ProLine Sports, Nutrition and Equipment Blog

The Long and Short of Things

Ok, triathlons are pretty cool. Better yet, endurance racing is cool. Running is cool. Cycling is cool. Swimming is cool. Generally all sports are pretty rad I guess is what I'm trying to say. But I feel there's something to be said about the long vs. short races we have available. There's a lot of people out there racing. And they're all racing different distances and for different reasons. Who are we to judge right?

So, the more and more I talk to people, the more and more I seem to find people obsessed with going long and longer. While this is good and/or great, I find it hard to swallow sometimes when I talk to these people about my own racing. I get the look, "Oh, you've never done an Ironman?" Yea, it's ok, I haven't. I'm ok with that. I will someday. And yes, triathlon training does consume a large portion of my life. Just ask my wife, she'll tell you. When I'm not training, I'm talking about training, or bikes, or shoes or races. It kind of comes with the territory.

But back to this whole long vs. short. I feel there's too much of a big deal and pressure on the long races. Mostly the marathon and Ironman. You know, those take a LOT of training. Everyone knows it. But you know what else takes a lot of training? Going fast. Very fast. As I mentioned the person giving me the "you've never done and Ironman?" look, I always have to bite my tongue, and NOT ask, "you've never felt what it's like to run a mile under 5 minutes?" Or run any part of any triathlon in a sub 7min/mi pace? Or even a road race or in your training?

Basically what I'm getting at is the stigma of 'endurance racing' and that the mecca of all races are the marathon (or ultra marathons) and the Ironman. I know these are amazing goals and aspirations for people to have. There's such a big difference between training to go long and training to go fast. I feel there are too many people so overly obsessed with the going long, and going long right away. Now, I'm not saying it's not totally awesome that you finished an Ironman. Because you sir (or ma'am) have done something only a very select amount of people have done. But why be satisfied with just surviving and making cutoff times? Why not spend a little more time working on your motor and your 'go' machine?

Let's face it, the long days of training take a huge toll on your body, your family and your social life. You can get some similar benefits long term if you're doing some high intensity training vs going out and putting in 3 hours of running.

Ask yourself, if you're a marathoner or Ironman triathlete, what's your fastest 10k, 5k, mile, 400m? If you start calculating based on your marathon time, please try again. Go out and do them. First of all, I'm sure you're faster than you can calculate based on your marathon time. On top of that, I'm sure you can get even faster without hindering your marathon training. In fact, if you spent some time on speed and power, I'd be willing to bet your Ironman and marathon times would reap the benefits as well. Having that aerobic capacity and muscular development will give you the strength to go faster for longer. On top of those big running days, the short and fast will give you another trick in your bag.

I'm not ragging on people who only race the long races. Hell, I wish I had the time and commitment to train like that and kudos to those of you that do. But mostly I want to get those who race long to drop the act of being better than those who race short(er). There's a lot to be said for those who can break and hour in the 40k ride and 40min in the 10k run of an Olympic distance triathlon race. Probably an even more select group of people than those of 'Ironman Finishers'

-Dave

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Big Day

So I had another opportunity to get in a big day of training while I had the house to myself again. My wife took her day off to visit her parents while her brother was coming through town to go on vacation. So I took advantage of the day, got my work done, and started the training day out on the bike.

After having a great breakfast of some whole grain pancakes that I mix up with some wheat germ, yogurt, butterscotch chips, and a little almond extract, I said goodbye to my wife and baby, and got set to hit the bike hard.

I wanted to be able to get in both some good miles on the bike and running, so I kept the bike to a mid-range ride and followed a ride from Trainer Road that was about 2 hours and 40 minutes long called Cathedral. It his all over the range of tempo, threshold, endurance to be a solid workout while getting in some good miles and time.

I like this workout a lot, being the second time I've done it, I think it's a perfect ride for me to get in a good longer ride geared towards my half-ironman training. I got through the ride and the whole time felt great. I was surprised since I was pretty burnt out from the 1-hour intense session I had done the night before. But I've been really concentrating on my eating habits and making sure I'm covered all day long, so I think that's paying off. Except the dark chocolate covered Peeps I bought my wife and I last night as a treat.

I finished the ride and hopped in the shower to relax and get refreshed before I ate. I grabbed some lunch, kicked my feet up fro a while and did some more work while I waited and rested for my afternoon run.

Bring it on...

I wasn't totally sure about the run this afternoon, but I wanted to get in some good time on my feet. So I plotted out a 10mile loop through my town, with a few places I could loop back home should I get tired or anything.

The first few miles, to be honest, felt great. I was surprised how fresh I felt and was hoping I could keep it up throughout the whole run.

Another few miles ticked off and I was still feeling fresh. But then it hit me... My gut started hurting and knew I needed a bathroom. But wasn't sure where I'd find one. I got to a park and ran up quick, only to find it was closed for the season. What?!

So I had to soldier on, going back was going to be longer than it would to be to find a bathroom at a gas station or something like that.

I got to mile 7, and hallelujah! A PDQ! I dashed in quick and used the bathroom and was out, back on the road in no time. Feeling much, much more relaxed, even though my legs were feeling super fresh.

I got to where I had planned to turn back home for 10 miles, but kept on going past. I was feeling great and just soldiered on. My legs were still feeling good and I knew I had a few extra miles in me. I didn't bring any nutrition with me, but I had gotten through some 90 minute runs before without any, and with the temps in the 30's and being properly dressed to not sweat much or be too cold, not having any was alright.

I started to get fatigued and did feel a bit hungry as I got to mile twelve, so I decided to wind it down. I wasn't planning to kill myself on the run. I need to be able to get up tomorrow and do a good swim.

I reeled it in and got home feeling tired, but satisfied. It was nice to get the training in, while not feeling completely dead. It's good to feel like this, this early in the season. I'm feeling my recovery habits as well as my rest habits are starting to align well and I'm really looking forward to getting it going.

Well it's time for me to kick the legs up again and relax. See you out there!

-Dave

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Don't Be That Guy (Or Girl)

Ok, so we all have some little quirks that might annoy some people. Well, everyone except me (kidding!) But there's a handful of things that people do out there that I think everyone could live without. I do apologize ahead of time if this rubs anyone the wrong way, but I have started to notice more and more little things that really just drive me nuts.

1.) The Know It Alls - Maybe you know someone like this, maybe you don't. But when it comes to training and racing, these people really drive me crazy. Now, there is a lot of VERY smart people out there. And some of these know-it-alls actually do know a lot about what they're talking about. But, it does just drive me crazy to listen to the same person or people correct or try to give people information that is either a) incorrect b) has no relevance or c) is way over the person on the receiving end. What good is talking to someone about the weight differences of certain parts of their bike if that person's FTP is like 125.. or, maybe they can't afford those more expensive, lightweight derailleurs.  This really irks me when it comes to running shoes. Every single person out there is different. Nobody has the exact same foot, stride or strike, so every shoe will fit every person different. It's not your place Mr./Ms. Know It All to be telling people they need to be wearing Newton's or Saucony's. Shut it.

2.) The Too Good For Yous - So I've been noticing more of these lately, the people who won't give you the time of day when you're out training. I can understand if you're doing a heavy tempo run or grinding it out on the bike, by all means, don't wave. More than likely, we can tell you're working hard, and you'll probably make us work harder, too. But no, I'm talking about the people who are running or riding and clearly make eye contact with you and you give a polite wave or a friendly verbal gesture, but they fail to return it, just looking down or away. I thought all of us endurance athletes were super friendly and energetic?! I always wave to bikers when I'm running and runners when I'm biking. However, I tend not to wave to anyone when I'm swimming.

3.) Those that won't Shut Up! - I'm sorry, but when I'm in the middle of a set in the pool or working hard on the weights or treadmill, I am not looking to have a 20 minute conversation with you about your nephew. Meet me at a bar, by all means, let's share a drink and I am all ears. I'm a very good listener. I don't just listen... I LISTEN. But not too long ago I was getting done with a workout and this older gentleman decided to tell me all about his nephew and his girlfriend. Both being collegiate All-American cross country runners and one going pro after only one year of training. Then he went on to tell me I'm too bulky for triathlons. I bit my tongue and walked away. Thank you sir, for wasting my time, and insulting me and all of my hard work. And there are also those who stop you in the middle of your sets in the weight room. Man, these are the worst. I have my headphones in, I'm rotating between 2-3 different lifts, yet you think that from the time I put down one set of weights for some chest exercise and stand beside the rack to do some squats is the perfect time to strike up a conversation. No sir, I'm on a time limit. Some other time, I'm sorry.

4.) All Show, No Go - One of my favorites. These are everywhere. And this relates back to my fit first blog a while back. So these people have money to burn. They've got the best outfits, the 'fastest' bikes, carbon shoes, disc wheels, the whole nine. Yet, as soon as they get into the water, they look like a dog swimming with no legs. Or if you happen to be in a wave behind them, and catch them on the bike, they're perfectly built speed machine looks very grand as you go whipping past it while they suck wind sitting up a few miles into the bike. Should have spent a few more bucks on the car instead of the bike my friend.

5.) This is Just For Fun - Ok wait, I do this just for fun. Yea, well sorta. I'm pretty competitive, too. And I'm not raggin' on those of you who do honestly go out and do it for fun, have all the enthusiasm, and FOLLOW THE RULES. I love people who are out there on the course with me cheering as I pass them, or giving high fives and things like that. These people are not my problem, because 99% of the time, they know the rules. Stay to the right. Know the course. Don't block. Etc, etc. But then you have these people out there, just having a grand old time on the bike course, just cruising along, 2, 3, even 4 people wide chatting it up. Excuse me. This isn't a closed course. Cars ARE coming in the opposite direction, AND it's a two-lap course. I am lapping you. Please move the f&*# over! I can only say, "On your left" a few times before I must yell at you. I know you heard me the first time when you turned your head to look. This has happened to me a handful of times. After saying it louder each time until I'm right up on the person (people) blocking traffic, I'm stuck yelling it as I'm on their wheel or heels. And every time, I end up looking like the bad guy. While yes, we did pay the same amount to get into this race, you seem to have forgotten it is a RACE, and some of us are trying to win.

Ok, there's my ranting and complaining for the month. I hope I haven't rubbed too many people the wrong way, but I know a lot of people out there that are the same way. We pay good money to get into the events, we work REALLY hard at our training and scheduling, but there's just these people who get in the way sometimes. They're not bad people, not by any means. I'm sure nearly all of them are totally awesome outside of the given situation. However, this is a short list of five types of people I've had to deal with so far in my triathlon career that really, really bug me. I hope you found yourself more in agreement with me, rather than being on the other end of one of my jabs.

Until then, ON YOUR LEFT!

-Dave

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The Centuray Ride - Finally

So one of my goals for this year/season was to get a century ride under my belt. I've come fairly close a few times, but hadn't quite been able to fit it in timing wise. The one day last year when I was going for it, it was nearly a 100 degree day and my water supply was running low by mile 45, so I had to start working my way back earlier than planned. Plus I had put in over 3,500 feet of climbing, so I was bit dogged as well.

But this year I knew I wanted to get it done, for no real  reason than just a mental barrier, knowing I could go that long. So the stars started to align for me to spend a good long time in my basement. Just me, my bike, my fan, my computer, and lots of water and food.

Trying to figure out my nutrition was a little tricky at first. Being on the bike for 5+ hours takes a lot of planning. Even if you are inside your house, where you can just run upstairs and grab some more food or drink. So I started prepping based on some of my longer rides outside. I grabbed 5 water bottles, usually thinking about 1 per hour or so. Three of them with just water, while the other two were mixed with Gu Brew. And just as a precaution, I filled my 100mL bladder from my camelbak with water, should I drink more than planned (which is usually the case for me).

As far as food, I grabbed a good mix of things. I had protein, carbs and fats. I put together a good pile of nutrition on the desk in front of me: bananas, PowerBars, Clif Protein Bars, cookies, Gu packs, and salt tablets. I knew I would have plenty of water for my system, but I've always felt salt tablets help me absorb more water into my system, thus needing less water overall so I'm not over-hydrated and get some pangs in my gut.

So on I went! I jumped onto the bike and was ready for a good, long ride in the saddle. To help me vary up the efforts, I picked two workouts to do back to back from Trainer Road. The first was a 3-hour endurance ride with a few pickups here and there. I knocked the intensity level down to about 90%, so I could survive, knowing I had another 2.5-3 hours of riding after that one was over.

Knocking out the first 90 minutes was a breeze. Many of my rides are between 60-120 minutes at much higher intensities than I was doing, so it felt relatively easy. Then once I started to get to the 2-hour mark, I could feel this was going to be a long ride. Despite having given myself the day off before, I still had some fatigue in my legs from the training earlier in the week. Nothing bad, but they were still pretty tired.

I took down 2 bottles at this point. One of water and one of Gu Brew, as well as some nutrition. I had two salt tabs, a Power Bar and a banana. My stomach felt pretty good at this point, so I was feeling good. Despite the fatigue in my legs.

I was watching some movies I had put off for a while. Mostly the guy movies that I didn't think my wife would enjoy. That being said, I was lucky to have such a large block of time to train as my wife went on a vacation to Hawaii with one of her good friends, and my in-laws wanted some time with their grand baby, so they stole my daughter for the weekend. I had the house to myself for three days. Just me and the dog. I think she enjoyed the quiet time just as much as I did! We got some good one on one time.

Back to the riding. I decided to finally watch Mission Impossible: Ghost Recon, The Expendables, and Immortals. Not your typical chick flicks. But they all kept me motivated while riding. Even though I did think the Expendables was a pretty terrible movie, the other two were pretty solid. Immortals was better than I thought, and MI was pretty good too.

Enough of the movie reviews. By the fourth hour, fatigue was starting to hit me, and I still had over 20 miles to go. On a normal day, 20 miles was nothing. But at this point, I was hurting. I took in more nutrition and more water as well as some salt. This seemed to help for a bit, but then it hit me. The pangs in my stomach. I had loaded up too much in a short period of time. My body was less concerned about digesting the food and more concerned about supplying energy. Things were cramping up and I wasn't feeling so hot.

With the last 10 miles in sight, I just endured on. Spend a few minutes standing then a few minutes sitting. Working on getting the gut rot out of my system. BLLECCHHH! My legs were turning to jello, so that wasn't helping either. The last couple miles were terrible, but that last .25 was like coming down the homestretch of a race. I lost all feeling and just gunned it to get it done.

Man did that feel good! I felt truly accomplished! I had sent my wife a few pics of my Garmin as I was riding and she was cheering me on from a distance via text messages. It was nice to have her moral support, though knowing she was going to be on a beach the next day and I was stuck with foggy skies and rain/snow mix. But I know I could sleep in and just enjoy the day before getting out and doing another workout the next day.

Overall, I'm really happy I got my century ride under my belt this early in the season. A great base training ride, but mostly, the mental aspect of training for a long period of time. That was my longest single day of training or racing I have done, so I felt pretty proud.

After I got upstairs and kicked off my shoes, I was happy just to put my feet up, have some recovery fuel and just watch some tv with my dog. If anyone needed me for anything, I don't think I would have been of any help.

Well,  that's one goal down for me! How are you doing with yours? Hope you can start knocking some off your list!

-Dave

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Big Swims

One of the toughest parts of training, at least for me at times, can be trying to fit in the big swims. Not that they take an over-the-top amount of time, but just the sheer magnitude of looking at the amount of yards or meters you plan to put in that day can be daunting.

I have a couple ways I look at doing any of my long swims, and I consider most of mine of over 3,500 yards/meters to be long. Around the 3,000 yard mark has become my wheelhouse when I get into the pool, and the open water can vary, which leads me into how I look at the long swim.

First are the pool swims. Ughh, all those laps. Counting laps sucks. There's no way around it. And depending on how your mind works, doing lots of sets or doing longer sets can be the easier or harder way to go about them.

When I look at 500 yard sets or longer, those start to get a little long for me, though they are good for endurance. For me, I tend to lean on going for more sets of a specific rest period. Depending on the set lengths and how hard I'm going, I will vary the rest period. For say, a 5,000 yard day, I'll look at doing varying sets of 100s and 200s in groups of 5-10 of each. Most days, I tend to keep my rest between 100s at 10 seconds and 200s at 10-15 seconds depending on how hard I'm going at each 200 set.

So for example, a 5,000 yard day for me may look something like this:

• Warmup of 200-500 yards easy, mixed strokes and stretching
• 10 x 200 at 10-15 seconds rest
• 30 x 100 at 7-10 seconds rest
• Cool down of mixed strokes and stretching

There are countless ways to mix this up, and any of them will get you to the 5,000 yard/meter mark. This set above is one of my more favorite ways to get there. I'll add in some sets with paddles and buoys to mix things up a bit more.

The other way I like to get my big swims in is in the open water. There's something about big swims out in the open water that make them just that much more fun and enjoyable. Being out in the middle of a lake, only hearing the sound of the water going past you and catching split second glimpses of your surroundings. Especially if you're out in the early morning as the sun is coming up. You're in good company. Though it may be hard to see, being in the water that early, out with nature is a great way to start the day. Especially knowing how many people are still sleeping away in their beds while you're out there pushing it.

The best thing I can say about getting in a big swim is you can always mix it up. There are so many different ways to get those yards in, and no matter how you do it, you'll get there. Just be patient with yourself, and relish in the fact when you're done. The big days are just as tough mentally as they are physically.

-Dave

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Socks? Yea, Socks

One of the most overlooked pieces of equipment, per se, in my opinion is socks. They don't get a lot of press. They don't get much marketing. They also don't get seen very often, buried inside of your shoes, no matter what you're wearing above them. But, in my opinion, socks can play a curicial role in either making or breaking your race and/or training.

I know there are a lot of people who go sockless in racing, and that is all well in good. But for the vast majority of us, we spend most of out time training and racing in socks. We often spend so much time concerned over our shoes. With the fit, feel, weight, colors and longevity (and much more), but how often do you actually try on your next pair of shoes with the socks you plan on wearing? Probably next to never. I'll admit that I usually don't, so I'm sure most of you out there don't either.

The reason I want to talk about socks today, is the fact that, besides your shoes, these are the only things between you and the ground. If you're wearing socks that don't compliment the conditions, your running/riding style or the length of your race, you could be doomed for disaster.

There's a lot of different socks out there. Super light, no show dri-fit socks. The very tight fitting, breathable ankle socks. There's even the full-fledged, nearly knee-high, compression socks. Just to name a few. But I have a couple on tap today that I want to talk about, after having done some bigger rides and runs in both, as well as some short hard runs.

First on my list are the Balega Soft Tread No Show. I took these socks on both a long run and a long ride, testing out their 'soft tread' claims, to see if they really held up to their name. In a short answer, they did! After about 12 miles of running in my Newton Lightweight Trainers, my feet still felt fresh and there were no hot spots building up anywhere on either foot that I tend to get on longer runs with minimal, dri-fit socks.

The Balegas had a good, snug feel, but at the same time, had a lot of cushioning. If you're looking for something extremely lightweight with almost no feel to them while you're running, look elsewhere. But for those long training days or races, I would put these at the top of my list. The cushioning in the forefoot as well as on the top of the foot (where the laces can cinch), is very prominent and adds to the weight and feel of the sock itself.

This added cushioning, while great for certain areas, I can see being a nuisance in others. On those hot days, when sweat is dripping down your legs and into your shoes, while you're feet are sweating all the same, I don't quite think these socks can keep up with the amount of liquid coming in, while venting it out. No matter how well ventilated your shoes are.

On the other hand, with this added cushioning and quality design, these socks would make great trail running socks. So long as you don't need the ankle coverage. But if you need that, Balega also makes some other socks that may fit your needs.

Up next I checked out the Drymax Running Socks. My initial impression of these socks were that similar to some old Asics socks I enjoyed, but didn't last very long. So I wasn't too sure about how they would workout from first inspection. They were thin, breathable and plain. But I bought them anyway by the recommendation of the manager at the triathlon shop I was at (a multi-time Ironman finisher and sponsored by Kestrel bikes).

I took these socks out on a harder run on a warmer day (45 degrees or so) with some quick miles as well as endurance to see how they held up. To my surprise, the socks held up admirably. No slipping, no hot spots, and no sweat. There seemed to be a perfect amount of air getting to my feet to keep them dry, while also keeping them warm enough.

One of my biggest fears while running is having my socks slip down into my shoes, causing me to stop and readjust. These socks have a band running around the midfoot that keeps them snugly in place. My old Asics brand had a similar band, but still couldn't hold the sock in place when I would run hard in them. Going up, down, hard and easy, the socks never slipped once.

I tried them out on my 100 mile ride as well, just to see if hot spots showed up where they sometimes do on my longer rides. Unfortunately, they did start to. But they never got as bad as they have in the past. I don't know if that can be attributed to the socks, or my body adapting to the longer rides. I'm going to say a little bit of both. Same thing applies here, no slipping and no sweat.

Overall I would recommend these socks for just about anything but cold weather running. Hard or easy, long or short, bike or run, the Drymax socks are great. And if you look on their site, they have a large variety of socks out to fit different needs depending on your liking. I would highly recommend giving them a try if your feet mean as much to you as do mine.

In the end, both sets of socks performed to a higher standard than I expected. And this post about socks is longer than you would probably like, but I think there's a lot of validity in having the right socks to do the job. One part of equipment that is highly overlooked. So the next time you go out to buy some new shoes, make sure you take with the socks you plan to wear for the majority of your training and racing.

-Dave

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Hard To Believe It's Been A Year

    It's hard to think sometimes, about the past year and where we've been in both such a long and short time. A year doesn't seem like a long time, but when you stop and think about all the little events that went into the past year, you start to realize how much you can accomplish in just a year. For me, the main thing I'm talking about is recovering from my ACL surgery.

    About a year ago, I was in just the first couple weeks of recovery, and honestly didn't see much of an end in sight. I was in a lot of pain, and very immobile. My knee would barely bend, and it took all of my strength just to put weight on it.

    The surgery itself wasn't bad. I was in at Rush in Chicago bright and early for one of the earliest surgeries of the day. Mostly due to the fact that I couldn't eat anything before being put under with anesthesia. That is honestly one of the toughest parts of surgery from a patient side. After a bit of waiting, maybe a half an hour, I was in getting prepped and ready for surgery. Leg shaved, IV started, and double checking everything. Before I knew it I was waking up after surgery with a throbbing knee and groggy head.

    Fast forward a bit from after surgery, and man it seems like that was so long ago. I remember thinking I would never be able to run again. There were so many ups and downs. Good days and bad days when it came to recovery. Within the first week I (against the wishes of my physical therapist) was on the elliptical doing some light work. My PT put the ex on that right away. Despite it being no impact, there were too many things that could go wrong, it wasn't worth the risk.

    I spent a lot of time working on some of the simplest motions. Such as layig on my back and lifting my injured leg up in the air and setting it down slowly. This was one of the most painful exercises, as it required the stabalization of my whole leg, and mostly around the knee.

    Then I was able to move on to some 1/4 squats. Nothing made me happier than to test my range of motion and actually work on some of the muscles that I would use so much on both the bike and while running. I knew I had a long way to go, and the muscle atrophy that had developed while being immobile on my one knee was honestly depressing. Looking at the difference in size and structure of my quads, I wasn't totally sure I would be able to get all of the muscles back that I had lost.

    Only a few weeks out from surgery and once the stitches had healed and I had my comfort of walking almost normally back, I was back in the pool swimming. Finally! I could do some cardio. This was such a warm welcome. To be able to push my body besides the weight lifting I was doing just to keep some form of sanity.

    Then a few more weeks went by, and I was getting good range of motion, so it was time to get back on the bike. Slowly, of course. Much of my time for the first couple weeks on the bike was spent spinning, just to get the motion back and my muscles readjusting. I worked hard, especially on the injured knee, to build back the strength in my quad and lower half of my leg.

    Fast forward another month and a half to about four months and I was ready to run. Four months seems like a long time to go without running. And trust me, it is! But at the same time, with how recovery was going, it still didn't seem like I was ready. And this was where the whole two steps forward, one step back, came into play. One day I would feel great. I would go out for a 20 minute light jog and feel amazing. Ready to keep pushing it the next day. Then wake up the next day feeling like I did 3 months prior. Lots of pain and inflammation. So it was back on the bike and in the pool when my knee was bugging me from running. But to be honest. I think it was a good thing for me to have to concentrate so much on riding. Since running is my favorite and probably my best portion of triathlon racing, it was good to concentrate on the other two portions of the sport.

    Then came my first race. Wow, it was already June. I couldn't believe it when I was standing in waist deep water, waiting for the gun. But boy was I ready. The reace went better than I expected. Especially with an off-road run course. I figured it I went out hard on the swim and bike and had to walk ot take a DNF from the run I would be happy. But to my surprise I was able to muster up an 8min/mi pace for the 10k run course. In my training leading up, I had hardly even touched anything below 8min/mi. So needless to say, I was very happy with the outcome.

    From then on out, it was just a lot more easy running and really thinking about swimming and biking. My legs weren't quite ready to be pushing it too hard on the pavement, so I always had to hold back a bit. I had two other races last year, and both turned out particularly well. Especially my last, where I went under 7min/mi on the run and had my fastest bike split ever. While also taking a podium place in my age group. Something I never thought would happen at a halfway decent sized race.

    The season ended and I keep looking back at how it went. Overall, I am very satisfied with the way things went. And right now, I keep thinking about where I was at this time last year, and how much further ahead I already am. I've banked some really big swim, bike, and run days . So I'm feeling pretty confident leading up into this season that I can do some great things. I was also able to get out on the slopes a few times and put in some awesome days skiing with some friends and family. Being as that's how I hurt my knee, I was really happy to be out there again, nearly pain-free. The only time I was bugged by my knee was sitting on the charilift with the heavy boots and skis pulling down on it.

    So far this year, I've already accomplished two of my goals. Well, started to accomplish one and competed the other. I've dropped nearly 10 pounds since the holiday season and also put in my first century ride (100 miles) on the trainer. I'll write up about that one here shortly. It was quite the adventure.

    I'm really looking forward to things going on this year, and where my racing will take me and my family. I can't wait to come across the finish line and see my daughter waiting for me with a big smile on her face. All the more reason to go faster!

-Dave

Quinoa Cookies

Hey, check it out, another cooking/recipe article! This one is going to be a little more in-depth than the last, but the results are that much greater.

This one comes from The Athlete's Palate Cookbook that I received as a gift. It's the first recipe of many I plan on trying. However, I will not be just handing these out, as I believe the authors and chefs who offered up their recipes for this book deserve to make a few bucks for their hardwork. I'll share a few of my favorites here and there, though. And this one is great. Ok, here we go...

Quinoa is such a great super food, packed with vitamins and nutrients, and is a great gluten-free option for many people who suffer from siliac disease. The ingredients to this are very basic, minus the quinoa flour, that can be hard to find if you don't know where to look at your local grocer. I found it in the gluten-free section, and of all the ingredients, it's probably the most expensive. Everything else is nominal compared to the quinoa flour.

Alright, so initial prep time is about 15-20 minutes, depending on how quickly you get through your kitchen. Then another 20minutes or so to get the mix frozen, and another 15-20 for baking. So we're talking about an hour for some really delicious cookies!

Now, here's the ingredients (the book says makes about 2-dozen, however, I ended up with about 16 for the first go-round):

• Half cup butter (I wanted to try some smart balance, but for the first time, I stuck w/ the list)
• Half cup brown sugar
• Half Teaspoon vanilla extract (add more or less for flavor, or another extract to taste)
• 1 egg, beaten
• Half cup unbleached flour (I may try whole wheat/grain next time for a healthier option)
• Half cup quinoa flour (This may be upped to 1 to replace regular flour, but it's pricey)
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt
• Half Teaspoon baking soda
• Half cup regular oats (NO INSTANT OATS!)
• Half cup granola (I found some granola cereal with almonds and raisins that worked well)

Now for the steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Cream the butter and brown sugar (make sure mixed very well)
3. Combine vanilla and egg, add to butter/sugar mix
4. Sift flours together, add salt and baking soda. Fold into butter/sugar mix
5. Fold in the oats and cereal (this will become heavy and hard to mix, use your muscles!)

The dough is now prepped, so we need to get it ready to be frozen.

Next

1. Roll the dough into a log shape of about an inch and a half to two inches in diameter, using plastic wrap or wax paper.
2. Throw the dough log into the freezer for about 20min, or until you can easily slice without mashing it.
3. Slice pieces about 1/2" thick and lay onto lightly greased (I used Pam with organic olive oil)
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges get a little crispy but inside still is moist.
               Test with fork to see if any of the dough gets stuck. If so, cook a few minutes longer.

Bam! You're done! That was pretty easy, wasn't it? Overall, the cookies have approximately the following health facts:

100 calories per cookie • 2g protein • 12g carbs • 5g fat

 

You can try some other granola mixtures as well as adding in some chocolate or butterscotch chips which I may do next time. I may try to make these a bit flatter and wider in diameter to be able to carry with me on some longer rides.

But hey, give these a try! They're a little healthier and more substantial food source than just plain old cookies.

-Dave

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Running at Night

We're all there time and again. The days are short, and you need to get your running in. Nobody REALLY likes running on treadmills, but we all do it from time to time out of need. But you know those nights when you need to get out and get a run in, the gym is a no go. Either you don't belong to one, it's too far, or you just need to get a short run in for the day, you just need to get it done. There's a few things to take care of before and during your run to ensure your safety and quality.

First and foremost should be safety. Safety comes in a wide variety of ways. One thing to look at is your planned route. Is it well lit? Try to keep yourself on the more well lit roads to make sure you can see everything, and everything can see you. Just because you think you may be bright, doesn't mean a car can see you. Especially if you're running in an area not known for having a lot of people out running. Care aren't looking for you.

Another safety issue is to make sure you have plenty of bright, reflective clothing. Just having a small strip of reflective tape on your ankles isn't going to cut it. If need be, go out and buy a completely reflective vest. It doesn't need to be form fitting or pretty. It just has to work. People need to see you. That is your only goal with the vest.

Also, make sure you have some lighting on you if you can. Both forwards and backwards. If you're not running on sidewalks and are in the road, like I am most of the time, having a quality headlamp is key. They may not do the best at lighting up your path, but they definitely let cars know that you're coming. Something like this would work just fine. Pretty inexpensive, but nice and bright. Having lights to the rear isn't quite as necessary, but if you can, wear one. If you're running on sidewalks and going with the flow of traffic, drivers need to be able to see you as you go across the crosswalks (yes you have the right of way in most situations, but if drivers don't see you, you're out of luck).

Beyond safety of what you wear, you need to think about where you're running. If you're like me, you know your routes pretty well. But, there's always variables in how the route can change. Sticks fall out of the trees, someone leaves garbage in the road, or whatever mayhem could land in the road or on the sidewalk. So here's a tip that a lot of people don't talk about. Concentrate on your form during your night runs. Get those knees up. Get the ankles up high so you're less prone to tripping over some hazards in the road. This will also help with your range of motion, leading to faster legs and greater flexibility.

If you must get in a long run at night, maybe steer away from plotting out a long single loop and think about making multiple loops. BOOO I KNOW! But this will help you. Trust me. Long loops are great and keep you interested through the whole run, but his all comes back to safety. Especially if you build your loops close to home, you can pick it up over each loop you do as you learn each little nook and cranny and if there is any debris in the road as I had noted above that you can't see when the sun goes down.

Lastly, and I am a sucker for listening to motivational music while I run most of the time, try to leave your headphones at home. Save your music for when your other senses are more usable during the daytime hours. Use your ears to hear the cars coming, animals scurrying about or any other dangers that may lurk in the night.

These tips are pretty basic, but following these will help keep you safer at night and get you back to your loved ones safely. And they'll also make your daytime runs more enjoyable as well.

-Dave

Quick & Easy Snack/Dip

So I've never actually written anything about food. Well, besides food that you eat during or right after training, and maybe some right before. Mostly based around supplementation instead of real, actual food. Lately I've been trying to pay more attention to what I'm eating throughout the whole day and how I'm fueling my engines for the next day. One thing I've wanted to do more of is make more of my own meals, snacks and other things from scratch and know where all of my ingredients are coming from. So here's one of my first write-ups about food:

Peanut Butter Yogurt

I can honestly say that my wife and I didn't create this recipe on our own, but we have taken a few liberties in the couple times we have made it. Exchanging and adding a few other different ingredients to our liking, and just based on what we had around the house without going out to get anything in particular. This recipe came from Pinterest. Here's the list of ingredients:

• 5.3 oz container (or measured amount) of Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt
• Two Tablespoons of Peanut Butter (or almond, preferably Natural/Organic)
• 1/8 Tablespoon of Cinnamon
• 1/2 Tablespoon of Honey

Here it is, in all it's glory. A big clumpy mess. Now, we've done this with almond butter which is a great addition or substitute if you should choose. We also have tried it with Chobani, and honestly, the consistency and flavor isn't the same. This version comes out very sweet and tasty. We also add in a very small amount of almond extract. Feel free to try vanilla or anything else. And for fun, maybe add some food coloring if it is for a special event. This mix has chunky peanut butter, which adds to the texture.

From here, just grab a hand mixer/blender and stir it all up in a large bowl (it may spray a bit if you're not careful!).

Here's how it looks when it's all blended together. It kind of looks just like some really creamy peanut butter, and well, it kind of is. But now it tastes even richer and creamier with the added benefits of Greek Yogurt! This is great for after a workout. Slice up some fruit such as bananas, strawberries or apples and dip, scoop and smear however you like and have at. This makes about 1/4 of a mason jar, so if you really like it, double, triple or quadruple it to fill the jar and save in the fridge for later! You've got yourself a great blend of healthy fats, protein and carbs. It tastes like a creamy dessert, so feel free to serve it as such, but you can have your indulgence here without the guilt!

-Dave

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