Team Every Man Jack Training Camp

A few days ago I returned from Team Every Man Jack's annual winter training camp in San Diego. Other than being met with the harsh reality of several fresh inches of snow at the Denver airport, I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent meeting new teammates and training outside.  Here, I'm going to highlight my favorite parts!

Setting

The camp took place in Oceanside, California.  To accommodate the 45+ people attending the camp, two incredible houses were rented, right on the beach.  The houses each had several floors, a couple full kitchens, tons of bedrooms with incredible views of the ocean.





Just outside the door was a section of the Oceanside 70.3 run course and a nice bike path.  It was shorts weather--even at night!  And while the mornings started off foggy, they always cleared to sunny skies by the afternoon.

Food

Everyone knows that triathletes eat a lot on a regular basis.  When at training camp, we take that to a whole new level. The main kitchen area in one of the houses is where we ate most our meals.  Sag Monkey played an enormous role in getting food ready for all of us before workouts and for dinnner each night.  For early mornings on the way to the pool, breakfast burritos were warm and waiting for us to grab out of the oven. After returning from a morning workout, there was granola, yogurt, fruit, bagels/bread and PB&J.  

Nutella and Banana rice cakes!

Sag Monkey also made a huge daily batch of Skratch Labs rice cakes for long rides.  The rice cakes were a huge hit with the guys.  All of us really appreciated everything done by Sag Monkey because it allowed us to focus on what we were there for; training and getting to know one another. Thanks to Team Every Man Jack's nutrition sponsor, GU, there were several different flavors of chomps, gels and drink mixes available for us to use during workouts.

 

Swim

I hope I'm not the only one who is thinking this, but all of the swims we did at camp were hard! The pools were outdoors which was nice.



At the first swim, we did a crazy long pull set, totaling around 4000m of just pull.  Yea, "m", as in meters, as in we swam long course.  Man, that was rough.  One morning we were lucky enough to meet representatives from Roka, Team EMJ's swim sponsor.  They have some sweet new products coming out soon so be sure to check out their site.

Bike

There were rides scheduled for every day of camp. Team EMJ is known for having all-around strong athletes (most of whom focus on longer distance races) and this was definitely made apparent on the rides.   The routes took us up and down the coast, inland to a beautiful area with punchy hills and included some incredible descents.  One day the session called for hill repeats which we did on a section of road that led to a nice overlook.

Inside Sag Monkey's van

Once again, Sag Monkey provided incredible support with extra wheels, nutrition and blocking intersections for our rides.  We all were wearing our new Louis Garneau kits and rocking new Rudy Project helmets and glasses. Everywhere we went we got a lot of comments and questions about Every Man Jack.

TP file from hill repeat day

 I enjoyed the rides for several reasons.  The first hour or so almost always started off at a reasonable pace.  During this time we were able to get to know each other, and more often than not remark at how our arms felt as if they were about to fall off after the morning swim or how sore abs were after Meridith Kessler's core workout.

Meredith Kessler whipping us into shape!

After a while, the pace would start to pick up. I knew some of the younger guys likely were itching to turn some screws.  I tried to reign things in and remind myself that it was a four day camp and it made no sense to destroy myself on day one or two.  Interestingly enough, the more veteran guys on Team EMJ seemed to gain strength as the rides went on and even throughout the camp! Instead of launching an attack 10 miles in (like on local group rides), guys at the camp would start cranking things up around 50 miles into an 80 mile ride.



I think one of the best ways to get to know someone is by going on a long ride with them.  Before the camp, I knew a lot of the guys through social media, but going and participating in all the workouts, especially the rides, allows for more personality and uniqueness to come out.

Run

We had runs were scheduled for every day in San Diego.  The first few days were "low stress" runs after rides, while the last few runs included some progressive efforts.  Running along the beach was fantastic.  Having people to run with for every session was nice, too!

We capped off the big training with a long run in our new Lululemon gear.

Meeting People
One of the highlights for the camp took place one evening when we all cleaned up and went to the Tripalooza awards.  The ceremony celebrated the accomplishments of American endurance athletes and featured appearances from endurance celebrities such as Dave Scott, Bob Babbitt, Meb Keflezighi, Taylor Phinney and several other phenomenal athletes.

Matt and I with Meb, 2014 Boston Marathon winner!

Meredith Kessler, one of the top women in half/full distance triathlon, trains frequently with Team Every Man Jack members and joined us for the first few days of our camp.  After thoroughly kicking our butts for three days, she accepted an award at Tripalooza. The evening was incredible and filled with lots of inspiring stories from survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings and Challenged Athletes Foundation.  The Team is planning on doing a large bike ride fundraiser for CAF at different locations across the country.  I'm excited to be involved and raise awareness for such a great cause.

Everyone I've spoken with had a fantastic time in San Diego.  The camp was well organized and definitely got us all excited for the upcoming season!



Next weekend, I'm heading back to Clermont, Florida with MP Multisport and some fellow CSU Triathletes for some draft-legal racing.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Training Camp and Turning 23

With the spring 2015 semester starting tomorrow, I would look back on the past couple weeks of winter break and recap, mostly in pictures, some of the fun things that have happened.

I returned to Fort Collins in time to celebrate new years. 

A group of us planned out a big swim. I ended up getting in 100 x 100s.  We did the first 70 or so on 1:30 then incorporated some drills and pull to spice it up.

I've been putting my Stages Power Meter to use. I'm really liking it.  After my knee started feeling better, I had about 1 week of biking indoors to try and get ready for the massive volume of training camp.  I've been using Trainerroad.com and the training plan from MP Multisport for my workouts.  

One of the workouts from trainerroad.

Some trainers that measure power, computrainer and wahoo, force you to no matter what pedal the assigned power for the workout. There is much more variation because I'm using a traditional trainer with a Stages power meter but I like this system because it requires me to focus and constantly evaluate how much I'm working.

January 7th, 30 people from the CSU Tri Team headed down to training camp in Tucson, AZ.  We had 4 FULL days of workouts and a "flex" day.  It was fantastic getting to ride with some killer riders and do one of my favorite climbs, Mt. Lemmon.

Dinner: Chicken marinated overnight with spicy mustard, soy sauce and onions

Ski valley on Mt. Lemmon

My brother was also at the camp with the team from Arizona State. I really enjoyed running and cruising down Mt. Lemmon with him.

Mantell boys at Ski Valley

Lemmon was a pretty epic day for me, 113 miles and over 10,000 ft of elevation gain

A couple days after returning to Colorado, I turned 23. Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday.  Geneva and I celebrated by...

Eating some cake

and climbing the Incline!

Hiking the incline with Geneva was a blast.  We cruised up and took the scenic way down, almost falling every 10 seconds because of snow and ice.

The next couple weeks I'll be trying to get into a routine again with school and working to add speed back in to workouts.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Thanksgiving x 3

Nearly two months have passed since I finished off my 2014 triathlon season by competing in Ironman Florida on November 1st.  

Returning from Florida

I rode a mental high for several days after returning to Fort Collins. Lots of people had followed the race.  The support and congratulations from everyone was awesome.   

The same date as IM Florida, the team had a huge 5k fundraiser.  I was disappointed to miss it but they appeared to have a fun time.

For 3-4 days, my legs were very sore.  2 days after the race I started swimming again, hoping to loosen.  I ended up hurting my knee returning to biking and running too soon. I had been looking forward to enjoying the beautiful fall weather and instead was stuck inside swimming or off my feet.  Even walking hurt.  

Looking back, the injury served as a forced off-season.  My body had accumulated stress and finally I had to listen.  There was no use pushing through something that painful so I just swam.  It took time and encouraging talks but the past couple weeks I've been riding and running pain free.  

Thanksgiving #1 (with Family)

Most years I return to Minnesota to celebrate Thanksgiving with family.  Since our parents were bike touring Europe, my siblings joined me in Colorado.  I was happy to see my brother and sister for the holiday. My brother, Ernie, is into triathlon and it was fun to swim and run with him.  We went back to our hockey roots for a couple "strength" sessions.  His hard work has been translating into mad gains. 

Kinda...

My sister, Alison, thuroughly enjoyed planning our Thanksgiving meal.  All I did was cook the turkey (we used a non-basting method so we could just let it sit in the oven) and then follow directions from her.  Geneva came over to help with the food prep.  We took pictures and FaceTimed with our parents.  The food turned out delicious. 

Mantell siblings in Colorado

Talking with our parents in Europe

Dat turkey

Butternut squash, brussel sprouts and onions

Thanksgiving dinner aftermath, 1.5 hrs later we were good for pie

After Thanksgiving, the semester began winding down.  My first semester of graduate school kept me busy.  Even with only three classes the work load was high.  I did my best to buckle down and finished strong.

Thanksgiving #2
My second Thanksgiving was with the CSU Tri Team.  The team got together for a post-Thanksgiving dinner.  Everyone brought a dish to share.

Swim/Bike/Run

For the past couple months, my training has been composed mostly of swimming. Coach Mace at MP Multisport and I discussed that November/December was the time to become a fish. I still don't have gills but I've gotten a little more comfortable in water. 
With increased pool time comes dried-out skin.  For a while now, I've carried EMJ face lotion in my swim bag.  Having the lotion available immediately after swimming makes facing the freezing outdoor temperatures more bearable.  If you're in Fort Collins I can get you some samples!

Get yourself some from Target or Whole Foods… or ask me:)  

A few times a week I hop on the trainer, mostly to get the feeling of pouring sweat.  We also have weekly spin workouts where people can use Wahoo trainers (capable of measuring power).  Up until this summer I've trained by feel.  This summer I started training with a heart rate monitor but noticed that for trainer workouts, my heart rate progressively climbs.  Numerous people have made me realize the benefits of training with power.  I made a couple moves and am planning to train with a Stages power meter on my TT bike for 2015.

CSU Tri Team Trainer Sesh

Why are they smiling?

Running has taken the longest time to feel normal again.  Not being able to run for 10 days was probably the longest I've gone without running in 4 or more years! Trying to run fast is very challenging right now but I have faith in Coach Mace and the training plan.  Will it ever be the same?  Can I run faster? Only time will tell but I plan to be patient and not force things.  We have goals for the collegiate season but as with many things, putting pressure on them too early does not promote development and often will lead to breaking down.  

Minnesota for Christmas (Thanksgiving #3)

Before heading home for Christmas, my brother came to visit in Colorado.  We swam a lot and did some last-minute Christmas shopping.  Somehow, I convinced Geneva to join us in Minnesota for a few days.  I showed her our St. Paul stomping grounds and we went skating.  I really enjoyed being able to spend some time with her around the holidays.

"Faster… Faster!"

 Because our parents had only just returned from Europe (and missed Thanksgiving), they wanted to have Thanksgiving food for Christmas which was more than fine with us!

Sweet potatoes with marshmallows (where it's at!)

I will be heading back to Colorado for a few days before hitting the road for Tucson.  We will be participating in the University of Arizona Tri Cats winter training camp.  (Read about my time last year) I did several training camps last year and this one is arguably my favorite.

Massive thank you to my parents for feeding me the past week and a half.  Thanks to everyone who has swam with me at some point the past couple months.  Thanks to Every Man Jack for making fantastic, all natural personal care products and helping out some amateur triathletes.  Check out the team's website here.

Thanks for reading, have a great day and see you in 2015!    

Punching the ticket

This past weekend I competed in what was supposed to be my first Iron-distance event in Panama City Beach, Florida.  The destination, common for spring break, is also appealing for athletes looking to tackle their first Ironman in ideal conditions.

I began a specific training plan, outlined by MP Multisport, around mid-September.   My first 5 hr ride specific for IM was a big awakening. I'd been on plenty of long rides but none with the pacing to run a marathon after.  The first 1-2 hrs seemed painfully slow. Since nutrition had given me trouble in my last couple 70.3's, I experimented with several different plans during long training days to figure out what worked for me.  I was also fortunate enough to be able to get course information from other EMJ teammates that had raced IM Florida in the past.

The different training load, especially with a couple long rides each week made me very hungry.  Some things I ate a lot of: bananas (more than the usual 4-5 a day), tortillas or rice cakes with almond butter and jelly, greek yogurt, brownies from the dining hall and Ensure nutritional shakes.  As the race grew nearer, it was tough to back off on rides and runs but I knew it was be better to be over than under rested. 

The logistics while in Florida worked out well.  Since I decided to do IM Florida without much time in advance, my parents already had plans - they have been living their dream, biking around Europe. I was fortunate enough to convince Dave to meet me down in Florida and help me out for the weekend. Having Dave there was special since he originally taught me the basic ins and outs of triathlon.  Big thank you to Teresa for hooking Dave and I up with a place to stay. The condo we stayed at was fantastic!  It was right on the beach and had an incredible views for sunrise and sunset.

Initially, one of my main reasons for signing up for the race was to try and qualify for the Ironman World Championships for 2015.  After talking with my parents a week or so before the race, my mentality changed.  I realized how lucky I was to get the chance to do the race.  So many people have supported me and helped me get to the point where I'm at and I wanted to show that I appreciated their efforts.

The days leading up to the race in Florida were spent working on some school stuff and staying off my feet.  Dave has been around the block when it comes to Ironman racing and worked extra hard to minimize the amount of walking.  For many races we typically ride back and forth to the expo or the course, in Florida we drove everywhere.  I'm also pretty sure I didn't go up any stairs for the 3 days before the race.  Dave reiterated to me that the only thing that mattered was race-day and for an Ironman, extra rest is the best thing to do.  We watched several movies, got fresh seafood and I kept my feet up.

Checking in bike and bags the day before

Race Day:
Race morning started at 3:30 am.  Breakfast consisted of some quinoa and hummus, a small sweet potato, a banana with a little almond butter, 1 Ensure and a little orange juice.  After eating we headed over to the race site.  It was cold and windy.  I was hoping that once the sun came out things would warm up.  I loaded my bike with my bottles and stashed my nutrition in the bags I would need throughout the day.

After a quick warmup run, I waited inside to stay warm, listening to music and watching others freak out.  People were fidgeting like crazy, taking on and off different parts of their kit.  I felt fairly relaxed.  Excited but relaxed.

Swim:
Gear: Roka Maverick Pro

What went down:
I was about waist deep in the water when they announced the swim was going to be canceled.  The waves were big and while I was a little disappointed, the volunteers mostly had paddle boards and were struggling.  I'm sure some people (weaker swimmers) were celebrating.

We headed back inside to figure out details for the race start and stay warm.  They announced it would be a time trial bike start.  First, pros would go off with about 30 seconds between and then the age groupers would go off in numerical order.  I would be about dead last with bib number 3094.  Before the race, my pick to win was Lionel Sanders.  That dude is an animal on the bike and run.  No swim definitely worked to his advantage. It was sweet to see the pros up close at the start instead of just zooming by at some point on the bike.  I liked looking at their bike and nutrition set ups.  For the most part, they looked calm.

We had calculated it would be close to two hours before I would be starting due to my high bib number.  I got a little hungry and luckily I'd packed a couple dates in my backpack - instead of a gel.

Feeling cold

I put on the new Louis Garneau speed suit top, arm warmers, gloves and headed out to grab my bike.  Despite the sun coming out, it had not warmed up and I was shivering heading to the mount line.  About two spots ahead of me, I saw someone in my age group heading off.  I was pleased to see this because it would allow me to somewhat know my position.

Bike:


Gear: Trek Speed Concept, HED Wheels

Such a sweet ride! Thanks Patrick Ray for getting me set up.

Bike Nutrition:

I'm happy to say that I ate real food the entire bike!  I made rice cakes from Skratch Labs (let me know if you want the recipe) and rolled them into balls which went into a plastic bag stuck in the back of my top.  Every 20 min I had a rice ball.  I aimed for about 270 calories an hour on the bike.  

While I understand many pros race with only liquids/gels because of intensity...here's my thinking.  Throughout our daily lives we don't eat gels and calorie-loaded sports drink.  Many athletes focus on eating quality whole foods. The rice balls were made of foods that I eat on a daily/weekly basis.  However, what works for one person... The rice cakes were delicious and I did not get tired of eating them.  I started getting more hungry about 3.5 hrs into the ride and had couple extra bites and 2 dates. I also sipped on 3 bottles of Skratch throughout the ride.   

My biggest recommendation is to practice nutrition and experiment.  I worked with Tess at MP Multisport to make sure the rice cakes would give me a enough energy and sodium.

What went down:

The first 20-30 miles of the bike were the worst part of the day.  People always talk about the ups and downs of Ironman and how there will be highs and lows throughout the day. The cold temperature and wind made this section tough for me.  I also was yelling "on your left" for the first 3 hours.  I'm far from the best swimmer but if there had been a swim I would likely have been in front of the majority of the field and a lot less passing would have been done.  The time trial start made it crucial to pace myself and race my own race.  I was passed immediately by a couple guys and the guy in my age group in front of me took off as well.

Time trial start

Around mid-point on the bike

My plan was to be conservative on the bike, pacing off heart rate, and build into a strong effort.
Going into the race, I thought to be competitive heading into the marathon, I would need to ride a little under 5 hrs.  I went through mile 56 in around 2:40 and kind of laughed at myself. I knew a good section of it had been into a head wind but negative splitting by 20 minutes... Instead of mentally checking out, I focused on what I could control, nutrition and pacing.  I picked up my special needs, reloading on rice cakes and Skratch and put my head down.
 

HR file from the Garmin

I didn't get into a good rhythm until around mile 70.  By this point, lot of people were hurting.  Instead of passing groups of people 3-4 wide, it was a steady line of people.  I tried smiling most of the ride.  I was happy my nutrition plan was working, plus, anytime you get to play outside makes it a good day!  Around mile 90 I started to reel in a couple people that had passed me earlier.  I saw Dave on the ride and he gave me some cowbell.  The 15 miles to transition went fast with a slight tail wind.  

Run:
Gear:

NB 1400 v2, Garmin Forefunner 10.
 I ended up getting women's shoes because the store was out of my size in men's...

Nutrition:  No gels the entire day! I had one Gu Chomp about every mile.  I would grab a four pack at an aid station then suck/chew on it until it was gone.  I also sipped on a bottle of Skratch until mile 18.  I aimed for about 180 calories/hour on the run.  I had no coke until mile 25 where I tried some to see if I could really crush the last mile.

What went down:
I ran out of transition and saw Dave.  He immediately told me to slow down and settle into a rhythm.  I had spoken with friends on the CSU Triathlon Team to text Dave position updates to relay to me for the run.  After seeing my bike was going to be over 5 hours I thought I didn't have much of a chance to win our age group and so I figured I would just try to enjoy the marathon instead of pressing hard right from the beginning. Dave had temporarily lost his phone and gave me encouragement heading out.

In my long training runs and track workouts, I've done best (and felt best) when I build into my effort and let the pace naturally drop on it's own. I'm not really sure how it works but if I pace right, things just speed up.  I was hoping to average around 7 min pace for the run but wasn't sure if I could do that after a 112 mile bike.

The top held ice and sponges well

I looked down at my watch and immediately saw 6:30 pace coming out of transition. I told myself to slow down, focus on getting in fluids and calories. I felt good, no stomach problems from food on the bike and I was excited to see how the run would play out.  The first 6 miles to the turn-around I forced myself to run 7 minute pace or slower, walking through aid stations.  I only looked at my watch a couple times that first section and was happy with 7:20's. I tried to pick things up heading back on the first lap.  I saw the guy in my age group who I'd started behind on the bike about 2.5 miles ahead of me.  His turnover looked to be slowing. Everyone around me looked like they were really hurting and I was wondering if they were on their first or second lap.  I kept focusing on staying steady and getting in some liquid and calories, knowing how quickly things can go from feeling good to walking.  Any time I saw my pace drop below 7 min I thought - slow down, save it for the second lap, especially the last 10k, then we get to go.

I rounded the turn for the second lap and Dave had some details for me.  He asked how I was feeling. I said great and he told me that the guys in front were fading and that if I could run about 6:50 pace I could win.  Immediately I thought, hell yes, here we go.  I thought of everyone who was watching online, supporting me. They believed in me and I believed in myself.  I wasn't mentally struggling and was itching to really turn the screws and show what I could do. I had paced and fueled the bike right (ok, maybe a little slow) but the run is where I get to do my thing.  I started picking up the pace.  People were screaming at me "Steve, you're flying" I smiled and kept pushing.  Whenever I looked at my watch I saw 6:35 to 6:45 pace and things felt good!

I'm pretty proud of this run.  I started my watch a little late so I didn't get the full marathon.  You can see where I stopped to walk aid stations the first section to get ice/fluids/nutrition.  My heart rate is higher than a lot of people feel alright with running at but I felt pretty comfortable - this could have been due to the temperature.

Everyone I had talked to said my body would fall apart the second half of the marathon.  Sure things were hurting but I felt that I mentally was still in control.  My quads and knees hurt but they never gave up on me.  I just kept thinking, man those rice cakes worked well for me!  I finished my bottle of Skratch I had been running with around mile 18 and decided once I made that final turn with about 10k to go, I would toss the bottle and see what I had left.  For weeks I'd been craving the feeling of leaving everything out on the run and my body was working with me.  I saw the guy in my age group much closer to me and he was hurting.  I drafted off him for about 10 seconds around mile 20 before surging and pushing on.  Miles 22-24 were tough mostly because there wasn't as much support and I was really looking forward to the last 2 miles were there was a great group cheering us on.  I encouraged people I passed to keep pushing and they shouted back their own encouragement.  The last 1.5 miles I felt like I was going to cry.  I turned around my hat and put up my sunglasses so those watching the finish could see my face.  When I saw Dave just before the finish, he told me I'd won.  I was more happy about being able to cross the finish knowing I had given a good/smart effort.  I was smiling for a while afterwards.

I called my coach, girlfriend and several other people on the team who I knew had been watching.  I knew I'd probably had them on the edge of their seat the past 3 hrs during the run.

After getting some food and leaning on my volunteer and Dave, we headed back to the condo to get cleaned up.  It was difficult walking but we managed to get back to the race site and cheer on some of the later finishers.

After a big breakfast the next day, we headed to the awards.  It was very inspiring to see all the physically challenged athletes up on stage, definitely puts things into perspective.

I congratulated many of the other finishers and eventually claimed my Kona spot for 2015! I'm excited to head there next October with Team EMJ and race in this iconic event.

With Dave after accepting the Kona slot!

This season has been a blast. I've raced 15 times this year and enjoyed each time. Looking back, I'm proud of my results and consistency.  I also am happy to say that I didn't feel burned out these last couple weeks or during the season.  I think this goes back to my mindset. I like racing and triathlon for many reasons.  With hard work, dedication and time come results.  Above more than anything though, the people I've met and places I've been fortunate to go have given me many great memories.  I've learned a lot this season and feel I've developed mentally and physically.

The amount of support I've received over the past couple days and throughout this whole season has been incredible. Each person's network of support really helps to keep them going during tough times.  Big thank yous to MP Multisport for working with me to prepare for this race and Dave for being my sherpa in Florida.  Thanks to my parents and family and teammates for being awesome.  Thanks to everyone who has done a long training ride with me this past year. I loved those days.  Thanks to Every Man Jack for keeping me stocked with fantastic products.

One last awesome shot from swimming around a couple days before the race

While I want to keep on pushing and training, I know we only get stronger when we rest.  With that in mind, I'll be taking a couple weeks easy before getting back at it with the CSU Triathlon Team getting ready for the collegiate season!

Thanks for reading and have a great day!