(One of several giant shark sculptures in Port Aransas, TX)

On this episode of ZenTri, we interview Rob Goldman about the Ironman trademark. Find out what counts as infringement, what doesn't, and everything in between.

After that, we have lots of audio from our surfing trip to Port Aransas, TX.  "Port A" is a great little surf town on a coastal island, full of outdoor fun.

(Kai standing up on a surfboard for the first time.)

I should also note that we took delivery of our new Suunto Ambit 2 S.  We are going to have Emily use this one for her training for the Austin 70.3.  I'll use a regular Suunto Ambit 2 for my own events.  Lots of great gadget testing to come!

(The red matches her bike, which is apparently very important.)

Back to Port A, you can't go long without noticing everybody is driving golf carts to get around the island.  We eventually had to rent one ourselves.

(Skizzle on the rizzle, yo.)

And it wasn't long until we found ourselves in a headwind, which makes all the aero position training come in handy.

Texas Beaches are a little unusual in that you can drive down most of them.  You pull up your car to where you want to surf/swim and have at it.  Also, Texas beaches are some of the cleanest in the USA. Oddly, California beaches have far more contamination.  I believe it has to do with the fact that you can't build or live too close to a Texas beach without Mother Nature shoving a Cat 5 hurricane down your throat in no time flat.

And for the gratuitous family beach shot, here's photographic evidence of just how much I improved my family's gene pool by convincing Emily to marry me.  I know this because my parents remind me frequently. 

 Ok, on to some triathlon stuff!  Here's a couple of screen shots of my surfing sessions as recorded by GPS on my Suunto Ambit.

You can tell where I caught a wave to ride it in, then paddled back out again.  The line is colored by speed.  All this was done in Movescount's "surfing" mode.  Pretty cool!

That's it for now, more later.  Much more!

The Suunto Ambit comes with an app store that allows you to customize the watch with all kinds of cool data readings.  So, I built an App for the Ambit that calculates how much longer you have left on the bike during your Ironman race.  This is far better than only knowing how long you have been out there or just how many miles you have gone.

The app takes the average speed of your current lap, figures out how many miles you have ridden, then applies your average speed against the distance remaining.  In the example above, I was two hours into a three hour ride, and it calculated that it would take nearly 3.5 more hours for me to finish 112 miles.

This is a much smarter way to race Ironmans. How much time is left is what you are trying to calculate anyway when you look at chrono, average speed, and current speed.  This does all that mental heavy lifting for you, live.  

When you know how much time is left, you get a reality check that this is going to be a LOOOOONG bike ride and to pace yourself.  You also can evaluate the amount of fuel and water you have left, which is where a lot of people get into trouble.  

Below, I took a photo of another screen that is pretty typical of what people usually show.

You can see that I'm 40 miles in, my heart rate is low from stopping to take the shot, and my time elapsed.  

But I can get to the first screen with a single button push, telling me that I will spend another 3+ hours out there to finish 112 miles, it's getting near 10 AM, so let's put on some sun screen.  I used this app during Ironman Texas and LOVED it.  For example, knowing that I only had another 20 minutes left before I needed to run was fantastic!

Here's what it looks like while you are making in app in Movescount, Suunto's web-based software that controls your watch.  Pretty cool - 

Simple inputs tells me how much longer I'm going to be on the bike, based on how far I've gone and how fast my last lap was. If you don't create laps, it will just use your overall average speed.  You can move the sliders around and it will show you sample results on the right.

What is super cool is that any app you use on your Ambit will also graph its results when you download the data.  From my actual race, here is Ironman Bike Time Remaining decreasing from 7 hours at the start to just 2 minutes near the end (in orange).  

You can see how the time would start increasing if I slowed down, but decreased gradually over the entire ride.  If you want to look at the app in more detail, you can find it here. 

What is amazing is this is only one of around a thousand apps for free in Movescount.  And the amount of variables that you can use to make your own apps are mind blowing.  If you want the watch to flash its backlight and beep six times every time you climb a hill that is over 10% grade, but less than 11%, I'm pretty sure you could build that.

For example, here's my effort at building a Normalized Power app (for bike power meters).

I eventually got in over my head with all the complicated math, quit, and then found a better one that somebody else had made anyway.  (Smart move.)

Any Suunto Ambit can do one app, and the new Ambit 2 and 2 S models can run multiple apps AND can also pick up watts from power meters.  Good stuff for sure.

Does this give you some ideas?  I bet it does.  I've got an Ambit 2 S on the way for Emily to train and race with, and I oredered my own Ambit 2 (longer batter life) for the longer events I like to do.  Can't wait. :)

Lots more on the Suunto Ambit models can be found here.

(Getting Kona's helmet fitted the day before the race.)

Listen in to this episode to find out all about one of the hardest races on the Ironman circuit.  I also include lots of tips and tricks to make your own racing a succes!

Alright, let's get rolling with some photos and fun...   Here are the race results and the logs from my Suunto Ambit watch.

Results (I'm bib #503) - http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/ironman/texas/results.aspx#axzz2UQg2USpK

http://www.movescount.com/moves/move13818982 Swim

http://www.movescount.com/moves/move13819007 Bike

tpks.ws/wRvG Bike with watts in Training Peaks.

http://www.movescount.com/moves/move13819027 Run

Before the race, I ate with Triboomer at Chipotle's.  I was hoping for food like you can get at Freebirds like below...

(REAL food from Freebirds.)

But it ended up being a bunch of meat and grease and wheat.  I kept telling them to put more veggies on. So much so, they tried to double-charge me for the extra food.  How about this? Quit putting on junk and I'll quit asking for more healthy stuff.

(With Triboomer at bike check in)

We went and checked into the hotel.  We scored a room with a view over the run course! 

(Bucolic now, but this will turn into pure hell for most people in about 24 hours)

I don't have too many photos of before the swim start, but I got some great audio of that in the podcast.  Make sure to check it out.

After the swim was over, Emily snapped a good shot of me heading out of the bike.  Two good ones, actually.

(Happy to be out of that swim.  Total pileup in the water for sure.)

All that white stuff on my leg is sunscreen.  Volunteers wipe it all over you and then I like to rub it in while moving on the bike.  Maybe I should photo shop that out get a good race photo out of it.

(Later!)

Not only is my aero position really good, but check out how the tail of my helmet is flush with my back.  Not getting it close to the back causes a ton of drag.  You can do this by wearing it the tiniest bit loose and rotating it back on your head.  Just a tiny bit loose, though.  You want it to stay in place if you crash!

The heat was absolutely out of control on the run.  I slowed down on purpose and chatted with people to try slow down and cool down.  Here I am with Devin Brown, who volunteered and was hanging out on the course.

(Wassup, people?!)

Even though the bike is pretty flat and the run is super flat, IMTX is ranked about the 5th hardest Ironman because of the heat.  Slowing down on the run was both a choice and pretty much dictated by physics.  I simply could not go any faster without exploding like a fireworks stand.  People all around me were getting sick, passing out, and just trying to move forward.

In the end, I finished in 12:38.  Not a PR, but not bad. 

(At the finish line.  Feeling fine, but definitely toasted.)

Emily took this after I crossed the finish line.  I was fine, but only because I didn't push myself as hard as I wanted to.  My eyes are red from contacts, salty sweat, heat, and who knows what.  I'm usually not quite that offensive in the face.  

The Amrita Bars kit was really, really cool.  I loved standing out in that thing.  It did chafe me a bunch on the swim, but I never wore it before this race.  I think it needed some breaking in to take the edges off.  I am definitely wearing it in as many races as possible from here out.  

Ok, LOTS more in the podcast.  If you enjoyed this, give it a listen.  

† fastest bike split

Yurbuds Focus Pro headphones have tons of great features.  They are a favorite of many triathletes for staying in the ears no matter what.  The Focus Pros have a mic and volume controls for your smart phone, are sweat proof, and sport over-the-ear hangers to keep them in place.  Check out the video to learn more and also scope out how the ZenTri training cave is set up!

(Kai's medal. 2nd in AG!)

(Photo collage of the start.  It was cleaner than it looks!)

On this episode, I go to a 5k (yes, 3.1 MILE!) open water swim race in Lake Conroe, Texas.  Then, I volunteer at a Mud Run, and also talk about lots more news in the endurance world.

I ended up with a 1:07:07 5K swim time.  I did it on some smart fueling that I detail in the podcast.  I also did it without a wetsuit, which was a bit chilly in 68 degree water!

The TriCalc app tells me that I swam a 1:13 per 100yd. pace, which is a 51 minute Ironman swim!  Nice to see what you can do when you really lay it all on the line.  

And of course, you want to swim even faster when you find out locals caught this 11 foot alligator nearby.

I really thought I kicked some ass.  But then I found out I got demolished by a squad of high school girls that were probably on their way to whatever a squad of high school girls do.  When I was in high school, I always wondered where the girls where.  I suppose they piled into vans, drove out into the middle of nowhere, and then crushed 40 year old guys at endurance swim races.  Who knew?

I wrap up the show with lots of training tips.  And the weather has gotten really nice around here lately, so here are some pics of cycling and running around my house.

Kona is not in high school, nor is he a girl, but he still crushed me in my latest long runs.  Here he is looking how high school girls feel about rainbows, unicorns, and other girly stuff.  And yes, he's very cuddly.

And of course, I'm trying out some broccoli.  Found a purple version of the stuff at Kroger's.

(Crossing the finish line in a smoking 4:47!)

Episode 522 - Show notes:

• Week of Race 
  • Wattage test on Saturday. 270 watts for 20 minutes.
  • Long and easy workouts on Sat and Sun.
  • Swim and run Monday. 
    • Bilateral and head's up training on swim.
  • Bike Tuesday, with checkup on fit.
  • Swim on Wednesday.
  • Getting rest of gear together and cleaning bike from Wednesday on.
  • Removed frame bottle cages. Moved them to behind saddle. Use back of tri shorts as spare water bottle holder.
  • Zeroing out devices, setting up modes in Ambit.
  • Outlined a strategy: 
    • Pre-race 
      • Breakfast time is 7:40 - 3 hours = 4:40 am
      • Caffeine pill instead of coffee
      • Beet juice as pre-race drink
      • Put race belt on before wetsuit.
      
      
    
    
    • Swim
      
      
      
      • You're in 7:30 wave, yellow cap.
      
      
    
    
    • Bike
      
      
      
      • Go slightly dehydrated to concentrate blood sugar.
      
      
      • Beet juice on bike.
      
      
      • Bike aid at 13, 24, 37, and 48 miles.
      
      
      • Asthma inhaler hit before the run.
      
      
    
    
    • Run
      
      
      
      • Run like you're riding a bicycle
      
      
  
  

(Bike set up in transition and ready to go.)

• Day before race
  
  
  
  • Schedule for race in phone.
    http://www.ironman.com/~/media/f82d8732d5aa4f4d9f2afd64a2b164e8/texas%2070%203%20final%20schedule%20updated%203%2020.pdf
  
  
  • Practiced bike shoes already in pedals mounts and dismounts.
  
  
  • Finding out no race number belt required on bike.
  
  
  • Bike wars are out of control! Everybody's on aero carbon bikes. Wow.
  
  
  • Buying goggles at expo. And whatever else is good stuff.
  
  
  • Last meat was chicken sandwich for lunch.
  
  
  • Spinach enchiladas for dinner. - Too much cheese! Bleah.
  
  
  • Turned down going to amusement park idea.
  
  
  • Dinner with friends!
  
  
  
  (ZenTri Meetup with friends at Tortuga's!)


• Morning of race
  
  
  
  • Caffeine pills instead of regular morning coffee to keep from having to pee tons.100 mg.
  
  
  • 3 bagels and coconut milk 3 hours before start.
  
  
  • Lube in running shoes.
  
  
  • Water bottles to pour in aerobottle race morning
  
  
  • Bring pump to transition area on race morning
  
  
  • buy morning gatorade bottle and plan out morning snacks
  
  
  • Cool sleeves under wetsuit. Same with calf sleeves.
  
  
  • Gels in bento box.
  
  
  • Pills in bento box.
  
  
  • Forgot towel. Went back and got it.
  
  
  • Throw-away fuel bottle of Gatorade and Malto while waiting for swim. Last of beet juice in there, too.
  
  
  • Caffeine pill.
  
  

(Ready for the start with @KingOfPain)

• Swim
  
  
  
  • Map and speed of swim.
  
  
  • 29:58
  
  
  • Got on front for start. Gave me space to swim around a bit.
  
  
  • Lots of people shocked by cold water. 65 degrees. But felt warm by end.
  
  
  • Wave starts nice.
  
  
  • No kicking on swim
  
  
  • Breathing left and right was great.
  
  
  • Accidentally karate chopped somebody square between the legs. Sorry!
  
  
  • Amber lenses of Aquasphere Kaimans was amazing.
  
  
  • Forgot to lube neck. Ouch.
  
  
  • Time was the same as last year, but older age group, so 10th instead of 14th. :)
  
  
  • Kept head down, hard effort in arms, but holding back enough to bilateral breathe.
  
  

(Amber lens Aquasphere Kaiman goggles. Excellent for open water.)

• Bike
  
  
  
  • HR, map, and speed of bike race.
  
  
  • Power, cadence, torque, and more.
  
  
  • 22.4 mph avg.
    
    
    
    • 22.9 on way out, 22.2 on way back.
  
  
  • No socks. Or on run.
  
  
  • Did bike shoes in pedals.
  
  
  • Heart rate was really high at start.
  
  
  • Pedaling easy at first while getting shoes on is a nice strategy. Lets HR come down faster.
  
  
  • Mostly crosswinds. Never noticed it that bad because of training for it.
  
  
  • Sniping drafts on the bike. Upside of later wave starts. Major upside!
  
  
  • 1 scoop of Gatorade powder, 2 scoops malto, PER HOUR in a fuel bottle.
    
    
    
    • Had gels, but never touched them.
    
    
  
  
  • Used back of tri shorts as water bottle holder. Worked totally fine.
  
  
  • Overfueled a little first part of bike.
  
  
  • Cadence by feel. 78 to 88. 82 average. Best numbers were at 84. Called "self-selecting" cadence.
  
  
  • Pills in Ziploc baggie in Bento box.
    
    
    
    • Caffeine pills. 1 after being on the bike for an hour, then another after starting the run.
    
    
    • Salt pills. 1 at start of bike, then 1 at hour 2, then 1 at start of run.
    
    
    • Ibuprofin. 1 at start of the bike, then 2 more at hour 2 on the bike.
    
    
  
  
  • TrainerView was critical. Knew the course like the back of my hand.
  
  
  • Paid close attention to winds. Sat up and pedaled soft the last 4 minutes because it had a tailwind.
  
  
  • All that time doing bike fitting paid off! Most comfortable, EASIEST ride ever. Flew by, which is a first.
  
  
  • Used power average of current lap, hitting lap button every 20 minutes or so to keep average exactly what I wanted.
  
  
  • Ended up with 215 average, 217 normalized. (coasting last part). 220 while pedaling. Basically, perfect!
  
  
  • Non-polarized sunglasses with tall and wide coverage worked perfectly.
  
  
  • Aerobottle with magnet hose. Reach behind seat for fuel. Never have to stop pedaling or take eyes off road.
  
  
  • Pedaled really softly the last few minutes to let legs get ready for run.
  
  
  • Varibility index of 1.00.
  
  


• Run
  
  
  
  • HR, speed, and map of my run.
  
  
  • 7:47 pace, 1:41 split!
  
  
  • Hurt a bit at first, but that's normal. Just don't strain!
  
  
  • Splits started coming in at sub-8 pace.
  
  
  • Light headed entire run. Need to work more on weight and fat metabolism.
  
  
  • Beet juice made breathing super easy.
  
  
  • Gatorade chews on the run. Caffeine gels problem again. Jeez!
  
  
  • The run is all about heat management.
    
    
    
    • Poured water on me, but not in shoes.
    
    
  
  
  • Lifted jersey up to chest to stay cool on the "with-wind" sections.
  
  
  • Kinda needed to pee, but kept hammering. Gary was right behind me!
  
  
  
  (At the finish line with Gary - @Tank92 - Mr. Bike Legs!)

• Afternoon after finishing: 
  
  
  
  • Finally peed several hours later. Bright red from beet juice.
  
  
  • Hung around for rolldown.
    
    
    
    • Nobody is fat. But huge variety of body types.
  
  
  • Listening to Talk Ultra. Nutrition and pacing tips from Phil Maffetone.
  
  
  • 6:22 70.3 9 years ago at Buffalo Springs. 1 hour 40 minute difference.
  
  
  • Use somebody close to your speed to make you more competitive (Gary). Kept me honest and fast!
  
  
  • Much less swelling in feet than usual. Calf sleeves did the trick?

This a solid, two-hour episode full of endurance training goodness.  Check out the content below -  

Show Notes!

• Hit 22.5 hours for the week! Wrapping up the last run.
• How to not stink if you run at lunch.
• Bonking on purpose.

• How does Brett eat?
  • More fiber pushes food through faster
    • Eat more and lose weight.
  • Tried low carb, got depressed. Carb digestion turns on seratonin.
  • Tried high fat. Not enough energy and put on weight.
  • Slow carb works for me!
  • Eat like China study.
  • Just like there's different types of personalities, there's different people-types of fuel utilization. It's in your genes! Don't believe what works for one internet idol will work for you.
• Final analysis of using latex vs regular tubes.
• The Feed Zone book and fueling time.

• Slowtwitch Review
  • New Sitero from Specialized.
  • Bento box or tape? 
  • Wearing a watch while racing.
• Swim fins fix your ankle flexibility
• What is a caffeine nap?
• Audio question. How to eat?

(Team Manorexia makes their own waterbottles look fat.) 

On this episode of the ZenTri Podcast, we get the skinny on a ton of topics:

Episode 520 - The Skinny

• Take huge breaths and purse lips when blowing out to catch up on oxygen right after drinking or fueling.
• Riding into the wind distracts from fueling and drinking.
• Slowed down to talk to group of cyclists biking to Victoria Canada.
• My Honda Element conspiracy theory.
• Practiced putting on arm coolers on the move.
• Value of three hour ride is that your neck hurt a tiny bit at the end, knew that fueling was great, confirmed pedaling cadence was good.
• Took video of running store guy's talk at Tri club meeting.
• Shoulder injury and weather radar.
• Tribuddha, amrita bars competition at 70.3, and TopDog audio book
• People don't know how to eat because they don't exercise enough.
  • When you eat like crap and try to exercise... you feel the effects.
  • If you don't exercise, you can't tell the difference between good and bad food.
  • This is why long course athletes eat better!
• Slowtwitch stories:
  • New Shimano Di2 Dura Ace
  • Going back to longer cranks
  • Launch of Cervelo RCA
  • Wicked Custom Painted Cervelo P5
  • Ironman Texas Tips
  • Emilio DeSoto's "Most Interesting Man in Triathlon" thread.
• Why cold water makes you sea sick.
• Watch swimming videos before you hit the pool.
  • Sun Yang winning 1500 meters in 2008 Olympics.
  • Michael Phelps swimming freestyle collage.
• Run like a fighter jogging to the ring.