ZenTri Podcast 538 - Agency and Interview with Pro Will Huffman

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On this episode, we interview the US Under-23 Champion Will Huffman!  He's foregoing college to chase the Olympic dream, so we talk about how you get to that decision and what are the next steps.

I also cover news and describe the Zen view on "Agency".  How can you use Zen to get stuff done?

Detailed show notes are below, built from my digital notepad that I use (with agency) to get the show completed every week.  Just scroll around to find what you're looking for.

ZenTri Podcast 537 - The Stink of Zen

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In this episode, we cover triathlon news, define "The Stink of Zen", take you on bikes and runs in lightning storms, discuss macro nutrition, teach how to hack your day with subjective vs. objective views, and review Brett Sutton's training methods.

But before we get started... Ever wonder what I music listen to while working out? It's usually either dubstep or My Zen Pandora station.  

Next up, I created new shirts! I liked them so much, I ordered this one for myself. I'm hoping it shows up in time for me to wear at the SOS Triathlon expo.

And to go along with the show, here's the shownotes!

• News 
• Roadid app
• Meredith Kessler, 7-time Ironman champion, reigning U.S. Pro 70.3 champion, accused of hit and run. 
• Killian Jornet breaks Matterhorn record. Here's his speed and altitude recorded in real-time.  
• Michael Raelert has knee surgery. 
• Kona Pro list wrapping up. - 
• Macca Article about ego.  "What I’ve come to learn is that it is not who we think we are that holds us back; it is who we think we’re not."
• Strong Body Whole heart podcast on indiegogo.
• Donation Contributor - John kaufmann 
• Training Log...
• Run with Emily. 
• TE is actually based on HR variability, (Bill porter). 
• Shoe laces.
• Stink of Zen. 
• Evening bike ride in lightning storm.
• Using Simple Hydration bottle for fuel. 
• Picking glass out of tire to prevent flats.
• Brett sutton's insane training methods. 
• Things are broken much longer than they work. (Glass is waiting to break. Death is the landlord.)
• How to do intervals while swimming.  
• Morning run.  Using meditation on run to bring focus to the day.
• Objective - what is making you unhappy and also what needs to be done.
• Subjective - what can you do to make you happy and feel energized.
• Fueling with Hornet Juice - Get control of your macro-nutrient mix. 
• How meditation works.
• Epic saturday run swim run. 
• Swam with gear. 
• Carrying swim gear on run. 
• Pour water on head. 
• Fueled with Amrita bars.
• BeetIt juice as RECOVERY.
• More Donations - Fredrick Felteir - Daniel Stark 
• Discount Code "Zentri" on trainerview - 10$ off - 
• Workouts on top right of website.
• If you found this training and nutrition information helpful, donate to the show!
• Interview with William Huffman coming up.
• Sponsors - Beet it - Hornet Juice - TrainerView - Suunto - Amrita Bars

ZenTri Podcast 536 - What is Zen?

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What is Zen? What is the point of Zen and the Art of Triathlon?  Listen in as I take you down the rabbit hole, describing how Zen actually works, what is "enlightenment", and much more.  

The Bruce Lee video above highlights "the finger points at the moon" concept.  Also, here's the Wikipedia entry on Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, the original inspiration for ZenTri.

Do you train like a badass?  Ultra distance racing requires it, and I detail how to get it done.

I also cover Felt's new IA triathlon bike and Ironman Chattanooga.  Enjoy!

ZenTri Podcast 535 - Rollin' Dirty

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On this episode of ZenTri, I take you with me mountain biking, open water swimming, cover some tri news, and answer a few important questions.  Namely, "How do I know when I'm a triathlete?"

On the mountain biking front, above is a picture of how dirty my legs got after three hours of riding on the trails at Lake Bryan.  Look closely and you'll also see a trickle of blood running down my right shin.  Nearly killing yourself is what makes you feel really alive.

Below is a photo of my Jamis Durango 29er.  It's slowly falling apart with the abuse.  The seat comes loose after 30 minutes and the shifting is more like a game of Russian roullette than choosing gears.

I mention on the show how much Kai is kicking ass on the bike.  I shot this while on our father-son ride.

I'm thinking that pretty soon these will be son-father rides where I'm shouting at him to slow down and reminding him how I changed his diapers so he better respect all I've done for him.  He probably will be so far ahead, he can't hear me and I'm really just mumbling to myself.  

My good buddy Marty Weiner dropped by on his cross-country motorcycle tour and stayed with us for a couple of days.  ZenTriNurse (A.K.A. Emily) got a ride on his Honda 1300.  That thing is quite a bike!  

As you can see, ZenTriNurse is easy pickins' for guys on motorcycles.  If Marty had lots of tattoos, she'd probably be gone forever.  

Marty mentioned on the show this NPR special about training response, genes, and environment. I enjoyed it a lot.  Give it a listen when you can.  Lots of good stuff in there.

I also went on a rant about how somebody (SUUNTO!) needs to make a single-side pedal power meter and charge half as much as Garmin does for the Vector.  You can check out the Vector power meter news here. 

To help explain my point about how you only need one side, here is DCRainmakers review of the Stages single crank-arm power meter that works just fine.

Lastly, here is the article about PowerTap dropping it's price by $500.

Enough with the gear and tech news!  Let's wrap this up with a nice jog with Kona, our black lab. 

Ahhh... happiness!

Stay safe out there.  

Your Inner Voice is the Teapot Whistle

When a teapot whistles, it is not the whistle that is the problem; it is the boiling water.  The whistle just serves as a reminder to take the pot off the stove.

The chatter in your head serves the same purpose.  The chatter isn't the problem; it's just the brain's way of telling you there are things going on that you need to pay attention to.

Unfortunately, we start to believe that inner voice is real.  It sounds real, right?  And what is even more comical is when your inner voices start arguing with each other.  "You forgot to pack lunch! Well, maybe I should skip lunch?  No, skipping lunch is a bad idea!" Seriously? Now there's three of you in there.

All that inner voice talk is your brain taking reality and putting words to it, so you can start to categorize and deal with problems now that they have names.  That's it, that's all.  Just like you don't argue with the teapot whistle, you don't need to argue with the voices.  Instead, simply use them as indicators that you have a problem to work on.  Figure out what the problem actually is (boiling water), then get to work.

Another way to look at is to see your inner voice as a slightly crazy roommate you have to share your head with.  You don't have to believe everything he says, but you should look for patterns of conversation to enlighten you to what's going on outside.

One path to inner peace is to pay attention to what that inner voice is saying, but don't take it as truth.  Its more primal and functions like an alarmist, a product of life-or-death evolution.  Instead, use it to tell you where you ought to pay more attention, like a guide telling you where to shine your flashlight.  This helps you find what is causing the stormy waters so you can either eliminate them or sail around.