ProLine Sports, Nutrition Blog

Winding Down

    With the triathlon season winding down, if you're like me, it's getting hard to think about keeping up with mileage and yardage. Not having a race to train for, or keep you motivated can be tough. But, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Now is the time to start planning, prepping, but also healing up for next season. I've been looking over some plans for my next season of racing triathlons, and I'm trying to sort out what type of route to follow. Go big and aim for one big/long race? Should I play to my strengths (and time constraints) and push it next season as a short course athlete (sprint/olympic)? I'm leaning more towards the first, but what are you thinking?
    Either way, now is the beginning of the perfect time to be thinking about letting your body heal up from a long season of breaking it down. Whether you only did a few small races, or you went big in some 70.3's and 140.6's, your body needs a break. Not a complete break of doing nothing, though. Give it some time off, mix it up. 
    One thing that keeps me motivated in the off-season is a sport both my brother Jake and I got into about the same time, even though we're in completely different parts of the country. We both fell in love with skiing. As the seasons change, the weather turns, and the days get shorter, I start to get a little disgruntled with what's going on. But then I stop and thing about what's coming in a month or so.... SNOW! Whether you cross-country ski or downhill ski, they're both great cross-training exercises. Obviously the cross-country pairs better with endurance sports, but downhill builds up a lot of strength, especially in those muscles I feel are built for the bike. If you're pushing it down some steep runs and really putting some effort into working hard, it can leave you just as much, if not more, exhausted than a 3-4hr bike ride.
    One thing not to forget, though, is you've got to make sure you stay on track with your plan for next season. If you've got one big goal race, you've more than likely got a good steady build into some race specific training. Some plans are short as 16 weeks or so, while others can go as long as 36. So, before you go out finding some new ways to stay fit in the off-season, while keeping some base, get some planning done. If there's one thing that can keep you motivated all winter, I'm sure it's knowing you've got that one race coming up next year where you want to throw in all your chips and go for it. And in all honesty, sign up early. Now if you can. Signing up early and knowing you've already spent the dough on a race is one way, at least for this guy, to make sure I don't let down. Because the last thing I want to do is waste my own hard-earned cash due to lack of training. You've made all that money, done all that research and planning, only to poorly execute on game day. 
    So get out there, mix things up, and make it fun. You can't be serious all the time.  

Running Thoughts

    Last week on Thursday, I had a nice and easy medium run planned. Somewhere in the 9-10 mile range. Lately, I've been doing a lot of my training sans the data feedback. I'm coming into realizing I don't like always knowing my heart rate, my average minute per mile, or my speed on the bike. I just like to run or ride for the fun of it. I like feeling my way through them, rather than having a machine tell me how I'm doing. I know my body better than Garmin. All these peripherals don't take into account how you're feeling that day, what workouts you've already done, time of day, or relate to your surroundings. But, you can.  I really liked reading that some pros even feel the same way. Especially Ironman World Champion Chris McCormack. I may have referenced him a while ago, and his blog as well, but it rings true here, too. 
    Now, I want to get more into my run itself... I got home from work, feeling pretty heavy hearted. I had only been back a few days after the service for my brother Jake. I still had so many questions and so many thoughts going through my mind. The night before this run, I went to hang out with my sister and brother in law at their place, having some bugers and relaxing with their kids and dogs. It was a very welcome release. Also, having them there, who know Jake so well also makes talking about him a bit easier. But, what truly came to me that night was when my sister came to the realization that Jake was the favorite in our family. I had that initial knee-jerk reaction of, "Hey! What?!" in my mind, but that quickly subsided as she elaborated. There's four siblings in my family. My oldest brother Ben, my sister Kristin who is between Ben and Jake, there's Jake who is 15 months older than me, then there's me, the baby. So Kristin elaborated a bit, and it was very clear why she said it. Ben was the oldest, he was the one who watched over all of us, albeit he's usually pretty quiet, he's truly perfectly fit to be the oldest one in our family. He's very steady and a great person for all his younger siblings to lean on, and ask for guidance. You could even see it when we were young. He was so great to all of us. Then there's Kristin, the only girl. She was always the princess. That would drive us nuts sometimes when we were younger, but, she was the only girl for my mom and dad with three other boys. All the 'princess' that she was, she's even tougher as a person, especially having three big boys around you growing up. Then there was Jake. You'd think he'd have middle child syndrome and get lost in the mix. But not him. He carved out a perfect niche inside all of us. He's the one that makes us laugh. Especially my sister and mom. He can get them in stitches as soon as he walked in the room. Jake could truly grab anyone and have conversations and carry them on for hours. His intelligence is truly astounding. He's always been the one that could tie the family together. Especially during the holidays. We could almost forget any gifts or celebrations, so long as Jake was coming home, the family would be whole, and home would really be home. And lastly, there's me. The baby of the family. But I'll get into that in a minute.
    So now, back to my run, which is what this post is actually about. At about mile 7-8 I would guess, I just felt fantastic. The sun was just starting to set beautifully and it was going to be a beautiful night. I didn't want to waste it. So, as one of our favorite movies to quote in our family (Forrest Gump) says, "I just felt like running." It was one of those nights. I had a lot on my mind, and I wasn't going to be settled until I cleared them up. I kept going, and once I got to mile 12 or so, the thoughts I was looking for finally came to me. My sister was absolutely right, and none of it offended me. We all loved Jake so much. But I kept thinking... 
    Most people think the baby is the spoiled and gets everything they want. No, not me. Not with Jake around. Everything was a battle. But they were good battles. Being so close in age, we were treated very similarly, and given all the same opportunities. We'd go to the same basketball camps, same soccer camps, get the same bikes, go on the same trips together, go to camp together. But I kept thinking...
    I've always wished I knew what it was like to have a younger brother or sister to look up to me. I spent my whole life looking up to my three older siblings, and watching them do amazing things. Each one a little differently, but truly inspiring all their own. Then I started to think about how lucky I am. Watching and learning from all of them, I got to pick the things I love about each one of them, and incorporate those things into my characteristics. This, this is how I'm truly spoiled. I got to take a little of each one, and build myself as I grow older. Even now, I still do this.
    From Ben, I get my drive and determination. But also, a lot of my obsessiveness. I really like to solve problems like he does. I want to take things from start to finish. Just like him. My parents would turn to him so many times and need him to solve problems. Whether it be technical issues when he was older, or problems with us younger ones when we were growing up. He solved problems, and he's damn good at it.
    From Kristin, I think I got most of my social skills and some of my social personality. Kristin is very outgoing and a great person to talk to. I would watch her in Jr. High and High School, and even college I guess, she was always involved, always a social bee. Not a gossip-girl or anything like that. She's just always around the things that are going on. And I loved that.
    Lastly, I got so much from Jake. My sense of humor, my athletic skills, my mental capacity, and a few scars. We were so close. I would see him just make people laugh all the time. But when it was just the two of us, we were constantly smiling, constantly laughing. Every adventure we had, was so much fun. Biking, fishing, exploring the woods when we were camping. We'd play games over creeks with steep banks way back in the woods. I have no idea why my parents would let us wander off in the woods. But I guess us being together made them at ease. We'd always be playing sports together, and he was always a little better than me. Also, seeing him in school every day, and having the same teachers he did made me push myself a little harder. Things didn't come as naturally to me as they did to him, but I sure as hell tried to make it seem like they did.
    I thought about all of this over the last 4 miles or so of my run. It took a long time for me to get to that place in my mind as I was running, but adding in those extra 7 miles was worth it. I know Jake was there to help me get there. I left the house with no water, and no nutrition. I was running for a little over 2 hours, but never felt any pain, and never felt any hunger. The last time I got up to 15 miles, I felt like breaking down at mile 12. But for some reason, on that day, I ran 16, and not a single shot of pain went through my body.  I didn't even know how far I'd run until I got home. And of course, I got home just after the sun was setting, and my mom was getting worried about me since I told her before I took off that I'd be about an hour or so. Doing that run, and having so much time to reflect with no interruptions was amazing. Something clicks inside me when I get out away from town and in the fields. I get lost, and the world feels right. I feel at peace. Yea, things still bother me, but I have time to think them through. I'm going to need a lot more of these runs to get through a lot more tough days ahead. But I know Jake will be right there with me to help direct my thoughts in the right direction. Even if that means I start singing some Flight of the Conchords in my head or some of our jokes that nobody knows, nor would they understand unless they were there with us. Even then, I don't think people would. 
    So, a word of advice as some of the racing season dwindles down. Just get back out there and enjoy doing what you do so much. Training is fun, and training can be hard. But, try losing some gear, and get lost in thought. Drop the iPod, and listen to nature. Even if that means hearing nothing but your feet shuffling the pavement, or your tires rolling the asphalt. You never know, it could change perspective... or even your life. 

20. Check.

We did it! On Sunday, I ran with my CARA training group on the Ready to Run 20 miler. We had two great pace leaders who kept us on track. The weather was perfect: overcast, cool and a little rainy. I finished in 3 hours and 25 minutes which was way better than I expected. This training time has me on pace to beat my PR of 4:32. Motivation is a funny thing. We play tricks on our minds to keep going. On Sunday, I decided that I loved this pleated Lulumon running skirt that a few ladies were wearing. So, I decided that if I didn't walk - outside of the water stops - I would buy myself that adorable skirt. And I did it. Unfortunatly, the skirt is out of stock which I took way more seriously than I should have. Now we're taking it easy. I ran 8 yesterday and I think Saturday's run is only 12. I'm terribly hungry all of the time. It's really a bit embarrassing. I'm trying to fill up on healthy food, but I can't pass up the cookie tray. Today I'm traveling and I almost needed a tray to carry all of the food I took from the Red Carpet Club breakfast "buffet." I grabbed a bagel, coffee, yogurt and a banana for my mid-morning snack. Watch your fingers. I may snatch one. The kids know that something's up and have been keeping their distance when I'm most hungry.

Racing with Spirit

    A little over a week ago on Saturday, September 10th, I raced the Lake Geneva Triathlon sprint distance in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. I'm not going to get into all of the logistics on why this race was absolutely horrible. I've got much better things to talk about. Needless to say, I don't plan on ever doing that race again, at any distance.
    Having not legitimately trained for almost 2 weeks, I decided on the sprint distance here. I was originally toying between the olympic and half-ironman distance. But without some good training in 2 weeks leading up I chose otherwise. I was out in Montana searching for my brother, so training was the furthest thing from my mind. Some of the investigators told us to go workout to get our mind off things. But, I knew I wouldn't be able to think about anything else but that if I were out training.
    Lake Geneva isn't too far from home, so I decided just to drive up on race morning. I only needed to be up a little after 4, so it wasn't too much different from a normal training day during the week. My wife and I got up, had a bite to eat and grabbed some coffee and were off. My dad decided to come along as well to watch, and left early with us. He had just gotten back late the night before from coming home from Montana, bringing Jake and his car home.  
    I had brought Jake's bike home with me when my wife and I drove home from Montana, and got it prepped for me to ride during the race. It was up on the car race morning and all set to go. I was getting excited and a little emotional the whole way up.
    I got to the transition area about an hour or so before the race and got my gear setup and a light warmup jog and stretch. We got to watch the olympic and half ironman distances take off, then the sprint waves followed shortly. Due to a miscalculation in where the swim was coming in, we had to move the start, thus, shortening the swim by about 25m, to probably only 300m total in the water.
    I took off fast, and tried to stay with the feet of the front few guys in my wave, the 11-29 year old male wave. I came out, only about 15 seconds behind the first guy in my group, so I was pretty happy. The race results tagged me in 5:16. So I estimated about 300m total, which is pretty close to what I can do in the lap pool when I'm pushing it.
    The transition was a little awkward, but evened out between the bike and run. It was a long run to my bike, really long running barefoot through a harsh parking lot then over a little wooden bridge. I grabbed Jake's bike, threw on my helmet, glasses, and shoes and was off like a flash. I left Jake's bike exactly as it was, only slightly adjusting the seat to fit my height. I felt unstoppable when  I was riding. He was definitely pushing me, I could feel it. I went out and up the only big hill on the course within the first mile, and was cruising past people the whole way. Throughout the whole ride, I only had 2 guys catch me, but I evened it back up at the end. About 5 miles in, I got a little emotional, and held back tears, thinking about Jake riding that bike out all over the West. That only caused me to push even harder. All I was thinking about was cranking those pedals as hard as I could for the whole ride, not caring to leave anything for the run. This race was all about the bike. Coming back into town, it's a really big hill right into transition.

                                                                                              

The race directors warned us all to coast down the hill and stay within the cones. Forget that. I was cranking my butt off, passing cars down the middle, and leaving everyone to wonder who just flew by as they just coasted. I came in with a 22.1mph average, my fastest bike split ever. I didn't have my aero bars, so I was riding old school, like a true biker. I felt so proud of myself for pulling it off.
    Now for the run. This whole thing was painful. I regretted at first not leaving much for the run, but about a half mile in, my legs started coming back, and thank goodness.

The whole first part of the 3.65mi run is basically all uphill leading away from the lake. It was tough. There was 3 good steep sections that made up the tough parts, plus some little rollers and flat sections. My goal was to catch one guy in front of me by the turnaround. I caught him about 200m before then, so I knew I was in good shape, and only getting better. I grabbed some water and tossed it down my back to cool off, and was headed back in for the finish. I got a little bit of a cramp on the way back that was on and off, but never really bothered me. I just let it all go, and couldn't really feel my legs the last mile of the run, but knew they were going at red line. I was hoping to catch one more person, but that guy took off pretty quickly on the way back too. Probably a little quicker than me, and I didn't have the legs left after that bike to get after him. I came in with a 6:29min/mi run. I was really happy with that.
    Overall I was really happy with my race, and so happy my dad, wife, sister, brother in law, two nieces, mother, and my aunt were all there to support me. But I know it was more for Jake and us being together, than just me racing. It didn't matter if I was first or last, we were all there together. I ended up coming in 2nd in my age group, and 14th overall. Really happy with that. 

    It's quite amazing the things you can get through when you have such a heavy heart, and so much on your mind. I know Jake was right there with me, always slightly ahead like he always was growing up. He was always that little bit faster than me. He's the reason I'm at the level I'm at. I always had someone around, that bit better that kept me honest, but also humble. 
    This race was definitely for Jake. He turned off my pain receptors and helped me push my limits, especially on such little training leading up to it. I'm hoping to do a few running races this Fall, and you can bet he's going to be there right there with me, most likely 10m ahead, with a stupid smirk on his face, knowing how much is pisses me off. And that's why I love him.  

 Thanks for the stellar ride, dude.

 

-Dave

RIP: Lando Calrissian

    Letting go of someone is hard, hence why I'm not going to do it. On August, 28th 2011, my brother Jake went on his final epic hike, and never came back. Fortunately for him, he was able to reach the summit of the seldom climbed unnamed mountain of "8888". It is named "8888" by the park service due to its height above sea level at it's peak. Jake had planned quite a great hike that day, probably one of his toughest. According to a few of his friends/coworkers, he was planning on doing at least 5 peaks in one day. About 30miles of hiking, and god knows how many vertical feet of ascension. All of the other peaks he planned on this hike, he had reached the summit before, but 8888 was on the list now. The hard part about this hike is getting around the peak of 8888 and continue to move along the ridge line. The whole North side of the peak is sheer cliffs of 800 feet or more. Which means, you've either got to have technical climbing gear and knowledge to descend the cliffs, or backtrack some and make your way around the sides of the mountain, most likely on some mountain goat pass.
    Knowing Jake like I do, I think it would be safe to assume he was basically having a grand ol' time skipping along the ridges along the peak, looking down over the magnitude of what surrounded him. Then, most likely, something gave way. Albeit a few loose rocks or some slick ice at those altitudes, or even a larger loose boulder that was ready to tumble. No matter the cause, something took Jake over the edge, some 800+ feet to the rocks below. 
    Hearing the news of our brother missing, my oldest brother Ben and I took off Monday night without any question and drove the 24hr drive straight to Montana. The only stop we took was so Ben could get an extra 30min of sleep at a rest stop. Other than that, we were driving non-stop. We were able to meet our parents there the next day, as they flew into Kalispell, MT out of Chicago. And those tickets are not cheap.
    All I could think about doing was getting out there and screaming through the forest and mountains after my brother, but the park service had everything under control. To be honest, I was expecting a haphazard rescue team, full of a few good climbers and the rest being a bunch of hicks forced to go out into the back country and search. I was dead wrong. On Wednesday morning at 6:30, I was able to meet with the SAR (Search and Rescue) team, and hear all of their logistics. They were pro. These guys (and girls) are good. If you think the teams of CSI and BAU you see on TV are motivated and love what they do, you need to see the National Park Service team(s). They had one of their own out there, and they weren't worried about saving a nickel on any sort of rescue effort they could throw out there. I won't get into the logistics of what they were doing, but man were they on top of their game. They had some 30+ people out night after night in the field, and some day crews going out each day as well. Plus 2 helicopters working together to drop crews in and search. It was absolutely amazing. There were also 250+ people waiting to come in and help as well. Those were just ones who were qualified to be a part of the SAR team. The list of people without proper training that were ready to help I'm sure numbered in the thousands. 
    On Thursday, Jake's girlfriend, Ben and I went for a hike on part of Jake's planned route but stayed along the Ole Creek trail, instead of hucking up the mountain. Bare in mind, there is no trails to get up to these peaks. It's all route planning, knowing the terrain and bushwhacking your way to the top. We did a little over 6 miles of hiking up the trail and got to the second river crossing before we turned back and headed back to the park to meet with the staff and my parents. That night my sister Kristin flew in as well.
    On Friday, Kristin, Ben and I hiked up a peak near Jake's route to get a look at his ridge top route. We hiked up Eagle Mountain, which isn't a long hike, but the steepness of the route itself keeps most people away. It's about a mile hike to the trail head of the route that heads up the mountain, then another 2.5 miles or so to the summit. What makes this trek so hard is the minimal amount of switchbacks. I could probably count the amount on one hand. I can't remember how much we ascended, but it sure took a lot out of my sister and I, even with how well trained we are. Ben, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be affected by altitude, so he kept us going to the top at a steady clip, stopping every 10 minutes or so to rehydrate and make sure we had plenty of nutrition in our system. 

           

    We finally reached the top, and it was absolutely worth it. We could see for miles, and look over the whole park. Peaks sprouted up all over the place, as far as we could see. But, smacked right in our face was Jake's route. Over Sheep, Bravedog and up to 8888. It was almost surreal, seeing what we knew was the area where Jake was, but having no clue where he was. I snagged a few pictures and sent one back to my parents and the liaison from the park, letting them know what time we reached the summit so they knew when about we'd be back. After yelling out a few jokes through the mountains with my sister aimed at Jake, we made out way back down. Kristin and I letting out lots of noise to keep the grizzly bears away. Ben, leading the way and keeping us moving along. Descending is almost as hard as ascending these passes. It's hard to just casually walk down, you have to make a conscious effort. But, if you start to gallop/run, the burning builds up in your legs, especially knowing you have about 2.5 miles of this ahead. Not to mention up to 50mph wind gusts creeping around the mountain as well.
    Coming close to the trail head, Kristin and I were still letting out some loud "WHOOOOP's" for Jake and the bears. We passed the cabin where one SAR team was housed each night, and noticed the Missing Person picture was gone. We tried not to think too much of it, since it was terribly windy. About 1/4 mile from the trail head, we started hearing someone calling "WHOOOOOOP!" back at us, first thinking they were echoes. We all came around the corner and met head on with our parents. 
    Instantly, my heart raced. Every emotion went through my body all at once and I almost lost my feet. I had no idea what they were going to say. But then I saw my mom put her hands up to her mouth and started shaking her head, and knew the news wasn't good. Then right away, my dad told us the bad news, that Jake didn't make it. He had fallen off the cliffs and died almost 100% certain on impact from an 800+ foot fall. As if your brother dying instantly is any consolation, I really don't think so. But knowing he wasn't in pain, does make the thought a little easier to bear. 
    After hearing the news, my body didn't know how to react, so it just broke down and I fell to my knees in the middle of the trail. So many thoughts ran through my head... I should have been out there with him. It should have been me.  He's too good of a hiker for this to happen... At one point I wanted to sprint all the way to 8888 and go see him and tell him everything would be ok. I had no idea what to do. Words couldn't describe my emotions at this point. He was my best friend. Growing up we did everything together. We were only 15 months apart, and basically twins. People always getting us confused calling me Jake and him David, even today at ages 25 and 27. 
    One of the hardest parts for me was deciding how to tell my wife. She was on her way out, and stuck on a layover in Minnesota. But, in this digital age, I was sure she'd get a message before I could let her get all the way to Montana and tell her in person, which I wanted to do. So I had to bite the bullet and tell her on the phone, while she waited in the middle of the airport, alone. I felt so terrible, but there was no way in hell I was going to let anyone else but me deliver the bad news to her. The only person who may know more about me than her was Jake, so I wanted to make sure I was the one to talk to her first. We both took it very hard, but once she was in Glacier, she helped me stay as positive as I could, and was right there by my side to make sure I was doing ok. I thank God she made it out and was there to support both me and my family. She truly is a blessing.
    Jake was a different kind of guy, and that's why so many people love him. He's quirky and funny, but also extremely smart and well read. Probably the best Trivial Pursuit player in the history of mankind. The reason this is RIP: Lando Calrissian and not Jacob Rigby, is because when he'd sign the registers on top of the summits, he would sign it Lando and not anything else. Always a joker, I'm quite sure he enjoys seeing those come after him being confused. "Who the heck is Lando?"
    After talking with some of his fellow NPS workers, they have made it their mission to get that mountain named, and named after him. But, after some thought, and knowing Jake's ideals, they came up with a much better idea. See, Jake has always hated the fact that so many mountains have been named after old white guys who probably never climbed, but just had a lot of money and such. So, instead of some stupid name like Jake's peak or Rigby Mountain, they've decided to go after it as Mount Lando. Truly fitting. 
    Jake's spirit will never die in that park. He'll be there, watching over all the lone hikers and seeing they return safely. He loved his life out there, and we all realized while being out there, why it was so hard for him to come home. It was simply beautiful. And the people he was with out there, were just as amazing. His coworkers are absolutely a blast, and his girlfriend is wonderful as well. 
    Jake had so many more mountains to climb, and so many more pow days out west to ski, he was truly robbed of so many more wonderful experiences in his life. But, I have to think that God has bigger plans for him. I'm just curious as to what they are, since he so positively effected so many people here on earth. At his memorial at our local church, hundreds of people showed up, making the service standing room only, and outside at that. Lisa came (which I didn't know until later) and told me she had to stand outside. It speaks volumes about how much of an impact one person can have. Directly or indirectly, Jake changed the lives of every person there that day. He was truly a once in a lifetime person to meet. I'm so happy to have been his baby brother, and it makes me so proud to talk about all the amazing things he's done. Jake, you will be missed until my time comes. But until then, I'm going to grab life by the horns for both of us, and ride the crap out of it until I'm thrown just as hard as you. Thanks for being such a great brother and best friend. 

-Dave

Getting ready for our biggest training run

Last week, we ran 18 miles.  The weather was good for the first half of the run -- cool, a little cloudy -- and then the sun came out to challenge us the rest of the way.  I felt strong at the end and confident for the very first time that I can finish Chicago next month.  (Even if I'm crawling across the finish line, I WILL finish.)

This week however, I misbehaved.  I was on the road for work, ate badly, drank way too much and didn't get in my long run.  This morning, I still felt like I was recovering a bit from Thursday.  It was a firm reminder that I need to pay very close attention to what I eat/drink, getting in all my week day runs and how much sleep I get as I prepare the old body for Sunday's 20 mile run.   See all of my NorthShore CARA friends on the bus at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday!

Lisa
Running to raise money for Prentice Hospital in memory of my mom.

Terribly sad news

We are so terribly sad to share the news that Dave's brother was found yesterday.  Our hearts and prayers go out to Dave & his family.

Jake Rigby