Training Tip - Ditch the Water Bottle on Your Run

"Training/Racing Tips" is a new category I'm starting in my blog to help share what I've learned or been told by others. Arguably the most important portion of any tri blog or podcast, this is the stuff that can make your training and racing much more enjoyable.

I have a huge backlog of these that I'll release over time. You'll be able to filter for them by checking this category on the right side of the blog. Here's the first:

I used to run with a water bottle in my hand on my longer runs. It's not a terrible idea - it keeps you really hydrated and and they even make hand straps for this purpose, so I'm not the only one, right?

I changed this behavior after two discoveries:

1. You really don't need water for anything less than an hour of consecutive running. I used to run with water in hand for short 30 minute runs, overdoing fueling with the gatorade calories, and not losing weight, until I read somewhere that an hour at a time is doable. I tried it. They were right. I also run by my house every hour on long runs and can rehydrate/refuel then.


2. I would drink my water bottle down to about a third full and then jam it halfway in the back of my running short's waistband. Not only did it look like I took a space-dump in my britches, but then my form and speed would improve drastically.

Lately, I've been running with my trusty old fuelbelt with two water flasks and it works much better.  I chug a bunch of water right before I leave, drink those flasks over the next hour (sometimes filled with ice by leaving them in the freezer overnight), then chug more water and refuel them when I swing by my house again. Works like a charm. My running is faster and my form is much improved. Result - happy triathlete!

Watch Shows as They are Made

I keep a running list of show topics as they come to me. I jot them down over the period of a week or two and them assemble them into the infamous "show notes stuffed in my bike shorts" just moments before I head out the door to record a show.

I've always found the list compilation process interesting. You too can check it out! You can follow the "Making a Show" link at the top of the blog to hit a dynamic list of show topics and preview what might be in the next show. It's an interesting view into how Zentri comes together and some behind-the-scenes info.

Time Trials are Wicked Fresh

Remember how people say that you should do hard workouts and easy workouts?  If you want a hard workout, check THIS out:

My local bike club holds summer time trials every Wednesday night.  It's 20K (12.4 miles) of all-out, break-your-freakin'-cranks, kill-yourself-because-it's-only-20k racing. Riders are sent out at one minute intervals, slowest first, fastest last.

My fitness testing at Trivantage last year put my MAX heart rate on the bike in the low 170's.  I cracked that glass ceiling at my first TT last week.  I hit that with about 10 minutes to go and maxed out at 176 bpm.  It was the hardest I'd ridden in a long time.  I'd call that a hard workout.

I showed up today, sore as hell again (ah, the woes of a triathlete) and the crowd had tripled.  A Kona contender was there along with even more roadie geeks.   I didn't go any faster, but my HR maxed out at 179, averaging at 171.  I was averaging last year's max for 33 minutes!

Here's my strategy - ride the time trials every week as my hard bike workout, everything else on the bike is base mileage.  The motivation of the crowd, trying to beat people, trying to catch the guy in front of you and not get caught from behind... that's hard core.  If you got time trials in your neck of the woods, you should check them out!

At some point, my stars will line up and I won't be completely fatigued and sore at the starting line from all the other running training I do.  I'm guessing I can up my average speed by at least 1 mph.  Ah, goals.

I Need Help!

I now remember what was wrong with this template - page errors when jumping to certain links (Like the "Support Zentri" one at the top). I found some vague instructions on how to fix it, tried, and failed.

Can a coding wizard check it out and give suggestions? Here is the link to what is wrong. Below is the offending section of code. Whoever helps me fix it will get a HUGE shout out on the show! I've tried several variations of that suggestion and I'm stuck. Post short answers in the comments or send your code suggestions to texafornia at the gmails.

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Site Redesign Underway

I'm thanking the Zen stars for the blog trend to be veering away from the jammed, narrow, cluttered-as-hell look that was popular for a few years. Things are starting to spread back out and make more use of the page space, and I couldn't be happier. Take a look at Zenhabits.net for an example.

I dug around for an updated theme to install and came across my old favorite. In fact, when I reactivated it, it put back some old sponsors and other jazz that we hadn't seen on Zentri for quite a while.

It will take a bit to re-org things and make them look right. I have a slight fear that this theme won't work and that's why I left it in the first place, but we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, enjoy my list of why I changed:

• The old theme was cramped and the font was too small. This one is just more "Zen".


• I had to shrink the pictures to make them fit, making them pixelated.


• Black is more environmentally friendly. Uses less watts. Check out Blackle.com to learn more.

• The default banner for this theme is strikingly like a photo taken of myself training on a fixie while riding with Triboomer and Trigreyhound. I'll eventually change the banner image to the classic "Zoned out tri-geeks wandering like lemmings to the water", but something about the stock one rings true with me. BTW, Trigreyhound is giving the local police hell for harassing a cyclist. Check it out here.