The TriDoc Podcast, triathlon and health in one place

In this episode:At the commencement speech for Dartmouth College's graduates in June of this year, Roger Federer spoke eloquently on the power of positive thinking and how it enabled him to win close to 80% of his matches over the course of his career despite having lost almost half of the points that he played in those matches. Can athletes in other sports learn from his example and is there evidence to support this notion that being positive can affect outcomes? We discuss in the Medical Mailbag. Also, a conversation with Michelle Bond, a kinesiologist and researcher on the importance of understanding the fascia and how as athletes we can leverage that understanding to improve our performance and recovery.Segments:[08:36]- Medical Mailbag:[38:00]- Interview: Michele Bond LinksRoger Federer's commencement speechMichele's Facebook page @michele__bond on Instagram Michele's Website Michele on YouTube

In this episode:Everyone knows that sodium is an important component of sport nutrition but what form should it come in? For a long time sodium chloride was preferred but more recently sodium citrate is much more popular. Is there a reason for this change and is there evidence that one is better than the other? The Medical Mailbag discusses the evidence. Plus, Irish professional triathlete Fiona Moriarty comes from a running background but has distinguished herself as a cyclist. Hear how she made the transition to multisport and how she is making it all come together with a full-time job.Segments:[07:20]- Medical Mailbag: Which salt is best?[33:10]- Interview: Fiona Moriarty LinksEpisode 10: Exercise induced hyponatremia@fionamoriartytri on Instagram Fiona's Website Fiona on YouTube

In this episode:A widely read and much discussed media article out of Germany quoted researchers who surveyed athletes at the 2024 Challenge Roth on the use of performance enhancing drugs among age group triathletes. The results were somewhat disheartening. Around 10% admitted to using agents that would enhance performance and almost none had any qualms about it. What are these agents? What are the risks of using them? Should we care? The entire episode will be dedicated to try to answer these questions with the help of guests Jim Vance and Matt sharpe.

In this episode:Skeletal muscles are made up of fast twitch and slow twitch fibers each of which has differing properties. The amount of each fiber in muscle varies from person to person and while it is possible to determine this makeup, it is not so easy. The architecture of muscle in each individual is important in determining how a person can perform in different types of sports and also, how each will respond to training. Should people try to determine what their muscle typology is and adapt their training to it? We discuss in the Medical Mailbag. Kennon Heard is an emergency physician and endurance athlete who collapsed in cardiac arrest after a family fun run in May. He discusses his experience and how he is moving forward as well as how the rest of us should think about this experience in context of our own endurance pursuits as we age.Segments:[10:30]- Medical Mailbag: Muscle typology and training[35:14]- Interview: Kennon HeardLinksLearn CPR

In this episode:It is a fact of life that as we age endurance performance inevitably declines. But do both genders decline at the same rate or, does one gender decline more slowly than the other? Hear what the research says on the Medical Mailbag. Plus, Chris Bagg is the head coach at Campfire Endurance and the writer of an article on whether or not we as triathletes should be focusing on hunting mice or antelope. Don't know what this means? You will and you will have a much better understanding of where to focus your energy and expenditures for training after listening to our conversation.Segments:[10:59]- Medical Mailbag: Aging decline and gender variability[33:15]- Interview: Chris Bagg LinksMMB video on YouTubeIronmanhacks video with ChrisChris' articleChris's Facebook page @campfire_endurance on Instagram Chris's Website @Chrisbagg on X Chris on YouTube

In this episode:How does cardiorespiratory fitness affect the lifetime risk of developing breast cancer in women? In the Medical Mailbag we look at new research that suggests daily exercise can have a profound effect on decreasing the likelihood of developing this disease. Plus, an interview with age group triathlete, author and coach Doug Morris on how multisport brings him joy and how he shares that with whomever he can.Segments:[09:27]- Medical Mailbag: Fitness and risk of breast cancer[35:00]- Interview: Doug Morris LinksTriing on Amazon

In this episode:How much do biomechanics influence running economy and is this something that coaches and athletes should work on improving? New research sheds some light and reveals some surprising answers to this questions. Mark Cullen is a successful age group triathlete a coach and one half of the co-hosting duo of the Endurance Icons podcast. He talks to me about all of this and along with the balancing act of being both the husband and the coach of a professional triathlete.Segments:[7:17]- Medical Mailbag: Biomechanics and running economy[36:14]- Interview: Mark Cullen Links@Markcullen_coach on Instagram Endurance Icons on Apple PodcastsUse the Garmin metronome function: Video

In this episode:During allergy season many use antihistamine medications as a means of controlling their symptoms. Emerging evidence suggests that there may be a cost to this practice in the form of decreased endurance performance. On the Medical Mailbag we look at the evidence. Jonathan Su is a long time physical therapist who has written a book that he promises can be a 6-minute solution to knee pain. We discuss his book and the methods that he describes within it.Segments:[12:22]- Medical Mailbag: Antihistamines[36:57]- Interview: Jonathan Su LinksJonathan's Website 6-Minute Knee Pain Cure on Amazon

In this episode:Ginseng is a root purported to have myriad beneficial properties making its use widespread in Chinese medicine and across the far east. Recently, a listener asked if this traditional remedy might also have benefits for athletes? On the Medical Mailbag, we dig in to the evidence for and against. Dr. Jim Taylor is a PhD in psychology and has worked with many professional and high level age group triathletes. He believes that training the mind is as important as training the body and he thinks that there are ways to leverage psychology to extract mental marginal gains that add up to improvements in performance. He tells me all about it in our conversation.Segments:[12:42]- Medical Mailbag: Can Ginseng make you faster?[34:51]- Interview: Dr. Jim Taylor LinksDr. Jim's Facebook page @DrJimTaylor on Instagram @DrJimTaylor on X Dr. Jim's Website Dr. Jim on YouTube

In this episode:Strength training is advocated for by coaches all the time in order to mitigate injury and improve endurance performance but finding scientific evidence to support these claims has been difficult. A new study gives some insight on the performance aspect and we look at it in the Medical Mailbag. Triathletes can take their selfish pursuit to extremes and put their relationships at risk. Couples' therapist Dr. Kayla Crane speaks with me to help us understand how to get ahead of those kinds of problems and make sure that your pursuit of happiness in multisport does not run afoul of your partner's pursuit of happiness on the home front.Segments:[13:35]- Medical Mailbag: Strength to improve running performance?[40:33]- Interview: Kayla CraneLinksKayla's Facebook page @southdenvertherapy on Instagram Kayla's Website