A Week in the Life (and Suunto T6 Review)

Howdy! I kick off this show by testing out the Suunto T6 on a freezing bike ride, giving a book review, then playing music and audio from my workouts from the rest of the week. The show finishes with Emily and I running at the world-famous Town Lake in Austin, TX.  Make sure you check out the show notes and interactive pictures linked below!

• On the Bike - freezing cold, testing out Suunto T6


• Get a book emailed to you chapter by chapter from www.dailylit.com. I'm reading "The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind" by Gustave Le Bon and finding similarities between crowd psychology and podcasting, Web 2.0, and so much more.


• Swim practice - Emily picks me up after swim practice and I talk about how the local swim coach asks how I got my form so good. I tell him about Mike Ricci evaluating my stroke using a video camera. Other swimming tips: how to keep your workout handy, stay warmer in cold water, and make your gear last, and what to eat after practice. Emily also talks about her latest run with our dogs.


• Working on the bike - I switch out pedals on my rest day while musing about past workouts. I ran in near-freezing rain and remember how extreme a sport triathlon really is. Check out my training stats at TrainingPeaks.com.


• How I lost my swimsuit and how to be manly while buying a new Speedo.


• I bought a series of drawers and created a triathlon organization system. It saves tons of time because I can workout instead of wasting time looking for gear. Go here to drift your mouse over the picture and descriptions will pop up.


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• I go running with Cody and talk about how we cooked Fiesta Island Chicken! (Take taco seasoning, yogurt, and cracker crumbs and mix it all together. Rub chicken breasts in this and bake at 350 for one hour with no top. Deee-lish!)


• Apple introduced the iPhone. Check out the demos!


• A good way to discipline your dogs is to take them for runs.


• Mike Ricci's philosophy on how to fit in all your workouts.


• Music - "Return of D" by Slackstring (Podshow Music Network)


• I'm back out on the bike at night doing interval workouts.


• Prof. Erich will be joing me and TriGreyhound at Trivantage next week.


• Check out the Jetpack show!


• Get lights for night biking and get lots of extra time to work out.


• I muse about the change in temperatures for the warmer which makes swimming more fun.


• What do you wear to swim practice in the early morning? Pajamas!


• I find my disease-infested hair brush in the pool parking lot after it had been there for many days.


• I almost have an altercation at the pool with a 62 year-old grandmother.


• Emily brings my shirt to work.


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• Suunto T6 ritual opening. The wheel skewer bike computer is cool! Go here to drift your mouse over the pictures and descriptions will pop up.


• Emily and I go running at Town Lake in Austin during a winter storm warning.


• We watched the Improv Comedy group ColdTowne the night before. They were really cool and some of them met with us after the show.


• Ate breakfast at the famous Magnolia Cafe.


• We witness the speed of average Austin runners.


• Emily uses a HR monitor for the first time.


• Closing music - "Place to Be" by Slackstring.

Apple introduces the iPhone - Say hello to your new Master.

I cruised the Apple site and checked out the demo for the new iPhone today and was blown away by the user interface. Un-freakin'-believable.

I used to have a Tmobile Sidekick, which won all kinds of design awards because it was put together by a team of Apple ex-patriots. That device was slick and the user interface was spectacular. It's the only Apple device that I've even remotely owned and I can see why the company has fans.

Zentri has listeners deep inside Apple HQ (Hi, Mike!) and I know they're reading this when I say "Holy sh*t, that's an awesome phone!" Seriously, good job guys. Even a coworker of mine who strongly dislikes Apple said that the phone is spectacular and will shake the industry at it's core. I can't wait for my current cell contract to expire so I can get one.

Check it out yourself. What do you think?

The Quickening

Happy new year all you Tri-studs and Studettes! On today's show I take you for a bike ride as I begin my training for Ironman Wisconsin and cover a ton of topics. Follow along as training kicks into gear and the pieces start to come together.  Also, I have several announcements, so tune in and check out the show notes below!

• Greyhound won the Trivantage fitness testing contest with a Star Wars-esque audio entry.


• I will be interviewing Catra Corbett soon for the Rocky Raccoon 100 in Huntsville, TX.


• Cav is getting married in Austrailia, sent voicemail ragging on Northern Hemisphere and recommending a book called "Working Out Working Within" by Jerry Lynch.


• Tornados tore up my part of Texas the other day and there was a dude with spurs on in the crapper.
  (link to article)


• I play audio from helping Emily on a run and me on a bike ride recording an unreleased podcast on New Years day.


• Heidi from Seattle reminded me that the meandering bike ride shows are the best.


• Things laying on me is a trend at my house.


• Suunto will be sending me gear to use. Call 512-CRY-DELI and leave me a voicemail saying how you pronounce "Suunto" and I'll play it on the next show.


• Coach Adam gave me a cow for Xmas. He signed me up to sponsor Maverick the Bull at www.farmsanctuary.org. It's all about the IM MOO baby!


• Cows and horses give good interviews.


• Mythbusters trained a fish to do an underwater obstacle course and it remembered it for a month.


• Drew gives us audio from his training lab in Bend, OR.


• Voicemails from Gabe and Dan.


• I actually get disoriented on my bike.


• I skipped a run this week because I felt too fatigued. How did I know?


• The 5th sport of triathlon is Scheduling.


• Follow my training at http://www.trainingpeaks.com/texafornia


• Thanks again for all y'all that listen to the show!

Interview with a Zen Buddhist

We talk a lot about Zen on this show, but what is it really? Well, we have a real Zen Buddhist practitioner in our midst and she offered us an interview from beautiful Hawaii! Julia tells us what it's all about as I ask her lots of the questions you've always wanted answered. Check out the show notes below for details!

• Julia (Mangohead on Triscoop.com) tells us her athletic background.


• She swam Bay to Breakers in San Francisco


• Keeps tearing her miniscus, but rehabs by swimming and cycling.


• How did Julia become a Zen Buddhist? By teaching English in Japan.


• She ended up in Boston, decided the cold weather sucked and moved to Hawaii to study Japanese studies with a focus on Zen Buddhism.


• A lot of Americans get into Zen through books first.


• The three sects of Zen - Rinzai (they practice Koans), Soto (simply sitting and focusing on breath), Obaku , and then Julia's. What was julias?


• How does a typical Japanese triathlete incorporate Zen into her daily life in comparison to a Western Christian?


• Just like Westerners, a Zen Buddhist may never go to temple, go once a month, once a week, or even almost every day. It depends on the person.


• What attracts Westerners to Zen?


• Would Americans like Zen so much if they had to practice all the structure that really comes with it?


• Julia describes seeing a Catholic nun bowing to a Buddha statue and hearing Zen being Americanized into hymns.


• Julia finds Zen has taught her to really listen to people and be aware of her surroundings.


• You can have Zen moments while open water swimming and rock climbing.


• I describe Zen's versions of Heaven and Hell and how I answered my own Koan, "If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?" Yes it does. Well, for me anyway, at least on that day.


• We talk about the Japanese barefoot running monks. They run a marathon a day over and over again. Zen has a history of focus on breathing and paying attention to the moment. Great for practicing proper triathlon training technique.


• Julia and I trade stories on how meditation is like long distance training and vice versa.


• Julia describes how breathing excercises in the pool help relax her.


• How to play Sharks and Minnows.


• Check out Urban Dharma. He has a cool podcast.


• Julia talks about the differences between American and Japanese culture.


• Don't read so much about Zen. Just do it!


• Try being more "in the moment" by leaving your iPod at home on your next run.


• How to give without expectations.


• Examples of removing yourself from your normal environment and going on a pilgramige. It's more common than you think!


• Julia recommends Robert Aitkin's books "Taking the Path" and "The Chi of Running".

Base Training Music

Howdy, Tri-folks! This episode is a collection of music played from past episodes. This is the slower-paced stuff, perfect for hitting the road for a 100 mile bike ride or that 20 mile weekend run. Put these tunes on your MP3 player and enjoy the base training you need for the New Year!

Songs (most can be found at music.podshow.com):

1. "Bikeride" by SCANLAN


2. "I am not Afraid" by Majek Fashek


3. "Pendulum" by The Toasters


4. "Babylon System" by Soul Captian remixed by The Powersteppers


5. "Like a Magnet" by Amplifico


6. "Buddha Bill (Smashing Dandelions Mix)" Submitted by a listener/artist Gordon from the Isle of Tiree, Scotland.


7. "Pent Up" by CBA


8. "Gates of Dub" by the Powersteppers


9. "I'm Neil Young" by The New Autonomous Folk Singers


10. "The Secrecy of Science" by Kalahari Surfers


11. "Monsters" by Goat (from the Halloween 2006 episode)


12. "Search for Zen" by Mangomad


13. "Dangermouse" by Dangerdoom


14. "Latin Song" by Psifi


15. "Rogue was in the Piano" by Aegis


16. "The Swimming Song" by Blue Dew


17. "Baja Taxi" by Brain Buckit (classic show intro and outro)