Podcast - Ironbaby 2014 (Self-Supported Ironman)

For the 10th annual Ironbaby, Phil Smith and I headed out to do a full 140.6, totally self-supported.  We ended up doing 141.1 miles in total. Do they make a sticker for that?

Above is the swim start at Lake Bryan.  We had to swim beyond the fog on the far side and all the way back.  

Water temps were great.  I measured them the day before at arount 68 degerees F.

Being a good RD and measuring the water temps the day before Ironbaby...

 

After the swim, we changed into our biking gear in a parking lot.  Air temperature was around 50 degrees.  

Kai took an "art pic" of my bike while I was swimming and filtered it to black and white.  Not bad for 10 years old!

The bike course was beautiful!  I really enjoyed it, looking forward to hosting Ultrababy next year.  The pic is a little blurry, but I'm still looking fast in my Amrita kit.

There is a bison ranch on the bike route.  Pretty cool to see the buffalo out cruising around.

A photo posted by @zentriathlon on Nov 11, 2014 at 12:34pm PDT

With the bike over, it was time to head out on the run.  I changed into regular running clothes and added a bandana for extra sun protection.   We had beer on tap for the fans and friends and lots of kids came by to hang out, too.

 The run is nine laps of a three-mile loop.  Another aid station is at the far end, making for water and food every 1.5 miles. Tradition is to mark the driveway with sidewalk chalk every time you make a lap.

I got a little sick and ended up doing the run/walk thing for a 13 hour finish.  In the podcast there is audio of Kai and I running together across the finish line.

Phil finished a little while later.  They dragged me out of bed (still feeling sick) and got this funny photo.

Big thanks to New Republic Brewery for helping out with being the aid station on the far end of the bike course this year!  This is a pic of us stopping by the day before the race to "inspect" the course.

It was a great day and the course was fantastic.  I still need to work on drinking more water with my fuel to keep from getting sick on the run.  Lots of time to practice before Ultrababy next year.  

A few days later, I tried to get on my bike for a short workout, but was still feeling a bit wiped out. :) 

Last night's workout consisted of removing my bike wheel, staring at it, then falling asleep face-down in my work clothes. #AGtraining

— ZenTriathlon (@ZenTriathlon) November 14, 2014

Video - Guest Analyst on TRS Draft

I was honored to be selected as a guest analyst during the TRS Draft on Saturday.  My quoteable moment seems to be, "All aero, all the time."  You can't tell from the video, but my legs are shaving themselves while I'm talking.

I enjoy TheRealStarky because I feel that triathlon can be an incredibly selfish sport.  We need to be mocked as much as possible so we don't take ourselves too seriously.  When you can, quit working out so damn much and kick back and relax and enjoy your friends and family, if you still have any left. ;)

ZenTri 578 - A.J. Baucco

I welcome A.J. Baucco back to the show to talk about last year's racing, Kona, racing for yourself instead of others, and what the pro life is really like.  

Don't forget about The Ironbaby this Sunday!  Follow me on Twitter for updates before the race and follow ZenTriNurse during it for live pics and drama fun. 

And let's welcome our new sponsor, Amphibian Multisport in Libertyville! (North Chicago).

Love Letters - Updated.

Listen, here's the deal.  Triathlete's eat.  We eat a lot.  Let me rephrase this - Healthy triathletes eat a lot.  Our sport is rife with people undereating so they can "get abs", "improve metabolism", or whatnot and it's a real problem.  Both men and women are suffering from eating disorders that ruin their futures in the sport.  I've seen it, I know it, it's real.

The rare cases I eat on the show while recording, it's while fueling for and refueling from working out.  It's a lesson in that it is OK to eat when your body asks for it, no matter what else is going on - even recording a podcast that friends may listen to.  That is why I say that it is literally part of the show.  ZenTri is about the triathlete life and self improvement. Not being ashamed of eating when you need to is paramount to our healthy existence.  For example, if you work at a place that won't let you eat on the job... I'd say quit. Find another employer that understands you're a human, not a machine.

There are a minority of people out there that don't like the sound of other people eating.  Much like being afraid of the dark or paranoid of foreigners or learning to do long division, that's their thing to improve themselves on.  The benefit of letting people know that it's ok for endurance athletes to enjoy refueling so they can be healthy outweighs a few people's self-created sanitation of reality.  I sometimes (very rarely) eat on the show on purpose, and it isn't going anywhere.

Triathletes gotta eat! May I suggest some Amrita Bars?

Please stop talking with food in your mouth.

I understand your stance that ZenTri is a real-life account of your training and what athletes really go through --  and that is what makes your show stand out -- but talking with food in your mouth is very rude. If I was training with someone in-person that did that, I would ask them to speak between bites.

Since our only interaction with you is your voice, this does not seem unreasonable. When you chew into your microphone, it makes me feel that you do not respect the listeners.

Thank you.

Jason
Twin Cities, MN

ZenTri 577 - Austin 70.3 and Hillary Biscay

 

Join me for a review of how I got 10th in my age group (of 350 guys!) at Ironman Austin 70.3.  

I detail every bit of what methods and tricks I've used over the years to move from the back of the pack to the very front. You can do it, too! 

I also met up with Ultraman Champion Hillary Biscay for a great interview.  

She was at her Smashfest Queen booth, making good on making goods.  Very cool gear!

I got her to autograph my race bib before the race. Anytime things got tough, I'd look at it and think, "what would an Ultraman champ do?" and keep kicking ass.  It worked great.  

The night before the race, Kai and I had some fun chasing each other down some hills on his scooter...

On a scooter, chasing Kai down a hill. #hyperlapse

A video posted by @zentriathlon on Oct 10, 2014 at 4:24pm PDT

And when we took my bike to check in, he already wanted to start intimidating the competition...

It was a lot of fun having family time before the race.  But days before the race, the preparation rituals began.  This started with taping a hill profile and water stop "cheat sheet" to my water bottle.

("The fool who persists in his folly will become wise." - William Blake)

And then progressed to the ultimate insanity for men's racing - shaving my legs for the first time in at least 10 years or more.

 

I'm not big into the leg shaving.  But I found out that it actually does save a ton of time in races, so I'll probably do it from now on for the long stuff.  Here's a video showing the proof from the Specialized wind tunnel.

For those of us that love data, here is the entire workout file from the race. It includes power/watts, HR, speed, elevation and tons more.  All courtesy of Suunto and the Ambit 2.  (I started the swim portion about 30 seconds before we actually took off). 

Here is the video and article about how Japanese Hornets (the same ones that Hornet Juice is based on) are so badass, honeybees have to jump-swarm them and cook them alive to protect their hives.  

And last but not least, a cool article written about ZenTri sponsor CompeteHub.

I'd like to give a huge THANK YOU to everybody that has helped me get to top 10 in a long-course triathlon after all these years.  I don't think I've ever worked so hard for so long for anything else in my life.  I will cherish this forever. 

Peace and be safe!

Brett