Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Are pros mortal?
Quote | Reply
It's very easy to get caught up on Instagram, watching pros completely dominate their training weeks. Sure, many of the big name pros don't have a 9-5, kids, etc. that many of us AGers do; however, do they ever just bag a workout?

Sam Long goes up to Magnolia and absolutely destroys that KOM, and the Lionel is doing what Lionel has always done. But do they ever just get on the bike and say, "yeah, no, not today," and go eat tacos? We all are well aware of how social media can distort another person's reality, but are the pros just always on and if they aren't, do they do the workouts anyway?

@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri
Last edited by: cloy: Jul 31, 20 8:11
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [cloy] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
yes. like normal people, they post mostly the good stuff. they make youtube videos of the good stuff. you/we don't see the grind days. which is 99% of their lives.
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [cloy] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Not that I'm yet the caliber of Sam or Lionel... but you don't even want to know how many red and yellow workouts I have on Trainingpeaks.

Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [cloy] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
As i tell my athletes, pro and non pro, social media is the best 2% of their life. The other 98% is no where near as fun, enjoyable etc

Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [cloy] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
There are definitely up and down days, but definitely don’t discount how much of an impact the job, kids, etc have on recovery. When you can truly recover from sessions day in and day out, it’s amazing how much abuse your body can get used to taking. But is any of it really worth it without tacos though?

Adam Feigh
Pianko Law, Speed Hound, Castelli, Sailfish, Base
Feighathlon.com
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [cloy] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Norman.

http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [cloy] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
lionel definitely did post some downtime vids
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [desert dude] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
desert dude wrote:
As i tell my athletes, pro and non pro, social media is the best 2% of their life. The other 98% is nowhere near as fun, enjoyable etc

This is a foot stomp comment Brian.

Instead of recognizing that the IG feed of some rando is actually only the best 2% of *their* life, recognize what that means for *your* life, and adjust accordingly. Embrace mediocrity, make self improvements, learn a new hobby, etc. My social media, which sucks, is at least the best 50% of my life, and I'm fine with that.

E

Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
jkhayc wrote:
yes. like normal people, they post mostly the good stuff. they make youtube videos of the good stuff. you/we don't see the grind days. which is 99% of their lives.

^this. How many people post on social media about things that humble them? Or their house is messy, the kids misbehaved etc? Surely, you realize by now that social media is a treasure trove of people trying to fool others into thinking that life is always 100% perfect.
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [ericMPro] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
ericMPro wrote:
desert dude wrote:
As i tell my athletes, pro and non pro, social media is the best 2% of their life. The other 98% is nowhere near as fun, enjoyable etc


This is a foot stomp comment Brian.

Instead of recognizing that the IG feed of some rando is actually only the best 2% of *their* life, recognize what that means for *your* life, and adjust accordingly. Embrace mediocrity, make self improvements, learn a new hobby, etc. My social media, which sucks, is at least the best 50% of my life, and I'm fine with that.

E

a "foot stomp comment?"

me recognizing that what a pro posts on social media is 1% of their daily life and process is not some inner reflection of how i view MY life. the pros (who make actual money in triathlon or, more widely, in endurance sports) have to cater their social media presence to building their brand. it's extremely cultivated and purposeful. is it "realistic?" who is to judge.
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [cloy] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Yes. I recall Paul Kimage talking about celebrating "national suckers day" (his code for sitting at home when he should have trained), and Dave Scott (as detailed in Iron War) overtraining to the point he would just spend a day in a beanbag chair eating 20 powerbars and feeling sorry for himself.

Social media isn't a diary, it's a highlight reel (where all my amazing performances are made possible by my magic-bullet nutrition sponsor....who is so much better than my sponsor last year, but won't hold a candle to next year's).

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [DFW_Tri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
DFW_Tri wrote:
social media is a treasure trove of people trying to fool others into thinking that life is always 100% perfect.

Those are still way better than the people who make social media a non-stop drama of negativity. Those people are far fewer, but more cloying.
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [cloy] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Most of them are in their prime.
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [cloy] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
cloy wrote:
It's very easy to get caught up on Instagram, watching pros completely dominate their training weeks. Sure, many of the big name pros don't have a 9-5, kids, etc. that many of us AGers do; however, do they ever just bag a workout?

Sam Long goes up to Magnolia and absolutely destroys that KOM, and the Lionel is doing what Lionel has always done. But do they ever just get on the bike and say, "yeah, no, not today," and go eat tacos? We all are well aware of how social media can distort another person's reality, but are the pros just always on and if they aren't, do they do the workouts anyway?


Workouts get bagged all the time, except at last for me when I was hitting the no-go destroyed zone and needed some recovery, it would be ribs and not tacos. Oh and racing and training in your 20s is a whole different beast to your 30s. What I am more enamored by is Cam Brown and his training and racing in his 40s.


Save: $50 on Speed Hound Recovery Boots | $20 on Air Relax| $100 on Normatec| 15% on Most Absorbable Magnesium

Blogs: Best CHEAP Zwift / Bike Trainer Desk | Theragun G3 vs $140 Bivi Percussive Massager | Normatec Pulse 2.0 vs Normatec Pulse | Speed Hound vs Normatec | Air Relax vs Normatec | Q1 2018 Blood Test Results | | Why HED JET+ Is The BEST value wheelset
Last edited by: Thomas Gerlach: Aug 1, 20 18:38
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [realbdeal] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
realbdeal wrote:
Not that I'm yet the caliber of Sam or Lionel... but you don't even want to know how many red and yellow workouts I have on Trainingpeaks.

This is why you are not at their caliber /pink
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [trail] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
trail wrote:
Those are still way better than the people who make social media a non-stop drama of negativity. Those people are far fewer, but more cloying.

Freudian slip? :)
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [Thomas Gerlach] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
What I am more enamored by is Cam Brown and his training and racing in his 40s. //

What he and Crowie are doing in the 45-49 pro age group is just mind boggling. Both have abused their bodies since teenagers, but they must have some innate sense of when to slow down, or pull the plug, and actually listen to that noise we all got during pro training. I was pretty good at listening to that angel on my shoulder, and likely could have raced until 45 too, but the other component is will. I just wanted to get back to working my real old job, so lost that desire to keep grinding while you watch yourself decline each year. Those two are like Ali, still fighting, even though they know they are well past their primes, and doing it for the love that got them into the sport in the first place. Also helps that because of their long tenure in the sport, that they can keep making a living during their declining years too. That was something that I did not have access to, money got a lot better after the turn of the century and certainly is a huge factor in continuing to fight the downslope..
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [cloy] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Another example of the "best 2% ends up on social media" thumb rule:

Chris Froome, certainly one of the best pro cyclists of his generation, has according to Strava ridden his bike five times in the past four weeks, for an average of ~7 hours of training per week, in his build up to the biggest race of the year (Tour de France). He's doing a bit more than that. Maybe some pros post everything they do on Strava, but I think most don't.
Last edited by: rosshm: Aug 2, 20 10:03
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [monty] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
monty wrote:
What I am more enamored by is Cam Brown and his training and racing in his 40s. //

What he and Crowie are doing in the 45-49 pro age group is just mind boggling.
But could they keep up with Ned Overend? 😃
Kidding aside, I was impressed with how competitive Ned remained after "retiring" from mtb racing.
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [Bumble Bee] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Ned certainly has a very rare spot in the degrade the least club. Him and Thurlow Rogers raced in odd pro races all through their 50's. There has to be a gene involved with these guys, as they all started as nippers and raced full on race schedules, every single year. Of course that gene has to be coupled with world class desire too, very rare indeed...
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [cloy] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
 
Hamish Carter said it was the sessions he didn't do that won him that Gold.

Some days he'd dive in the pool, swim 200m, not feel it, and get out.

The trick the elite have learnt is to differentiate between when to knuckle down and when not to.

http://www.sweat7.com
Facebook Page: Sweat7
Twitter: @sweat7coaching
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [salmonsteve] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
salmonsteve wrote:
Hamish Carter said it was the sessions he didn't do that won him that Gold.

Some days he'd dive in the pool, swim 200m, not feel it, and get out.

The trick the elite have learnt is to differentiate between when to knuckle down and when not to.

Simon Whitfield was the same. Simon was a master of "not today."

My wife was also very good at this. I, however, was not. To my detriment more often than to my credit.

"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [salmonsteve] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
salmonsteve wrote:

Hamish Carter said it was the sessions he didn't do that won him that Gold.

Some days he'd dive in the pool, swim 200m, not feel it, and get out.

The trick the elite have learnt is to differentiate between when to knuckle down and when not to.

..
Yep,Peter Reid had his 20min marker.If it wasn't happening after 20min it was time to go home. Lori used to go to her grandma's and eat cake.
Quote Reply
Re: Are pros mortal? [Rappstar] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Rappstar wrote:
salmonsteve wrote:

Hamish Carter said it was the sessions he didn't do that won him that Gold.

Some days he'd dive in the pool, swim 200m, not feel it, and get out.

The trick the elite have learnt is to differentiate between when to knuckle down and when not to.


Simon Whitfield was the same. Simon was a master of "not today."

My wife was also very good at this. I, however, was not. To my detriment more often than to my credit.

With hindsight as 20/20 if you take only the part of your sentence that I bolded, maybe it was also yoru ability to push when you felt like slacking off that got you to the level you got to in the first place. The same quality that makes human performance in any endeavor is also the one that can break them, but in the moment, no one really knows the perfect balance, but you had enough successes and overall race wins, that your path got you to a pretty good balance point for you.
Quote Reply