Podcast - Wild Boys

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Sometimes you need to just get away from it all and take your workouts to the Great Outdoors.  This episode, join Kai and me as we mountain bike, trail run, and sometimes just sit in the rain.  Our goal was to see some wildlife and we got what we asked for!  Listen in as we cruise the woods and spot hawks, snakes, wild pigs, and even something we couldn't describe.

Shownotes!

• Kai and Brett at Lake Sommerville.
• Kai wrote a note for the bears asking for them not to eat us.

• Twitter.com/texafornia
• Doing the New Orleans 70.3.
• Donation from Augie.
• Pushing the wheelbarrow isn't hard. Thinking about it is.
• You can't control your situation, but you can control your reaction to it.
• Picture of our bikes and a link to a map!

• Soccer and trail running?
• Kai and I just listening to the woods.
• Trail running race!
• WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!
• Terrorizing little old ladies at the pool.
• Should I focus on swimming next year?

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Zen is Boring

I just stumbled across this web page and found it both funny and profound. 

I've been studying Zen for almost as long as I've been doing triathlons and continuously find parallels between the two.  Endurance sports are for training the body, Zen is for training the mind.  When somebody points out that Zen can be boring, you can definitely say the same about endurance training. 

Running or biking endless miles can be a lot like sitting and staring at a wall for hours on end.  Boring.

But there comes a turning point where you actually enjoy the long workouts.  It takes time, but you gain effeciency and eventually you want to go spend those hours just... going.

I have managed to study and learn Zen the not boring way: Subscribing to Zen podcasts and listening to them while working out.  It may not be typical, but nothing about Zen really is.  You can't corner it and define it.  There are definitely schools of Zen that teach structure and tradition, but once you get past that, it's all in your head.

I recently heard somebody say that he studied Zen for 19 years and found out he was doing it wrong.  His instructor said he himself had studied it for 20 before he realized he was doing it wrong.  Every few months I figure out that I have an aspect of it totally wrong and it changes my practice entirely.  I actually enjoy those moments because each one is like a nice little breakthrough.  Like a PR, of sorts.

Peace and Enjoy!

Area Dog Wants to Run

Area greyhound has intervention with owner, declaring the time to run is NOW.

PODCAST - Cooking Zen

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Pull up a plate and load up on some home-made goodness while we cook up some potato wedges and hummus!

Potato wedeges are great fuel for ultra-long workouts and races.  High in potassium and starch, they are pure diesel for your motor.  Hummus is a great everyday food, sporting and incredibly low glycemic index.

While we are blending ingredients, I play music from The Flyers.  I met the bassist at a Beer N' Bikes meetup.  Below are some pix of fixies from the event.

Shownotes!

• Baking home made potato wedges
• Voicemail from drew - what do you do on your rest day?
  1. Go really easy.
  2. Clean your bike and give it a safety check.
  3. Make food.
• Went mountain biking with Chris M. and he broke his taint.
• The Joke's on Me by The Flyers.
• Pulling the wedges out of the oven.
• Started using White Lightning.
• Put your iPhone in a Ziploc sandwich bag to keep it waterproof!

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PODCAST - Rocky Raccoon 50 Miler Ultra Trail Run

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This is a GREAT show with tons of audio from an epic race!  Triboomer and I ran 50 MILES in the woods of East Texas at the Rocky Raccoon 50 Mile Trail race.

Listen in for great audio from the race, tips on how to run ultras, and general insanity from this crazy race.

• Intro clip - "Colossal" by Wolfmother. Go buy their music!
• Brett and Triboomer in the car.
• Saw a guy running the 100 miler with one leg.
• I have the running zombie look.
• Triboomer has the caveman look.
• Together we are BOOMAFORNIA!
• My drink mix exploded last night.

• Made a timing chart on Tyvek paper and taped it to my wrist.

• Triboomer is racing for AthletesForACure.org and TeamWinter.org.
• Ultra chicks are HOT!
• One stretch has no aid station for 6 miles.
• Fuel - Hornet Juice, honey, Gatorade, Tylenol, and Red Bull.
• I'm like a meth head on Red Bull.
• Triboomer like Gummi Bears and caffeine pills.
• Bumped into Chris M. and Josue Stephens.
• Transition clip - "Freak on a Leash" by Korn. Go buy their music!
• Running with TriBoomer - about 20 miles in.
• Transition clip - "Gullah" by Clutch. Go buy their music!
• Interview with Gusano and Chris after the race.
• We feel like we've been hit by trucks.
• Get your bacon covered fajitas at the Bandera Grill.
• I hallucinated armadillos, Triboomer hallucinated bats.

• Triboomer's major injury.
• Triboomer had an awesome fall.
• Emily's mad at me for not being serious. Again.
• Check out books.google.com
• Got top 50% in the race.
• Finished in daylight.
• No blisters.
• Couldn't walk normally for 3 days.
• Saw a bunch of show fans. Very cool!
• The Hornet Juice rocked.
• Ultrarunning is pacing, not racing.
• Race in smooth socks, not mesh.
• Potato cubes/wedges work great.
• Bodyglide, people!
• Pour fruit punch Gatorade all over yourself, then roll in sand.
• Actionwipes RULE for clean up.
• I'm back in the groove, working out triathlon style.
• My right shoulder has sh$% itself, but I can still swim.
• Coaching rocks.

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