Triathlon Taren Podcast

Her name was already well known to Canadians as the top Olympic hopeful in triathlon in 2012, but now Paula Findlay's name is known worldwide after winning the 2020 Challenge Daytona race (also known as the PTO Championship).  We talk to Paula about her dominant race against some of the best triathletes in the world, her training philosophy during the pandemic, and how her mindset is different from the one she had during her quest for Olympic gold.

Richard Murray is a professional triathlete from South Africa who specializes in short-course racing. He joins Taren on the podcast to discuss who will be on the podium at the 2020 PTO Championship at Challenge Daytona this weekend.  They also talk about creating content for their respective YouTube channels and more.  

Vincent Luis is currently the number one ranked ITU athlete in the world. He had a spectacular 2019 season, and now he's about to face off against some of the best IRONMAN athletes in the world at Challenge Daytona.  On the podcast today, we dissect how things could play out at Daytona with a field of long-course vs short-course athletes.  Who will dominate!?  We also talk about the best places in the world to live and train, Vincent's non-tri hobbies, and his thoughts on breaking records.

Where do you put a chest HR strap? How does the menstrual cycle impact training? What's the best bike saddle for a female?  Professional triathlete Sarah True and former-pro Sara Gross answer those questions and more.

Ryan Hall holds numerous records as an Olympic marathon runner for the USA.  But after getting to his lowest weight of 127lbs at 5'10", he became so injured that he had to give up running. He found himself in the weight room, and now he's 192lbs and healthier than ever. We talk with him about weight training for all endurance athletes, the best way to approach weights, the differences in how he felt then and now, and more.

Dani Lewis (formerly Danielle Dingman, she got married and changed her name!) is a pro triathlete who is one of the few people having a decent 2020. She's had a couple great finishes in the races she's been able to compete in (including a win!), and she was awarded a wildcard spot to Challenge Daytona this December. We talk racing during COVID, getting lost on a race course this year, and a little reality TV. 

On the podcast this week, we talk to the man who dreamed up Zwift and made it a reality, Zwift CEO Eric Min.  We find out how the idea came to be, when he knew it would be a success, and what the future plans are for online cycling. Also find out which Grey's Anatomy star regularly uses Zwift!

What if we told you that simply breathing through your nose could lower your heart rate and improve your performance dramatically?  That's what author James Nestor discovered as he researched his book, "Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art".  He explains how the simple act of learning to breath with our mouths shut (especially while training) is a huge game changer.

Kevin Rodriguez and Lauren Boulay are co-workers and training partners. When COVID caused their very first half-IRONMAN race to be cancelled, their friends & family stepped up in a huge way and helped them do a self-supported 70.3.  We talk to Kevin and Lauren about their big day, how they went from beginners to where they are now, and more.

Two years ago, Leanne Taylor was on an afternoon hilly bike ride with her boyfriend when a simple braking error changed her life -- she went over her handlebars, breaking her spine and paralyzing her from the belly button down. But with an endlessly positive spirit, Leanne turned potential tragedy into a whole new path in life: she's now in the Canadian Paralympic program and poised to potentially compete in the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics.

Today on the podcast, Taren answers Zone 2 running questions from triathletes who submitted their questions via audio message. He addresses the length of time it can take to make progress with Zone 2 running, how/why it works, reasons why you might not be making progress despite doing it "properly" for a decent length of time, and many other common questions.

Doug Gailey has been nicknamed Mr.100 - as in 100% - because he literally never misses a workout on TeamTrainiac.com.  Doug is an age-grouper who, only a few years ago, couldn't swim more than just a side-stroke.  But a total commitment to his workouts has shown what consistency can do:  he's not only a comfortable, capable swimmer, he's put down great 70.3 race times, and looking forward to continued improvements when racing resumes again!

Robyn Stirling got into triathlon a few years ago, after an ACL injury suffered during Mixed Martial Arts fighting. He committed to Zone 2 training as part of his plan on TeamTrainiac.com, and we talk about how his patience is paying off in spades.  

On this week's episode of the podcast, Taren brings an update on his personal overtraining recovery story.  Where is he at now, how did he know he was dealing with overtraining, and what he's doing to battle back to 100%.

In a year of no races, Challenge Daytona 2020 is still a go -- and Executive Race Producer Bill Christy gives us all of the details on COVID safety plans PLUS an enormous pro triathlete field. He also give us the first details about the Challenge Family's 2nd North American race, the new Challenge Miami, scheduled for March 2021.

Paula Findlay is a Canadian pro triathlete and Olympian. Eric Lagerstrom is an American pro triathlete, and Paula's boyfriend. The pair has been busy during the pandemic, not only training together but traveling around in their tricked-out van and camping in beautiful, remote locations. We talk to them about their incredible YouTube videos, being super fit with no races, and a return to the Olympics.

Imagine discovering you have a tumour, getting it removed, and then a year later, finding out you have another one. That's what happened to triathlete Gillian Roberts, but her positive attitude hasn't let her get down after two surgeries and difficult cancer treatments.  In fact, she's back to training and has set her mind on crossing the finish line of many more 70.3 races in the future.  

With races around the world postponed or cancelled thanks to COVID-19, many athletes have been left in the lurch as IRONMAN refuses to give refunds or, in some cases, even race deferrals.  But that's not been the case with the Challenge Family races. On the podcast today we talk to the CEO of Challenge Family, Zibi Szlufcik, who explains Challenge's decisive actions in cancelling races and giving refunds to athletes around the world.  

Atreyu Running is a brand new running shoe company, and their founder Michael Krajicek has his sights set high. He wanted to create the perfect shoe that could be affordable and offer the same benefits as some of the top racing shoes on the market.  We find out Michael's background, including when he owned a gourmet hotdog bistro, and how he pivoted from the restaurant industry into athletic shoes.

Matt Bach was in the best shape of his life in 2015, winning IM Maryland, finishing 74th overall at Kona, and about to turn pro. But crushing fatigue, sudden weight gain, and a missing libido made him start to realize something was very wrong. He wrote his symptoms off for a while until he couldn't ignore them anymore. On the podcast this week, we talk about how Matt accidentally became overtrained, how his missing libido was the biggest clue, how blood tests were key to his recovery.