Podcast - Ghost Bees

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 Howdy, fearless freaks!

This episode has us investigating fear in some interesting ways.

First, I dare Emily to go touch the infamous "Ghost House". Will she get out of the car in this scary neighborhood?  Will she touch the house for $20?

Next, I'm biking for 50 miles near Centerville, TX.  I get stung by a bee and decide to "lean into it" and talk about the pain as it goes through my arm.  You can choose how you react in situations, and this one was interesting.

I also talk about how Science has figured out how to "acheive Zen", per se.  Check out the article here.

Click HERE to listen!

Backup Saddle Bag

Sometimes a saddlebag just won't work.  Or sometimes there's not enough room in one.  If you are the resourceful type, you may have figured out that you can store a few items in an old water bottle.

My race bike has an aero seatpost, making attaching a saddle bag nearly impossible.  I've been using an old water bottle for years with pretty good success.  The problem is, that narrowing of the neck makes it impossible to use it very efficiently.  Getting things in and out can be nearly impossible.

I recently bought a carrying bottle from Soma for around 6 bucks.  It's a water bottle with a screw top and only a slight indention to help it stay put in the water bottle cage.  It works great.  I definitely recommend it.  It's the grey bottle on the far left of the photo.

But the real kicker is that I found something that might work just as well for 99% of the folks out there for much less money.  I was shopping for nuts as part of my "Gravel and Rocks" diet (Paleo diet) and noticed that Emerald Nuts sells their goods in a bottle very similar to what I had been looking for all these years.  It fits the bottle cage just fine and is nearly the exact same height as the Soma one.  I usually put a silicone bracelet around bottles that I care about to keep them from bouncing out, btw.

If this is all new to you, you might be asking why not just use a saddle bag.  Here's a list of reasons:

• It's waterproof-ish.  Great for cell phones and the like.
• You can dump out and reload the contents in a flash.  Great for racing.
• Easily move it from bike to bike.  Keep your flat repair kit in there and just swap it between your different bikes as needed.

I'm sure you can find plenty of reasons why you would like to use one.  Go nuts!

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

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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