Nutrition Academy® is a podcast by Dietitian Approved®. All rights reserved.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hydrogen water is all over your feed right now. Tablets, bottles, little machines bubbling away on the kitchen bench, all promising less soreness, faster bounce-back and recovery at the cellular level. But does it actually do anything for you as a triathlete, or are you about to drop sixty bucks on fizzy water?
In this episode I give you my honest, no-BS breakdown on hydrogen water. What it actually is, what the research genuinely says about recovery and performance, and whether it earns a spot in your toolbox. Then I run the actual numbers on what it costs to replicate the research dose (you might want to sit down for that part) and weigh it up against where your money is truly best spent.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
• What hydrogen water actually is, and why the marketing sounds far more exotic than the science
• What the research really shows on recovery, soreness and performance
• Why mopping up every free radical from training might quietly blunt the adaptations you work so hard for
• The real cost of replicating the research dose, run line by line
• The two-dollar recovery option that ticks every box hydrogen water misses

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 The fizzy tablet moment
01:39 What this episode covers
04:20 What hydrogen water actually is
05:45 The theory: mitochondria and selective antioxidants
08:38 What the research shows (the fin swimmer study)
12:45 The bigger systematic reviews
15:00 Why you don't want to mop up every free radical
17:50 The honest verdict on the evidence
20:11 The real cost, run line by line
23:05 The two-dollar recovery smoothie comparison
25:53 The athlete I see all the time
28:24 Red light therapy: same pitch, better evidence
30:32 Pulling it all together
33:14 Where to start instead

STUDIES MENTIONED
Li, Y., Bing, R., Liu, M., Shang, Z., Huang, Y., Zhou, K., Bao, D., & Zhou, J. (2024). Can molecular hydrogen supplementation reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress in healthy adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11, Article 1328705. [https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1328705](https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1328705)
Sládečková, B., Botek, M., Krejčí, J., Valenta, M., McKune, A., Neuls, F., & Klimešová, I. (2024). Hydrogen-rich water supplementation promotes muscle recovery after two strenuous training sessions performed on the same day in elite fin swimmers: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Frontiers in Physiology, 15, Article 1321160. [https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2024.1321160](https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2024.1321160)
Zhou, K., Shang, Z., Yuan, C., Guo, Z., Wang, Y., Bao, D., & Zhou, J. (2024). Can molecular hydrogen supplementation enhance physical performance in healthy adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11, Article 1387657. [https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1387657](https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1387657)
If recovery is the thing you keep meaning to sort, I built the Recovery Accelerator for exactly that. A clear plan for what to eat after training and racing to hit your personalised targets, with a recovery nutrition sheet, four recipes and a recovery playlist. One-off payment, no subscription, and it costs less than a single month of hydrogen tablets. Grab it HERE .

Download the FREE audio series The 5 Biggest Nutrition Mistakes Costing You Time on Race Day
Recovery Accelerator Program
SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE
CONNECT WITH TARYN
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
The Triathlon Nutrition Academy® is a podcast by Dietitian Approved®. All rights reserved.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You’re doing the training. You’re showing up consistently. But if your legs constantly feel heavy, your energy crashes every afternoon and you can’t seem to bounce back between sessions, your recovery nutrition could be the missing piece.
In this episode, Advanced Sports Dietitian and Triathlon Nutrition Specialist Taryn Richardson breaks down the three biggest recovery nutrition mistakes triathletes make and explains exactly how to fix them.
Because recovery is where adaptation actually happens.
Recovery Accelerator Program
Taryn dives into:
Why your post-training nutrition window matters more than you think
The common protein mistake endurance athletes make
Why carbohydrate is critical for triathlon recovery
The signs your recovery nutrition is failing you
How poor recovery impacts performance, body composition and immunity
What proper recovery should actually feel like
Practical strategies busy triathletes can use to recover properly even with work, kids and life chaos
If you’re training hard but still feeling flat, sore or permanently fatigued, this episode will help you connect the dots.
In This Episode:
[00:00] Why recovery nutrition gets pushed aside for busy triathletes
[04:20] What actually happens physiologically after training
[05:45] The research on delayed recovery nutrition and glycogen restoration
[08:50] Why so many triathletes get recovery wrong
[09:40] Mistake #1: Having no recovery nutrition plan
[11:55] Mistake #2: Focusing on protein while forgetting carbohydrate
[13:50] Mistake #3: Poor timing
[15:40] Signs your recovery nutrition is not working
[17:50] What proper recovery should feel like
[20:15] Why adaptation happens during recovery, not training
[21:30] How to fix your recovery nutrition properly
Research Mentioned
Ivy JL et al. (1988). Muscle glycogen synthesis after exercise: effect of time of carbohydrate ingestion. Journal of Applied Physiology, 64(4), 1480–1485.
Csanaky L et al. (2025). Post-Exercise Nutrition Knowledge and Adherence to Recommendations Among Amateur Endurance Athletes. Nutrients, 17(22), 3629.
Burke LM et al. Postexercise muscle glycogen resynthesis in humans. Journal of Applied Physiology (review article).

Download the FREE audio series The 5 Biggest Nutrition Mistakes Costing You Time on Race Day
Recovery Accelerator Program
SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE
CONNECT WITH TARYN
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
The Triathlon Nutrition Academy® is a podcast by Dietitian Approved®. All rights reserved.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do race day nerves throw you completely off your game?
Maybe you second-guess your pacing, panic when things don’t go to plan or let pressure spiral into poor decisions around fuelling and performance.
In this episode of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy Podcast, Advanced Sports Dietitian Taryn Richardson sits down with performance psychologist Dr Haley Perlus to unpack the mental side of triathlon and why pressure isn’t something to avoid, but something to work with.
Dr Perlus shares practical strategies to help age-group triathletes build confidence, stay focused under pressure and perform at their best when it matters most. From race day anxiety and perfectionism to resilience, self-talk and mental preparation, this conversation is packed with actionable advice you can apply straight away.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why pressure is not the enemy in endurance sport

The difference between mental health and mental performance

How fear and self-doubt show up for triathletes

Practical tools to improve focus and confidence on race day

Why your mindset affects pacing, fuelling and decision-making

The importance of preparation and controllables

How to stop spiralling when things go wrong mid-race

Strategies to build mental resilience during training

Whether you're training for your first sprint triathlon or chasing a PB at your next Ironman, this episode will help you strengthen the mental skills needed to race with confidence.
About Dr Haley Perlus
Dr Haley Perlus is a sport and performance psychologist who works with elite athletes, executives and high performers to optimise mindset, resilience and performance under pressure. With decades of experience in sports psychology, she helps athletes develop the mental tools needed to consistently perform at their best.
CONNECT WITH HAYLEY
Website | Instagram | YouTube
Download the FREE audio series The 5 Biggest Nutrition Mistakes Costing You Time on Race Day
SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE
CONNECT WITH TARYN
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
The Triathlon Nutrition Academy® is a podcast by Dietitian Approved®. All rights reserved.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are now firmly inside the triathlon conversation. Athletes are seeing dramatic weight loss results and wondering whether these drugs could help them perform better too.
But what actually happens when you combine appetite-suppressing medications with the demands of swimming, riding and running for hours every week?
In this episode, Advanced Sports Dietitian Taryn Richardson breaks down the science and practical realities of GLP-1 medications for endurance athletes. From muscle loss and gut issues to RED-S and race day fuelling disasters, this is the conversation triathletes need to hear before considering these medications.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What GLP-1 medications actually do in the body

Why delayed gastric emptying can become a major issue for endurance athletes

The surprising amount of muscle mass that can be lost during rapid weight loss

How GLP-1 medications may increase the risk of RED-S in triathletes

Why hunger and thirst cues become unreliable on these medications

The key nutrition strategies to protect your performance if you’re taking a GLP-1

How protein and resistance training can help preserve lean muscle mass

Which foods give you the biggest micronutrient bang for buck when appetite is low

Why fuelling to a schedule becomes critical during long training sessions and racing

What WADA’s monitoring of GLP-1 medications means for athletes moving forward

Key Takeaways
Rapid weight loss can come with significant lean muscle loss if nutrition and strength training aren’t prioritised

Slower gastric emptying may increase the risk of gut distress during training and racing

Suppressed appetite can make chronic under-fuelling and RED-S much harder to detect

Triathletes taking GLP-1 medications need a very deliberate fuelling plan to maintain health and performance

Timestamps
00:00 – Why GLP-1 medications are suddenly everywhere in triathlon

01:47 – What GLP-1 medications actually do

03:00 – WADA monitoring and anti-doping implications

04:09 – The muscle mass problem triathletes need to understand

06:34 – Gut function, gastric emptying and fuelling challenges

08:50 – The hidden risk of RED-S and chronic under-fuelling

11:13 – Practical strategies for athletes using GLP-1 medications

12:35 – The most nutrient-dense foods when appetite is low

14:00 – Why fuelling to a schedule matters

16:00 – Final takeaways for triathletes

If you know a triathlete currently taking Ozempic or another GLP-1 medication, send them this episode. These conversations are happening quietly in squads all over the world, and athletes deserve practical, evidence-based guidance to protect both their health and performance.
Links & Resources
Triathlon Nutrition Kickstart Course

Join the waitlist for the Triathlon Nutrition Academy

Free Triathlon Nutrition Checklist

Download the FREE audio series The 5 Biggest Nutrition Mistakes Costing You Time on Race Day
SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE
CONNECT WITH TARYN
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
The Triathlon Nutrition Academy® is a podcast by Dietitian Approved®. All rights reserved.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.