Norseman 2012 Video

Welcome to what looks like one of the most beautiful and extreme triathlons on Earth.  

Skora Running Shoes Unboxing

Skora sent me some of their Base runnning shoes to try out.  I used to be a total barefoot runner, so I was definitely interested.  I have run in Vibram Five fingers (not enough padding or breathablility) and run tons in Nike Free's, giving me plenty to compare these against.

I will do a full review later, but I did enjoy my first run in the Base shoes.  They are definitely "zero-heel drop" as my calves will attest to.  The padding/protection was tough enough to protect against rocks and such far more than the Vibrams, but I could still feel the undulations in the ground surface with no problem.  Protection, but enhanced feel.  Not bad!

Here is a graph of my heart rate, elevation, and speed for my first run in the Skoras.  I warmed up and then did 3 x 10 minute intervals at 10k race pace.  It was a good run for sure.

Once you get used to running in shoes like these, you develop bullet-proof ankles and stability.  I was taking corners really quickly and enjoying the heck out of it.  But be warned - I ran in the Skoras after years of barefoot running experience.  If you've been running in clodhoppers regular running shoes, you need time to adapt to zero-droppers.

I am not sure yet, but I might prefer actual laces instead of the straps.  I was a little worried about my feet slipping around too much when water or sweat got into them, but that didn't seem to be a problem.  I'll soak them in water and run in them in a future test to be sure. 

Here's a photo of them after my run.  This is when I noticed how much they looked like cycling shoes.  The water drops are my sweat.  I know, gross awesome.

As a disclaimer, I am sure I get to keep these shoes.  Nobody will want them after what I'm going to put these through.  Obviously, I'll be non-biased as possible.  Keep checking back for a long-term test results!

What You Didn't Know About Fiber And How It Can Help You

I noticed the graphic above on the back of a bag of almonds the other day, and it led me to dig into some science.  We love science here at ZenTri, so here's the details:

Fiber is a carbohydrate too, but an indigestible one.  Fiber is made up of carbohydrates, but your body can't use them for fuel.  When you look at the grams of carbs of a food, if there's fiber in there, those fiber grams don't count.

"Insoluble fiber" is fiber that can't absorb water, while "soluable fiber" can.  Insoluable straight up scrubs your guts clean and soluable swells up in your belly and makes you feel full.

So, I'm munching on some almonds, putting two and two together, and thinking about the impact this has on modern man and our waistlines.  The whole point of processed foods is to reduce the time it takes to chew it (fiber) and pump up the calories to make you feel good faster, increasing profit for the seller.  It is very similar to beer makers creating "wide-mouth" cans so you can get more of their product in your body faster.  Imagine the reduction in intoxicated driving accidents if every container of alcohol only had a pinhole for an opening.  

If you up your fiber intake, you reduce your calories while feeling fuller.   Sounds like the Holy Grail to me.  It also sounds like the way humans had to eat before processed foods came along, and we were less round for it.  I've been trying it the past few days and I have to say, I eat until I'm full and I stay full longer, and I'm actually eating less and not miserable about it.

How do you do it?  There's two parts to the game:  1. Obviously, eat foods that are high in fiber and avoid those that aren't.  Fiber-rich foods are usually whole foods like apples, bananas, most veggies, almonds... the list goes on and on.  What's not high in fiber?  Pretty much anything that's processed or a popular bread.  Thankfully, you can look on the back of most labels to see, or look it up on the Internet.  2. You can buy fiber for cheap and sprinkle it on foods that don't have much or any to bulk them up.  You'll get fuller faster and not eat as much.

How does this work in training?  It pretty much doesn't.  When exercising, you want a steady flow of easy-to-digest carbs to fuel your body.  Fiber wrecks that process like a champ, but that's OK.  If you are burning the fuel, then you needed it anyway.  As a Zen Master might say - "When moving like an athlete, eat like an athlete.  When sitting around, eat like you are sitting around."

That's Gold, Jordan! Gold!

IMNYC Winner Jordan Rapp has a tradition of answering all kinds of questions about how he raced in a forum thread.  The details for his latest win can be found here.

This kind of information is pure gold.  You can find out what equipment the fast people have proven to be important and how they execute race day nutrition and pacing.  My favorite part of this round is his confirmation that clincher tires work just fine instead of tubulars.  

Enjoy!

Remember - Ironman Started Out as a Bar Bet

Some people take triathlon a little too seriously.  I like to treat it as a means to an end.  Specifically, it's one of many paths to take to stay fit, learn about the world, and improve yourself overall.  

Ironman itself started out as an extremely ridiculous bar bet between some pretty looney guys to see who was most crazy fit.  As it became more mainstream, we see people acting like it's a little too legitamite of a way to define who's the best at being a human.  We've now got age groupers doping with EPO, people killing themselves trying to hillbomb faster on Strava, and zealots accusing somebody of running across the finish line with their kid at an Ironman as, "everything that's wrong with the world today."  Really?  Does Ironman kid crossings cause wildfires in Idaho?  Because that would be news to me.

When you start wondering if the sport is helping or hurting you, it is always nice to step back and take in some perspective.  Swimming, THEN biking, THEN running all in succession for 140 miles is just an invention by some guys that were probably drunk when they thought of it, taking something to the extreme.  It turns out it is a great way to show off, but a little nutso to base your entire life around.  If you're miserable getting the job done, then it's OK to back off a little and re-evaluate exactly what you are doing this all for.