Triathlon Podcast Zen-Tri Podcast Of Pace and Faith

Get Your Zen On!

I think it's always nice to admit when something has inspired you. As someone who has spent a decent amount of time in Japan, I know a thing or two about Zen. I'm not talking about the mini-rock garden on your desk, cheap flute music CD at the gas station Zen. I'm talking about za-zen, Dogen, Rinzai, etc. While it's hard to put Zen (the real kind) on a T-shirt, it is far more interesting in my opinion. But I digress.

One of the biggest inspirations for this blog was a blog/podcast series call Zen and the Art of Triathlon. The Zen-Tri Master, Coach Brett, produces both a blog and a very entertaining podcast which are both worth your time if you are interested in learning more about triathlons.

Zen-Tri materials cover everything about endurance sports:

Nutrition - Brett is a Vegan and has tons of great healthy eating tips. His nutrition advice also finds a place in my favorites list because he loves, loves, loves burritos.

Gear - I have a crush on nearly every piece of Zen Tri gear. He always uses and demo's the best stuff. Great advice. Suunto gear...Yes Please!

Training - Nearly every episode of his podcast has a training log portion where Brett basically records himself talking as he trains. These can get a little "so-so" at times (I find myself skipping to meatier sections of the episode on occasion) but there's always good for a laugh or two. He also throws out some Zen thoughts during this time, which brings me to...

Zen - While I'm not going to suggest you site his blog as a source for a philosophy paper (unless your professor is an Ironman which in that case you need to do your thesis on his site), his recurring  themes of simplicity, clam, focus and keeping things in balance are all core Zen beliefs.

Hearing about how he juggles family life, training, coaching, working and producing a blog/podcast while still staying "sane" (triathlon and sanity rarely mix) has been a real inspiration. He offers up lots of advice derived from his own experience that has served me well. Ex - Need to get in a ride but have to watch the kids? Get on the trainer. Kid needs lunch? Get off the bike, be a father and make lunch. Kids want to play - Play with them and Then get back on the bike.Well done Brett!

So charge your Ipod, put on your shoes and head out for a nice run with some Zen-Tri in your ears.

Running Podcast from Clif Bar - Of Pace and Faith

Hello, my name is Phillip and I'm addicted to Clif Bars.

If you run, bike, climb, tri, or otherwise exhaust yourself, you know what a Clif Bar is. Many of you practically keep yourself going with these things. And why not? What could be sweeter, literally, than finishing off a nice trail run with the taste of "roasted macadamia nuts and scrumptious white chocolate chunks"? Dig the propaganda!

It's rare that my favorite foods get paired with technology.
The hamburger phone... eh, only so-so in my opinion.

So I'm thanking the tech-gods for this little find: Clif Cast Podcast Series. Basically, Clif Bar is publishing a podcast series on all thing related to running - health, training, nutrition, etc.

I think Clif is doing a great job with this series. The Ian Sharman one was most entertaining, and I found the Protein and Insights from Afar episodes very informative.

The quality is great and they keep things light, so there easy to listen to. If you're already pretty well read and experienced on these subjects, you won't learn a ton of new stuff, but the advice is solid.

So the next time you need a dose of running "shop talk", but can't find another endurance nut to jaw with, grab your ear buds and give Clif Cast a try.