ProLine Sports, Nutrition and Equipment Blog

On Wisconsin!

Ok, not really. But kind of. I'm still a Chicago sports fan. But I will take Madison over Chicago for lifestyle any day of the week. Anyways, a few weeks ago my wife and I decided we were making the move to Wisconsin for many reasons. But one GREAT reason was for the amazing training around the area. We're situated in the Madison area, and couldn't be happier. The amount of routes for training outside the city is astounding. But even within the city limits, you can find countless routes and people filling them. The amount of people being active is truly amazing. But the amount of bike lanes and room made for bikes is even better. You can't go a block without seeing someone on a bike. Whether they're just cruising around for fun, commuting to work, or grinding away at a training ride, they're everywhere!

I've only been living here a little over a week and already I'm in love with the area. I've seen Neil deGrasse Tyson give a speech to the graduating senior class of UW-Madison, tried out some of the local pubs for some beer and grub, and of course, tried out some of the training features that Wisconsin has to offer. 

My first ride consisted of an out and back loop to the Trek Bike Headquarters in Waterloo, WI. A nice, fairly flat ride with a little over 1,100 vertical feet and a slight wind out of the NE, this ride was great. There was a few nice rolling  hills along with some good climbs. But nothing to write home about.

I have been able to put in some running, slowly, and it seems to be coming along great as well. I got in a 3 and 4 mile run this week. The good thing about all the hills near where we're living is that going uphill running takes a lot of sting out of impact, so I'm able to go a bit further  or longer without putting as much stress on my knee in terms of recovery. It's been about 4 months since surgery, and my knee is coming along slowly, but, I've been given the green light for running as I see fit and comfortable. After a few bouts with some 10min/mi paces through 2.5 miles or so, I'm starting to see 8min/mi and I never thought I'd say this, but it feels great to be going so fast. Not my typical fast speeds, especially over such short distances, but for recovery, I'll take it!

              
(Above: Random wildlife around the route (left), Trek Headquarters (middle) one of countless hills on the IM course(right))

Finally, I took a big jump and hit up the Ironman WI loop starting from home and hit it hard. The course for the full IM is 2 loops, so I decided to just take on one and see how it went. This course is hilly! Nonstop hills once you get out of Madison and head West. None of them are so over the top that they crush you, but they just keep coming. One after another. There's no break points. Ok, so here and there you get a mile maybe of some flats. Instead of charging, however, I spent my time recovering and refueling in these parts. 

Overall, this move plays a huge part in the way my wife and I  want to live our lives. Madison is an amazing city, full of things to do. But it's not overwhelming or overly expensive. There is so much activity and so many great people we've come across already, that we're certain this is a place we want to be for a long, long time. We're still close to our families, but we also have the training and playing grounds right out our back door for the summer time and winter when we go skiing and snowboarding. And it's a perfect place to raise our baby on the way, too! 

-Dave

Bonk Breakers

The new official bar of Ironman, Bonk Breaker Energy Bars, are out on shelves, but I'm not totally sure they're going to be taking off or not. Like a lot of energy bars and other training supplements, it comes down to the consumer, and what he or she can or cannot handle. Some time was spent, so it seems, at Bonk Breaker to get a good balance of all the essentials and the right amount of flavor.

I got my hands on both the Peanut Butter and Jelly and the Almond Butter and Honey. Both of which have good flavor. In a head to head comparison, my vote goes to good old fashioned Peanut Butter and Jelly. The Almond Butter and Honey was a bit dry and cakey. Something I don't want on a hot day out on the race course or training ride or run. The PB&J has a layer of jelly through the middle, so when you bite in you get a good taste of jelly in every bite to mix in just like a classic PB&J sandwich.

I used both of these flavors on separate occasions during a couple of two hour rides. In terms of energy absorption, I seemed to get my gears firing about 10-15 minutes after eating a bar. Pretty standard for me. My body always seems to grab energy quickly, and respond rather well. With the amount of carbs (35g), sodium (170mg), potassium (175mg), and protein (8g), It seems to be a great combo for an endurance bar. Something of a 4 to 1 ratio in carbs to protein.

Now, I generally don't have much GI distress, so I cannot tell you these won't get your stomach churning in an undesirable way, but you do need some water nearby to help get it down your gullet. Even the PB&J likes to hang around in your mouth for a bit. Even though it does taste great, nobody wants to be trying to fork out some chunks hanging out in their mouth with their tongue while they're cruising along at a heavy effort. It just makes life that much more difficult.

This isn't a bar that I'm ecstatic about, but it is good. If you can find a place that sells them individually, buy a couple and give them a try. They taste good, but I'm not sure they're going to make it in my arsenal of nutrition. One last thing is that the packages aren't that easy to open. I'm still looking for that golden food to take on the bike that opens in an instant and goes down easy. Until then, it's back to the drawing board, to keep testing what works best for me.

-Dave

First Endurance EFS

So I know I've been talking about a few supplements and giving reviews the past few posts I've made, and I'm going to keep the streak going. This time talking about First Endurance EFS. There's a lot of things to like about this product, and honestly, not really anything to dislike. 

                                     

First off, the lemon-lime flavor is amazing. I think the best part about it, is that after mixing the powder in (1 scoop per 12oz water), I don't end up with a gooey mess. Comparing this type of drink to that of other premixed drinks, I feel there is no comparison. Something like Gatorade, I can literally feel the syrup stick to my throat as I'm drinking it. With EFS, it goes down just as easy as water, and the taste is just right. It's not so overpowering that it knocks you down, yet it isn't so watered down that the flavor is merely hinted. Bare in mind this comes with the proper scoops to fluid ounces you put in.

Next, I look at the Supplement Facts. For one serving of EFS, I'm taking in around 100 calories. And when I'm either out training or racing, having close to a solid round number is great. 100 calories in my drink, 150 calories in my bar or gel, makes for easy math so I can concentrate on the important things. EFS also hits a lot of the major nutrients, especially those lost during endurance training. Those mostly being Magnesium, Potassium, and Sodium (Mg, Na, K respectively). The body needs to replenish the electrolyte levels in your system so the system can keep firing on all cylinders. If you go to page 15 of the Research Packet, you will see the electrolyte comparison and a 'typical' amount of sweat loss during rigorous exercise. If you are like me, those numbers are a bit high. I'm a little larger than your average endurance athlete, and I sweat more than most, too. The numbers in EFS play into my favor rather well.

A few other points I like about the drink is the addition of key amino acids as well as Vitamin C. Vitamin C is known to help with the immune system and help ward off toxins. And when you're out there training, breaking down cells and using up all of the stored energy you have, that Vitamin C boost helps keeps things in check and your immune system fully supported. Throwing in some of those amino acids will also help your muscles as you break them down over the course of the race or training session. Replacing what is lost during exercise is a great practice to keep yourself fully functional.

That's about all the deeper I am going to dive into the complexities that make up EFS and why I feel it is a great tool to have in your bag. But, should you want to read more about it, read the Research Packet. It can answer just about anything you can think of about the line of EFS products that First Endurance produces. And as for flavors, I can only speak of Lemon-Lime. So don't hold me to it if you don't like one of the other flavors. I'm a Lemon-Lime guy through and through.

-Dave

Orbea Ora

This past weekend I took some of my free time and got out riding. I didn't feel like equipping my bike to be fully ready for the road quite yet, as I still have the trainer wheel on the back and positioning set for on my trainer. So instead I opted to hop on my wife's Orbea Ora. 

This bike is fast. Well at least compared to the Alpha Aluminum on my Trek SL 100. The main reason behind that is two-fold. Reason number one, it's made of carbon. The stiffness and rigidity of the carbon on the bike make the Trek feel like I'm riding a rubber frame in comparison. The response I get when I torque down on the pedals is extraordinarily better. I can feel that all of my power is being transferred straight to the pavement. Instead of like on the Trek, I lose much if it in the side to side contortion of the frame flexing under my power and weight. 

Reason number two, it's made of carbon ( I know I said it twice). The carbon fiber frame (though not the highest density and top of the line like it's big brother the Ordu) is light. Very light. I don't know the exact weights by comparison. But, when I'm mashing up a hill on the Orbea, I can feel the bike push forward with every stroke of the pedal. On the other hand, with the Trek, I have to feel my way through each stroke, and it's a slow and steady surge instead of the instant impact I find on the Orbea.

Next, the components. The setup on the Orbea is mostly built with Shimano Ultegra parts, and a few FSA pieces in there as well. Mostly in the crank. Compared to the Shimano 105 and Sora parts on the Trek, it's like comparing a pair of wooden clogs to sprint spikes. The Ultegra components are super responsive and very light. Although the Orbea could use a tune up, the shifting and braking is leaps and bounds above the Trek. Which could also use a tune. Where is the time?!

Having taken the Orbea out over 100km over the past weekend, I got a great feel for how the bike handles in some pretty sever wind. With the stock wheels, another entry-level Shimano component, I didn't pick up much side wind. Had I had a deeper set of rims, there could have been a bigger issue. So that was a plus for not having the huge upgrade. My wife has a Cobb seat on the bike. It's pretty comfortable, but it's not as aggressive as I would like. When I want to get back on the saddle and in a nice low aero position, the seat is a bit too wide for that, so I end up creeping forward while I'm mashing away. But that's an easy fix were I to race on it. Just swap over my seat for hers and done. 

The bars are nice. But basic. I have the same Profile TT clip-ons on my bike, but having the TT handle bars as opposed to the drops of a road bike makes a difference. The width on the Orbea isn't quite there. I've got wide shoulders, and if it were my bike, I would upgrade ot a wider setup. Luckily my wife is about the same height as me, so the stack height and frame are nearly perfect when I jump on. 

Lastly, I like the adjustability of the bike. With two presets on the seat post that you can slide the saddle around on, the ability to get more aggressive and more relaxed is totally there. The bars have 3 spacers to adjust the stack height should you get more comfortable being lower and more aero, or if you're on a grueling 100+ mile ride, you can stack the bottom and get a more comfortable position to get more oxygen. 

Either way, the Orbea stacks up nicely as a whole. If I were to classify it, I would put it in the high end of an entry-level tri bike. It has tons of adjustability so you won't feel locked in to your position. And with quality components and the light and rigid carbon frame, you'll get all of the power out of the bike you can ask for as a newbie. The only thing I have noticed is that it seems that the frame builders didn't put too much emphasis on the aerodynamics of the frame. It seems to have more of a classic road bike build, compared to the tear drop shapes and aerodynamics of your typical high-end tri bike. 

When you're out comparing, I would put this bike on the level of probably the Cervelo P2 and the Canondale Slice (Chrissie Wellington's bike). Having done a little riding on both of those, and now the Orbea, it's a close call, but I think no matter what you pick, you'd be happy. Now get out riding while the getting is good!

Dave

Time for Real Physical Therapy

At this point in time, I'm about 2.5 weeks out from surgery. To be quite honest, my leg is feeling great, all things considered. I'm feeling great walking around. After a while of sitting at my desk at work, I'm only a little stiff-legged at first, but it gets better after taking about 10 steps or so. Every once in a while, I completely forget that my knee has had a major surgery recently. The scabs from the incisions are almost gone, and I think I won't really have any scars to speak of long term. It's truly amazing how far this type of surgery has come.

My physical therapist continually tells me to take it easy, and he really emphasizes it. So I'm doing my best to maintain that for his sanity. The first day I went in, I had told him I was on the elliptical for 20 minutes, and he made me stop that right away. However, I can't let it completely stop me from keeping up some sort of cardio. 

My first real session was last night. I consider it a real session because I was actually doing mobile things and pushing my knee. Mostly I'm working on range of motion and getting back some of my muscle, especially in my quads. I can definitely notice the difference from my left knee to right in terms of muscle structure. The big thing I'm working on now is to stop any possibility of muscle atrophy in that right quad. So, throughout the day I'm doing quad sets to tighten the muscle and keep it activated as much as possible. By the end of the work day, it's honestly pretty sore. But I know it's from how much I'm working it, and not from any sort of damage. 

I was also working on some balancing on my right leg, which felt good. I would put all of my weight on my right leg, while moving my left leg out in front, to the side, and to the back for sets of ten each. I'm pretty positive I'm ahead of the game, as this we really easy and I didn't feel any pain or any sort of fatigue from it. 

Another exercise was some walking butt-kickers. Not the typical loosening up your muscles and joints kind, but just to activate the hamstring and again, work on some range of motion. This one felt good for me as well. I can really feel how much more I have to go when I compare my right to left. But, it still feels good doing some actual work to get back to 'normal'.

With all that being said, and my physical therapist's ideas on training, I'm really thinking of getting back into the pool and pushing my cardio a bit. It's been too long, and I truly don't feel it's going to hurt anything. However, I will check with him and explain my thought process and the type of swimming I will be doing. Being a triathlete, I especially use my upper-body during the swim phase, saving my legs for the other portions of the race. I still need to invest in a pull-buoy, though. That would take even more pressure of my legs and focus my swimming on form and upper body work.

I go back again tonight, and I'm already looking forward to it, just to see what I get to do next. Hopefully there's some more time on the bike!

Dave

When You Can't Train, Cross Train!

Instead of taking the new of my torn ACL and post surgery physical therapy with a heavy heart and feeling sorry for myself, I'm doing what I can to stay positive and look at this time as quality recovery time from a hard fought season and lots of time spend training. I've been out of real training for about two weeks now. Even though I was still putting in hard efforts while my ACL was technically torn, I wasn't really in any sort of off-season mode. I was still plugging 60+ minute runs and some pretty heavy rides. But now, being in the post-op stage and starting rehab, things have changed.

Instead of the long runs, lap after lap in the pool, and countless revolutions on the trainer, I'm at the gym, busting my 'you know what' and working out any possible lingering injuries that may have plagued me. I couldn't recall and sore muscles or nagging injuries that haunted me during the past season, so I'm trying to hit a bit of everything. At least in terms of stretching. Really the only muscle I can't stretch properly at this point is my right quadricep. That being caused my the lack of range of motion in my right knee having someone else's ACL (allograft) instead of mine. It feels great to be doing lots of range of motion exercises for my hips, to be quite honest. I think that was something I missed out on a lot of last season. Putting in 13+ hours a week of training makes putting in quality stretching and ROM (range of motion) exercises tough. I never really had any issues with it during the season, but I know as I get older, I most likely will, so I best start working on those now!

Now back to my cross training. The hard part for me with weight training, is I don't get that same feeling of accomplishment that I do when I put in some solid time in any of the three criteria for a triathlon. However, the endorphins that kick in when I'm lifting at max capacity are quite intoxicating. It's also amazing to see how quickly my strength comes back. Within two weeks of lifting, my main lifts are back to what they were when I was in college where I spent a lot of time in the weight room after soccer was done for me. However, now I am so obsessed with keeping my HR up, I don't spend much time sitting around between lifts. I generally will grab a light weight or find something to do between reps of my main lift. Those things can range from front raises with a twist between sets of bench to work on my shoulder strength and core simultaneously. Or, if I'm on a flat bench, I try to knock out a good set of crunches or calf raises. Sometimes I put in some body weight squats so I can keep my musculature around my knee working.

This is kind of a half-ass version of crossfit training. I would like to do some classes that resemble crossfit, however, I need a fully-functioning knee for that. I'm hoping as my knee progresses, and I continue my rehab at my friend's gym (Your World Fitness) I can slowly start working in some of those type of exercises. I'm also looking forward to doing some work with my trainer from High School who now works as a Personal Trainer on a new MAT System for rehab and recovery. I'm hoping as my rehab comes along, his work and studies will help get me back on the road running feeling fit and strong, ready to take on some solid races later in the season. Until then, it's back to the gym followed by some ice, compression, and elevation.

And for those who were wondering, here's a quick look at my knee post op, no brace, after my sutures were removed. I also received an electric stimulation machine to work on my quad in hopes to keep most of the muscle working.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dave

Back at Work

It's funny how good I felt the day of surgery. Getting out of the hospital, I was really feeling good and not much pain. I really thought it wasn't going to be that big of a deal going back to work. The thought actually crept into my mind about going back in for the afternoon. Especially since the guys on my team and I are pretty overloaded with work and another designer in our group just left for a new job, too. But, I did as I was told and went home and rested. Good decision.

I know I've talked about the first few days, so I won't go back into that at all. But now having been back at work for two days with my leg immobilized and walking around with either no crutch or just one, the days are really taking it out of me. I'm a really active guy, so I figured a little extra precaution and taking extra time to get things done because of my knee wouldn't drain that much out of me, but boy was I wrong.

Monday wasn't too bad, albeit it was a long day. I moved my desk back down with the rest of my team and I now have a seat with a view! But moving a lot of my stuff was tough. However, my boss and fellow-designer did do the heavy lifting of bringing down my Mac tower and monitors, as well as my backup battery, so that saved a bunch. I just had to empy out my drawers and load up my utensils and rearrange them back at my new desk.

The doctors that did my surgery had told me, in general, most people will take the next week off of work, then go back slowly. I really didn't have this option. Had I done that, I would have left my boss to man the front alone, because the other designer was leaving for vacation on Tuesday, and with our excessive workload, it would have been a nightmare. So I decided to buck up, take my pain meds, and get work done to help him out. 

What really surprised me was how much I actually move around at work. I know it's a desk job, but if you stop to think about how many times you shift your weight around or turn your chair, it's quite a lot. And for me, each movement means readjusting. I'm either putting pressure on a few spot on my leg because of the brace, or I'm putting my hip in an uncomfortable location that makes my lower back start to ache. There's really no winning. So by the end of the day, I'm beat. All I want to do is go home, lay down, eat food, and decompress. But I stil need to elevate my leg for a while, take the brace and wrap off to let it air out and help alleviate the swelling, and try to get some icing done. Which is illustrated in the pictures below.

             

The nice thing is having the ice machine that I can just wrap on to my leg that you can see in the second image. Instead of strapping cold and hard ice to my leg, this pumps ice cold water from a cooler through the tubes and around my leg into a gell-like container that wraps all the way around my leg. So it constantly feeds through col water. Having everything off except the dressing (image 1) is nice to let my leg breathe and also do one of the exercises I mentioned last time. Putting my heel on the pillow and letting my knee use gravity to straighten out. It's a welcome relief from having my knee slightly bent throughout the day. Then when I'm back in bed, (image 3) the brace goes back on for another night of uncomfortable sleep. For some reason I can't get good sleep. Even with the pain meds, I wake up hot, uncomfortable, and frustrated a handful of times each night. The worst part, I know, is that the more sleep I can get, the better my body can heal. So I'm feeling like the lack of elevation at work, and lack of sleep is somewhat compounding on top of each other. I'm hoping to make up for it this weekend by not doing much. But we'll have to see! 

-Dave

Surgery Complete: Recovery Time

This morning was surgery day. This week felt like it was taking forever. I had a meeting with my doctor on Monday to schedule the surgery. All I wanted throughout this ordeal was to get in and get it done. I know it's not all for nothing, but all the training I had been doing leading up since the initial injury seemed like a waste of time. I'm the type of person who when there's a problem, I want to get it fixed. Quickly and accurately.

The doctors at Rush University Medical in Chicago are outstanding. My doctor has done multiple surgeries on some of Chicago's professional athletes, so I knew I was in good hands.

The good thing about having it done early in the morning is that you can't eat or drink anything for a long period of time. For me it was after midnight. So I was able to go to bed at a normal time and get up early. 4am early. Which is only 20 minutes earlier than normal days for me, but today was sans coffee. So it was a struggle to stay awake on the drive in.

The surgery isn't very invasive as it was done arthroscopically. There's three small dot holes and one incision about an inch long.

I elected to get the allograft (cadaver) as the recovery time is quicker than if I used some of my patella tendon. And there would be scarring.

Surgery took about an hour and a half and I was out like a light once I was slipped on to the operating table. I didn't even need to start counting. I woke up to a slight dull pain in my leg and had it wrapped up in an immobilized brace. The brace runs from my upper thigh down to just above the ankle. It has an adjustment along either side of my knee so I can change how far my knee is allowed to bend. It also locks at just about straight until I start.

Now on to recovery... According to the doctors and reading a few threads about acl injuries, I should be able to put full weight on the leg in a day or so and go without crutches. Then in 6-7 days, the brave can most likely come off. The most exciting part for me is the possibility of getting back in the bike for light training in 8-10 days. In a few weeks I can start some light work on the treadmill and then in about over a month probably some road running. I guess the lucky part for me is that I'm an endurance athlete mostly. The acl causes main concerns for cutting sports, like how I hurt it skiing. I'll news to be waiting a good 4 months most likely before I look at doing anything like that.

I guess all in all I'm much more optimistic about my recovery time than I initially was. I am planning to do a couple races later in the summer and fall, if the doctor clears me for it. It's going to be a long journey to get back to peak form, but now I've got new goals to achieve and a strategic approach to getting there. And it all starts with my physical therapy. Right now it's simple leg raises and toe extensions and flexion. I'll slowly work into range of motion and go
from there getting back into light training. So stay tuned to see how things go.

-Dave

Running the Sahara

There's something about inspiring stories. Whether they encourage you to go above and beyond what you think you can do, or just give you a new perspective on humanity, they change you. Yesterday I took the time to watch the documentary about a group of three men who decided to take on the challenge of running across the Sahara Desert, and end up in the Red Sea. 

A friend of mine suggested this a while back, and I finally got around to watching it while I was on the trainer yesterday. I was able to find it on Netflix and spent just under two hours riding and becoming inspired. The movie didn't inspire me to go running through some exotic locations, but it gave me a different perspective on what and why endurance athletes do what they do.

"Endurance athletes are running away from something inside of themselves, and that's one of the reasons they do what they do." -Lance Armstrong

I think this quote rings true about these three men, and of so many endurance athletes that are always looking for more. Whether it be getting faster, or going further. Two of these men battled to get away from a partying lifestyle with alcohol and drugs. And I think that's such a key point to nail down on so many endurance junkies. It's an addiction. 

I've been pondering on this point for a while now, and have come to the realization that this is 100% true. Whether I'm on the bike, running, swimming, or even when I would be out skiing, I never want it to end. The euphoria that comes to a junkie while they're training is indescribable to anyone that hasn't experienced it. And the guys in this film all have the bug.

For me, the part of the film that was most inspiring was when Kevin Lin, an elite athlete, was on the brink of giving up. He, a well-known and celebrated marathoner in Taiwan, came ever so close to leaving the expedition. That was a shock to me, then watching the two other average guys, having to talk the elite runner back into the journey. Kevin was ready to pack it up and go home, when faced with the realization of the dangers that lie ahead if they weren't granted access into Libya. Both Ray and Charlie were able to talk Kevin back into running, and finishing the journey with them. And I think the key point was Charlie telling Kevin to think about the amount of regret he would be faced with if he dropped out of the race. This was the moment that really brought the group together, and solidified them as a family, more than just a group of friends. This was their journey.

Watching these three men go through so many emotions. On the brink of giving up, losing hope, being away from loved ones for over a hundred days, they somehow made it through. They weren't running fast, but the sheer amount of miles they put in was truly mind-boggling. On average they were going through two marathons a day, day after day after day. For some people, one marathon is enough. But for these three, the Sahara was their goal, and they conquered it.

In the end, I think Ray summed up the psyche the three of them shared, and something that every endurance athlete should ask themselves. You need to ask yourself what your goals are. If you put parameters and limits on what you can achieve, that's all you can do. If you're only going to run a 5k or 10k, that's all you'll do. The mind is so powerful. Yes, you do have physical limitations, but the key contributor to what you can achieve is truly all mental. These three guys set their sights high, and almost didn't believe in themselves. But between them, they were able to stomach up enough mental strength to keep going, keep pushing and accomplish their goal.

So when you're out training and setting goals for the coming season and thinking about what you can and can't do, just remember that what you can accomplish is mostly in your mind. If you believe you can do it, you can. Put your plan in motion and execute, and eventually you'll get there.

-Dave

Holiday Ideas for Triathletes

So the Christmas season is coming in and you've got a triathlete in your life. Or maybe you yourself are one and you want some things, but everything you seemingly want is so expensive. Like me, I could really use a new bike. But nobody I know is going to fork up $3-5k to get me a quality triathlon bike. So, it's time to get creative and stock up on a lot of those other smaller things.

For me some great things I can always use are supplements. Getting a few here and there for only a few bucks and stashing them together makes a great gift. Grab some Clif Bars, Accelerade, or GU and stuff them in a bag and tie a pretty bow on it and you've got a great gift. It doesn't seem like a lot, but constantly buying those supplements takes a toll on the wallet after a while. Especially as you get into longer training sessions.

If you've had some troubles finding ear buds that stay in your ear, or want something a little more than the standard earbuds that come with your iPod, check out these. A more expensive route, running around $100 is the Jaybirds. The pair I have and love are the yurbuds, and I absolutely love them. I generally don't use them except on the bike or treadmill. But, most of the time it's just the treadmill. These fill up your ear and stay in place no matter how much you jostle around. They also come with an extra set of plastic adapters and a small carrying case. The wires, however, get tangled too easily, so plan an extra couple minutes for untangling for every workout.

Another great idea is for the laps they or you will be putting in the pool, check out the lineup from H20 Audio. I don't personally have any of these yet, but they are definitely something I have been eyeing. It gets a little old hearing yourself exhale and bubbles flowing by lap after lap in the pool.

One final thing I can throw out is books! Books are great, especially in the dreary weather. Even if they don't get so much out of it, the books themselves keep them motivated all year round. Especially during the off-season, it gets hard to stay motivated, and reading other people's trials will help keep you or your triathlete on course during the short days.

All of these things are easy to pickup either online or some at a local vitamin shop or book store. So get out there and get the triathlete in your life geared up or amped up to keep training!

-Dave