PowerTap Seminar

Hey guys! I put together a show containing the talk given to us by Dr. Alan Lim about how to train and race with a PowerTap. It's full of great information about how to train better and also some cool insight on working with Floyd Landis and other pro teams. Listen at the end to find out which raceAthlete looks just like Floyd. Click HERE to listen. Don't forget to send me an email (texafornia at gmail.com) with your craziest tri story to win free lactate and VO2 Max testing this spring from the Multisport Laboratory at Trivantage. You need to be going to IM Wisconsin and be able to make it to Houston several times this Spring to win. Put the word "rabbit" in the subject or message so I can put all your emails in a folder. Thanks!

• Riding in Wellborn, TX. on my fixie.


• Great weekend of running and biking.


• Cows! (Also took a picture of some Alpacas)

• Rode a Two-Niner single speed mountain bike.


• Armwarmers rule.


• Made a cold weather clothing chart for running and cycling.


• Listening to Stu's podcast while he was running in the snow.


• "Drafters".


• Lemon-Lime Gatorade + Triberry Nuun = Gatorade champagne!


• I ate half a Nuun tab. Raw.


• Contest rules and more info.


• Dr. Alan Lim starts talk...


• Just using HR monitor is not good measurement of cause-effect relationship. Measure wattage to get the cause.


• Knowing wattage simplifies your training. Tells you how much work you really did.


• A power meter helps you get more aero by telling you that you're going faster speed with less power.


• Can give you accurate measure of how many calories you burned.


• Cold weather makes you burn more calories.


• Using wattage teaches you to be more intuitive about how much you've trained.


• Racing with the PowerTap shows you how you actually raced.


• Q and A.


• How did Dr. Lim get started with this?


• He started his PhD. after already running a bike team and finding a guy that had PT prototype.


• If a PT fails, it's because water might have gotten in the battery. Wireless PTs should have no problems with that. No issues while PowerTapping during the TDF.


• Can you talk more about using wattage and perceived effort?


• P.E. is a very tested method of describing work. Used in hospitals with heart patients.


• Three reasons to use perceived effort and wattage:


• 1. to compare one person to another.


• 2. to measure improvement.


• 3. to have frame of reference for different levels of effort.


• They've decide to not use HR anymore; percieved effort is better.


• "You feel like crap because you're trying to put out 20 more watts than you've been able to do all season!"


• PT can show you that you're a great athlete, you just suck at technique. (You don't race smart.)


• This device can let you test lots of hypotheses.


• You don't go into the gym and not know how much weight you're lifting, so don't you want to know how much wattage you're pushing?


• High PE + low wattage = you are out of gas.


• Training without knowing wattage is like cooking and not knowing what temperature you're using.


• I tell story about bombing in a race because I tried to hit target AVG MPH. That was really dumb because AVG MPH is not a true indicator of effort.


• How to use PT for everyday fitness.


• How many burritos is 1000 kilojoules?


• Wireless units make it easier to switch it from bike to bike.


• CycleOps might work out deal with Garmin.


• The next level - tying wattage to geography.


• How the PT's internals actually work.


• Is there an instrument like this on the run? No.


• Lim gives interesting view of methodology on using the PT during racing. Pro Cycling racing is very different from non-drafting triathlons.


• Using the PT to be as good as Lance: 470 watts for 10 minutes. They new by Tour of Georgia that they were within two minutes to being as good as Armstrong.


• Interesting conversation about different perspectives on training.


• Dr. Lim says he trains his guys by giving them a color code.


• Roman thinks bike computers suck. Lim says you should listen to your body more.


• Use duration, how much work, and average power output.


• Dr. Lim tells a butt joke.


• Floyd looks like who?


• Zen drums.

On the Mic

As promised, here's the graph from my lactate testing done in Boulder, Co. Click on it or HERE to view full size.

Ok, on with the show. I was testing out several different mic setups during a bike ride and decided to record a show along the way. You can listen to it HERE. There is lots of wind noise through most of the show, but it is tolerable and you can still hear me clearly through it. I would never record a normal show riding into the wind like I did, so it actually wasn't that smart of an idea. Endure that, and you will eventually make it to some very clear audio bits and a nice segment about me meditating with a Zen dude towards the end. Show notes are as follows:

• Using different mic modes. Need feedback (comment on blog about best setup, please!)


• I go into stealth mode because I don't feel like racing dogs.


• Cold ride, but not too cold with nice gear.


• Switching from stereo conference mode to stereo dictation mode.


• Waving at farmers.


• It's too windy!


• Silverman Triathlon relay prize is good for the sport. Go Tyler!


• Yelling for echos under a bridge.


• More cyling exposure on TV leads to fewer car-vs.-bike accidents.


• Voicemails from Jetpack and Rambonie at NYC Marathon.


• Armwarmers are tri-geek cool.


• Voicemail from two stoners.


• Pit bull story.


• Cell phone cut off due to non-payment. Hope I don't need it!


• I'm a furry triathlete.


• Voicemail from Brian in New Hampshire about my leg/foot.


• Newsflash! I might die someday! I'd rather know than not know, you know?


• I almost broadside a Toyota FJ Cruiser.


• Contest for free testing at Multisport Labratory at Trivantage.


• Cajuns are crazy. (duh)


• Symptoms of caffeine sensitivity.


• Toenail's about to come off.


• Bikelanes can be used for evil!


• Horses can have microwaves in their butts.


• I've got poison ivy in my "swimsuit area".


• How to steal and use honey.


• I go to a meditation class and learn that hot pregnant chicks and dudes in Zen robes are very distracting.


• Meditation helps with triathlon training.


• Bonus audio.

Triathlete vs. the Mountain

Sometimes you have to get away from it all and sometimes you have REALLY get away from it all and go live like a furry woodland creature in the mountains for a few days. Listen to this podcast and join me, John, and Marcus as we go backpacking along the Ozark Highlands Trail in Arkansas. It is a very remote area and incredibly rough terrain, so survival is something you actually have to work at.

What makes the trip so cool is the complete removal from civilization. It's a real weird feeling getting back in your car, with all it's gauges and lights, after using logs and rocks for tools and furniture for four days straight. Not only was it extremely cold, but we had to carry all of our own shelter and food and we also had to purify water along the way.

I love going backpacking in the triathlon off-season so I can use my fitness for fun. Being in great shape makes lugging around a 50 lb. pack a lot easier and in return makes it much more fun to do all the other details involved with surviving in the woods.

There are tons of pictures and videos coming, but I only have a few available at this time. Check them out by visiting the flickr link to the right or by clicking here. There will be much more coming in the next few weeks. (I have to get the files from John.) In the meantime, listen to the podcast and enjoy the shownotes below!

• Hillbilly music is "I'm Neil Young" by The New Autonomous Folk Singers.


• Earl, Gascan, and Bulldog huddle together in the cold, ready for the next day's trek.


• Brett records the stream sounds at Salt Fork Creek.


• Brett and John eating PB&J on bagels on top of Potato Knob Mountain.


• Brett gets sappy-sentimental with his backpack heritage.


• Brett demos GPS for Backpacking.


• John yelling for motivation.


• Brett, Marcus, and John sitting on a rock in the the middle of a stream, getting ready to hang a bear bag and eat dinner.


• Buddha needs coffee!


• Giant bramble bushes.


• Putting duct tape over blisters.


• Sitting on an abandoned railroad bed on a mountaintop.


• John's knee is giving out. He can go uphill, but not down.


• Gunshots all around us.


• Adjusting Marcus's attitude.


• Brett's toenails start falling out.


• Bouldering with Marcus.


• Spent the night at Salt Fork Creek.


• Rain!


• Big animal came through camp at night.


• More rain!


• Let Marcus lead up mountain.


• Mexican food in Arkansas is weak.


• Guy commited suicide on freeway right before we drove by.


• Walking in the house after being gone six days.


• Voicemails!

Gone Backpackin’

I'm going to the Ozarks to rediscover the Real Manly Man that's been buried under too many layers of spandex and safety yellow reflectors for far too long. This will entail hauling a 50 lb. pack for four days up and down mountains as I dodge ravenous beasts and filter water from raging waterfalls. Pray for my safety as I brave freezing temperatures and...

Ok, I couldn't keep that up for long. Yeah, it's rugged and remote, but I'll be drinking coffee and gourmet snacks out of that 50 lb. pack. There's bears and drunk hunters, but that's probably safer than angry pedestrians and drunk drivers.

I really wish I could be near some sort of media so I can follow all of you studs and studdettes doing the NYC Marathon, but T-Mobile hasn't found a way to bring phone service to the marmots and porcupines of the Ozark Highlands and still make money. Apparently, "critters" have bad credit! Not only is that racist, but it might even be species-ist! I won't find out how everybody did until next Tuesday.

I talk often about using your tri-fitness to really enjoy the off-season. I'm practicing what I preach and I promise to bring back lots of photos and audio from the trip.

All you runners be careful and enjoy that 26.2 mile stroll!

Halloween Run

Roxy (my greyhound) and I go for an early morning run as I talk about a variety of topics and play music. It was hot and humid with lightning all around. Of course, the hottest topic was a phone call between myself and Stean about VAAM; an endurance formula made from Japanese Killer Hornet saliva.

• "I'll buy that for a dollar" by the Casket Salesmen.


• How to pick a dog for your morning run.


• Cody hates being put outside.


• Friends accidentally go kayaking in poop.


• What stuff do I put in IM special needs bags?


• What fuel does IM Wisconsin use on course?


• Texans don't know how to use sunscreen


• I call a friend about VAAM Japanese Killer Hornet Spit and he drops the F bomb all over the place.


• Backpacking in the Ozarks on the OHT.


• 3 mile loops are awesome.


• Recorder battery dies.


• Should we call my new heavy metal band Black Goat or Angels with Knives? (leave a comment and vote!)


• "Monsters" by Goat. Happy Halloween!