Podcast - Interview with Angela Naeth

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This episode of the ZenTri Podcast features an interview with pro triathlete Angela Naeth.  We talk about our recent race, nutrition and equipment, and training techniques of the pros.  

We also do a This Week in Awesome, Training Log, and much more!  

Next show features an interview with Ben Greenfield about HR monitors and power meters, so stay tuned!

And here's your This Week in Awesome - 

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New Wheels: When Is It Time to Upgrade and How Much Do I Spend?

Today's post is an article written by Charlotte Baxter in Tuscaloosa.  Thanks Charlotte!

One of the things that has caused me a lot of stress as I have developed into a more serious Triathlete is meeting “the group” for rides and seeing the wide variety of wheels everyone sports—seemingly all much lighter, faster, and more amazing than my own. It’s easy to spiral into feelings of self-doubt and envy, but in truth it’s not necessary to spend tons of cash outfitting yourself to be an age group competitive Triathlete. Forget everybody else, when do you need to upgrade? And how much do you need to spend?

So that you can contextualize my recommendations, I’ll give you an idea of my ability. (Note: If you are looking to find yourself in Tuscaloosa or jockeying for a prize purse, or if you recently won the lottery, then have a field day with your Zip wheels and velociraptor helmets, this article is not for you.) I tackled my first sprint Tri three years ago and currently compete in approximately four of those per year, 1-2 Olympics, and one Half Iron. In the smaller regional races I can win my age group and I remain competitive when the field gets bigger (for example, in April’s Nautica South Beach Tri, a national event, I placed 5^th in my age group). So I’m good but not great. In other words, probably a lot like many of you.

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Getting Started

Today's post is an article written by Brandon Dunson, a ZenTri-coached triathlete in the Dallas area.  Thanks, Brandon!

Bridging the gap from talking to walking.

If you are looking for a reason to put a workout off for a day or two, which turns into a week or two, you don’t have to look very hard. Anyone can see that it is hot outside this time of year, not to mention I need new running shoes and some more comfortable shorts. The treadmills at the gym are pretty old, they are always occupied and don’t even have TVs! I would ride my bike but the tires are flat and I’m scared to ride in traffic. If there was a pool in my neighborhood, I would definitely swim more because I don’t have time to drive across town to swim. It gets dark so early and I can’t run in the dark. My ipod battery is dead. I just don’t have time.

I have exhausted every one of these excuses as a way to inhibit myself from becoming what I want to be. Why do I do that to myself? No one forces me to train five days a week - I want to do that. I love the way I feel after a swim, so why do I try so hard to keep myself from feeling better? I don’t have an answer to those questions, but I have found a few things that help me achieve my goals. I’m sure there will be another struggle just around the corner, but there is always a way to climb that hill and learn a little more about preparing for the next one.

As a beginner in the world of running and an infant in the world of triathlon, I remember a time not so long ago that I spent more of my week reading about other people running and training than I did on my own. There were lots of articles describing how elite athletes changed up the monotony of long workouts and how to improve your Ironman swim split by five minutes. When I wasn’t reading about other people’s active lifestyle I was sharing this information with others; not passing them off as my own experiences mind you, just casually talking endurance sports with people who probably wished I would stop talking and start running...away from them.

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Podcast - Interview with Adventure Swimmer Jamie Patrick

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Join in for another killer episode of the ZenTri Podcast as we interview adventure swimmer Jamie Patrick, have our first "Coaches Corner", and blow up another "This Week in Awesome."

Shownotes!

Mayday Challenge bike race.  Email me (texafornia at the gmails) to get one of four free entries!

Amy and Brian's Coconut Juice.

 

This Week in Awesome - Chrissie Wellington goes for three Awesomes in a row by beating all the men in the marathon portion of IM South Africa. Also, downhill road racing in the rain, and getting a better pull in the pool.

Interview with Jamie Patrick.  He's swimming over 200 miles nonstop!

Coaches Corner.

Zen Thoughts.

Brandon goes for four hours on the rollers!

Outtakes.

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How to Re-hydrate After a Big Weekend

You had Saturday and Sunday off, so you went out and logged a ton of time on the bike and run.  It was sunny, windy, and warm, so you drank more water than usual.  Come Sunday afternoon, you're starving and start pigging out.  Sound typical?  

A lot of that hunger is your body tricking you; It knows that food is mostly water, and it's going to get it that way instead of the usual path.  The problem is that getting fluids through foods also means you're going to get a ton of extra calories you probably don't need (if you fueled right during your training.)

One reason your body starts craving water through food is because just plain water isn't enough.  It's missing electrolytes and other goodies that you need to replenish after the weekend.  This is such a problem, there are countless cases of endurance athletes suffering from hyponutremia - too much water and not enough electrolytes.  Hyponutremia is especially nasty, even causing death.

I've studied this issue with my own training and found some great solutions.  First off, I add in some extra sodium into my casual drinks during the weekend and even on Monday.  This cures the hunger issue quickly.  I sprinkle some sea salt into a carbonated water or a serving of Hornet Juice and I drink several of those over the time span.  The sodium actually retains water in the body, letting it be available for your system to use instead of just peeing it out.

I also up my intake of electrolytes from natural sources.  Celery, coconut juice, bananas, and many other natural foods are high in potassium, magnesium, and sodium.  Choose to snack on those and you'll not be craving a giant burrito instead.

Give the above tips a try over your next big training weekend and post in the comments how it went!