ProLine Sports, Nutrition and Equipment Blog

Juan Pelota Tears It Up

For those of you who aren't much into cycling or following cyclists or triathletes, but are still part of the sport(s), there's one name I'm sure you know: Lance Armstrong. He's quite the household name nowadays, well, ever since he started his comeback from cancer and tearing apart the Tour de France time and time again. But what some people may not know is his triathlon past. 

Having grown up in triathlon, being surrounded by the likes of Scott Tinley and Scott Molina, who at the time were more than ten years his elders, Lance has had triathlon steaming through his blood since before even his teenage years. He won is first event at age 13, and IronKids event. Eventually, in 1989, he made the switch to full-time cycling, and we'll leave that be that. Along with if you dislike him as a person. I don't care who you are and what you do, but you can't deny the athletic talent and vigor he has.

Jumping back into triathlon, and the nowadays since leaving cycling as a professional, he's taking his hand at triathlon again. And if you're not a heavy Twittter follower, or use Strava, you may not know Lance's alter ego, Juan Pelota. I'm sure it has mostly to do with people who only really want to find him to find him. Rather than following him just to follow sake, his pseudo name is more or less a stage name.

But the main reason for this article, is to talk about just how good he is. Ok, we all know he's going to be good on the bike. Probably leaps and bounds above most, and still better than the likes of Chris Lieto (Trek's uber biker) and Andreas Raelert (BMC Time Machine and current world record holder for the IM bike distance). 

After a few good performances and showings in his early 70.3 races, such as finishing second in his debut to Bevan Docherty at IM 70.3 Panama, Lance has found his winning stride. He also took 7th at the Memorial Hermann IM 70.3 and 3rd at IM 70.3 St. Croix. None of whic were easy feats. But coming into Haines City, FL and the Florida IM 70.3 race, he sure was something else. And we have the Strava Report from Juan Pelota himself to prove it.

Looking at just his bike split, he was cranking along at a mere 399W and 28mph average. To add insult to injury, he cranked out a 1:15:56 half marathon, best of the day as well. 

Now I don't know about you, but those are just the kinds of numbers most of us can only dream of. Maybe not pushing 400W in a single effort, but to push that for 2 hours is a whole different story. As well as doing 13.1 miles in 1:15, cruising over 10mph, is something else as well. Especially after having put out that much energy in a mind bending fast bike split. 

Does this mean we should crown him IM Champion right here and now? I don't think so, not by a long shot. Yes, he's the best on the bike, and he's good on the run and swim. But will he be good on the day. Too many factors weigh in on the day of the race for someone like Lance to be crowned before the race even starts. Take Craig Alexander this past year. Most likely counted out due to a weak bike. He came out of nowhere with an insane bike split, 2nd best of the day, and 2nd best marathon. Which proves you don't need to be the best at any of the criteria in the race, you just have to be the best at the race, on race day.

I wouldn't put my money on Lance taking the IM World Championship, but I wouldn't count him out either. He definitely has the personal drive to become the best. But let's remember how much drive guys like Raelert, Lieto, and Alexander have to win, too. They're not just some chumps. If anything, if Lance isn't on the podium, he's sure to have lit a fire under the asses of those in front of him, most likely leading to some more record-breaking performances along the way. He may or may not ever be at the top of the 140.6 distance, but he will definitely affect the sport as we know it.

-Dave

 

A Week of Hell Training

Last week was a crazy week of training for me. Since I can't really run yet, the bike and swim are becoming my best friends, as well as enemies. I was a little out of my comfort zone, training while house-sitting for my sister since her family was on vacation. It was a welcome mini vacation for me, though. Since she actually lives closer to my work than I do. I found myself having more free time at night, and a bit more time to sleep in the morning. 

I put myself through a torture chamber on the bike during the week. I started off on Monday, doing a 2x20 workout, following along to Hell Hath No Fury, which grinds you for a full 75 minutes, including 2x20 minutes TT efforts as well as a 3:30 Team Time Trial to top it off. Full suffering here.

Next I went through The Hunted. This video is mainly built around a 20 minute climb, or another 20 minute strength TT effort. There's a very good warm-up leading in, with 6:30 easy, then a couple of 30 second sprints, and a 5 minute solo break away. But that is nothing compared to the 20 minute enduro climb/TT effort. After that you get a nice downhill for 4 minutes, then the kicker: 5 minutes of inverse intervals. You start off with a 10 second sprint, followed by 50 seconds of rest. Then 20 second sprint, 40 rest. All the way down to 50 seconds of sprint after 10 seconds of rest. Loads of fun!

On the third day, we rested. Not! I actually did take it a bit easier and did some small chain ring work for an hour in the morning, just watching a documentary on nutrition. Mostly working out the lactic acid and loosening up the muscles. However, each day I spent my lunch time at the gym, putting in at least 1600m Monday-Wednesday, and topped it off Thursday with a 4,000m reverse ladder. After a 200m warm-up, it goes like this: 1x500m (about half IM effort), 2x400m (1,000m effort), 3x300m (800m race effort), 4x200 (this is where it starts to hurt), 5x100 (anything left in the tanks, while still keeping form). I follow that up with a mix of strokes and distances to cool down and stretch.

That was it for Thursday, I didn't have much left for anything the rest of the day. But Friday, I put in another solid training day on the bike, following along with A Very Dark Place. Now, this video you need to be ready for. If you're not in the mood to put yourself through hell, don't bother starting this session. This is the day you chew your stem you're working so hard. It's not the longest workout, but it brings you to your knees, asking for the end (if you're doing it right). The goal in this session is to break through your VO2 max, and really push your limits. After a nice 5 minute warm-up and a few short sprints to wake your legs up, it's off to a series of 5x4:00 intervals. The basic goal here is to break yourself. I like these videos because they give you motivation and have good video timing so you can somewhat picture yourself chasing down the likes of Cancellara and the Schlecks. Each 4 minutes interval, you should be asking yourself, "how the hell can I possibly survive through another one?" And if you're not, you need to work harder. My favorite part is when your nearly through one of the intervals, probably looking down, chewing on your stem, they pop up a nice little reminder in the lower part of the screen: "If you're looking here, you're not going hard enough!" A friendly piece of advice that you truly have to suffer to get to that next level of fitness on the bike, to become the uber-biker you want to be. 

Finally, I wrapped up the weekend with two longer, easy rides to work on my base and some Z1 and Z2 efforts. Saturday morning was a nice 2 hour ride watching Hell on Wheels. And the same zones on Sunday, but for 3 hours. I put in some solid 5 minute efforts of climbing. Changing between sitting and standing with cadence between 70-80, but trying to keep my HR down. 

Another good week of training in the books. I think Monday is a good day to take a day off. But we'll see. 

-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

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

From Ecstasy to Mortality

My wife and I had been planning our trip to the Salt Lake City, Utah to go snowboarding and skiing for a long time. Finally, the day came to load up the car and hit the road. We left on Friday morning and had about 20 hours of driving ahead of us. Honestly, not too bad of a drive. We hit the boring parts of Nebraska and Wyoming during the night on the way out, so it wasn't too bad. However, during my part of the early morning drive (around 4am) I found out why driving through Wyoming is miserable. It's terribly windy! For about an hour I was fighting a complete whiteout with 50+ mph wind gusts trying to throw my VW GTI off the road. Having the Yakima Rocket Box on top wasn't helping either. It gave the wind more to grab onto and felt like we could be carried off the road, even when we were only driving 25mph. Thank goodness for my snow tires and few hundred pounds of equipment in skis and other gear.

We arrived on New Year's Eve in the morning in Salt Lake City, a little earlier than we planned, so we stopped in at a local breakfast place and grabbed a monster breakfast. It felt good to eat some real homemade food. We also didn't want to storm in on our friend's place we were staying at too early since they work later at night.

 

(<-- view from the porch)
After unpacking and getting things settled in, my wife and I went up to meet our friend Kate Hourihan while she was working at the Peruvian Lodge in Alta. Kate is an insanely good telemark skier, and she was going to show us around and take me out skiing along with some other friends coming into town for the week.

One cool thing about the Alta Ski area is that after 3pm, you can ski for free on the beginner lift. For it being my first day skiing in the mountains, this worked out perfect. I could get a little taste of what was coming, in a few runs, and not have to pay the heftier full-day price. 

Kate got off work and we put in a few runs before it started getting dark. The beginner runs in Utah, are probably as or more difficult than the black diamond runs from my area in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin, and easily 4-5 times as long. So, these runs gave me a good workout.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a huge dump of snow like we experienced last year all over the US yet, but there was enough to have some good groomed runs. I have never skied in powder, so this was pretty normal to me, and my narrower skis held up just fine for these conditions.

The second day of skiing, we got out pretty earlier and spent a good 6 hours skiing at the Alta area. I was literally on cloud 9 all day. Every run was long, fast, and full of fun. Yea, it would have been awesome to experience some powder and throw it everywhere, but I was in no position to complain. I could ski this every day, and not even think about it. 

The third day of skiing was looking to be promising as well. It was a little warmer, so the snow was a bit stickier and slower, but still, it was great. We decided to hit up Snowbird resort today. I was riding a pair of my brother's Moment skis. They're a little longer and about 15cm fatter underfoot. They're a bit tougher to initiate a turn, but they power through anything and can haul! Even without a wax and tune, they were cruising. I had a bit of trouble initiating turns at first, but got used to them and just took it a bit slower so I could get used to them. Each run I got a bit better on them and more confident. I started to hit some small drops and some little booters coming out of the trees and small gullies we were riding through. It was so much fun. I was following one of our friends who is a really good snowboarder and trying to run similar lines as him to challenge myself. He has a good eye for finding some terrain and features to hit.

However, I found one drop in, about 10ft down into a small bowl and a nice lip coming out and decided I wanted to slow up, drop in, and hit it. The first time I took it nice and easy, only cruising a few feet in the air. Unfortunately, the second time through I got a bit more confident. I hit the lip a bit harder and had more speed. I got a little squirly in the air and landed far back on my heels, feeling like I would slip out. I tried to correct myself, but felt my right leg locked in and it twisted in an awkward way as I tried to turn out and just fall on my side. I felt something tweak awkwardly behind my right knee, and i fell to the ground. My first thoughts were torn acl. I couldn't move. Sitting there in pain, I knew I had to get out of the way. So I slowly pushed myself up and skied a few yards out of the way and felt some strength come back to my knee. I took the rest of the run slowly, and did some damage control to check out my knee. 

Nothing seemed too bad. From the way it felt, I was feeling like I may have sprained my LCL, since the pain was running along he outside of my knee. I have sprained it before, and it felt pretty similar. I decided to take a few more runs nice and easy, then call it a day. 

I got back to the house and took my time getting my gear off and inspecting my knee. It was getting a bit stiffer and swelling up. I figured this would happen, so I wasn't overly worried. I threw some ice on it right away and was taking it easy, hoping things would clear out by the next day, maybe wearing a knee brace for stability. 

The knee got a bit worse as the night went on. We went out to dinner and I struggled hobbling around a bit, but still assumed it wasn't too bad. We got back, hung out for a while and I met a few more friends who stopped over and then went to bed, hoping to get out and hike with my wife the next day. 

Waking up the next morning, I knew things weren't right. We decided right away to get to the hospital and have it checked out. Hobbling along, super stiff and a little groggy, I got some x-rays done and had the doctor run a few checks. The x-rays showed a small fracture in my knee, but that was all. He said it should be too bad, but just needs some rest and to wear a knee immobilizer for a bit. He still recommended an MRI, which I will be getting just to make sure all the ligaments around my knee are alright. Judging by how mobile I am and that I can place pressure on it, I'm thinking it's just a sprain or strain on one or a few of the ligaments. Something I can handle. I'm alright with taking some time off this time of year. Better now than later in March or April.

I'm still planning on getting in some good weight training and swimming. And since swimming is my weakest part, this could be a blessing for the upcoming year. I'm staying as positive as I can, hoping things can heal quick and I can take care of everything in a couple weeks and get back into some easy base training again. Only time will tell.

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

Getting ready for winter

That time of year is coming. The cold weather is slowly creeping in. In the midwest, it's not too bad yet. But I can start to feel the crisp bite of the cold air on my nose. Especially when I'm up at 4:30 for an early run or heading to the gym for some laps in the pool before work. I go out to start the car and get it warm before my 40 minute commute, and I read my dash... 35º. Yup, getting cold. But, this is a good time of year, too. 

I like to look back over the past year of training and racing and see where I've been. Comparing it to the previous year, I made some really great strides. I think most of all was in my swimming, but the other two components came way up as well. I got in a lot more base training on the bike and my feet, which I paid great benefit from. What about you? If it's your first year racing, how did you progress from beginning to end? It's a good idea to keep a gauge on what you're doing throughout the year and from year to year if you have any hopes of getting better. Which I'm sure it's safe to assume you are! 

Now it's time to start getting back indoors (for most of us) and on the trainer, treadmill, and in the pool. To all you living far enough south, good for you. One of the key things for me personally is to have a good station setup for my trainer at home. Last year I had it in the basement and it wasn't overly inspiring. Just my bike, a fan, a chair and the TV. This year I'm trying to put some more inspiring things around me to keep me motivated. I've rearranged my office/training room so that my bike can face the TV and out the window. But, the big thing is I've arranged my medals from previous races on the wall next to me. A constant reminder that I need to keep pushing. In front of me surrounding the TV I've got pictures of my wife and I, since she's extremely supportive in my efforts to continually improve myself as an athlete. I've also got pictures of my brother. He never got to see me race, but I know he's always been there in spirit for me. Something about family. Even when they're not there, I can still feel them. Like when I finish a race without my brother Ben being there, I can already imagine what he'll say, and it always makes me feel good. Or both my parents, my dad asking what my time was, and my mom asking me if I had fun. Which answers are "I don't know," and "I always do" respectively. Finally, I can picture my sister saying,"Nice race fatty," or something like that. I should have never let her know I raced as a clydesdale. Big mistake.

Anyways, winter is a great time to get reinspired and really dig deep to find out what you want out of your next year of training and racing. Do you want to PR at the same event you did this year? Do you want your crush your bike split? Or do you want to be out with the front pack in the swim and hold on? Whatever it is, it's a great time to start thinking about what you want out of your upcoming season, and write it down. Keep it somewhere close by so you never lose site. I'd tell you mine, but I haven't quite resolved exactly what I want out of this next season. I just know I want it to be big. Hopefully yours is too.

-Dave