Now that the nights are getting longer and the days shorter, more of our workouts are done indoors. I find podcasts are a great way to break up the monotony of a treadmill run, the stationary bike or doing reps of a strength building program. Sure music is good, but podcasts provide entertaining, educational and inspirational content that gives me something new to look forward to during an otherwise "unstimulating" session.Podcasts are a series of downloadable audio (and video) recordings that are generally created by people that have a passion for their topic and enjoy sharing their enthusiasm with others. A topic, a microphone and a little computer knowledge is all that is needed to create a podcast. Many times podcasters create their content on a limited budget so the frequency of releases, the content and the audio quality can vary. Usually a podcaster will release new "shows" 1-4 times a month.
Software that automatically downloads "shows" when they are released are call podcast aggregators. ITunes is the most popular aggregator but there are many good alternatives (MediaMonkey, WinAmp, Songbird, CopyTrans etc). The applications are usually free downloads, they support themselves by displaying advertisements which can be annoying. I have tried a few aggregators in an attempt to get away from ITunes, but in my opinion, ITunes is the best one I have used (especially if you use an IPod). ITunes will work with non-Apple players (like Creative Zen or the Microsoft Zune) with the exception of a few features. I would suggest installing the aggregator on a desktop computer instead of a laptop because a desktop can be left with the power on 24 hours a day; the aggregator will automatically download the podcasts when they are available and they will be ready to synchronize with your player (see below).
There are 1000s of podcasts available for free online. There is most certainly something out there that should catch your interest. Finding a a few good podcasts takes a little trial and error. Websites such as the ITunes Store or Podcast Alley are search engines for podcasts, if you type "triathlon" into the "Itunes Store" (yes it's a called a "store" but the podcasts are usually free) you will find almost 100 podcasts specifically geared toward the triathlon community. There is a short description of the podcast and it will display a the most recent episodes. Check the episode dates to see how recent and frequent the episodes are released. If you are not using ITunes, you will need to copy the RSS or XML path and paste this line of text into your aggregator. Itunes makes this easy, just click "subscribe".
Once you have your aggregator installed and you have subscribed to a few podcasts, the aggregator will begin downloading a few of the most recent episodes on your hard drive.(Audio podcasts are usually between 10-50 megabytes per episode) To get the content off your computer and on your player you will need to "sync" it. In my experience, ITunes and an IPod are the easiest to synchronize the contents of your computer and the contents of your Ipod.
More information about podcastscan be found on the Apple website.
Here are a few triathlon related podcasts that I recommend. Please let me know what your recommendations.
IMTalk - John and Bevan are a couple of Kiwis that report the latest news related to Ironman racing. The episodes during "Epic Camp" are especially interesting.
Endurance Planet - Local athlete and podcaster, Kevin Patrick provides a wide array of personal interest stories of endurance athletes. By becoming a preferred member, you will have access to even more downloadable content.
Simply Stu - A Madison native, "Stu" has an entertaining and enthusiastic show. He often discusses new products and training strategies.The monologue by Iron Wil at the end of the show is my favorite part.
Zen and the Art of Triathlon - One part eastern philosophy and another part triathlon are the ingredients to this show. Brett records most of his podcasts while out riding and running. This is a great podcast to listen to while out on a long run.
TriTalk - The science of the sport really comes out in this podcast. David Warden's broadcasts detail the latest in multisport research. This podcast is filled with technical advice that will get you to the finish line faster.
The AgeGrouper - A couple of average guys from Chicago (Jeff and Eric) discuss triathlon from the perspective of the middle of the pack.
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