I wrap-up my take on 12 Tips of Christmas series.

As we wind 2015 down I offer listeners my take on 12 Tips to consider for the new year. Here is tip #11!

As we wind 2015 down I offer listeners my take on 12 Tips to consider for the new year.

As we wind 2015 down I offer listeners my take on 12 Tips to consider for the new year.

As we wind 2015 down I offer listeners my take on 12 Tips to consider for the new year.

 As we wind 2015 down I offer listeners my take on 12 Tips to consider for the new year.

As we wind 2015 down I offer listeners my take on 12 Tips to consider for the new year. 

As we wind 2015 down I offer listeners my take on 12 Tips to consider for the new year. 

As we wind 2015 down I offer listeners my take on 12 Tips to consider for the new year. 

As we wind 2015 down I offer listeners my take on 12 Tips to consider for the new year. 

As we wind 2015 down I offer listeners my take on 12 Tips to consider for the new year. 

As we wind 2015 down I offer listeners my take on 12 Tips to consider for the new year. 

In the third installment of my ongoing XTerra series, I discuss how to improve your running form with 9 key tips. For more information, checkout the full article at ESP Answers.

Rudy Project North America offering technically cool products and awesome deals.

The ESP Podcast is supported in part by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine. For more than 19 years, Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine has been the definitive guide to outdoor sports, health, and adventure travel in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Published free every month, BRO has established itself as the nation’s top regional outdoor publication. For more information checkout www.blueridgeoutdoors.com.

In the second installment of my ongoing XTerra series, I discuss why improving your running technique is essential to not just running faster, but also stronger. For more information, checkout the full article at ESP Answers.

Rudy Project North America offering technically cool products and awesome deals.

The ESP Podcast is supported in part by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine. For more than 19 years, Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine has been the definitive guide to outdoor sports, health, and adventure travel in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Published free every month, BRO has established itself as the nation’s top regional outdoor publication. For more information checkout www.blueridgeoutdoors.com.

In this first installment of my ongoing XTerra series, I'm going to discuss how you need to structure your off-season for greater success next season. The key to that improvement includes:

• Knowing the difference between XTerra and Road Tri's
• Planning for the predictable
• Preparing for the unpredictable
• Developing overall athleticism
• Pacing
• Analyzing your race and training data
• Addressing your bottlenecks.

Also on the Tipcast, I recap this year's Iron Cross XIII race in Williamsport, PA. Billed as America's original ultra cross, the race lived up to its name! You can also checkout my race recap at Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine.

Honey Stinger, Checkout my new review series on Honey Stinger here.

The ESP Podcast is supported in part by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine. For more than 19 years, Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine has been the definitive guide to outdoor sports, health, and adventure travel in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Published free every month, BRO has established itself as the nation’s top regional outdoor publication. For more information checkout www.blueridgeoutdoors.com.

On Tipcast 73, I build on my tips from show 72, and highlight some of tips offered in my kick-off to the XTerra training series.

Special Thanks to:

Rudy Project North America

Skratch Labs

Honey Stinger, Checkout my new review series on Honey Stinger here.

The ESP Podcast is supported in part by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine. For more than 19 years, Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine has been the definitive guide to outdoor sports, health, and adventure travel in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Published free every month, BRO has established itself as the nation’s top regional outdoor publication. For more information checkout www.blueridgeoutdoors.com.

ESP Tipcast 72 announces our World Championships HAPPY HOUR September 25th in Richmond, VA, as well as our Saturday, September 26th Battlefield ride. For more information checkout our event page.

Checkout the Richmond 2015 World's Course here.

Special Thanks to:

Rudy Project North America

Skratch Labs

Honey Stinger, Checkout my new review series on Honey Stinger here.

The ESP Podcast is supported in part by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine. For more than 19 years, Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine has been the definitive guide to outdoor sports, health, and adventure travel in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Published free every month, BRO has established itself as the nation’s top regional outdoor publication. For more information checkout www.blueridgeoutdoors.com.

With the 2015 World Road Race Championships Weeks away, I caught up with USA Cycling's VP of National Events, Micah Rice to discuss the races, USAC's role, the state of MTBing in the US and a little bit more. Cycling fans will want to check this interview out!

Also on the podcast, I highlight the Sidi Drako Push MTB shoe, SLS Tri's custom apparel and their latest kickstarter, Zwift's virtual Richmond 2015 course as well as offer tips heading into the the off-season.

Checkout the Richmond 2015 World's Course here.

Special Thanks to:

Rudy Project North America

Skratch Labs

Honey Stinger, Checkout my new review series on Honey Stinger here.

The ESP Podcast is supported in part by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine. For more than 19 years, Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine has been the definitive guide to outdoor sports, health, and adventure travel in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Published free every month, BRO has established itself as the nation’s top regional outdoor publication. For more information checkout www.blueridgeoutdoors.com.

On Tipcast 71 I review two recent articles I posted on the blog discussing the real power of microdosing, and whether you really can identify dopers using climbing power estimates.

I also do a summary review of the Rudy Project Transition Duffel Bag.

Checkout the Richmond 2015 World's Course here.

Special Thanks to:

Skratch Labs

Rudy Project North America

On this tipcast, I discuss the latest hot of the presses research on hydration, including solid evidence for rethinking the 2% weight loss rule. Sadly, overdrinking is still reaping devastating consequences, yet other sites, like RUNTASTIC continue to promote half-baked authors spouting out-moded advice.

Ever get the sense that those group swim activities were concocted during a night of drunk darts? Or are you finding your progress during the season plateaus early, never to be seen again? If so, then this Tipcast might help. Here are some of the highlights I'll cover:

• Plain Jane Training
• Goldilocks Training
• Hammertime/300/SEAL Training
• Crossfit Training

You can also read more at the blog.

Checkout the Richmond 2015 World's Course here.

Special Thanks to:

Skratch Labs

Rudy Project North America

If there's one thing you learn about XTerra your first year it is that while it includes swimming, biking, and running, it bears little resemblance to road triathlon. On this Tipcast I take you through the key steps to developing your individual pacing strategy for XTerra. These include:

• Doing your homework BEFORE you arrive at the race
• Pacing to your race
• Why the SWIM is the key factor in XTerra pacing strategies
• Pacing to your strengths, as well as your training
• Learning to Run strong!

You can also read more at my blog.

ESP tipcast 68 is supported in part by SLS tri custom apparel. 

I also want to thank Honey Stinger, maker of honey-based bars, gels, chews and the brand new caramel waffle. Checkout my new review series on Honey Stinger here.

On Tipcast 67 I review new research by Luke McIlvenna from the UK investigating whether pacing feedback improved 5 k running performance in a group of 8 runners. In the study, they compared:

1. No distance feedback provided
2. Feedback after each kilometer
3. Continuous feedback showing the distance covered at all times

Read more here...

ESP tipcast 67 is supported in part by SLS tri custom apparel.

I also want to thank Honey Stinger, maker of honey-based bars, gels, chews and the brand new caramel waffle. Checkout my new review series on Honey Stinger here.

My latest Blog post takes a closer look at the upcoming CAS appeal of Roman Kreuziger. Roman is aiming for the same implausible longshot defense, it's not doping, I'm an anomoly!

Read more ROMAN.

http://wp.me/p4wLJg-zo

On tipcast 66 I wrap-up up my mega-May month with a short discussion on why reading articles on elite training is not just unhelpful, but may actually be counter-productive. Here’s a brief overview why:

1. Workouts devised to push the limits of the elite, a small data on tiny population.
2. Workouts often lack any type of context of how they fit in a periodized training plan.
3. Workouts may be just what you need, or exactly what you don’t.
4. They can unconsciously influence your training, leading to unneeded or counter-productive ad-hoc training.

ESP tipcast 66 is supported in part by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine. For more than 19 years, Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine has been the definitive guide to outdoor sports, health, and adventure travel in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Published free every month, BRO has established itself as the nation’s top regional outdoor publication. For more information checkout www.blueridgeoutdoors.com.

On Tipcast 65 I wrapped up my discussion on what I’ve learned from low volume training programs over the past 8 years and provided some ideas for how to develop a low volume program for triathlon and road cycling. In this companion article, I’ve provided some visual aids to take your program to the next level. Read more...

ESP tipcast 64 is supported in part by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine. For more than 19 years, Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine has been the definitive guide to outdoor sports, health, and adventure travel in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Published free every month, BRO has established itself as the nation’s top regional outdoor publication. For more information checkout www.blueridgeoutdoors.com.

On tipcast 64 I discuss what I’ve learned from low volume training programs over the past 8 years. Well before Chris Carmichael jumped onto the HIT bandwagon with his time-crunched approach, I was experimenting with polarized training, HIT and reduced volume. Here are some of the highlights:

• Many coaches fall prey to the Coaching Blind spot, where we become overly focused on one particular training philosophy.
• Reverse periodization is highly effective for low volume athletes; building the critical infrastructure (i.e., base)
• HIT works because it applies the necessary training stress to optimize both the central cardiovascular adaptations, as well as the peripheral adaptations essential to performance improvement
• HIT is NOT the road to ultimate ELITE performance; ultimately, a balance of volume and intensity is key.
• Low volume HIT is limited by its own success and low volume.
• Low volume training with HIT can builds fast fitness, but often fails to produce multiday success, like stage races.
• Low volume, HIT based programs should be individualized to your own response rate.

ESP tipcast 64 is supported in part by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine. For more than 19 years, Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine has been the definitive guide to outdoor sports, health, and adventure travel in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Published free every month, BRO has established itself as the nation’s top regional outdoor publication. For more information checkout www.blueridgeoutdoors.com.

FROM THE TRADEWIND SPORTS BLOG:

For those of you who have followed me well before the podcast and the blog, you may remember my article from ACTIVE, Avoid the Training Race Trap. Presented here, is an cleaned-up, beefed up article that weaves together the original article related to training races for cyclists, but also the trap that catches runners, swimmers and cyclists, the ubiquitous "C" race, or low priority race...READ MORE

In this Tipcast I cover the top 5 tips from my blog on how to use training races, rather than be used by them!

Special Thanks to:

Skratch Labs

Rudy Project North America

On Tipicast 62 I recap the School of Thought coaching clinic I recently attended at the University of Tennessee, hosted in part by UT’s swim coaches. The clinic featured one of the world's leading experts in applied blood lactate testing, Dr. Jan Olbrecht. Dr. Olbrecht literally wrote (one of the best, IMO) the book on training, and discussed how to best apply the training principle. In addition to Dr. Olbrecht, the clinic featured some of the best swim coaches in the world, including the legendary Bill Boomer, and Ikkos founder, Sean Hutchison. I will be featuring and discussing many of ideas and information discussed in the clinic throughout the summer podcast season.

For more information, head on over to the website.

On Tipcast 61 I wrap-up my discussion of weight loss tips with a review of why maintaining your weight is critical to hitting your optimal race weight. The less time you have to train, the tighter your weight zone needs to be, or the longer your build up.

To learn more about this topic, see ESP Podcast 19, on racing weight. 

Here's the diet tool discussed: https://cronometer.com

ESP tipcast 61 is supported in part by:

SLS tri custom apparel. With a range of stock and custom options for all three sports, SLS tri is ready to get you dressed for 2015 success.

Honey Stinger, maker of honey-based bars, gels, chews and the brand new caramel waffle. Talk about race fuel!     

On Tipcast 60 I continue the discussion of the energy systems, covering the fat burning zone and whether so called substrate testing is worth the time and effort. Knowing why you're testing substrate use and how it should be done properly will save you a great deal of time and money!

ESP tipcast 60 is supported in part by:

SLS tri custom apparel. With a range of stock and custom options for all three sports, SLS tri is ready to get you dressed for 2015 success.

Honey Stinger, maker of honey-based bars, gels, chews and the brand new caramel waffle. Talk about race fuel! 

Are you tired, or just having an off day? Should you scrap that session, or plug on? I answer these questions on Tipcast 59, and discuss why a little neuromuscular fatigue need not be cause for dropping your entire workout. In short, fatigue can be at a number of levels, so you don't need to PR in every workout to call it a succes. In fact, feeling great in a session may be cause to taper back some too, as those PR days can often lead to overtraining or injury. As Tom Swensen said to me years ago:

"If you feel good do less, if you feel bad, do less. Only when you feel average should you consider doing more." Not bad advice.

ESP tipcast 59 is supported in part by:

SLS tri custom apparel. With a range of stock and custom options for all three sports, SLS tri is ready to get you dressed for 2015 success.

Honey Stinger, maker of honey-based bars, gels, chews and the brand new caramel waffle. Talk about race fuel! 

On Tipcast 58 I discuss how to make your spring training camp work for you! Whether its a long weekend or 10 days, the spring training camp can boost your fitness, or wipe out your spring. Here are some of the tips covered:

1.     Review your plan then plan your camp.

2.     Rest before and after.

3.     Train before the camp! 

4.     Why how much you train can be tough to answer.

5.     Opposites attract. Cut the intensity and up the volume.

6.     Live like a champion. 

7.     Find your rhythm; why frequency trumps total volume.

More more information on this or other topics head on over to www.espanswers.com

Special thanks to Skratch Labs for their suport in 2015. Thirsty? Skratch it!

On Tipcast 57 I discuss what you need to do to dial in your feeding and hydration strategies for your big races, and why now is the time to do it!

The winter is a great time to make the most of the indoor training sessions. Calculate your sweat rate and figure out what feeding strategy will optimize your performance. On the show I discuss:

• Calculating sweat rate
• Where to start with nutrition testing
• How to train during these sessions
• How to Fine-tune the plan

To learn more about how to calculate sweat rate, or hydration head over to www.espanswers.com, and search hydration. You can also checkout my June 2013 interview with Skratch Labs founder Allen Lim, or my December 2012 interview with Biju Thomas. You can also donate and support this podcast.

Special thanks to Skratch Labs for their support of the podcast.

On tipcast 56, I’ll wrap up my discussion of how to optimize HIT programs by touching on ways to mix and match workouts in a reduced volume tri program. Contrary to what many critics want to claim is a lower volume program with tons of short sessions of intervals, a HIT based program is really about optimizing your limited time by balancing your individual response to the training to devise a plan that meets your performance goals. In the podcast I review:

• Why individual RESPONSE MATTERS and how to make the most of your individuality
• Why and how to utilize variation to make the most of your training
• What to do if your response varies, and why this might be the case

I would like to thank Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine for their support this year

Also be sure to checkout Rudy Project for the latest technically cool eyewear and lids, including the Airstorm!

On Tipcast 55 I discuss how some midifications to the Training Peaks Performance Management Chart and Training Stress Score can help you better manage a HIT based triathlon program. 

THe ESP Podcast would like to thank Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine. For more than 19 years, Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine has been the definitive guide to outdoor sports, health, and adventure travel in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Published free every month, BRO has established itself as the nation’s top regional outdoor publication. For more information checkout www.blueridgeoutdoors.com.

We also want to thank SLStri custom apparel for their support this racing season.

On Tipcast 54 I discuss tips on how to make your racing weight on a lower volume, HIT-based training program. Weight loss is often a struggle for low-volume training programs, so hopefully a these tips can help.

The ESP Podcast would like to thank one of its newest supporters:

Blueridge Outdoors Magazine. For more than 19 years, Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine has been the definitive guide to outdoor sports, health, and adventure travel in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Published free every month, BRO has established itself as the nation’s top regional outdoor publication. For more information checkout www.blueridgeoutdoors.com. We also want to thank both Rudy Project North America and Honey Stinger.