Podcast - Periodization 101

Click Here to Listen to the Show!

Mike Ricci joins us again to explain how periodization works.  We look at how to plan the year for your best race performance months from now.

I also take you with me to Jessi Stensland's Movement U. class and the opening of Tri Shop in Dallas.  I snag interviews with Jessi and Trent, one of the co-owners of Tri Shop.  We also wrap up the show with 45 minutes of the Training Log, where I take you with me for a week's worth of Ironman training.

And don't forget to sign up for ZenTri Base Camp and save your spot here!

Click here to listen or download

ZenTri Base Camp Registration is OPEN!

Oh, WOW!  If you are wanting to make 2012 the best year of your triathlon life, you have to come and learn from some of the top experts at ZenTri Base and Nutrition Camp!  We offer four days of hang time with Angela Naeth, Jessi Stensland, John Hirsch, Rich Roll, Christine Lynch, and Brett Blankner.

Held in San Diego, January 13th-16th, you can't ask for a better place to enjoy learning how to get faster and healthier.  

"Wait, did you say Angela Naeth?"  YES!  We are extremely excited to announce Angela as our newest coach!

No matter how fast, slow, old, or young you are, every minute of this camp is priceless.  Each day is jam-packed with personal attention from the coaching staff to fix your issues, increase your potential, and enjoy the inspiration of spending quality time with extremely talented athletes.

We pick the coaches based on equal parts performance and personality.  The experience we offer is simply magical because there is no rush and no division between you and the staff.  We talk together, share stories, train together, eat together, watch video analysis of each others' form, and on and on.  This is everybody's off-season, so the coaches have the time to spend on YOU.  If you want quality time with true experts, this is your camp!

Find out more about the camp and register here.  We can't wait to see you in San Diego!

Review - Pearl Izumi Iso Transition

Below is a guest post by ZenTri friend and Coach Matthew Bates.  Thanks, Matty B!

The Iso Transition is Pearl Izumi’s first real foray into triathlon specific shoes.  Right off, it is loaded with features to make life easier and to help you race faster. Pearl Izumi enlisted two-time Ironman Tim DeBoom to help design the shoes and his ideas created an absolute rocket. 

The three most notable features for me while racing in them were the comfort of the seamless upper, the built-in speed laces, and the drains built into the midsole. All three of these play together well and bear the marks of a shoe designed by someone who has raced extensively. The shoes are also incredibly light, weighing a scant 221g for a size 9. The sacrifices in weight also come with a lack of stability, so this is not a shoe for everyone.  Without any spec’s listed, they seem to have about a 10mm drop from heel to toe.

Overall, if you want a fast, light shoe built specifically for triathlon and are looking for that next PR, then this shoe could be your ticket.

Coach Matty B's Ranking of Approval (CMBRA)

Performance 5/5

Comfort 5/5

Value 4/5

Overall 5/5

Cost $115

Review - VITABand ID and Money Bracelet

VITAband has been patiently waiting for our review on their wristband, and now we're ready! I wore it through hundreds of miles of swimming, biking, running, and even an Ironman triathlon so that it would be an honest test. I only took it off for a total of 30 seconds in the past three months, so this is as authentic as a review can get!

What is it? It's like a high-tech version of the common Road-ID bracelet. If you're out and about and something happens to you where somebody needs your medical and family information, they can call the phone number on it and find out everything they need to know. But that is just the start.  There is also a bank card chip inside that you can swipe at most gas stations and fast food joints to pay for drinks, food, or any other emergencies.

How did it perform? Like i said, I wore the VITAband 24-7 through intense Ironman training and race day and I am able to pay it the highest compliment I have; I forgot I had it on unless I saw it. It was completely unobtrusive and out of the way, giving me all of the security I needed with no hassle, whatsoever.  It is made out of the same silicone as the ubiquitous Livestrong bracelets, so it is both tough and comfortable.

VITAband allows you to put money on the swipeable chip via a website, and I put $20 on mine. It was truly a cool experience to go into a gas station and get a cold bottle of water with a swipe of the wrist.

The overall package is pretty sweet.  You can update your medical info via a web page, and you can do the same with adding more money to the chip.  When you actually remember that you have it on, you feel very smart and about as safe as you can reasonably be and still be out and about and having fun.

If you like all of the above, and I certainly did, then you should check the VITAband out.  It comes in a variety of colors and two sizes, so it's easy to get one that matches your kit.  Find out more about it on their website here.

Podcast - Kona 2011 Review

Click Here to Listen to the Show!

Join in as Mike Ricci and I review the performances of the world's best at Kona.  We look at how the winners did everything right and other strategies by many of the other racers.  And of course, you get more than a half hour of The Training Log.

Show notes: 

• Mike Ricci and I review Kona champs.
• Trail running with Brett.
• Why you want to train on trails if you are going to do an Ultra.
• How to set up long run loop.
• Local wildlife - deer and road runners.
• Quitting caffeine.
• First cold run of the year.
• Using the Myorope.
• First cold swim of the year.
• How to swim every workout to get faster.
• Racing in the S.O.S. Triathlon!
• Night run.
• How to train for triathlon for the rest of your life.
• Hard run using Suunto training effect.
• Check out Myorope.com!