ProLine Sports, Nutrition and Equipment Blog

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

Throwing In The Towel

We all think about it. Some of us do it. But when is it actually the right time to pack it in and throw in the towel on the day? The answer isn't really something we can fully wrap our heads around. Most of it comes down to how your body feels, more than anything else. 

Let's say, for instance, you have been putting in a lot of work during the week, especially on the bike, and you have a long run planned on the weekend. You get up on Saturday or Sunday morning and get ready to pump out a 90 minute run. You've had some nutrition, coffee, water, or whatever you take in before your run, and head out the door to get going. After the first few miles, things aren't feeling so great. Your stride is lagging, and your pace is starting to fall off. Call it quits? I don't think so, not quite yet. Take some time while you're running and evaluate what is happening.

• Are your muscles tired or are they hurting? If they're tired, sorry champ, toughen up. If they're hurting, slow up, see if that changes things, then re-evaluate whether to keep going. If nothing changes, pack it in.
• Are you getting aches in your joints? More often than not, this should be an indicator that something isn't going right. This may be the best time for you to pull on the reins and head in to take care of the problem. Especially early in the season so you can avoid a season-long nagging injury that hinders performance.
• Are your times slowly falling off? Drop your ego. It happens. Especially after a big week of hard training. Even if you take a day off and get out on the long run, ride, or swim, the effects of hard training, day after day, are continually compacted. If it's a slow, endurance run, don't worry so much about your pace and pay more attention to heart rate and effort. If this was supposed to be a tempo run, and times are falling fast, you may be best suited to switch tactics on the day and hold off on the tempo run until you're more fully rested if you want any sort of speed results.

These are just a few factors that you need to weigh when you're debating throwing in the towel. Come race day, the only thing I can really see forcing you to throw in the towel should be the aches in your joints and muscles. Even at that stage, really evaluate yourself if it's your muscles. Sometimes getting in a big dose of electrolytes and hydration can loosen up your muscles and get you back to feeling normal. Or you can slightly change your stride or riding style to offset where the pain is.

For me, Tuesday was one of these days. I had taken Monday off to let my body recover from the past seven days of tough training on the bike and in the pool. As well as a solid weight training session on Saturday night. The hardest part for me is trying to flush out that lactic acid buildup when weight training sessions are sparce, and recovery time from them just isn't there.

I got in the pool nice and early, around 5:30am, and was pretty amped to put in another big day in the pool. I'm trying to get at least one of these in a week, while the others are filled in with some quicker/harder work at shorter distances.  I knew this was going to be a workout I would struggle with as soon as I started. The 200m warmup I went through of mixed strokes didn't seem to shake anything off. My triceps were tight and aching. My lats were fatigued and I could feel my full pull wasn't there. So I spent about 5 minutes stretching things out, hoping that would help and got into my sets. 

I started off with 5x200m with 20 seconds rest or so between. My goal was to pick up the tempo with each, getting my effort up high, and working on quick recovery. The first two weren't bad, but halfway through the third, I wasn't feeling it. Ok, evaluation time. Numbers 4 and 5, I slowed down, concentrated on form, and tried to stay positive. Again, not feeling better.

The next set was going to be 10x100m with 10-15 seconds of rest, at near maximal effort, probably going anaerobic on some. I got through the first two alright, catching the other swimmers as I chugged along (I like using points of reference, even if they are incredibly slow, it helps). But on the third, things just didn't want to work anymore. My arms were feeling like jello and hurting at the same time. The push through my hips wasn't there either. They were more or less just dropping down instead of thrusting my lead shoulder forward. This is where I thought to myself, "Okay Dave, put on your big boy pants and toughen up!" I put in the fourth, and the wheels fell off. The first 50 was decent, but as soon as I pushed off the wall, headed for 75, my body told me to knock it off. So, I listened. I pulled up after finishing off the 100, and called it a day at 1600m. Only half way through what I was hoping to do for the day. But I had nothing left. Even after a full day of rest. 

What I learned here was that I'll live to fight another day, and save the macho-ness for the race. I wasn't out there today to prove anything. I wanted some good distance in the pool, but it's only Tuesday. I've got three more days during the week to put that work in. Why push it when my body isn't responding properly? And I had a bike workout to get through later during the day as well as some homework to do for my Master's classes. 

At first I was disappointed in myself for not getting through the workout. But as the day wore on, I kept telling myself it's ok. Tomorrow is another day I can get in and try it again. If I'm hitting the pool 4 days a week, that's pretty good. I'm one to think that consistency in training is better than inconsistent, high volume. Four pretty good days in the pool are better than one monster day. So chalk the bad days of training up, put them in your back pocket, and know you've gotten through them, and lived to battle on. It's not the end of the world. If anything, it makes you a smarter and stronger athlete.

-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

Hammer Recovery Bars

There's a lot of good recovery bars, powders, and premixed drinks out there. And I'm not going to sit here and tell you which one is right for you. However, I just picked up some Hammer Nutrition Hammer Recovery Bars, and I honestly think they're great. 

If you've ever had a Clif Builder's Bar before, there's a good amount of similarity. Especially in the taste of the Peanut Butter Chocolate. However, I feel the Hammer Bars are a little bit more moist and easier to get down than the Clif Bars. Especially as a post-workout supplement. You don't want a chalky piece of food locking up your jaw after you're done throwing down some hard efforts. The Hammer Bars are easy to digest, and have me feeling pretty full after my 90 minute ride. With 20 grams of protein, there's ample amount for good muscle recovery after you've broken them down. They're also 70% organic and gluten-free. I don't follow a gluten-free diet at all, but my belly was definitely happy to take this down and I honestly wanted more. After having this as a post workout supplement, I'm actually curious to try out some of Hammer Nutrition's recovery. Bars don't always cut it for me. Sometimes my gut is feeling a bit rotten so I need a recovery drink rather than solids. So I may give their recovery whey a try in the near future, too. 

Now, there's only 25 grams of carbs packed in the bar, so it's not a real sufficient recovery if you're out for your 3,4, 5 hour rides or a few hours of running. This could be a great snack to have during the day of a big run, ride or swim, or even in the days leading up to your event. It's packed with lots of good things and tastes pretty darn good too. Next time you're in the shop, pick one up and give it a try. Try one first to see if you're stomach is ok with it and if you like the taste. Recovery bars aren't for everyone. It's a certain acquired taste. But they're definitely worth a try as a supplement or a small meal or big snack.

- Dave

Back in the Pool... Kinda

So after a good stint of weight training almost every day and doing my physical therapy, I decided this week was a good week to get back in the pool. The hard part; I've lost my drive for getting up at 4:30 to get in my early swimming. So I have to settle for lunch time swims until I get my lazy butt out of bed when that alarm goes off.

I've been back in the pool twice now, and it feels pretty good. I'm not using a watch, so I'm not over eager on my 100m splits or anything like that. I'm just getting the feel again. It had been over three weeks since I had swam last, and man does it feel good! I missed the cardio.

With all the strength training I have been doing, my stroke felt more powerful than I remember. However, I seemed to be fatiguing earlier than normal. But honestly, that was about what I expected. I didn't realize it at first, but I really did miss the monotony of swimming lap after lap. Even though I can only get in a mile over my lunch break, it's a good start. 

As the weather in Illinois continually looks nicer and nicer, it's getting harder and harder to be patient with my knee healing up. I just want to be outside doing things as much as I can. Yesterday I saw someone riding their bike on my way home from work. I wanted nothing more than to throw on my running shoes and just jog for 20-30 minutes. It would feel amazing, I know.

But, it's back into physical therapy yet again. My knee has been bugging me for a couple days and I'm not completely sure what I did. While swimming I only used the good leg to push off and left both legs dangling in the wake. I made a conscious effort NOT to use my legs as propulsion, just merely balance. I'm a triathlete anyways, we don't use our legs when we swim right?

-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

Diagnosis: Torn ACL

This past week has been a little bit of up and down. I was able to get into my Orthopedic Doctor on Monday in Chicago to hopefully give me a full diagnosis and an MRI. I was looking forward to that and learning what the next steps were. However, when I showed up, there was no MRI scheduled, just a quick ten minute consult, and an order for an MRI. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed with the scheduling staff at that hospital. 

The next day, Tuesday, I was able to fit in an MRI after work and get those sent over to the orthopedic to look at. After waiting another day, I was finally able to get my results: a torn ACL. Complete bummer. But I was already planning for the worst, and that's what it was. So I wasn't overly disheartened by the news.

I've got my next meeting with the surgeon coming up soon, but it's still too long. I'm the type of person who hates waiting to fix things. If something is broke, I want to take it in, get it fixed, and get back to normal. Like with my car. I had an appointment for a small oil leak from bottoming out on the drive back from Utah. The appointment was for 11:30, so I figured it would be done and taken care of by 2:30 or 3:00 that afternoon. I gave a call at 3:30, to learn they hadn't even gotten the car up on the lift yet. If I would have known that, I would have taken it somewhere else. 

Now, back to training and such. I have been able to put in some training this week. I got in a couple swims and some easy bike riding. I didn't really want to push it. Especially since everything was still a bit stiff. But each day seems to be getting better and better. So before I go in for my surgery, I want to have a great base and some strong muscles to support the joint which will be pretty tender and tight for a while I'm sure.

I'm at the point now where I want the surgery tomorrow, and I want to start rehab the next day. I want to be working my way back into good form and be ready for the season coming up. Whatever that ends up being. I'm certain I should be able to fit in a few races. Most likely towards the latter half of the season, but that's ok. This is going to be a great test for me. I'm going to find out a lot about myself. I won't be able to go hard running for a long time. And that scares me. Running has always been my go-to. But, I'm going to spend a lot of time in the gym, getting strong, and cranking out lots of miles on the bike and laps in the pool to build up my weaker two sports. I still feel that this year could be a good year for me in the world of racing. I may not be able to hang my hat on any long courses of 70.3 or more, but I feel I can come in and be a good threat in the sprint and olympic distance courses

I look forward to cataloging my experiences coming back from such a big blow to my training. Hopefully I can put some good thoughts and ideas down to help anyone who may be in the same situation or will be soon after me. You never know when you might slightly tweak something wrong, and have your training plans come crashing down around you. I honestly think the thing I'm most bummed out about is that this ski season is basically over for me. The lateral movements will be tough on the knee, but we'll see what I hear back from the surgeon in a week. He's worked with a lot of professional athletes from the Chicago teams, so he'll completely understand my drive and determination to get back out training and racing.

-Dave

Winter Cross Training

It's always good to mix things up, and for me, I love mixing things up in the Winter. Mostly, I like having something to actually look forward to come the snowy months. If only we'd start getting some here in the Midwest. However, having a great cross-training plan for the off-season helps me to look forward to those long cold months from December to early March. 

This past weekend I was finally able to get out and go skiing. I'd been chomping at the bit to put on my sticks and hit the terrain. My wife and I were going to her parents house for Christmas, and we were there a couple days earlier, so her brother and I decided to go to Chestnut Mountain in Galena, IL. For being a Midwest ski destination, this resort is quite nice. The runs are reasonably long and some qre pretty challenging. Even though they are short. To our surprise, though, nearly all the runs were open despite the fact there was no snow to be found during the whole drive out. Only one run was completely shut down, while a few crossovers were, too. Realistically, we could hit the whole hill. 

They were making snow like crazy, so it was almost like we were skiing in a snow storm, but the machines could be heard all over the resort giving out their low grumbling sound. Nothing bad though.

What I love so much about skiing for cross-training, is that it really reminds me a lot of high intensity interval training. That is, if you're going hard. My brother-in-law is a pretty good snowboarder, so we were both taking turns picking runs, challenging each other an coming up with new lines. It was a great time. Each run it seemed like we were going faster and getting more confident. 

The runs only last a minute or two, but during those couple minutes, our legs were throbbing from chopping through ice and sliding through 'crud' or a sloshy mix of snow and mush. Man-made snow is nothing like the real thing. However, the amount of energy it takes to be going 30+ mph down a steep run, carving up turns is quite tremendous. Reaching the bottom, your hearth pounding from exhilaration of the snow rushing past you and the chilly air piercing your skin.

A good six hours on the hill, and you'll be burning up a hefty amount of calories. Especially on a day like we had with no lines. We'd hit the run hard, slide right through the chutes where lines are supposed to form, and hop right back on the lift, thinking about our next run. 

For skiing especially, I can feel the benefits I'm gaining in my legs, mostly for biking. Some similar motions are used when you drop down into a squat position and carve hard back across the slopes. The amount of power it takes to hold up your frame and stay steady and balanced is awesome. I really felt it the next day. 

Now, I don't have the top of the line gear here either, but I must say, some of what I do have is great. But mostly I'd like to give a shout out to a company my brother Jake was enthralled with: Flylow Gear. I got the chance to put on a pair of their snow pants, jacket and gloves, and boy are they amazing. The fit on the pants is truly spot on. Enough leg room to have full mobility, but not so baggy they slow you down when you're scorching the mountain. The jacket is waterproof and windproof. On a 30ºF day, I just threw on a baselayer shirt underneath and was good to go. Coverage is great, and the hood isn't bothersome if you don't want it on, but it also fits perfectly over my helmet for extra coverage on the lifts when it got windy. And their gloves, wow. The Tough Guy gloves are insane. So light and easy to wear, but totally bombproof. No wind getting in, no water seeping through. And they seem to be built to last. And at that price, even getting one solid season out of them is worth it. This gear is where it's at.

I've also got a set of Anon goggles and my brother's Smith Variant helmet. I find it odd that the Smith helmet in Large fits my brother and my head, but a Bern XL helmet doesn't even come close. We've got rather large domes, but it's amazing how much different they size their gear. 

For my skis, I've got a pair of Head Mojo Spawn II's. I picked these up 2 years ago for a great price. They're a decent all mountain twin-tip that just get the job done. Not overly fast, pretty easy to initiate a turn, and I've never booted out, even with a relatively narrow underfoot. They're built solid, and for the price, totally worth it.

Coming up this week, my wife and I are leaving on a trip I've been looking forward to for a year now. Unfortunately, under different circumstances. We'll be heading to Utah to ski with a handful of my brother Jake's friends. Jake and I had been planning this trip for some time, and now that I've been able to get a little more money saved and am a bit more stable, this was the year we were going to do it. So the trip will be a little bittersweet, but I'm still looking forward to it like I always have. The whole week will be full of adventures in the Salt Lake City area, skiing in Alta and Snowbird, and exploring places I've never been, seeing all the amazing things Jake saw, and being with the people he loved out West. I plan on taking my cameras out to the hill, so I will have some great photos to share, and hopefully some amazing stories as well. 

-Dave