ZenTri Podcast 532 - Back on the Bike

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Just to kick it off with something interesting, here is a photo of my feet after running 11.5 miles in these flip-flops.  It wasn't bad at all!  Ok, now I've got your attention....

This show is a throwback to when I used to record on the bike.  I've gotten so many requests to do another one, I strapped the mic on and recorded two hours of joyriding down the shoulder of a Texas Tollway just south of the Mega-opolis called Tyler.  I record these in stereo, so they are a total trip.  You get the full effect of a big rig blasting by within inches, and so much more.  This episode, I got caught in a downpour.  Very cool stuff indeed.

Here's a photo I took of the tollway.  Local drivers got it shut down to cyclists because they think it's unsafe.  As you can see, I am terrified for my life with that 10-foot wide shoulder and car every 5 minutes.  I biked on it anyway.

Some of the other roads I biked on are very pretty and hilly.  Great training grounds for cycling and running around here!

We were in Tyler for Emily's high school reunion.  While parking at a mid-day function we spotted this car.  I couldn't resist getting a pic of it. 

Ironically, non-contextual camoflouge does the opposite of it's intended purpose and screams, "I'M RIGHT HERE!"

Finally, here's a photo of me and Gary on the podium after placing 2nd and 1st at our local tri.  Very cool times, indeed.

On the show I talked about a huge variety of topics.  Here's a list of links for you to check out:

• Tri Aggieland sprint results (2nd AG, 16th overall)
• Heart Rate Variability using iThlete HRV http://myithlete.com/
• I found a cheaper one using different hardware here - http://sweetbeat.com
• Numbers from my flip-flop run http://www.movescount.com/moves/move16130216
• Numbers from recording on bike ride - http://www.movescount.com/moves/move16180429
• The SOS Triathlon - http://sostriathlon.com/
• The Willpower Instinct audiobook

 Enjoy and post a comment if you like the bike audio!

ZenTri Podcast 531- Tour de SoCal

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(View of my daily run route starting at the hotel.)

On this episode of the ZenTri Podcast, Morgan and I drive up to L.A. and record shows with Vinnie Tortorich and with Rich Roll.  It was a week to remember!

(Doing some walking meditation while waiting for Morgan to pick me up.)

My show includes great interviews with Vinnie, Anna Vocino, Julie Piatt (Rich's wife), and Morgan himself.  Each one is really solid.  And I almost forgot, I threw in an interview with a San Diego food critic as well.

(Looking down Bachman Dr., where I was doing hill repeats.)

My daily run route had me doing one-mile hill repeats up a 10% grade, three times per run.  Sometimes I did it twice per day.  And as always, I throw in a bunch of useful tips.  This time, I covered good ideas for the traveling triathlete.

A couple of my favorite finds were these two books (Above and Below).  Both essential for the typical dad age-grouper. :)

Pay attention to the end of the show.  If you hang around, you'll hear a very funny chat between me and Morgan about inappropriate swimwear.  Enjoy!

On the Road!

I'm on a work trip in SoCal, enjoying the weather and taking the opportunity to catch up with some old and new friends.  On Sunday, Morgan and I swung up to L.A. and recorded two short podcasts with Vinnie Tortorich and a long one with Rich Roll.  

Vinnie was a blast and Rich was deeeeeeeeeep - just like I hoped.  I also scored an interview with Rich's wife, Julie.  I have to say, she's intense.  Not intense in the way she talks to you, but intense in the way she makes your mind explode as you look inward and discover what makes you tick.  I don't know if Rich found her at a yoga studio or in a cave on top of a mountain under a sign that said, "Oracle."

Keep your eyes open and look for some incredible audio coming your way from all of us in our own ways soon.  My interview with Rich is already up.  Now, back to work.

"After enlightenment, chop wood."

ZenTri Podcast 530 - Fitness Confidential with Vinnie Tortorich

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America's Angriest Trainer Vinnie Tortorich calls in to tell us about his new book, "Fitness Confidential." It's a great show!

We talk about how he got started as a trainer, his views on nutrition, and what people need to do to get healthy.  Join in for a listen and get a good dose of Vinnie.

What's the Right Cadence on the Bike?

I was recently asked about bike cadence.  How do you train and race while keeping it in mind?  Here are my thoughts from an email to a friend.  You just might find it useful - 

First off, it's important to remember that people are highly individual with cadence, so you'll need to test and find out on yourself.  Second, higher cadence takes muscle strain off your legs and puts it on your cardio system instead.

Where we live, it's best to do higher cadence with lighter torque when going uphill, but lower cadence with a little more torque on the flats and downhills.  And then that variability ends up being nice because you work the muscles differently the entire ride.  If you go down to the Brazos River bottom on HWY 159 where it's super flat, you'll notice that staying in the same gear with the same cadence for long periods gets very tiresome.  In that situation, it's best to actually purposefully alter your cadence every few minutes.  Let's say do 97 for a while, then 90 for a while, 94 for a while....  You'll come off the bike with fresher legs that way. (This guy has a naturally high cadence already)

 

Jordan Rapp would tell you to bike with whatever cadence during the race feels most natural and easiest.  That's going to give you the best run.  And I would add to that, that I've done higher cadence in races on purpose and burned through my fuel too fast and got off the bike already worn out. That leaves me with this rule -  The time to practice higher cadence is during intervals in training, and then that work will reflect a naturally higher cadence on race day without you having to work at it and wearing yourself out too soon for a good run.

 

So, I'd do bike rides with 10 to 20 minutes of higher than normal cadence, do rides where I purposefully mix cadence on super flat sections to get used to doing that, and I'd also do long segments of "letting go" and practicing letting myself do self-selected cadence to practice being able to do that on race day.  All of this will both get your natural cadence higher AND train you to execute the race without thinking about it.  Because if you think about it, you'll try too hard to have that higher cadence and then you'll blow up.