Cancellara Becomes Energizer's New Bunny?

People are starting to theorize that the pro peloton is "doping" by putting electric motors in the down tubes of their bikes.  Check out this vid.

In the video, activating the motor creates a whining sound like Landis being turned down for Radio Shack and the effect is the same - everybody can hear it.  I really doubt Cancellara is doing it, but damn, pro cyclists have used kinds of doping that amazes the Devil himself.  When I tell people that putting a testosterone patch on your taint is small potatoes; these guys are IV-ing themselves with fresh blood from who-knows-where, the reaction is almost as strong as the denial from the cyclists themselves.  

Some pros will do anything to stay competitive, so drape garlic around your neck and sleep with one eye open, lest a Cat 1 vampire will descend upon your bed under the moonlight for a fresh supply of "victory juice" or maybe just a re-up on some batteries.

Watch the video and vote in the comments if you think Fabulous Fabian is motorized or not.

Rolling Bike Stand Review

"How long do I have to wait before I can pee on this box?"

I was at The Container Store in Austin this weekend and picked up this rolling bike stand for $29.99.  After sufficient approval from our cat resident Zen Master, it was quickly assembled and put to work.

I have to say that the simple instructions were a nice breather from the usual over-complicated crap out there.  Construction was solid and the darn thing does exactly what it is supposed to do.

I quickly hid my bike and my non-wife authorized purchase in the guest room while I tried to figure out how I could explain yet more money spent on bikes to the boss-lady.

"What bike? That's a new sewing machine, honey."

So the stand is good stuff. The rolling part is nice, but not totally necessary.  You can't resist rolling it though.  Not sure why.  Maybe we should tell them that a bike already has wheels.  The best part is that it allows you to put a bike into a narrow slot without leaning it against furniture or walls and getting bike grease all over the place.  

Video - Open Water Swimming and Adventure Paddling in Lake Travis, Austin

Several of us hit Lake Travis in Austin for the inaugural ZenTri open water swim clinic.  This video is from the shore, with some amazing views.  The lake was a fantastic location, and we had a blast.

We didn't just swim, but also did some paddling on top of surfboards.  It's much safer than swimming, you go farther, and the mechanics work the same muscles as swimming.  Below is the GPS track from us paddling all the way across the Lake.

"Hey, let's see if we can get murdered by a Jet Ski."

Once we had our confidence up, we thought it would be a crime if we didn't act like aquanauts and go exploring the coastline on our fiberglass spacecraft.  Should we go north towards the unknown or east towards the naked beach known as Hippie Hollow?  

"Naked people! ...Ew, naked people."

Of course, we went east.  As you can determine from our GPS track stopping as soon as we got there, there is much truth to the saying, "The people who hang out at a naked beach are usually the ones that shouldn't."

With our swim shorts securely in place, we paddled back and then went home.  We came back for a second day of swimming (the day the video was shot) and totaled around 6 miles of swimming for the weekend.  Big thanks to @BrucknerChase for the heads up on the paddling trick.

POP Your Way Through Workouts You Don’t Feel Like Doing

We have a real treat today, rockstars! Below is the first guest posting by our friend, Bob Calabritto.  He is a guest columnist for Cosmopolitan Magazine ("A Guy's Perspective") and has a very knowledgable athletic background.  Let's dive in!

POP Your Way Through Workouts You Don’t Feel Like Doing
Bob Calabritto, exclusively for ZenTriathlon.com

Every athlete has been there - facing a training session dead in the eye, dreading the thought of what’s to come, walking the psychological tightrope that separates getting it done from “I’ll make up for it tomorrow.”   Often times we are able to clear that hurdle and begin the training, only to have that monster of mediocrity continue to cast uninspired waves of dread within our heads, allowing even the smallest unplanned event - someone jumping in our lane, a red light that refuses to turn green, a foot plant in dog poo - to cause us to pull the pin on the session and think “it’s just not meant to be today.” 

Every athlete has been there, yes. Every athlete has also been in that place where we didn’t feel like getting to the gym, or doing that run or swim or bike, but we did it. We felt we were never going to pull it from within us to begin the session, let alone finish it and it turned out to be one of the better session we had. The lethargy turned to energy. The energy turned to enthusiasm and the enthusiasm turned into a high. You experienced what I like to call a SODA “POP”. 

All those wonderful ‘feel-good’ chemicals in your brain - Serotonin, Oxytocin, Dopamine and Adrenalin - which were previously suppressed because of your mental state, popped to life after you began and finished your work-out.  Finishing those training sessions, the one’s you didn’t feel like doing in the first place, are some of the most rewarding.

So next time you are on the fence, contemplating aborting a particular session or if things aren’t exactly going as planned during a session or even a race, think about that SODA POP feeling you will get when you finish. Imagine the words SODA POP written on a huge sign in your brain and feel that feeling whenever you look at that sign.   POP your way through that workout and pat yourself on the back for behaving like a champion. 

Zen Running - The Line where Two Worlds Meet

I often wish I lived somewhere else, but the rural Texas scene does have its upsides.

I was out on a two hour run in the evening heat and had to stop and take the above picture; Endless quiet blacktop laid out in front of me and cows and horses grazing all around.  

There was a profoundness of the moment that struck me. I used to despise running. Actually, most swimmers do. But with a different viewpoint and some experience, I was not only enjoying myself, but I could understand a little bit of the Dean Karnazes mindset.

Being able to run long distances and having the venue to do so represents freedom, and every step you take is immediate biofeedback confirming it. In front of you is the Unknown in the shape of pain, heat, dangerous animals, and traffic. Behind you is experience, knowledge, wisdom, training, momentum, and Karma. Where they meet, well that's the firebranding of the Truth.

Truth is when you test your mettle and see what it's actually made of. You have every opportunity to quit, to turn back, and to give into fear, so every step forward is reaffirming that you are indeed what you thought you were.  

Long runs become a dance between what you think and what is.  Where you are right, that's how far you go.  It doesn't matter if it's Texas, Australia, or Antartica; the discovering of where is that line is exactly the same.

Enjoy your run.