Taren's MōTTIV Method Podcast

Katrina "Kat" Matthews is a professional triathlete who has a very different approach to training than many of her fellow pros and even some amateurs. That approach most recently saw her win IM Florida and IM 70.3 Oteppa   She believes in a much lighter training load than most, and that we don't need to smash ourselves to be successful in the sport!  

Mark A. Turnipseed was an addict who was living a lie: he was married to a woman but knew deep down he was gay, using drugs and alcohol to numb the pain of not being able to be his true self. He stumbled into triathlon, and the process of training for his first IRONMAN allowed Mark to commit to getting sober once and for all, and for finally coming out as a gay man. He's now proudly living the lif...

Lizi Duncombe is a relatively new pro triathlete, having joined the pro ranks very soon after she started racing.  With a handful of 2nd place finishes, and a couple of race wins (most recently 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 Oman Muscat right before the pandemic started), Lizi has a super promising future. We talk about her most embarrassing Zoom moment, her training philosophy and more.

Anne Maher is a mom of two, and qualified for the Boston Marathon at her very first marathon ever in 2012. But while she's an excellent athlete, Anne preaches balance -- while she's serious about her run and triathlon training, she also refuses to give up balance in her life. Her blog and Instagram are Margaritas and Marathons, and we talk to her today about how she manages to enjoy everything in...

Laura Philipp was the 4th place finisher at Kona in 2019, and the 3rd place finisher at the 2020 PTO Championship at Challenge Daytona.  Yet, her name hasn't been well known in North America -- even though she's incredibly well known in Europe!  Her husband Philipp Seipp is also her coach.  We talk to the pair about her rise in the sport, their philosophy on training, how she felt lining up agains...

James Lawrence is best known as the Iron Cowboy, after he completed 50 Ironman triathlons in 50 US States in 50 Days. Six years later, he's now stepping it up to 100 Ironmans in 100 Days, starting in a couple months. We talk to him about why he's doing it and what his mindset will be this time, after enduring one of the most difficult things he could ever have imagined doing the 50:50:50.

The CEO of the Professional Triathlete's Organisation, Sam Renouf, joined us on the podcast to recap how their plans for 2020 went (spoiler alert, they were burned to the ground by COVID) and what their plans are for 2021.

Angela Naeth is a professional triathlete who has been competing at a high level in IRONMAN races (she had an 8th place finish at Kona in 2018), all the while battling Lyme Disease.  We talk to her about how she new she had contracted the tick-borne illness, how she's managed to keep competing, and what treatment looks like these days.

Ashley Reaver is a registered dietitian, nutritionist and lecturer at the University of California, Berkley. She's also the Lead Nutrition Scientist at Inside Tracker.  We talk to her today about how triathletes can use blood testing to guide their triathlon nutrition and training, to understand what's going on under the hood, which can help improve performance.

Bill Christy is the head honcho of Challenge North America, the group behind the wildly successful Challenge Daytona (PTO Championship) race broadcast in early December.  On the podcast this week, we talk to Bill about some behind the scenes info, how they accomplished a world-class product doing things never done before in triathlon, and what's next for Challenge as they go up against IRONMAN.

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 fro...

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...

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 fe...

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...

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...

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 conti...

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.