Four Ways to Train Effortlessly; All Gain with No Pain

Zen teaches about how to attain effortless movement throughout the day.  You must learn to stop fighting your mind and use it as a resource instead.  Write down your tasks and get them out of your head to turn your brain into an idea machine instead of a stressed-out task holder with no more room to keep up with all the work to be remembered.

In the same way, you can transform how you approach your workouts to turn them into a resource instead of work.  Here's a few methods that are proven to work:

• Bike and run to explore an area, not just to burn calories.  Exploring is tons of fun and you learn a lot at the same time.  Go down new streets and pay attention and you'll notice all kinds of information that can help you daily.
• Run as meditation.  Ditch the iPod and just run.  Bring a piece of paper and pen or a voice recorder and jot down all the tasks and ideas that come to you while you go.  After a while, they'll all be gone and you'll have a clear head.  Repeat often.
• Swim like a fish.  Personally, I like to imagine that I'm flying like a bird over the ground or I'm in zero gravity.  However you do it, just play.  Doing this is a fantastic way to get yourself into the pool and warmed up.
• Bike to work.  Do this and you'll save gas, arrive at work more energized, and also be putting in time towards training hours.  

A big question is, "How hard should I go when training effortlessly?"  The answer may be individual, but what works best for many is to go at an earnest effort, but not too hard.  Go like you have someplace to be and you don't want to be late, but you're not going to kill yourself over it.  Imagine you're trying to catch a TV show that is your favorite, but you've already seen it many times, so it's not the end of the world if you miss it.

The trick is to turn workouts into something you want to do instead of what you have to do.  Once you figure out these methods, you can train for something as big as Kona and not get stressed out about it.

How do you train effortlessly?

Podcast - Running Wild

Coach Brett with Will Laughlin in Boulder, CO.

Hey there, all you tri-studs and studettes! This episode has two great interviews to kick it off:  The first is with ultra runner Will Laughlin, where he details his adventures crewing at Badwater and his own run of 200 miles while we hang out at Whole Foods in Boulder.  Next up, we catch pro triathlete James Bonney in Austin at Jack and Adam's while he's getting fit to a new bike after being hit by a car.

After that, there's plenty of "roadside psychology" as I talk about Zen training tips and methods while training at the Ironman level of our great sport.  Join in and let's have some fun!

Hanging out with Jack at Jack & Adam's Tri Shop in Austin

Title sponsor of this show is FLUID recovery drink.  20% off with discount code "ZenTri".  Go ahead and try it!

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Zombie Running - Good, Bad, or just "What it is"?

New spokesperson for barefoot running?

When you go out for a run, you can either get truly engaged with the workout or mentally "zone out" and just get it done.  Today, let's cover the positives and negatives of what I call "zombie running" and come to some conclusions.

Zombie Running:

The Good - When you "zone out", you think you might actually be "in the zone" and a perfect state to be exercising, similar to meditation.  Things don't seem to bother you and you can just go and go... as long as you keep hydrating and fueling correctly.  Also, you simply don't notice things that would bother most people, allowing you to get the job done.  It does work to get in plenty of volume.

The Bad - Being brain dead doesn't make running all that fun, does it?  And if you aren't really paying attention, you tend to do things that hurt you in the long run.  You'll ignore pain, forget to hydrate and fuel, and even go too far and overreach your potential.

The "What it is" - Mentally checking out and running like a zombie to get through a workout is more of a symptom of other issues than anything else.  In comparison, running "in the zone" is more of a heightened sense of awareness and slowing down the sense of time because it's so good, not because you would rather not even think about it.  

If you find that you are actually performing like a zombie and less like a Zen apprentice, it would be wise to review your nutrition, sleep, and fatigue to see if your zombie-like state is indicating that you need some fixing of your foundation.

Do you have any experience with "zombie running" or opinions about what it means?  Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Scape Sunscreen Review

 I've been lucky enough to be using Scape sunscreen for around a month now and I think we've got a winner on our hands (skin). This stuff is seriously awesome.

Scape's website states it's:

• 5X more waterproof than any other product on the market
• Will not rub off and go into your eyes
• Breathable – allows the skin to breathe and keep body temperature down and doesn’t clog pores
• Has the highest UVA protection on the market
• Loaded with vitamin E and antioxidants to protect and nourish the skin

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Ironman is About What You Do Today, Not at the Starting Line.

“What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now.” ~Buddha

If the training was easy, then anybody could be an Ironman.  The difference between the hopefuls and the world's endurance elite is in how far they'll go to get the job done.  The world will constantly throw roadblocks in your path.  If it isn't inconvenient training locations and late night parties, then it's amputated limbs, ALS, insulin dependent diabetes, even cancer.  We've seen it all and we've seen people beat those difficulties to get the job DONE.

I'm writing this after sweating like crazy on the 10th floor of a hot hotel room, after cranking out an hour on rollers while watching 300 - the movie about Spartan warriors.  They remind me of how you have to have a single-purpose focus, the dedication, the drive to win.  That's the drive that makes you drag your bike and trainer up the elevator and not give a sh*t about the looks the other people give you.  They're not Ironmen.  Except that one guy - he looked at me with a knowing smile and nod...  He's one of us.

It's not the getting up and throwing on the running shoes for the Saturday morning run after a nice breakfast that makes the difference.  That's easy, no matter how far you go.  It's the running in a cold rainstorm and heavy wind, barely making it to work on time that defines who you really are.  You did it because you said you would.  You did it because it's on your plan.  You did it because you are separating yourself from the zombie-world around you.  

This is what it takes.  This is what is revealed at the starting line.  Your Ironman race starts today.