The truth about high performance (and why it’s a good thing)

Hi everyone,

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what high performance really means. We hear the term everywhere now, in running, cycling, and even in strength training.

It’s pretty incredible that we’re surrounded by technology designed to help us perform better.

And yet, I still see the same thing happening in runners and cyclists: we’ll spend hundreds, sometimes thousands, on performance upgrades… while ignoring the things that actually create performance.

I’ve said so many times that part of the beauty of endurance sports is that there are no shortcuts and this extends to performance, yes there are gains to be had from equipment, however we still need the foundation to be able to create performance.

So why then do we end up with the latest supershoes or aero socks that save 3 watts in our online shopping baskets?

In my opinion, whether we say it out loud or not, we’re all motivated by the pursuit of better and you only have to look as far as your shoe rack, cycling kit, or the watch on your wrist to see it. Every purchase, every metric, every upgrade is all a reflection of that same internal drive:

“I want to get better.”

And this isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s one of the best motivators you can have.

The pursuit of better is what gets you out the door when it’s cold, wet and windy; it’s what keeps you consistent when results don’t come as quickly as they did when you first got into running and cycling. It’s what pushes you to squeeze a little more from yourself, the curiosity underlying what you can achieve and where your boundaries lie.

It’s that drive, that curiosity to improve, what keeps you training and hungry for more: longer distances, faster times, more races/events year on year. The key is learning how to channel that drive and remember that high performance is personal.

“Comparison is the thief of joy” - Theodore Roosevelt

High performance is an excellent motivator, however it doesn’t have to mean you’re chasing a podium or a qualification slot. It means chasing your own progress: your fastest 5km, your longest ride, or simply your most consistent month of training.

All of these are valid and all of these are chasing high performance.

High Performance

We’re living in the age of optimising High Performance.

Supershoes are reshaping running economy, research into the Nike VaporFly’s shows improvements to running economy by 4% compared with other marathon shoes - that’s huge over the marathon distance.

Cyclists have access to wind-tunnel-level aero testing that was once reserved for professionals.

Smartwatches, (and other devices) now track sleep, heart rate variability, recovery readiness, and training loads in real time.

It’s an exciting time to be a runner and cyclist, and it highlights that we do care about performance. Performance, however, isn’t just about equipment or data, rather it’s about the human driving it because you can’t outsource your physiology.

The “Supershoe phenomenon”

If you speak to any running-specialist physio right now, they’ll tell you the same thing: we’re seeing new injury trends linked to the “supershoe phenomenon.”

The shoes themselves are brilliant: lightweight, carbon plates, stiffer shoes. They genuinely improve performance, but they also change how forces act through the foot and lower leg. For some runners, they shorten ground contact times, increase propulsion, and shift load distribution towards the calf and Achilles.

For a runner with well-developed strength, this is a gift. For one without it, it’s an increased risk of injury.

It’s the same story in cycling…

Cycling has its own version of the same story.

All of them work. Aerodynamics are real, and in time-trials or triathlon, they matter. However, every watt of aerodynamic advantage comes with a physical cost of being able to hold that position, stabilising your core, especially when under fatigue.

If your core (anything between your neck, elbows and knees) doesn’t have the strength to maintain form, the aero benefit disappears in your fight to stay comfortable as you’re swapping between your aerobars and hoods faster than you can say “aero”.

You can buy speed, but you can’t buy the ability to sustain it.

The foundation underneath High Performance

This is where strength comes in: strength training is your endurance enabler. When you build strength, you give your body the ability to produce more force and power, resist fatigue, build resilience to injury, and recover faster.

Støren et al. (2008) showed similar results in runners in that maximal strength training for 8 weeks improved running economy and increased time to exhaustion at maximal aerobic speed.

In short: strength builds the foundation that lets performance tools work for you.

The High Performance Formula

If I could summarise everything I’ve learned in my coaching, it’s this:

High performance = physiology × consistency × intent x equipment.

The more you invest in the first three, the more the fourth actually works. You can have every gadget, every marginal gain, and collect every data point, yet if you’re not recovering well, fuelling properly, training progressively or strength training, your potential remains capped.

The real performance advantage comes from doing the basics relentlessly well and that’s what makes those equipment and technology upgrades work.

Having a strong “why” is so powerful to fulfil your potential as a runner and cyclist, I talked about this in a recent webinar in my free community, check that out here. I encourage you to take a moment to redefine what high performance means to you.

Whatever it looks like, please remember that you don’t need to apologise for wanting to perform. It’s a good thing, it means you care. Just make sure your pursuit of better is built on the right foundations, so it can last and you’re investing wisely.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Emma x

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