Upcoming Events Added to ZenTri (with Map!)

View ZenTri Events in a larger map

It's not just the what, it's the where! You'll notice at the top of the page there's a new link called "ZenTri Events".  Go there and you'll see a map showing where significant events for ZenTri or ZenTri Athletes are occuring.

The short list right now includes -

• I'm going to Bend, OR next weekend to hang out with Drew for some training and scope out the epicenter of multisport in the Northwest.
• Ragnar Relay is happening in NY this weekend.  Good luck JerseyWillTri!
• Holy Granola!  Holistic Guru is coming to Texas on the 4th of July weekend.  Lots of good podcasting will come out of that.
• I will be hosting the first ever ZenTri talk/discussion in San Diego the weekend of July 11th.  The topic will be FEAR.  Immediately afterwards, we'll be experiencing fear by going swimming 1.5 miles in the open Pacific at La Jolla cove.  

I will include more events as they approach.  The goal is to bring awareness to people so they can either follow or show up to participate in some fun we are having.  Trips to Austin, the Chicago Marathon, hitting the Training Farm...  It will all be on the map.

Enjoy!

ZenTri has Gone Green

I know all the green washing has gotten old, but something occured to me the other day - ZenTri Podcast and Coaching is a green business and I didn't even realize it!

I was recently part of a focus group for my fair city, discussing how to promote our wind power program, WindWatts.  I was asked to be part of this because 1. I'm generally recognized as an Area Hippie and would know something about the environment, and 2. Our own house is signed up for 100% wind power through WindWatts.

Our focus group talked about how WindWatts worked and one of the things we recommended to the City was to open up the program to commercial customers instead of just residential.  We reasoned that certain business that promote healthy living and environment would jump on the opportunity to say their electric power was coming from a benign source.

Then it hit me - ZenTri is a home business.  My electricity is 100% wind-driven when I create content and do coaching. 

I couldn't be more happy.  I'm a huge proponent of protecting the enviornment.  I grew up in the outdoors, my grandparents teaching me to cherish the beauty of the Smoky Mountains.  As a Scout for countless years, I was taught to be a steward of the environment.  As a surfer and a cyclist/runner, I've encountered amazing flora and fauna that needs to be attended to.  I even have a "specialty track" in Environmental Science as part of my B.S. in Geography and a Masters in Forestry.

So, when you listen to the podcast or sit down for a read on the blog, remember that ZenTri is more than happy to be wind powered at the source.  There is still much that is not green - the server space hosting the content, for example, but it's headed that direction. 

Challenge yourself and find ways to reduce your own impact.  It's fun, it simplifies your existence (Zen), and I can tell you from experience that it feels great.

Podcast - King of Caffeine

Click HERE to play the show!

This show starts off with an interview with HolisticGuru about the ups and downs of caffeine.  After that, I take you along on my test ride up the King of Jester race course.

Caffeine isn't simple.  It comes in a multitude of forms and everybody has a different reaction to it.  I got sick on caffeine pills while racing, but have much fewer issues on an everyday basis.  HolisticGuru and I play mental dodgeball on how it all comes together.

Jester Hill is half a mile of 20% grade.  It's not terrible, but it will definitely slow. you. down.  Good stuff.

Join in on the fun!

Click HERE to play podcast

Who Makes the Best Triathlete?

We were chatting on The Triathlete's Coffee Shop the other night about which athlete would make the best triathlete - a swimmer, biker, or runner.  Being a former swimmer, I supported my old sport just for old time's sake.

During the show, Triboomer started throwing down some awesome statistics.  It is incredibly rare for somebody to win the bike and then win the whole race.  Even more rare is for somebody to win the swim and then win the entire race.  At first look, the best runner wins the race.

I don't think that is the complete picture.  It is the person who restrains him/herself the most during the swim and bike and then unleashes everything on the run that wins.

If you go out too fast on the swim and bike, you are spent.  If you win either one of those events, you are trying too hard.  It's an individual sport, but it is still all relative to the competition.  Use your competition as a metric to pace yourself.  Even in the shortest races, you have to run 3.1 miles after you get off the bike.  If you went hard enough to win the whole swim or bike, you just blew your chances on sustaining the run.

So, It's not the great runner who makes the best triathlete.  It's the smartest swimmer/biker combo:  Trained to run like hell, but smart enough to remember and execute the correct strategy of holding back until the run on race day.  I got a heck of a lot faster in my races once I started holding back in the swim, staying within my limits on the bike, and then taking on the run with everything I had.  It really works.

Listen to the show to get Triboomer's statistics.  He did his homework.  Very impressive indeed.

Topeak Road Morph G Pump Review

I was at Lance's bike shop and asked if they had a portable pump that would handle more than 120 psi.  A lot pumps say they will go up to that, but if that's a pump's upper limit, what would time or manufacturing problems limit the psi to in the real world?

They knew exactly what I was talking about.  They said that if they were getting a pump, they'd get the Topeak Road Morph G.

The top and bottom fold out into mini floor pump handholds and foot rests, a short section of rubber tubing allows you to place the pump and tire into ideal positions, there's a gauge, an it goes all the way up to 160 psi.

It comes with a frame mount, but I carry it in my CamelBak,  It's not a mini pump, but it's plenty small.

I've had the opportunity to use it once and it brought a smile to my face.  The thing unfolds like a Transformer and lets you really crank on it. 

I'm currently carrying this on all my training and fun rides, saving the expensive CO2 cartriges for races.  It truly works that well.

Here's a link to it on Amazon with some reviews and it retails for around $30.  Support your local retailers by looking for it with them first.