ZenTri 603 - Lesley Smith and Sanity in Triathlon

Pro triathlete Lesley Smith joins us to talk about eating and training with balance in our crazy sport, Kai (10 years old) beats me in a sprint triathlon, and I continue my training towards a self-supported Ultraman.

I truly enjoyed talking to Lesley and her common sense approach to eating in our sport.  The constant barrage of nutrition advice coming from all angles, much of it unfounded ("Bro Science"), causes our heads to spin and lose the path so simple health.

You can find out more about Lesley here.

Lastly, I talk about, "Pushing the wheelbarrow isn't hard; Thinking about it is."  It's a Zen saying about the right mindset while doing difficult work.  

Enjoy!

ZenTri 602 - Alan Couzens and San Diego

Endurance sports research scientist Alan Couzens talks about sodium, hydration, and what makes somebody "uncoachable."  I also go over the swimming HR strap from Garmin, a great swimming tip, and cruising around San Diego on foot.

ZenTri 601 - Zen Thoughts and Eating Contests

Our resident Holistic Guru (A.K.A. Christine Lynch) joins us to talk about my blood tests and also how to win an eating contest.  She rocks, so pay attention!

And now for this week's happenings...

I snapped this pic while running with the dog.  We live on the edge of town, so I get to run through a nice mix of fields and houses.  Good stuff.

I keep salt pills in a tiny ziploc in the run bottle baggie handle-thing.  Thermo Tabs is the brand.  Super cheap and works great.

 During my final run of this year's Summer time trials, I double-flatted on some torn up sections of road.  Bummer!

Emily and Kai picked me up after I walked my bike to the finish line.  55 minutes to what normally takes me under 31.  And HOT!

We're moving to a new house with a bit more room, so we got to load up the Xterra for what it was meant for.

It's so cool using a purpose-built machine for what it was made!  Sports heaven.

I've also discovered a podcast absolutely loaded with great tips for living in today's world.  It's called, "The One You Feed."

I've listened to so many episodes, I'm now hating how they repeat the same wolf story parable at the intro of each one.  It feels so smug, I've started calling it the "terrible parable."  I've clearly overdosed and hit the saturation point. lol.

Lastly, I'm going back to latex tubes.
 

While being more work to keep aired up, the speed benefits are undeniable.  It's one luxury that I'll grant myself.  If you're going to spend that much time on a bike, do it right.

Alright, that's it!  And listen in to lots of Zen tips I give in the front half of the show as well.  You might find something you like. :)

ZenTri 600 - Chris Kelly and Dr. Tommy Wood of NurishBalanceThrive.com

 

Pro Mountain Biker Chris Kelly and Dr. Tommy Wood of NourishBalanceThrive.com join me to talk about my blood test results!  Listen in as I learn about what the results mean and where to go from here.  Lots may apply to you as well!  

Also, I dish out the latest triathlon news and take you with me training for lots of tips and tricks.

Alright, on to this week's pics and fun!

We took the Xterra paddleboard for it's first outing.  Kona the Wonderdog approves.

The non-furry family members enjoyed it just as much.  Kai and I took if for a second spin just a couple of days ago.  Thumbs up for sure.

I'm also enjoying the heck out of this audio book...

It's a science and food based approach to why you feel the way you do.  I love it!

The Texas summer is in full effect.  This means running late in the evening to avoid the heat.  Here's a nice sunset as I was jogging through the countryside.

And in my series of nearly-empty-pools-making-everybody-jealous photos, I present to you the pool at my local gym.  Build it and they won't come?  Whatever.  I'm there!

Alright, stay safe out there and get ready for another show with Christine Lynch and soon a trip to San Diego!

ZenTri 599 - Pro Triathlete Mike Hermanson

Inside - An interview with Pro Triathlete Mike Hermanson (Website, Twitter), news, audio from two kid's triathlons, and training tips!

Alright, now for this week's happenings.  First, we went to two different kid's triathlons.  This picture is from the Moxy Tri in Austin.

Kids triathlon teams are incredible.  They get to learn three different sports and never suffer the burnout or injuries of a single sport.  If you have one in your area, I highly recommend getting your kid to try it out.

We took Kona to the second race in College Station.  He was a huge hit.

We weren't planning on it, but he turned into some kind of therapy dog.  Kids just wanted to pet him and talk to him, soothing their nerves.  Kona being there made quite a few kids feel more relaxed.

You get a lot of super high-end bikes in a kid's race that makes you wonder if Donald Trump's grandkids are there, but you also get a lot of bikes that just make you smile.  This one was a real jewel.

That's seriously one of the coolest bikes I've ever seen.  "Miss Matched" has the opposite color on every single matching part.  Love it!

It's been raining quite a bit with Tropical Storm Bill here in Texas, so I was only mildly surprised when I found a crawfish taking a jog across a parking lot.

(Raise your claw if you want more Skynyrd, man!)

A coworker and I threw it in a nearby creek.  Maybe it can live out it's duathlon dreams more safely there.

Speaking of water, the Xterra board I ordered arrived!  It came in this big box.

(What's in the box? Bones? Say it's bones. It's bones, isn't it?)

I haven't taken it out yet, but I do love having a big paddle leaning against the wall next to my bikes!

And speaking of bikes, my new riding buddy and I have been out tearing up the countryside.   

We are literally the exact same speed, so it's a real blast having a new friend to chat with for three hours nonstop.

Inspired by Jamie Patrick's attempt at the longest open water swim, I posted yet another picture of my local lap pool.

It's really funny how my pool pics drive people nuts with envy on Instagram. Seriously gang, it's not that nice!  It's pretty average, really.  And it has plenty of hair and bandaids in it to prove it.  Blech!  Maybe pool pics always look awesome when it's somebody else's pool?

Ok, that's enough for now.  Off to record another show!