Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
Saturday morning I got up early, dressed quietly, made my lunch, grabbed the dog, slipped quietly into the garage to hook the boat up to the truck, and proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour.
The wind was blowing 50 mph. I pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and discovered that the weather would be bad throughout the day.
I went back into the house, quietly undressed, and slipped back into bed. There I cuddled up to my wife’s back, now with a different anticipation, and whispered, “The weather out there is terrible.”
My loving wife of 20 years replied, “Can you believe my stupid husband is out fishing in that?”
I still don’t know if she was joking, but I’ve given up fishing.
Author unknown.
Thursday, October 16th, 2008
This post is pretty much a blatant plug for our friends. I’m ok with that though because our friends are some of the best companies on the planet.
Training and races:
Best coaching on the planet - www.breakaway-training.com
(Breakaway Training)
Most well run triathlons in California - www.tricalifornia.com
(Tri California Events)
*San Francisco Triathlon is November 8 - 9, 2008
I love cyclocross! - www.socalcross.org (SoCalCross.org)
Equipment:
My all time favorite bike shop - www.rocknroadcyclery.net
(Rock N Road Cyclery)
The most versatile/comfortable/stylish bike saddles on the market - www.sdgusa.com
(SDG USA)
Food:
Greatest tasting energy bars ever - www.bonkbreaker.com
(Bonk Breaker)
Hydration - www.motortabs.com
(Motor Tabs)
*New site just went live!
Recovery product and it tastes good - www.livefluid.com
(Fluid Recovery)
Our friends sites:
Amateur Endurance - www.amateurendurance.com
Cyclocross Magazine - www.cxmagazine.com
Cycling Nutz - www.cyclingnutz.com
Team Ride Clean - www.ridecleanteam.com
Give some of our friends a click and check out what they are all about. Clicks don’t hurt, show some love!
Andy B
outsideallday.com
Monday, October 6th, 2008
The Tri-California Folks have sure found a beautiful setting for the Tinley races. Lopez Lake is tucked away in San Luis Obispo County closer to vineyards and wine tasting rooms than persistent fog of Morro Bay or the heat of Atascadero. These races were a Senior Project at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo – and let’s hope the student got an A – because it was a great idea.
Yesterday the weather was beautiful. The rain of Saturday that we missed altogether by arriving near 3 PM for check-in had already come and gone. Becky and I found ourselves sitting in warm sun staring at a glimmering lake. Check-in was cheerful and I pulled the race bike out and took off to get a practice lap in. We met Stu after his on-road Tri awaiting the next day’s off road tri (by Sunday afternoon he was awash in race metals). Stu is awesome. On Sunday from the awards stand he said “there should be more parents and grandparents joining me”.
I got back to the Subaru and the seat post was still swiveling and I made a mental note to fix that later along with trimming my new running shoe laces. As I drove towards SLO on the 227 I was a bit frustrated that I couldn’t figure out my new Specialized bike computer, my throat was sore and I was tired. The computer was spitting out non-rational data and I was too. We had a big dinner and the shared a lovely evening catching up with my Aunt and Uncle overlooking Laguna Lake with Madonna and Bishop Peaks in the background into the night.
We left the house late and made in down Orcutt to the race with very few minutes to spare. I had no warm-up to speak of due to struggling with the seat post I had mentally noted to solve the day before. The laces never got cut. It is race time now and all that must go away. 26 weeks of training were complete.
With the help of the Eternal Timing system and my own watch, I put this together:
October 5, 2008 // Scott Tinley Extreme Tri // Bib #810
Swim Finish: 13:37
Bike Start: 15:57
Bike Finish: 2:02:00
Run Start: 2:02:43
Run Time: 54:09
Finish Line: 2:56:52
10th overall (of 31)
2nd in age group (of 7)
I got a bit confused on the swim forgetting that I needed to pass the marina to get to the Swim Out section. I made some of the time back by knowing the first two miles of the ride as well as anyone. That helped me pass one guy within 50 yards and hold off a charge until the last few yards of the first technical section.
Without a warm-up I was left gasping for air within the first 30 minutes. I had to slow, cough very hard and slow even more. The climb out of Boy Scout land was brutal. Very brutal. I remembered it pretty well from last year so it was easier this time but I found myself in no mans land. By slowing so abruptly during my gasping period I lost contact with the strong racers. I slipped from being third at one point to somewhere near 10. Second thoughts about training, sleeping and working filled my rapidly unfocusing mind. Now I was chasing two guys uphill off my bike and in the heat. I lost them and I took my eye off the trail and into the surrounding hill sides. Beautiful, stunning and serene. Soon I was descending. My new bike was still a bit new underneath me and I did my best to trust it. I stood to stretch my legs. I took a deep breath and relaxed my wrists. The trail was coming fast and soon I was sliding above my very fast tires that lacked many gripping knobs to slow my pace. I remembered some snowboarding techniques and made the delicate section.
Without anyone around my pace was solely mine. Probably great for Lance, Miguel or Greg – but not me. I gained focus into the second lap. Every section of the technical portion was made without touching down. I was able to pass slower racers from the sprint race in great locations. Thanks everybody for making that safe and easy.
On the run, I ran to chase down the next racer I saw: some sprinters, and hopefully one or two extreme distance riders. The finish line came up on time. Thanks Tri-California. Thanks Tinley.
Matt Smart
Outside All Day
Sunday, September 28th, 2008
From on-road triathlon races, off-road triathlon races to youth and hill climb events, the Scott Tinley’s Adventures Triathlon has something for everyone - including your friends.
Bring a friend for race day registration to the Tri-California registration booth, and both of you will receive a custom designed Scott Tinley’s Adventures running cap at packet pick up.
Print this email, grab a buddy, carpool to the race, split gas money and come on down race weekend to pick up a race hat for you and a friend. Outside All Day expects to see you there. There will be gratuitous shots of racers on our site after the races so bring your best gear and smiles for photo day.
Matt Smart
Outside All Day
Monday, September 22nd, 2008
Life has been a little hectic lately and blogging has taken the back burner for the last 30 days. My world revolves around family and work and the rest is getting pushed aside. Our newest, Landon turned 30 days old today. Most of the time he’s great but sometimes he’s a pain in my neck. I’ve figured out a trick to calm him down when he is screaming bloody murder in my ear. I place him in the Baby Bjorn and bounce on the exercise ball for as long as necessary. I’m not sure if his is helping my core and my back is killing me!
Speaking of core, the boy’s at Amateur Endurance have an incredible article with full pictures up on a daily stretching routine that looks really legit.
As noted in my last article on the (debatable) benefits of stretching, I stretch on a near daily basis to keep things loose. My daily stretch routine usually takes me about 30 minutes, and I try to do it shortly before bed in a quiet room with minimal noises to help relax me before hitting the pillow.
Click here to read the rest of this article.
Sleep tight my limber friends,
Andy B
outsideallday.com
Monday, September 8th, 2008
Half-way through this morning’s swim workout with the El Segundo Slugs I looked over and saw the man, the myth, the legend Craig Hummer putting in the laps. Naturally I was not on the same pace. For those who have only seen him behind the camera at the Tour de France or other sporting events he can hold his own with many of the same athletes he interviews and discusses. Diane Graner, our coach and legend in her own right, headed out to the rising sun and left us under his direction for the ab workout. Mine still burn. A great way to start the week off. Hope you had a similar day.
Matt Smart
Outside All Day
Sunday, September 7th, 2008
We are four weekends away from Scott Tinley’s Adventures Weekend and I am so excited it that I think I should get a new bike. Excitement about race = new bike. Is everyone in agreement on this? Well good. Now here are the details for you to join us at Lake Lopez in early October:
Scott Tinley’s Adventures Weekend
Saturday, October 4
On-Road International Triathlon
On-Road Sprint Triathlon
On-Road Tri-Cal Kids Triathlon
Sunday, October 5
Off-Road Sprint Triathlon
Off-Road Extreme Triathlon
Let me set the stage for you. Beautiful sunrise. Breakfast is already digesting. If you have camped at Lake Lopez - you roll out of your bag and walk over to registration. If you put yourself up at the Madonna Inn or another fine Central Coast establishment then you enjoy an amazing drive through the Big Arroyo. Mist on the SLO County Lake. Gear out on your towel. Bike tuned. You are ready to rock.
Visit the event Web site for more info: TriCalifornia.com
Matt Smart
Outside All Day
Saturday, August 30th, 2008
Work has been just that.
Between meetings, prepping for meetings, and following up on meetings it has been a struggle to find energy and time to get the workouts in.
Scott Tinley’s Extreme Mountain Bike Tri is nearing a month from game time. If you haven’t signed up yet you should seriously consider it. There are a bunch of fun races for all of us (”King of the Hill”- Sprint & Extreme Mountain Bike Hill Climb On-Road Triathlons - International Distance* or Sprint Distance Off-Road Triathlons - Sprint Distance Tri-Cal Kids Triathlons) and the Tri-California crew - that brings us Wildflower is polished and able to provide a much more personal event. So I propose that those of us that won’t be at Incline Village, NV that first weekend in October meet-up in San Luis Obispo and have Tinley with the Eternal Timing System decide who is fastest.
Last year I went 2:01. A PR, being that it was my first race at that distance. This past week I have been slipping the training in and I’m mighty glad considering that I am now on for the Big Sur Half Marathon. My wife registered in the last two weeks with a bunch of her friends and has been trying to coax me into it. Tinley’s races are on October 4 and 5 and with Big Sur 1/2 on November 9 I have added another date onto my racing schedule.
Having gone to Cal Poly and spent hours driving miles across the coastal roads of the Central Coast looking for surf and camp spots I have added motivation for these races. I love being up there. Lake Lopez used by Tri-California for the race is where my Aunt windsurfs when the wind is up and where I fell back in love with triathlons last year. Big Sur has always been a place mentioned with reverence.
I started racing tri’s in junior high and had some good age group finishes throughout early high school before I burned out on it. Not sure if it was the speedo jokes from the guys I played beach volleyball with or the 30-year-old bike nerds that spent $6,000 on a bike and would fly past me age 14 after I had left them in the ocean. Either way, road tri’s weren’t for me. That has been the joy with mountain bike tri’s. A good swim, a challenging course requiring more than some training and a big budget, and a off-road run that takes everything.
Tomorrow we will be booking our hotel room in Pacific Grove for November 8 and 9 as the rooms must be almost gone. Everything I have heard pegs this as an amazing Fall race in Monterey. I am looking forward to running along Cannery Row and then staring off to sea and Monterey Bay. The 1/2 Marathon is nearing 70% capacity so don’t wait long to register.
Matt Smart
Outside All Day
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008
Rummaging through my MTB gear bag at the trail head Thursday night my phone buzzed with a text message. I had awaken at 5:30 AM for an hour swim with the Slugs and Diane Graner-Gallas’ training program was leaving me tired. I was struggling to ready myself for my evening ride with Rob up Del Cerro. The text was from James and now I was going to run along the strand in Manhattan after the ride. By 9 PM Thursday I had put in 3 hours of workouts all before 9 and after 5. I’m glad that the day before Andy B had handed me Fluid Recovery - Tropical Escape. Before Wednesday I had used Endurox as a recovery drink in a number of exertions over the three hour mark. Being familiar with the protein/carbo replacement/recovery drink concept I was excited to try Fluid. Having grown up on Champion Nutrition’s Cytomax and moved on to GU20 I had already replaced them with MotorTabs. This week I replaced Endurox with Fluid. Fluid has a great taste and tastes good even after the water bottle warms up….unlike its Endurox friend. And being a Cal Poly alum makes it even easier to love Fluid.
With forty-six days until Scott Tinley’s Extreme Tri I got fitted on Monday to my Bianchi road bike (training bike) and Trek mountain bike (racing bike). Outside All Day loves Rock N’ Road Cyclery. I just happen to live almost an hour and a half from the closest one. So I met up with Brian, owner of Beach Cities Cycle in Hermosa Beach, and he fitted me up to the bikes. I worked for Brian back in high school and it was great to hang and get his help. I haven’t been comfortable on either bike and he made a bunch of changes. Both pairs of shoes were adjusted, seat post height went up, seat distance changed, MTB stem changed and he coached me on knee position. We would all be wise to get ourselves fitted to our bikes. Go see your bike shop and then head to Lake Lopez to race the Eternal Timing System.
Matt Smart
Outside All Day
Thursday, August 14th, 2008
Our peeps over at AmateurEndurance.com are cooking up some super fun content. Race reports, course previews, nutrition and just awesome.
Spend some time over there and tell them OAD.com said hello,
Andy B
outsideallday.com
Wednesday, August 13th, 2008
Hyped up on the Olympics I found myself doing laps at the plunge yesterday morning with the masters. At the top of the hour I was toast and my buddies weren’t even up yet. It was a feeling I had not felt since I was doing double-days at Costa ten-years ago. The Olympics have a funny effect on me. I found myself watching the races trying to find the similarities between them and me. We buy the same Swedish goggles from Malmsten. During lunch I registered for the Tinley MTB extreme tri (less than two months to go) and was reminded of how easy they make it on you to register. My wife and I headed down to the Hermosa Pier for the 6:30 PM Nike Run. I don’t wear your shoes but I am grateful for your support of the local running community (and post dinner run). Driving down to meet Andy B this morning I caught myself daydreaming about how fast my wife was running last night. Her next race will be awesome. Andy and I spent 1:38 racing to and from Arby’s on Portola and Bake. My legs were feeling super bad but I was just off the back of Andy B’s tire until a guy sporting a 24 hours of adrenaline jersey passed us. And with that Andy B was gone. The sand pit is improving. Off to sleep, Tinley is calling and I need my masters. The Urho Sarri Pool opens early.
M Smart
outsideallday
Wednesday, August 13th, 2008
Rich from Fluid Recovery Products sent me over an article that he recently wrote for AmateurEndurance.com. It’s a solid piece on proper recovery.
Recovery Nutrition 101
By Rich Smith, Fluid Recovery Products
June 30, 2008
Every now and then major scientific discoveries are made in the realm of athletic health and performance. Recovery nutrition is without a doubt one of the most recent and unbelievable advancements in sports science, but it is often neglected and misunderstood.
Click here to read the rest of this article.
Andy B
outsideallday.com
Thursday, July 24th, 2008
Looks like the pressure to dope transcends more sports than cycling.
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — American swimmers depart Friday for the Beijing Olympics but whether or not Jessica Hardy will be among them remains to be seen. The 21-year-old swimmer reportedly tested positive for a banned substance at the US Olympic trials that concluded July 6 and could face a ban that would keep her from making her Olympic debut next month at Beijing. Swimming World magazine reported that Hardy, who was set to swim the 100-meter breaststroke and 50m freestyle plus help on relays, had tested positive and was no longer at the US training camp. NBC television’s Olympic website reported that both “A” and “B” samples from Hardy tested positive for what was believed to be a stimulant and that hearing procedures had already started to decide Hardy’s Olympic status.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
HT Mahalo for the story.
Andy B
outsideallday.com
Monday, July 21st, 2008
Go to VeloNews.com right now and check out the new products tab at the bottom. You’ll see our friends at Fluid Recovery with a sweet new article on their incredible line of recovery products.
If you miss it on the homepage go to:
http://www.velonews.com/article/80464/fluid-natural-recovery-drink
Also, hit up Fluid’s new blog at:
http://www.livefluid.blogspot.com
The blog is packed with a shmorgeshboard of athlete interviews, video blogs, nutrition tip of the week, exercise of the week, workout of the week, Fluid athlete of the week, etc. It all exists to promote good stuff for active healthy people or people who wish they were.
Fun to see our buddies make it to the big time!
Andy B
outsideallday.com
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008
Oh yea, it’s happened! You can now get Motor Tabs at Rock N Road in Mission Viejo. Get down to the MV store and pick up some Tabs to support both of our site sponsors.
Also, check out this article at Bicycle Newswire titled, “MOTOR TABS™ Fluid Replacement System Announces ‘Gas Buster’ Retail Program“. Thats some pretty creative thinking from old man Sellers.
Tabs and Rock N Road make my heart sing!
Andy B
outsideallday.com
Monday, June 23rd, 2008
Product for Review: Luna Sport Recovery Smoothie – dark chocolate
Alright, as the sole female product reviewer on this forum I gotta represent and do product reviews that work well for female athletes. This is a review on the Luna Sport smoothie recovery drink (dark chocolate) (it also comes in Strawberry/Banana but I have not tried that one yet). First, the taste factor because we all know we girls aren’t going to hit it if the chocolate tastes nasty …
LUNA Recovery Drink Review
By: Hanhster (the Monster)
Outside All Day Contributor
Sunday, June 22nd, 2008
Today I lived vicariously through my good buddy Derek Yankoff (not joking), as he competed in his first full Ironman. Derek completed Ironman Coeur d’Alene in 12:55:39. Ironman.com allows for “split time” athlete tracking throughout the day so I would hit refresh whenever I could make it back to my computer. The most impressive split of Derek’s day was his marathon time (4:46:41), unreal after a 112 mile bike ride!
If I’m honest there is a little bit of jealously that Derek was able to do it before I did and complete it in a time I could never dream of. Maybe I’m more competitive than I think I am…
Get some rest my friend and I’ll buy you lunch sometime this week when you get in town. I couldn’t be more proud of you!
Andy B
outsideallday.com
Saturday, June 7th, 2008
On Saturday June 21, I will be teaming up with a few friends to compete in the Gaviota OCR. I am really looking forward to this. With this in mind I went out for a sample 7.5 mile run yesterday afternoon. I am stoked with the results - 2:15 quarters for a final time of 1h 7m. I hope I will be ready. This race is a bear - check it out: Ocean Paddleboard 9.5 miles from Refugio to Haskells. Beach Run 26 miles from Haskells to Hendry’s up Jesusita & Tunnel Canyons to Cumbre Peak. Mountain Bike 35 miles across the Ridge to Broadcast Peak and back to Refugio Beach. So this week I will be ordering up some Motor Tabs and Fluid. Let me know if you want to join in on the race. Would love to add you to the list. Oh, and no entry fee.
matt smart
outsideallday contributor
Thursday, June 5th, 2008
It’s with great excitement that we welcome Fluid Recovery Products to the Outside All Day team. The guys at Fluid are sharp and their products are first class. It’s a partnership that Dave and I are super excited about.
Support our newest sponsor and check out their products and website.
As I wrote this post I realized how many dope sponsors we now have on board. With Bonk Breaker, Motor Tabs and Fluid you have the nutrition trio for all workouts and races. Breakaway Training offers the best training services on the planet for cycling and triathlon and Rock N Road has been my local bike shop for 5 years. It all kind of gives me a warm fuzzy.
Andy B
outsideallday.com
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
Outside All Day has some of the coolest sponsors you can imagine. Motor Tabs, Fluid Recovery Products, Rock N Road Cyclery, Bonk Breaker and Breakaway Training. At the top of each of these organizations is a man or woman that is passionate about their business and the people using their products.
The interview below is the first of many I’ll be doing with the top dogs of our site sponsors. It’s my hope that you’ll fall in love with these brands like I have. I use EACH AND EVERY PRODUCT/SERVICE from each of our sponsors everyday in my training and daily life. We need to support our local shops and niche products because it’s the only way to encourage innovation.
By Andy Brazelton
June 4, 2008
Interview with: Greg Sellers
Position: Owner/CEO of Motor Tabs
More info at: MotorTabs.com
1. The Sports Drink landscape is crowded. Aren’t there plenty of options already?
We realized that there was a gap between the leading powdered sports drinks and the ready-to-drink sports drinks. Neither of those delivery systems are portable. We opted to use an effervescent tablet delivery system to bring the only true sports drink tablet in the American sports nutrition realm to market. Athletes can always find water - it’s so simple when out training or traveling, there is no guesswork or confusion, just find water and drop a tablet in, it dissolves and you drink it!
Thus far, consumers are embracing the premise.
2. How did you arrive at the formula?
We wanted to develop a basic sports drink tablet, that utilized only the essentials: sodium/potassium/carbohydrate, no other gimmicks or gadgets - just the basics. Research is clear that sodium and potassium are required to replenish your body when it sweats, we brought in several experts in the sports nutrition field: Rick Kitisin, who is a leading food scientist (he formulated the original MET-Rx drink mix), Jose Antonio, PhD, Ronald Mendel, PhD, both well respected sports nutritionists, as well as the expert product development team from our manufacturing facility. It was a grueling two-year process, but we finally hit it and arrived at our current formulation.
Since our product has about half the sugar/carbs as other leading sports drinks and does not contain artificial sweetener, Motor Tabs has a very light taste - not too sweet, even with two tablets in a 20oz. bottle the flavor is not over powering but very refreshing.
3. Who’s using the product?
Several top athletes and many more amateurs have joined our family: Michellie Jones, who’s one of the globe’s winningest triathletes (06 Kona champion and 2000 Silver Medalist in Olympic games), first tested the tabs back in June of 2005. She instantly embraced our brand and she relied on Motor Tabs for the first time in Kona 05, where she claimed a very respectable 2nd place. She followed up with a victory in 06! Last year didn’t work out too well for MJ, with a nagging foot injury and a punctured ear drum - just wasn’t her year! She’s a champion and a phenomenal brand evangelist for us.
Cheerwine Women’s Cycling team, Spencer Smith (world champion triathlete), motocross legend Micky Dymond is using the tabs now for his Supermoto career. We also have over 900 sponsored athletes on Sponsorhouse.com. We also have an Olympic kayaker from the UK, Paul W and more recently many hard working Americans are embracing the tabs while working outdoors to replenish the fluids they lose during tough, physical work.
Andy B
outsideallday.com
