ProLine Sports, Nutrition Blog

Think You're Tough?

Tough Mudder - 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie.

    And that just says it lightly... Let me start this off by saying, if you think you are all-around fit, this event will prove you wrong. This event tests you physically and psychologically. Not only is it 10-12 miles (depending on which event you do), but it's got dozens of obstacles, hazards, and places to hurt yourself along the way. 
    So, six days after completing my Half Ironman, I decided I would give the Wisconsin Tough Mudder a try. My wife and her friend signed up, and invited me to tag along. I figured, how hard could it be? I'll go run along with them, and help them with the obstacles. I mean, I can do a Half Ironman. I'm really fit. Right? Nope.


    If you want to know my personal opinion on how to be successful at this event, basically it comes down to all possible ways you can be fit. If you're a marathoner, this will be hard. If you're a sprinter, this will be hard. If you're a gym rat, this will be hard. If you classify yourself in any one specific type of sport, this will be difficult for you. After competing, I came to the conclusion that the best way to be fully trained for this is the following: Run as much as you can. So much so that you're ready to easily complete a half marathon. And, become very good at crossfit training.
    The reasons? You travel at least 10 miles throughout the course. But the Wisconsin course was at Devil's Head Resort in Baraboo, WI. You end up running up and down the moutain a handful of times. That means running up and down black diamond runs, through mud. You're muddy, sweaty, then you're cold and tired. Then muddy and sweaty all over again. You need to be able to lift your own body weight to jump up and clear 12-ft walls. You have to be able to carry 50lbs on your shoulder and wade through chest deep water. You have to be able to swim in whatever you're wearing. You have to know how to crawl under barbed wire through the mud. You need to have the ability to clear greased monkey bars, about 30 feet long and 10 feet in the air over a mud/water pit.

    Also, and most importantly, you have to know how to let yourself be helped, and how to help others. I couldn't imagine trying to do this whole course without any help from my fellow 'mudders'. The spirit of everyone there was great. Each participant was willing and able to lend a hand, no matter how fit or unfit they seemed. Everyone was being equally challenged, and we were all in it together. There was no clock, no checkpoints, no timing chips. Just you and your team, pushing yourself to get it done together.

    All in all, this was a very humbling experience for me. I'm pretty fit, but not this type of fit. I loved every minute of it, though. My wife, her friend, and I, all pushing our limits, but working together through each obstacle. Each one of us was better at certain parts of the course, so we would carry each other and stay positive. At the end of the day, it felt good to finish. Except the 10,000 volts you get running through the wires 20m from the finish. I knew when I was done I'd have some good recovery food, and a nice cold beer waiting. 
    Was this the smartest thing to do less than a week after a Half Ironman? Probably not. But, I'll never regret doing it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's all 3 of us after finishing!

13 Muggy Miles

Saturday's long run went pretty well.  It was muggy and almost felt like we were running in Louisiana instead of northern Illinois.  I think that I mentioned I run with CARA on Saturdays.  The 10 minute mile group stops every 2 miles for hydration.  I've been keeping my GPS watch on during those breaks to give me a better idea of my actual finish time for the marathon.  I really love my Garmin.  No more guessing how far I've run when I'm solo or if I'm going to fast/slow. 

My sleep and nutrition were a little off which may have been the cause of some tummy issues mid-way through the run.  (I'm so thankful for bathrooms on this path!)  On Friday night, I went with a few girlfriends to dinner -- spinach and cheese ravioli -- and then we went to The Music Box for a Grease Sing-Along.  That was a blast!  I didn't get to bed until about midnight though.

In the morning, I woke around 5:30 to prep for my run.  I like to take the dog for a quick walk to stretch my legs.  I eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and drink a big glass of water.  Then I took 3 Sport Legs and added a Nuun to my water bottle. 

During my run -- at around mile 6 and 9 -- I ate two Gu Chomps (Cranberry Apple).  I drank about 3 full water bottles that were half water and half Gatorade.  (Provided by CARA along the path.)  After the run I took another 3 Sport Legs.

I stopped at Starbucks on the way home.  (Sorry to everyone who was there.  I smelled horrible!)  After a much needed shower, I ate a few scrambled egg whites with wheat toast and continued to hydrate throughout the day. 

Overall, I wasn't sore.  My left ankle gets a bit tight, but that's it.  I went swimming with the kids and to church and then we chilled and watched movies.  Today, I took 2 Advil and the girls (Violet & our dog) and I took a nice one-mile or so walk to stretch our legs a bit.  Still no soreness, so I'm ready to conquer the rest of the day.

Lisa
Running to raise money for women's health in memory of my mom.  Learn more and/or donate at LisaRuns.com.

First Marathon in 7 years. Can I do it?

It's been a while since I've put in this kind of mileage. I'm Lisa Bialecki Young and my last marathon was Chicago in 2004. In January 2006, our son was born. I ran a few half marathons and then our daughter was born in November 2008. Training has been a bit more difficult to schedule since baby Violet joined the family. Still, I've finished a few half marathons and actually got a PR in the Wisconsin half this May.

Maybe it was the brat and the beer waiting for me at the end, but overall, it was a great race.  Sadly, because of bad training and eating the following month, I finished with my worst time at the Northshore Half.  (I blame a weekend away & a Keritin treatment for it all.)

Now I'm well into Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Marathon Training program.  I finished 6 miles this morning and opted to make my route a little more difficult by picking some uphill roads.  (I admit to going the other way -- downhill -- most of the time.)  Saturday is a 13 mile run with my CARA Northshore running mates.

I'm running a marathon this year for a few reasons.  The first is that my 40th birthday is in January and I'm starting to feel just a little older than 26.  I also want to prove to myself that I can finish a marathon after having kids.  Most importantly, I'm raising money for Prentice Women's Hospital in memory of my mom who lost her fight with Ovarian Cancer two years ago.  (If you are interested in donating to a charity this year, please consider Prentice.  You can learn more at LisaRuns.com.  Thank you.)

Over the course of my training this summer, I'll share my struggles, successes and some of the things I've learned along the way.

Racine Half Ironman

Racine Half Ironman:
Last Sunday, July 17th, I competed in the Racine, WI Ironman 70.3. What a great event! The day couldn't have been much better for racing. The crew putting the event on for IM was great, and all the volunteers were lively and helpful. It was a bit warm, but I was able to maintain good levels of hydration and nutrition consumption to compensate. I'll get into that during each part of the race in a minute. 
    I have a cousin who lives about 20 minutes from the beach, so my wife and I went up to her place on Saturday. We stopped in and dropped off our gear for the night there and headed down to the pre-race talks. We parked the car about a quarter mile from the transition setup and walked down to the finish line where the emcee was giving all the details. After hearing a few of the minor changes and some warnings about heat and bumps on the ride, we drove down to check in. Unfortunately, when we got to the check in building, the line was about an hour long. I got a bit frustrated having to wait in line. But, it was worth it.
    After checking in, we headed out to drive the bike course. We drove the course and I kept notice of the hills (not many), and where the larger bumps are. Then after driving the course, we headed back to grab a bite to eat at a local Italian joint that was awesome. I had some chicken parmesan and some good bread, but kept it pretty light for the most part. Mostly I was focusing on my water intake. Water intake was on my mind all day Saturday. After dinner, we headed back to my cousin's and I worked on laying everything out for Sunday. All my nutrition, hydration, and all of my gear. 
    For my nutrition setup I had 2 packs of Power Bar Power Blasts that I stuff in M&M's mini containers, 3 Power Gels for the bike, 1 Power Gel for before the swim, 1 Power Gel for a spare on the run, 4 salt tablets, 1 Power Bar cut in half for the bike, and 2 water bottles. I had a little internal debate between which shoes to wear on the run: my Brooks Green Silence, or Brooks Racer ST 5. I decided on the Racer's since they give a little more support, and my calf was giving me issues. I also decided to wear my Skins Compression Socks. After packing, it was time for bed and I crashed right away.
    Race morning I was up bright and early around 4:45 and was ready to go. I grabbed a few things to eat and started getting ready to race. I had a Clif Bar and a breakfast cookie on the way to transition. Once I was in transition, prepping my bike and run gear, my race face came on and I started feeling ready to push it. Got the gear all set, grabbed my wetsuit, and my wife and I made the mile trek down to the start of the swim. 
    The walk started to get hot, since it was already about 80ºF at 7am. I slipped on my wetsuit and jumped in the chilly Lake Michigan water to get in some warmup around 6:45. The water temps were around 68ºF. Perfect in my opinion. 

    SWIM: The start to the swim was in a wave of a little over 50 guys in knee deep water crammed in about 10 yards of width. At the gun everyone took off quick. I stayed a few people back from the front, as I know swimming isn’t my strong suit and the guys up front are gunning it. Got a fair share of kicks and grabs, but nothing bad. I did get some water in my left goggle early on, but I got enough in so I didn’t notice it at all. It wasn’t splashing around making me uncomfortable. Everything started to spread out after the first turn. Since the swim was in Lake Michigan, we swam most of it parallel to the shore. We went out about 150m or so, then took a hard right and went about a mile down with the shore. After that first turn, it was easy to track along the long line of buoys. Easy to spot. Had a few guys I had to veer around because they were fairly slow but took off fast. I got kind of dizzy at one point from looking down at the sandy bottom and seeing all the ripples. Then a few swells came in from the boats going by that catches you by surprise. Made my stomach a little queasy, but not bad either. Had a little struggle with one guy who probably would have been a faster swimmer than me, but his tracking was TERRIBLE. He was veering left and right constantly, running into me a couple times even though I was right next to him. Almost like he had his eyes closed. Didn’t bother me much, though. Once I hit the halfway point where the buoys go from yellow to orange, I sped up a bit as everything was feeling pretty good. Finally got to the 2nd big red buoy (those mark the turns) and headed to shore. The swim in was probably closer to 250m give or take, with the last 50m being in shallow water so you could keep swimming or get up and try to run. I got up when it was around waist deep so I could use my arms for momentum to trudge through the water. Felt pretty good, and not woozy at all thankfully when I got up. Came across in 36:01. Not bad, but a little slower than I was planning.
    T1: This was a LONG transition. The run up the beach seemed like FOREVER! You cross the timing pad and run probably a good 100m through soft sand. Right before you get onto the pavement and keep running through the shoots, they have kiddie pools to walk through and get the sand off, so I jumped in one of those. Helped a bit. Then you make a hard left then right towards the entrance to the transition staging area. I was looking for wetsuit pullers but didn’t see any. Just a few guys putting on sunscreen for the athletes. Then as I went under the bridge into T1, I heard the group of girls just saying “pullers” pretty softly. I wasn’t about to turn around, so I went by my bike and jumped on my towel and ripped it off. Probably the best I’ve done getting it off so far. Took a second to grab a gel and put it in my back pocket of my tri suit and got my shoes and helmet on and was out. It seemed quick, but the run up was long and I didn’t want to aggravate my calf running too hard through the sand.  


    Bike: The bike went really well for me. I was spot on my goal time throughout the whole ride. Fell a little behind on the way out since it was a wind out of the Southwest, but made up for it on the way back in. This ride was BUMPY. Not like a pop your tire bumpy. But the breaks in the pavement that go all of the way across the road you can’t avoid like every 20m or so. They came in spurts every few miles, so it really takes a toll on your upper body and messes with your rhythm. There was only one bad stretch of road w/ some potholes, but since I drove the course, I knew where everything was, and got through it just fine. I did so much better with my nutrition and hydration this year in the heat than I did last year @ Branson. I got hydrated early and often, used all my salt tablets which I think saved me in the run, got in 4 gels, two mini m&m containers of power bar blasts, and a whole power bar split in half for two different segments. Plus almost 2 bottles of Powerbar Ironman Perform sports drink, my 2 water bottles, and one bottle from the aid stations. There aren’t any tough hills here at all. Some rollers up and down, but nothing to note. I’m sure most of the pros and the good age group bikers probably hardly ever had to come out of aero position. This course would be much faster for a lot of people if it weren’t so bumpy. I had to sit up from time to time to take on the bumps, it got to be too much on my upper body (shoulders and arms). I grabbed a banana on the last aid station and ate that, too. Felt good to get in real food. The last couple miles back down towards transition were tough, too. It felt slightly uphill (of course) and into the wind, and this is where a lot of the bumps are all across the road. I kicked my gears down so I had a faster cadence going to get ready for the run and finished up strong. I like how out of transition you go straight into the steepest hill on the course. It’s only about 30m or so, but it’s pretty steep, so if you’re not geared properly, you’ll either have to jump off and walk, or fall over. Didn’t see either when I was headed out, luckily. Came in the 56 mile ride in 2:46:46. Right on par with my goal.
    T2: Got through this one much quicker. I emptied my trash in my area from my pocket and got my gear off quick (helmet and bike shoes). Got my running shoes on so quick with the new lacing system so I don’t have to tie them. Still need work on transitions. Could have probably been a minute or two faster if I was better at them. 


    RUN: (2 lap course) The run went pretty well. I started out the first half mile a little too quick, but caught myself and pulled it back. I was in the 7:30pace and knew I couldn’t hold that. Pulled it back to around 8:00 and was planning on working w/ that pace throughout and then seeing what my body (mostly my calf) had for the last 5k or so. Also, at the half mile point is the first of two short but STEEP hills to climb up. The first lap I grunted my way up them, but the second lap I walked up half the second one. Didn’t want to be a hero, and I felt good to run right away at the top, so it was worth it. The run out was nice because so many people along the road had sprinklers out spraying all the athletes and it was super nice to help us out. I grabbed 2 waters and 2 cups of ice at every aid station. Mostly chugging the first water, then pouring the 2nd on me, followed by holding the ice and putting some down my back and rubbing it on my chest. However, halfway through the second lap, I could feel blisters building because the water was getting into my shoes and the moisture and rubbing was making them build up. Pace slowly decreased, but never fell off. First few miles were lower 8min pace, then they started to mostly average around 8:15-8:20. Got a few sub 8’s in, but I think it was the last 2 and maybe the first one or 2. Once I hit mile 10, I gave it everything I had left. HR Stayed at 180 for that section, maybe a little above for the last 1.1. It feels mostly down hill for the last little over a mile, so that’s nice. And there’s a nice downhill then slight hill up to the finish, so I came in pretty hot which is always nice. Came across the line and was super happy. I saw 5:29:xx on the clock, and knew I was around 5:15:xx for my time since we started 14min after the pros. I didn’t think I’d be able to pull that off, but I knew I had the ability. With my calf the way it was, I was thinking more like sub 5:30 I’d be happy. Overall run split was 1:48:03 which got my total time to 5:15:28 including the transitions.
    Overall the race was great. I’m happy w/ the results, and with my efforts. I’m glad I took good efforts to give my calf the rest it needed to heal leading up to the race. I could still feel it in the run, but it wasn’t causing me any pain. The race was put on very well. Good directions and logistics. Except the check in. They only had 4 people checking in over 2,000 athletes at the first counter. The wait was over an hour, which was very annoying.  I thought about waiting on the rolldown for the world champs slots, but I was in 31st, so I figured not quite there. Maybe next year?! 

Allow Me To Introduce Myself.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Dave Rigby, and I am a triathlete. It's not just a hobby, or something that keeps me in shape. It's a lifestyle. When I'm not working, I'm either training, or recovering from training. But, I'm like a lot of others out there in the world of endurance sports; I have a full time job, family, friends, and other commitments that make training difficult. So to those of you out there looking for more time to train, or how to train smarter, I'm going to be here to help give you a hand.

I grew up playing soccer, basketball, and running track in a small rural town northwest of Chicago. All of the way through college, soccer dominated my life. Once I graduated and got a job, I started to look for things to keep me in shape. I had thought about bodybuilding (my wife had done a competition in college and it seemed fun), but it wasn't for me. I enjoy eating carbs, and I've always loved running, and running hard. Running hard and bodybuilding don't go hand in hand. So for a while I was just somewhat of a typical gym rat: running some, lifting a lot, but never really getting anywhere either way. I wanted something more. I wanted something to train for. 

So, one day a little over two years ago, my wife (then girlfiend) thought about doing a triathlon in her hometown. So I figured I'd train and give it a try, too. How hard could it be? I already ran a good amount, biked a bit, and thought I was a good swimmer. Boy how things changed! Swimming was HARD! Needless to say, I had 2 weeks before the race, and a lot of catching up to do in swimming. 2 weeks later, after swimming 6-7 times, race day came. I did ok. The swim was in a pool, which made us more at ease. But, since then I've been hooked! 

Fast forward about 2 years, and I've got 8 triathlons under my belt, two of them Half Ironman distances, and I'm not looking back. So far this year, I've done three races. The Revolution 3 Olympic Distance in Knoxville, TN, where I won the Clydesdale (200+lbs) division, Lake in the Hills triathlon (3rd place in 25-29 age group), and the Racine Half Ironman this past Sunday (31 out of 166 in my age group). 

Training for me gets me through the day, and always gives me something to look forward to. Whether it be before or after work, or both. I'll go to bed, looking forward to waking up before dawn to get in my run, or get into the pool or the lake to get in some swimming. Or, while at work, I'm looking forward to hitting the pavement when I'm home on foot or wheels to push myself and forget the day. Most weeks I'm pushing around 15hrs of training. Sometimes more, sometimes less. A lot of that has to do with other commitments, and how I choose to balance them. Something that takes patience. Both from myself, and my family/friends. Especially my wife, who is very patient with the hours of training I put in.

Well, that's about enough about me. I look forward to bringing my insights into the world of triathlon. I'll be talking about training, racing, nutrition, recovery, gear, psyche, and any other things that come up in the world of triathlon. I will also be looking at getting some first hand opinions to anyone reading about some good supplements I use as well. Keep an eye out for my next post, I will have some interesting insight, and hopefully get people thinking and seeing things differently.

LAVA tour of First Endurance's GMP Facility producing Optygen and Multi-V

I found this to be a particularly interesting read since I've never personally toured a facility like this  - though I'm fully aware of what it means to have your stash produced by close friends of the FDA. As you'll read these guys go through painstaking processes to ensure the supplements you are putting in your bodies are what they say it is -

 

On to the business of business itself I have only a single issue I'll point out to readers in this article we believe is misleading and that is the quote that these products can only be found at specialty retailers - like us. This unfortunately has not been the case for a long time. Being one of the first retailers to have an opportunity to distribute the line we've seen it grow into something quite enormous and that's a good thing - especially if you are those guys

First Endurance is still only found at specialty retailers, earmarked for serious athletes. “There are a lot of nutrition companies that are going ‘oh, the weight-loss segment looks good, let’s get into that,’” Fogarty says. “That will never be us. We’ve held to our guns and stuck to what we know best.” READ THE FULL ARTICLE Download AllAccess_LAVAsm

 Nice article and a must read if you don't know what it means to have your supplements produced in GMP facility. Something to think about the next time you go to purchase a supplement, powder or whatever your poison is.

ZipVit Sports nutrition line now available

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