01-01-70
End of Season Goals
Now that yesterday's frustration has somewhat dissappeared, it is time to make a first assessment of the Gerardmer weekend. On a positive note, I can say that my half-wit race has nevertheless enabled me to determine my goals and expectations for Challenge Barcelona. No beating around the bush, here they are. For the swim: 1:18, for the ride: 4:30 and for the run: 3:10. The run prediction might be slightly off, but the other two are spot-on, I'm sure of that. So I'm expecting a result between 8:58 and 9:15 in Calella. You can bet on it, I know I will.
01-01-70
New Record
Too bad the people from the Guinness Book weren't here: twoo flats in les than half an hour. Game over. That hàs to be a new record. First flat was within the first 500 meters of the race, just after the swim. My feet weren't even in my bike shoes yet. Than, after not even 20 kilometers, while riding the steep part of a left turn on a clmb I had a second flat. Some bike tourist were very eager to help but broke off the valve extender of my last spare. Game over. Books closed. Back to the drawing board. But I'm very determined to put an end to this downward spiral of bad luck. I assure, I will have none of it in Barcelona. Even if I have to kill someone, but there will be NO flats, NO mechanical disorders, NO flu or pneumonia and NO distractions at Challenge Barcelona.
01-01-70
My First Pair of Compression Socks
I never did feel like wearing them, because, well ... I just thought they didn't look very cool, those long calves-covering tight socks. But after hearing Peter Maximus glorify them like he did, last week, I discovered some really cool looking ones: Compress Sport. They're tubulars - without a 'footie' - and I will wear them both on the bike and on the run. They look great, Alberto Juantoreno-style. What they promise me is less lactate acid build-up, less fatigue and thus better performance and faster recovery. By tomorrow this time, we'll know if they perform as well as they look ...
01-01-70
Meeting old friends at Gerardmer
Isn't it ironic ..? No I'm not going to start quoting Alanis Morisette (besides rain on your wedding day ISN'T ironic, it's just bad luck) but isn't it ironic that the only moments i seem to have time to write something for my own web pages is in the two days before and after a race, tapering or recovering? But hey, I'm not complaining. Just got back from the pasta party where the Gerardmer race confirmed its reputation of 'Best Pre-Race Dinner Provider'. Scott Sports are here with their impressive Big Black Bus, VOMaxine has a booth at the expo right next to Scott. I'm meeting with old friends here, even though I only first met them at the beginning of this season. Tomorrow will be my big dress rehearsal for my All or Nothing big race in Barcelona, next October. I've got the Fast Forward Wheels on my Plasma, got my official Project Superman race gear, I got new, wofter laces for my lightning-fast Scott T2 shoes. And for the first time in my life, I will be wearing compression tights for racing. Let's see where it'll get me. At the very least, I should post my best swim split ever and my best overall performance, tomorrow.
01-01-70
And did you hear about Gerhard???
Gerhard De Bruijn, the young pro-athlete that stayed with me for a week in July, finished 8th in Estonia, only a few places after legends like Thomas Hellriegel and Chris McCormack. I'm working on a special feature for Triathlete Europe about some really talented youngsters that are surfacing: Gerhard, Stefan Schmid, a young amateur who came in 6th in Zürich after an amazing race and also a young Spanish (well, Bask, actually) athlete named Mikel Kalahora. Gerhard, by the way is also an otganizer of world class triathlon camps and he just may have some special surprises and goodies for Project Superman Fans. Stay tuned. All of this will be on Triathlete Europe by August 27th.
01-01-70
Tuning up for the finals
We're getting tuned up for the final 8 weeks leading up to my great and most importent race, this year: Challenge Barcelona. I'm leaving tonight to interview the organisation and to check out the race course. Training hard and well, in the mean time and it looks as though we're going to solve the back-pain pproblems. Or at least improve them. Coming up for the beginning of next week: an interview with Luc Van Lierde. We also talk to Mario Vervaeke, Luc's travel sidekick for many, many years. Also we'll be doing some serious speed testing with the Scott Plasma on Fast Forward Wheels, while being filmed by a professional filmcrew. And of course, I have heeps of mails to answer from you guys, about training, nutricion, places to race and so on. I assure you, I promise, that you will ALL have your personal answers before this Sunday. Until then: train safe and smart
01-01-70
Project Superman Travel Guide
It will be online and downloadable by the end of September, in a beautiful lay-out, with great pictures. And it will be COMPLETELY FREE: the Project Superman Travel Guide, with race information, tips, information on the course, food and hotel tips for each budget, where to stay before and after the race, restaurants, race tips and so on ... Races and destinations included so far are: IM LANZAROTE, IM ZURICH, CHALLENGE BARCELONA, GERARDMER XL, ELBAMAN, HOME DE FERRO (IBIZA), LIMBURG 226, Available FREE OF CHARGE by October. But the information is already here. So if you have any questions or need tips about the above mentioned races and destinations, just mail me. I'll send you everything you need/want.
01-01-70
New stuff on Triathlete Europe
Hope you like these ... http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2010/08/03/blog-project-superman-ironman-switzerland/ http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2010/07/19/project-superman-scott-plasma-3-outing-challenge-roth/ http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2010/07/14/stadler-aims-ride-bike-ironman-world-record-roth/
01-01-70
Emptying the hurt locker at IM Zürich
I'm not going to nag about my bike getting lost, my bike box getting destroyed or my bike computer and my wheels getting FUBAR. I WILL nag about the back pains though. After doing the first 80 kilometers of the bike leg at an average of about 42 and never going over a 149-151 pulse, the pains started and never went away. The hurt completely cut of my legs during the rest of the day. It became so unbearable that I was ready to give up during the second climb of Heartbreak Hill at only 5 k's from the bike finish. Instead, I stopped, got of the bike, massaged my back for 4-5 minutes and continued. I repeated that procedure at every aid station during the run, finally posting 10:21. Mixed emotions. But I'm sure of this: if we solve the lower back pain problem, I will go at least 45 minutes faster on the same output.
01-01-70
Zürich is massive!!
You really can't imagine the size of this event. It is HUGE! Larger than life. Hundreds of stands in the expo village. You just get lost there, right now. Scott brought a road truck big enough to stash a U2 concert stage in, the Ironman Shop is about as big as a football field, and 2.500 volunteers are swarming out all over the place. I thoroughly enjoyed the press conference and the interviews afterwards. Got to mentio TRIWWW three or four times and got some good reactions to that. Tomorrow we'll check the local newspapers. I sure hope TRIWWW gets mentioned. And after the race, I hope to do an interview with Matthias Hechtel. I hope he wins. (But actually, they were all so incredible nice and friendly). My bike got delivered, by the way. Half-trashed, wheels total loss, shoes and box completely torn. Bring me the head of somebody at Lufthansa. Or Austrian.
01-01-70
A nice morning with team Commerzbank
The press conference was a blast. Got a good Jean-Marie Pfaff joke across. Sitting in between Karin Thurig, Matthias Hecht, Ronnie Schildknecht and Stefan Riesen, I felt like Bob the Builder sitting amongst Batman, Supergirl, Spiderman and the Hulk at a press conference for superheroes. Lots more on chatting with the stars later. Bike is still missing. Ulrike from Team Commerzbank offered some help and so did Matthias Hecht. Incredible, isn't it?
01-01-70
Get outta here!
Long and hard travel day. More than 7 hours en route from Brussels to Zürich. Got a good hotel, a great bed and a cuddly mascotte, now. Unfortunately, my bike is missing. Somebody at Lufthansa or Austrian Airlines seems to have misplaced it. No bike course reco today and no training tomorrow. I'm starting to get disturbingly zen about these things ...
01-01-70
Very Scary
This is very scary. I'm only just returning to form, my best times are scheduled for October and yet, at the Zürich press conference I will be sitting in between superstars like Ronnie Schildknecht, Stefan Riesen, Matthias Hecht and Romain Guilaume ... "Mit grossen Ambitione ist auch Peter Lissens, ein Alterskategorienathlet nach Zürich angereist. In einen Selbstexperiment namens Project Superman untersucht er, inwieweit ein Athlet einer Alterskategorie mit professioneller Unterstützung von Sponsoren und Trainem mit seiner Performance and die Leistungen der Profiathleten anknüpfen kan. Wie zich das Training von Amateuren zu Profis unterscheidet, wird Peter Lissens im Gespräch an der Pressekonferenz verdeutlichen" ...
01-01-70
About my training
I’ve put up my training schedules up here a couple of times, but I stopped doing that. A lot of you have asked me why. Well, actually, it’s a matter of respect towards my trainer. He’s putting in a lot of effort to write tailor-made schedules and it wasn’t very respectful of me to just put them up for grabs, I thought. So I’m not doing that anymore. But anyone of you who has a specific question about my training, my work-outs, my gear, the amount of time I put into each seperate sport, they can send me a mail and I’ll be glad to respond with a personal and detailed anwser. A typical training week for me totals between 17 and 20 hours. In general I’d spend about 4 or 5 of those in the pool and the rest on the bike or running. I do one big brick a week and the rest is mostly Long Slow Distance. You all know that quite a few things went wrong during my preparation: the crashes, pneumonia, … As a results, we have been doing mostly endurance and LSD work, up until now. I started doing speedwork last week (6x1000 meters). And it felt really good. The empahsis that my trainer puts on bike-to-run transitions is also staring to pay off. I’m regaining my strength and slowly building up peak condition. After IM Zürich, Filippe and I have about 9 weeks to peak towards Barcelona with a half-distance test in Gerardmer at the beginning of september. I also started working with osteopath and kine Sasha Becquart (Dennis Rodman, George Hincapie, …) again to work on my back problems. Once we get those out of the way, a 40+ K/hour Ironman bike ride should come into view.
01-01-70
Getting (much!) better
The so called Project Superman hasn’t been a walk in the park, so far, as you are all aware. Over the last six weeks there hasn’t been one single day that I thought I would even come close to any of my goals by the end of the season. Ut last week has been a turning point. It has taken a while, but I can feel that I am, at last, getting stronger again. I also feel that I have tremendous margin left. Sure, the swim will always problem for me. But after IM Zürich, we have 9 weeks to make up for lost time and to work on resistance , strength and speed rather than just endurance. That will be a blast. And hopefully put me on the way to do a ‘Jalabert’ in Barcelona.
01-01-70
A new bike icon is born (come over and test it)
I don’t call it ‘my bike’ my wheels’ or ‘the Plasma’. To me, it’s ‘The Scott Bike’. Actually, it was my girlfriend Florentina who pointed out that a bike looking this great and riding so impressively should become an iconup there with other great mobile legends as ‘The Bat Mobile’, ‘The Kight Rider’ and the DeLorean…) Yesterday I took The Scott Bike out in very, very hot en very windy conditions for a 4+ hour ride in the ‘Flemish Ardennes’. It just keeps amazing me how the Plasma handles in windy conditions and on descents. The thing that stands out the most, is that side winds don’t seem to get any grip on it at all. It really is the first time that I’m riding a bike this steady. I’ve ridden great bikes by Cannondale, Quintana Roo, Giant and even a brand that has been claiming (but never was able to back up that claim) to have built the ‘fastest bike in the world’. But none of these great bikes matched or even came close to the comfort, manoeuvrability, and handling ease of ‘The Scott Bike’. It really rides like it’s rolling on rails, even with a full disc wheel. I’m not telling you stories. Actually, I’m taking on bets: I’m predicting that this bike is going to get me a 4:35 bike split by October. The only thing that I need to solve now is the mystery of the exploding tyres. I’m blowing between 1 and 3 clincher tyres per week. Suggestions, anyone? By the way, if you want to test ride The Scott Bike and you live around my neighbourhood (Ghent) ànd you ride a bike size L or XL, just drop me a line and come over.
01-01-70
As for my own race …
I had an easy day, actually. While it was literally raining DNS’s and DNF’s, I felt like I was racing with the brakes on. Came out of the water in the pack, held back on the bike (average: 38 km/hour) but noticed we have some extra work cut out for us (John and I, that is) on my TT position. And than had an easy run to the line, finishing fresh as a daisy in 4:47.39. As usual the biggest obstacles for me came prior to the race. Blown tyres 20 minutes bfore the gun. Rushing for a new inner tube, not finding one with the right calve and eventually getting a hand from John who ‘stole’ a wheel from Wim De Donker’s bike . My estimate is that I’m at 80% at this time. Which means we’re perfectly on schedule for a sub-9 Ironman in October …
01-01-70
Not a single picture of met at Limburg 113
Not a single official picture of me at Limburg 113. Not at the swim, not on the bike, not during the run. Am I really going to have to do EVERYTHING myself? Goddamn!!
01-01-70
Jus a day at the office for Team Athlete Fitting ...
A guy named Chris warned me that he would file a complaint with the International Board for Regular Blug Updating if i didn’t post something new real soon. Well, you’re right, Chris. Absolutely. But at times, it’s becoming a bit to much for one person to hack. I’m still awaiying some pictures from the photographers, but here’s the short story on last weeks race. The announced Record Race from John Meuleman’s team didn’t start of too good. Twelve hours before the start they lost two runners. So in the end, both time trial rider Dave Bruylandts and record swimmer Jan Seryn were going to have put on their running shoes and get dirty twice… Jan just annihilated the field in the swim. In his trademark style, technically superior with powerful and seemingly slow strokes, he mad a gap of over a minute by the first 500 meter turning point. After that he speeded up a little. And then some … By the time he got of the water, the lead was already quite comfortable. On the bike, start rider Joren Segers blasted away so fast that he even took the aid stations by suprise, passing the more than 20 minutes ahead of the fastest schedule. Than Joren Segers and Dave Bruylants broadened the gap even more, before Willem Van Den Eynde delivered his ‘Coup the Grâce’ , averaging over 44 kilometers per hour. Dave Bruylandst topped his time trial with a 38 minute 10K run. Jan Seryns also amazed the crowd with his second top performance of the day and Dries Busselots scorching end run bought the hole Athlete Fitting team time enough to shower, change and have dinner before the second team even came into view. The new record time: 7:44!
01-01-70
World Record Attempt at Limburg 226
Next weekend will see the second edition of Belgium's only full distance triathlon: Limburg 226. To mark the occasion, we have put together a handsome team that will attempt to beat the world's best relay time up to date. For a moment it seemed like team captain John Meuleman's team would not start at all, for a lack of cyclists. But than I gave Dave Bruylandts a call. And he - once again - saved the day. And now, with Dave leading the team of three very fast TT riders (Dave Himself, Willem Van Den Eynde and Joren Segers), all of a sudden we have world record potential ... The tri-gods work in mysterious ways. Check it out here: http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2010/06/22/life-ironman-other-great-european-races-part/
01-01-70
Faris al Sultan is racing at Gerardmer XL!
No need for an introduction here, I guess. The man who won Kona in 2005 and made cycling and running in speedos fashionable again (well, not really). He's been suffering from a stress fracture but if everything goas according to plan for the rest of the season, Faris will be at his very best in Gerardmer for his final Kona tun-up. Come over and watch this, guys! It will be great fun. And of course, we'll talk to both the man and the myth while we're there.
01-01-70
My custom made Bioracer tri-clothes are ready!!!
Just got a call from Geert Van Bondt at Bioracer. My racing clothes are ready. I'm very excitded about this: my own personalised, trademark tailor-made tri-clothing... I'm picking them up tomorrow. Looking forward to the guided tour at Bioracer's too!
01-01-70
Lanzarote Slideshow
When you look at it like this, it doesn't seem all thàt bad ...
01-01-70
Uma Thurman as an inspiration!
This was sent to me by Pieter Mathys, a great swimmer that I meet from time to time in the GUSB swimming pool and also a competitor at Limburg 226. Every now and again Peter sends me words of encouragement. An this reaction to my story on Triathlete Europe is one for the history books. I'm dedicating it to Christophe, Waldo and to all of you who's training and race goals are set back by injury, sickness or other problems. And of course to Pieter himself, who's tapering for Limburg is somewhat troubled by a hamstring injury. So come June 27th, we're going to kill Bill together! "Looked dead, didn't I? Well, I wasn't. Actually, Bill's last bullet put me in a coma, a coma I was to lie in for four years. When I woke up, I went on what the movie advertisements referred to as a roaring rampage of revenge. I roared and I rampaged and I got bloody satisfaction. I've killed a hell of a lot of people to get to this point. But I have only one more. The last one, the one I'm driving to right now. The only one left. And when I arrive at my destination, I am gonna kill Bill".
01-01-70
One great thing about calamities ...
... they make for great stories! As you can read here: http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2010/06/01/blog-project-superman-happened-lanzarote-0106/ http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2010/06/02/blog-project-superman-disaster-lanzarotepart-0206/ Besides that, it is now time to get my head out of my ass and get going again. Both my doctor and my trainer made me swear that I wouln't work, run, bike, swim or do any kind of dieting before this week. So now I'm rolling into my routine again. The bad luck at Lanza did not affect my spirits at all. But having a body that is ready to race and an engine that is not, did. It was quite depressing actually. But all the encouragement that I got from you guys really helped a lot. And I can assure you, I will be back with a VENGEANCE. I want a really, REALLY fast bike split at Limburg 226. And then I'll take it from there.
01-01-70
That other 'Project Superman'
I got some really interesting mails from triathletes working on similar projects. There was one guy in particular that i need to get in touch with urgently. But somehow, I cannot seem to locate his mail anymore. The mail was in Dutch if I remember correctly. This Superman is going to race in Zürich together with me and his story had a striking amount of similarities to mine. I would like to meet this other Project Superman guy. I've got some great Project Superman T-shirts, so maybe I should get you a few to wear in Zurich. Maybe we could team up in some way, in Zürich. Anyway: please do send me another mail, so I can get in touch. Or better still: forward your previous mail a second time, if you will. You can send it directly to peter_lissens@yahoo.co.uk. Don't be a stranger!
01-01-70
Coming back to life
Hi guys. I'm still in bed. And according to my doctor, I should stay there AT LEAST until next Thursday. I do have a pneumonia and I'm recovering slowly. I will get back shortly, though. And when I do, it will be with a vengeance. You can take that to the bank. Just give me one ore two more days to let the antibiotics kick in and I'll be fine. Or at least: fine enough t post something, every once in a while.
01-01-70
Crashed and burned
The day started reasonably okay, went on for the better (5:51 on an extremely tough bike course - 2550 height meters - despite having to repair a flat at the start of the climb to Mirador del Rio) ... and than ended in an ambulance and the hospital, after about 18 kilometers into the marathon. Still can't stay up for more than 20 minutes without fainting or vomiting. Sorry. Full report tomorrow. I hope. Cheers.
01-01-70
Oh, and by the way ...
You can follow the whole event on www.imlanzarote.com and www.ironmanlive.com
01-01-70
It's getting absurd ...
I was diagnosed as having caught an infection on the 'respiratory ways', by the good doctors of the British-German hospital here at Lanzarote. So I stayed in bed for two days, coughing my soul out. Than decided to race regardless. This afternoon, I went for a short ride, just to test the Plama 2 in these conditions and I had four flats in less than an hour. I laughed with the first three but what my vocal chords produced after the fourth WASN't laughter, I'm telling you. I felt like crying my eyes out. Never head I been so organized at packing and transporting the bike, never had I put my bike together so skilfully , yet never things went so terribly wroong in the days and hours before the race. And than 10 minutes after I had put my very last spare tire on, and inflIated it with my very lat CO2 capsule, that tire too exploded in the heat of the afternoon sun on my hotel terrace. Someone just doesn't want me to race here, apparantly. I hqve witnesses of all this mishap, fortunately. Chances are nobody would believe me if I didn't.But hell, if there is any truth whatsoever in the saying that a bad dress rehearsal makes for a good show, tomorrow should be a GREAT day. Anyway, all of you visiting here, please take a minute to visit triWWW.com. And SUPPORT them, please. Any amount, however small will do. And remember you can still sponsor them by betting on. By granting me a certain amount of euros for every pro that I leave behind me by the 3rd of October. Every penny of that will go directly to triWWW and YOU get a chance to win my wetsuit, my racing gear, splendid Project Superman T-shirts and even slots for IM races and other Triathlons. So send me your proposals and your bets. Keep them coming guys. And as for tomorrow, as the Sioux used to say: 'Hoka Hey' ..!
01-01-70
Scott Group Ride in the Ardennes
Ok. Think happy thoughts. Let's not get carried awy with the fever or the lost laptop... So far, one of the greatest things that I experienced, was the elite group ride in the Ardennes that Dave Bruylants organised for us. Dave invited some friends, and took us riding to 'La Fleche Wallonne' a(n) (in)famous classic in the Belgian Ardennes. In our group were Dave himself, still riding like a pro, Belgian champion Geert Wellens and cyclocross elite-rider (UCI Top-20) Jan Verstraete. It was an adventurous and painful day. Not in the least because the Belgian Railway Syatem broke down completely at Brussels, a few hours prior to the race. With me arriving very late as a result, and a bunch of nervous elite riders on the verge of getting a cold, waiting fro me as I arrived. But it was alos painful in a litteral sense : 17 climbs, four of which hqd gradients of over 20%. And me subsequently finishing last on every single hill. (Moving and spectacular, though: Dave returning for me at the top of every hill and leading me back to the front of the pack, like I was his team leader and he was my helper in a real race. Amazing.)In spite of my occasional emberassement, this was truly one of the highlights if not THE best experience since I strted this thing. At the end of the day, ze totalled 165 kilometers at an average speed of 28,5 kilometers per hour. Which was, as it turned out, the very slowest these guys had ever ridden. A full report of how my Scott held itself on 20 percent uphills and descents, with pictures and a full-feature interview with Dave Bruylants and Scott rider jan Verstraete will be on Triathlete Europe as of Thursday, May 27th
01-01-70
Good start. (NOT!!!!!)
Well didn't this trip start out jus great. Fever, bronchitis AND my laptop was stolen. By somebody at Belgian customs, who just took it out of the bag, then took me away to frisk me and gave me back my bag WITHOUT the computer. And of course, there's no one to be reached. Not on ANY of the 6 telephone numbers I got for Brussels Airport. Never trust a hppie OR a Belgian customs officer. Oh and they took my hairgel too ...
01-01-70
Scott Plasma Test
This Friday or Sunday we'll be testing the Plasma 2 to see how fast it really is. We'll be taking a camera crew to, so yo'all will be able to join in and capture the moment. After that, Dave Bruylants is showing me around the Ardennes. I'll keep you posted!
01-01-70
Win a free slot for a Great European Race
Or possibly even for Hawaii. (If I can get it cleared). Please do check this out. And help. I can't repeat it enough.
01-01-70
This makes me very proud!
Project Superman is an item on the site of Iron Man Switzerland, now. I't ll be my first press conference too. I'd better be REAL good by the end of July ... http://ironman.ch/en/00_news/00_aktuell.htm?page=detail&id=724
01-01-70
TrIWWW on Triathlete Europe
Check this one out, if you will ... http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2010/05/06/blog-project-superman-kids-happy-win-hawaii-slot/ I'll be getting back to you on TRIWWW.
01-01-70
Please allow me to thank some of my new – and old – sponsors
As the season leaps towards its start – for me, it will be a slow and difficult one, but hey, it’s a start! – I want to take a minute to wellcome and thank some new supporters. Bioracer, for one, who will be supplying me with personalized training- and racing garment and who are at this very moment putting togethetr the fastest tri/time trial suit in the world for me. I’ve been driving Geert Van Bondt from Bioracer absolutely crazy with ever changing logos, new request and continuously altering designs. Sorry and thank you, Geert. I’d like to thank the cities of Antwerp en Ghent, for letting me use their sports infrastructure and swimming pools for free. And thank you Dave and Concap, for the relentless support, the creative motivating ideas and the very time consuming analysis and nutritional advice. Then there’s Thomas Cook and QTR travel, and Club La Santa who joined hands to get me to Lanzarote and accommodate me there. Mario Vervaeke’s QTR Travel, specialized in Iron Man travel (Mario Vervaeke is also Luc Van Lierde’s travel side kick) will also be getting me to Zurich and Barcelona. QTR also organizes training stages at different locations in collaboration with world class trainers such as Stefaan Obreno and is the official travel & training partner for top athletes such as Françoise Wellekens, Stijn Demeulemeester and Gerrit Depauw. Last but not least, thank you Scott-Sports for providing me - for the first time in my life – with a bike that makes me feel I’m racing -as opposed to slowly dying after 4 hours of hammering the pedals ...
01-01-70
My hematocrit has gone up by almost six points!!
Dave BRUYLANTS was very, very pleased when he saw my latest blood results. And I completely shared that joy. Even though my training volumes had gone up, my red blood cell level increased with a perplexing 5.5 points. I must admit that I was both impressed ànd sceptic after the kinesiology tests at my first visit to Concap. “I understand and you have every right to hold back a bit. You don’t have to believe in the products for them to work”, Dave told me at the time. Today, after working 100% conscienciously ( Well, almost …) with Dave for three months, I’m facing some incredible results: my hematocrit has gone up from 41 to 46.5, my cholesterol has gone down, my hemoglobine has increased, I lost 6 kilograms and my fat percentage dropped from 11,9 to 7,0. It’s mindblowing to me, but the facts and figures are here, on paper, black on white. Even Dave was amazed. “5,5 points increase in your red blood cells, that is just massive he says. I don’t think it will go up any further. You don’t have a naturally high hematocrit level, I think we got maximum results. Most pro riders would sell their mothers for this kind of enhancement”. Or at least temporarily trade her in for a good supply of whatever it is that I got, these three months. I can't tell you the names of the products, because they were all tailor for made by Concap, based on my blood tests. To be 100% accurate and complete, I should add that I have combined Dave's diet and supplements with a daily Vomaxine 'powershake'. This combination truly works like a charm for me ...
01-01-70
Oeps! Getting a Lanza medal just got a little harder ...
Isabelle from Club La Santa just informed me that sadly finishing three times in 5 years is not enough. You need to finish 5 times at Lanzarote to get that special medal. Well, no pain, no gain. They don't call it 'The toughest Race in the World' for nothing, right. So thhree to go ... If nobody dies and I don't break my back or anything, I will be on that Lanzarote podium in 2012!
01-01-70
Lanzarote
Let me explain why IM Lanzarote is so important bto me, even though my goals - in terms of finishing time and place - will be achieved (hopefully!) much later in the season. Lanzarote is my all time favorite race, I guess. It’s where I discovered triathlon and it is where I will race my last race ever. As for this year, I won’t be turning heads on the racecourse there. IM Lanzarote will be a test lab for Project Superman. The best and toughest test lab in the world. We will be putting my gear through scrutiny, testing new gel and drinks, and see how my body and mind hold up under race conditions. It will be interesting, to say the least. After that, in Limburg, Zürich, Gerardmer and Barcelona, we’ll be playing for keeps. But first there is Lanzarote. I have always dreamed of getting a medal there, from the first day I got into the sport. If I don’t reach any of the goals that I set out to achieve with Project Superman, than this is still one I would die for: finish at Lanzarote in 2010 and 2011. If you three times here within 5 years, you get a special medal at the award ceremony in … However good or bad this project turns out, this is what I want the most. I’ll trade in any age group win for that special achievement medal in Lanzarote. So I simply cannot afford to DNS or DNF at Lanza. Not this year, not next year.
01-01-70
First race coming up ...
Ok, as my trainer Filippe keeps reminding me, Lanzarote is a test, a hard training, a big, tough dress rehearsal for equipment, man and machine. Nevertheless, I’m gettting really nervous. If Lanzarote is a test, it is one on the hardest long distance course in the world. in mu favourite race. I know tha Adam Ant said "ridicule is nothing to bes scared of", but me, I'm very scared right now. I did two running tests last week, in Oosterzele and Deinze. Both street races, one over 12,3 K, the other over 13 K. I ran ‘off the bike’, after a 2,5 hour ride. I really loved the atmosphere, it reminded me of whar running for the local athletics club was like, when I was a kid. Kind of a Mardi Gras for athletes. Heartwarmingly unprofessional, with an occasional speaker forgetting his lines, and beer an pie after the race. Still, in spite of the ‘heartwarming amateurism’ there were some pretty impressive athletes present. In fact, the head of the organization at the Deinze race, Mr. Marc Bultinck is running faster at 50 than I ever did, over every single distance from 3.000 meter up to 10.000 meter. Only at the marathon he seemed – slightly – slower than me. And I don’t mean ‘a bit’ faster. At 10.000 he is the second fastest man in the world in his category. If I ran against him now, he would put a gap of over 5 minutes between us, over 5.000 meters. Anyway, off the bike, I ran 49.31 over 12.3 K’s and 52.04 over 13 K. Which is ok, according to Filippe. I have my doubts …
01-01-70
Exclusive advantage for Project Superman readers!
Great news, guys. Both B-CAT high altitude tents and bike fitter of the stars, Mr. John Meuleman – he is fitting Normann Stadler at this very moment!! – have agreed to grant special price promotions to the visitors of this site. So if you like to rent an ‘oxygen tent’ or get the best bike fit of your life at an exceptional price, just mail me. Both B-Cat and John have asked me to advertise neither the price nor the advantages, but if you drop me a line, I’ll send them to you immediately. peter_lissens@yahoo.co.uk
01-01-70
Great, great great news!
I just got confirmation from the organisers that Project Superman will be a main topic at the official press conference of IM Zürich. The project will be introduced to the pro athletes and dsicussed among them. I am absolutely, definitely completely over the roof about this!
01-01-70
Reality Check: 8 weeks behind!!!
No need to get carried away, not even after a good training week. My trainer Filippe just informed me that I'm a massive 8 weeks 'behind' schedule!!! Not so much due to the accident and the operations, but mostly because I started too late. I have been so pre-occupied with getting the project together, finding sponsors, writing, blogging and getting some media-attention. (which is quite a hassle, by the way: for every sponsor or magazine that surprises you with unexpected, spontaneous support, there are 3 who back out (often without any notice whatsoever) of made deals. Seems that a given word or even a written statement is often as flexible as a long distance non-drafting rule … ) that I lost my grip in terms of timing and planning. Filippe says my training should've started 2 months earlier... Anyway, can't be helped. It’s going to be a long hard summer, for sure, with a lot of work on the shelf. I’m looking forward to it.
01-01-70
New Feed & Links
Here's a couple links where posted some articles recently. Trifuel.com is also reporting on the project. http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2010/04/07/blog-normann-stadler-bike-0704/
01-01-70
Time to haul ass
Ok, first the good news. The visits at Project Superman website have gone up to an average of 200 hits a day, journalists in the States and Ireland have picked up on the project and I have been receiving really wonderful mails from age groupers all over the world. That means the world to me: getting in touch with age groupers of all levels and shering my experience(s) was one of the main goals of this project. I'll be getting back on this later. By the way: those of you wanting to get in contact more directly: you can just mail me at peter_lissens@yahoo.co.uk. I also have some spectacular scoops but they are still classified, so I have to wait a few days longer toe reveal them. Just a little more patience. The downside of all this, is that these collaterals have devoured a lot of energy, so it’s time to do some catching up. The stitches are gone and it’s time to get back with the program. If I’m going to get anywhere near that 8:30 by the end of the season, it’ high time to ‘haul ass’, as they say. And since so many of you have asked for this, from now on, I will be posting my training scheduels every week (courtesy of Mr. Filippe De Borger). Here’s the first one. Enjoy. And keep visiting.
01-01-70
Message for Jeff
Hi Jeff, I somehow lost your mail. Could you re-send it. I'm sure Vomaxine does ship to the USA. I'll look it up for you.
01-01-70
Norman Stadler article
This is absolutely wonderful. I wrote this article for Triathlete Europe about my bike fitter, Mr. John Meuleman. We discussed - among other things - the bike position of the great Norman Stadler. And guess what? Less than 12 hours after the article appeared; Mr. Stadler has responded. Here's the link to the article. http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2010/04/07/blog-normann-stadler-bike-0704/
01-01-70
Test Running the new Scott Makani
Ok, Let’s not beat around the bush. So far, my favourite marathon and triathlon racing shoes have always been Asics. I found that the DS Trainer and the Noosa were very similar shoes both light, fast and supporting. Except for some never-ending achilles tendon problems – which I had with just about every shoe I ever ran in - those shoes did the job for me. Until I tried the Scott Makani. I’m not telling you stories. This shoe fits like a glove right out of the box. The first run I ever did in these shoes was a hilly all terrain run in the freezing cold of Austria. I took the shoes out of their packaging, put them on an ran. Snow, ice, asphalt, concrete, mud and forest terrain all passed under the brand-new soles in little over an hour. It was my smoothest run in years. One of the things that struck me most, was how kind this shoe treated my achilles heels. My achilles tendons are usually sore and inflammated ten months out of twelve. And they are treated with cortisone injections at least once or twice a year. Well, haven’t had to take any medication since I run in these. The people from Scott warned me that the Makani was conceived much more as a racing flat than a trainer. They could ‘ve fooled me. This shoe provides a very smooth ride, even on during a 30K run off the bike. I can imagine that some people would find the forefoot cushioning a bit ‘mushy’. But for me, it is one of the features that I like the most. To me it's heaven to get of the bike and nòt feel aching calves and sore heels, for a change. Instead, running off the bike now litterally seems what would imagine running on clouds feels like. It really is a boost to moral when you jump off the bike, slip into your races and have your legs feel .. weel ... just great! In conclusion, I would have to say that I don’t entirely agree with Scott’s warning that is a racer rather than a training shoe. To me, this feels more like a very light training shoe that you can comfortably race in. I'm 1.90 tall and I weigh 83 kilos, yet with this shoe, I feel confident that an IM marathon close to three hours is possible.
01-01-70
New Sponsors
Project Superman is glad and proud to welcome to new partners, both form the Netherlands: Fast Forward Wheels will get me on track for some superfast bike splits. Especially in Barcelona, where we are aiming for a finish well under 9 hours, FFWD will be a key factor. And then there is B-Cat High Altitude. They will bring a scientific approach to the project and help me get finetuned in terms of weight loss, fat percentage and and specific endurance performance. And we're still talking about special conditions and promotions for Project Superman fans and visitors of this website. I'll keep you posted, of course. As always ...
01-01-70
Back on track
Dear all, Please forgive me for not having posted for a while …Last week was hell. First there was the bike crash, then the whole hullabaloo witth doctors insurances. I couldn’t run with a stitched up knee … than I had to undergo surgery to my face and to my abdomen, in which the surgeon had to cut as deep as the muscles. Now I hear that the stitches have to stay in for at least another two weeks. Which means – among other things – no swim training until the end of April!! As I said: hell!Luckily, some of these blows were softened by some good news too. New sponsors have stepped in, to help me hold it together. As I returned from my last doctor’s visit, I found a big box waiting rom Fast Foorward Wheels waiting on my doorstep, with my race wheels for IM Lanzarote and Limburg 226 - and holy matrimony, do they look pretty! Also, B-Cat High Altitude have proposed to have me test their mobile high altitude tent and mask. So, not only will I be able to train in my sleep, I will also get the opportunity to some high altitude long rides. Ying and yang, you might say. But not as well balanced as they could have been. I sincerely hope this was my last Bad Luck Report for this season. Expect a lot of reports this week and a truckload of pictures by the wonderful Mr. Tony Mussche!
01-01-70
Core Stability and Power
I never did lactate tests, I never used a heart rate monitor let alone measure the watts that I push on the bike. Never trained my core stability and hardly ever lifted weights. Until March 2010. Now I’m doing ‘Bench-presses‘, ‘Dead-lifts’, ‘One-legged squats’, Hang-cleans’, ‘Step-ups’, ’Stability-rows’ and ‘side-lunges’ like there’s no tomorrow. And you now what? All of these drills – there’s a lot more than the ones I mentioned here, most of which I can’t even remember the names of – have considerably improved my biking- and running economy. I can’t believe how light on my feet I feel during a long run, now. After only a few weeks!! So the best is yet to come! I still don’t monitor my wattage, but I take my weight and morning heart rate every day ànd I try not to let a single day pass without core stability drills. Believe me: core stability is NOT a fairy tale. It is one of the most essential keys to improving your running, cycling or swimming. As is discipline and dedication in monitoring your progress (or stagnation, for that matter). I have Filippe De Borger and Bieke Vandenabeele to thank for teaching me that. I hope there's a lot more age groupers learning from this... Happy training!
01-01-70
Training this week
The accident doesn’t seem to upset me nor slow me down too much. Sure, everything is a lot more painful than it should be. And in the morning, the sheets are glued to my left shin, knee, ankle and thigh with dried up blood. But hey, where would the heroism be without all that? The only problem is that I don't have a training bike anymore. Hope the insurance company acts swiftly. In the meanwhile, I'll be doing a lot of stationary riding. Anyway, as the French say: 'Bref': eighteen training hours this week . Almost five hours of swimming, thirteen on the bike, less than three hours of running. Moderate brick training almost on a daily bases. Next week surgery.
01-01-70
Crash!
Halfway through my long Sunday ride, I got scooped of a crossroads by a couple in a BMW. Friendlly people, just not very attentive drivers. The blast was incredibly hard. I've crashed many times in my days , had about 12 fractures from chin to ankle, but this impact ... oh boy! I saw pieces from the car flying through the air. Somebody somewhere must finally start to like me: I got of with bad road rash, chafing and tearwounds and bad bruises. Nothing broken, although my left meniscus was damaged when I hit the ground. I could hardly walk this morning. We'll see how it turns out. Eitherways, this is going to set me back. Damn ...
01-01-70
My training this week
Not a very hard week, only 20 hours in total. It didn’t start off very well, though: busy day at work, a splitting headache and fever yesterday, so I took the day off from training. Had a bowl of soup and 9 hours of sleep last night and everything seems hunky dory now. Still to go: almost 4 hours of swimming, 5 hours of running and 10 hours on the bike. And about one and a half hour of pumping iron: squatting and dead lifts. Longest run: 2:30. Longest ride: 4:30. I will be in the water every day, the rest of the week. Looking forward to the long ride on Sunday …
01-01-70
How a bad day turned out really, réally good
Really bad day, yesterday. Splitting headache, feeling weak and feverish. Couldn't train for a whole day. And to add insult to injury, I got my results from the lab. A 12% fat percentage!! By 8 PM, I went to bed, feeling worthless, disappointed and completely unable to achieve any of the goals that I set for - the end of - this season. By this morning the headache had gone, but the feeling of inadequacy hadn't. And then, this morning, I heard that Luc Van Lierde himself had checked our project (oùr P.R.O.J.E.C.T, y'all!!) on Facebook, and even said that a certain part of it, mentioned on http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com had made him happy. Talk about making my day ... this sure did the trick! Now I'm happy too. (Again)
01-01-70
Power Training
Bieke has just finished dye-ing her her (brick-red!) and her friend, world-class weight lifter Tom Goegebuer is getting ready for a competition this afternoon. He is one kilogram too heavy for his weight class, though. So he is in and out of the sauna the whole time, weighing himself in between sessions. Unfortunately, the scale that he weighs on is in the bathroom, and Tom has to pass through the gym, where I’m training. And seeing this incredibly dry-trained athlete pass by, with a towel wrapped around his waist and every fine-tuned muscle perfectly visible in his Bruce Lee-like torso, well … it’s simply off-putting. I’m watching myself struggle in the mirror but Bieke is encouraging me. Actually, your back and your legs are quite strong, she says. Annd you’re not doing that bad at all. I’ve had triathletes here who really did a lot worse, the firsdt time. Good triathletes …” That’s nice to hear. Still, when I watch myself bending as deep through my knees as I can , struggling to keep my back locked and‘hollow’ as required, holding he 40 K bar and weights, I feel like a chimpanzee in diapers. From now one, this kind of exercice - just plain old-fashioned weight lifting – NO hydraulic fitness machines - will be on my program at least two times a week. If I can keep this, my performance in all three sports will benefit greatly from it. A stronger back will help me get a better position in the water, stronger triceps and shoulders will make me swim faster, my back pains will improve dramatically, the power transfer on the bike will become a lot better and my running stride should get sronger. IF … I can keep this up.
01-01-70
Everything I know is wrong
The session started with specific core stability training.In my specific case this meant a combination of balance and abs-drills. All of which demonstrated a saddening absence of flexibility and strength in my upper body. I had never felt shabbier in a pool, and I hadn’t even hit the water … After that, I did a couple of laps in the pool to show Bieke my swimming form. Or the shocking lack thereof. Both Bieke and my coach Filippe decided that my style was in fact not that painfully bad … for someone who had thought himself to swim, that is. Nevertheless, Bieke immediately altered some – not to say most - of my basic movements. She told me to start swimming with ‘a hollow back’, look more forward than down and perform my ‘pull’ a lot wider. To start with. Which I tried to do. I feel like a snake rather than a fish, zig-zagging all over the place. At a certain point, I somehow must have given my new-found swim coach the impression that I was just playing around a bit, and not taking things all that seriously. “You can come out now, she said”, when I had just swum my third consecutive 100 meters over 10 seconds faster than she had asked. “You can come out now, give me 10 push-ups, then get back in and swim 100 meters in 1:50, like I asked. I thought she was kidding, but next thing I know, I was doing ten in my yeloow and black speedo, by the side of the pool, with my goggles still on… “Listen”, Bieke said, without raising her voice or losing her temper, as I slided back in the water, “If you’re not going to take your own project seriously, we might as well not bother at all, don’t you think? The things that I’m about to teach you normally take months to learn. But we don’t have months. We have weeks, at best. So you’re going to have to stay concentrated every minute of every session, ok?” I stand corrected and blushing. Lesson learned. Playtime is over.
01-01-70
Book of Revelations
The lactate test on Saturday – my first ever – was the first chapter. Throughout the exercice, my photographer and my tester were having a blast. The latter continuously predicting when I was going to break or move to ‘the next level of pain’: “You see … now his eyes are still quite clear … but in a minute or so that look will turn into a glaze … he will start breathing loudly … and than, in the end he won’t even be able to turn the pedals anymore …” This motivational chit-chat being interrupted only for shoving an injection needle into my right middle finger to tap blood, verey two minutes or so. Why the finger, people?! Holy cow! Everybody knows that tapping e few drops from the ear is just as efficient and completely painless! Furthermore, I didn’t quite grasp how the test was to be performed, apparently… I maintained a cadence of 90 rpm the whole time. Then, when the test was over, my executioner asked me to add another minute. Which I did . And than he asked for another one. The moment I felt that I could not maintain the 90 rpm any longer, I quit alltogether. As opopsed to ‘dying slowly at a decreasing cadence’, which is what I should’ve done. I don’t think the results will be very promising. A dissappointing Saturday morning if I ever had one. And I didn’t even realise that the biggest blow, my reality check with Bieke Vandenabbeele was still to come...
01-01-70
Lunch with cycling champion Geert Van Bondt
Another top-brand getting involved and supporting me is Bioracer. Last Friday I learned from Bioracer communications manager Stijn Bamps that the company had decided in favor of supporting Project Superman. Yesterday I had lunch with their representative - who turned out to be none other than former elite rider and winner of Gent-Wevelgem Geert Van Bondt! I consider Bioracer the best cycling and triathlon racewear on the market, so I am very happy with their support. But I’m even more excited about Geert being my contact. We speak almost the same dialect (he is from Ninove, I am from Aalst, neighbouring cities in the east of Flanders. He ’s been discovering and exploring skiing and celebrating carnival for the last years, since he retired as a professional cyclist. I have moved away from snowboarding and – albeit to a lesser degree – from partying to give triathlon my best shot. I immediately felt at ease with Geert and I thoroughly enjoyed his hilarious stories about adventurous training camps with Team CSC, cliff diving with Andy Schleck, the sphinx-like composure of Bjärne Riis, partying at club La Santa and witnessing Ricky Sörensen downing his 20th vodka… It would seem tha my main activity since the beginning of Project Superman has not been ‘training’ or ‘searching for sponsors’ or even ‘reporting’. What I have been doing mainly, so far, is ‘collecting stories’. And seems I will have a really exquisite collection before the end of this year.
01-01-70
'De Waldo'
There’s a number of people that everybody visiting this site should know or learn about. People like Bram and Ronald from movingstoregent.be (the guys that tought me all about bikes and racing them), Sacha Becquart, my osteopath, people like Peter, Chris, Ain-Alar, … But one of the first characters that deserves to be mentioned here, is Waldo. Or ‘De Waldo’ as he calls himself. Waldo was never officially my swim coach … and yet he is the guy who tought me how to swim freestyle and led me to my best swimming performance up to date. I was teaching myself at the time, some 10 years ago. Unable to swim more then 25 meters in a row, I started watching swim instruction videos, bought a pool buoy, and went to the pool. Sure enough I had some very bad days in pool. Luckily they weren’t as frequent as the térrible days. Than this guy came along, long hair up to his shoulders and the leader of a pack that had swimsuits with their names on and swam like sharks. After a while, I noticed the long-haired one staying to the side of the pool and watching me underwater, every time a turned, at the end of a lap. I thought the guy fancied me, and – although flattered – I didn’t want to encourage any such behaviour, so I kept my distance. Later on, he came to me and introduced himself as Waldo. He told me he had been watching my ‘swimming’ and he gave me a whole list of drills, exercices, tips and tricks. He tought me things about freestyle, but also about hydrating, training bricks, racing hilly bike courses, … To cut a long story short, just over two months later, I raced my first ever triathlon (IM Lanzarote) and in spite of a panic attack, some hyperventilating and a 5 minute break on a buoy to catch my breath, I hit T1 after exactly 1 hour 15 minutes. Since then, I haven’t trained with De Waldo anymore. And to give you an idea of how good his coaching abilities, tips and tricks were: I have never improved or even equalled that very first swimming performance. De Waldo is on Facebook, so look him up. Rumour has it he might start coaching (tri-)athletes next year. But only serious ones, no soccer players…
01-01-70
Training with a world record holder!
Just imagine opening your mailbox one morning and discovering a message from Tom Boonen – or Fabian Cancellara if your from Switzerland instead of Belgium – offering you a couple of free cycling clinics. Now hold that thought for a second… Well, that’s just about how it felt when I got mail from Bieke Vandenabeele, offering to support Project Superman by taking charge of my swimming technique for a couple of weeks. Bieke swam competively for 8 years, was part of the Belgian National Swimming Team for 8 years, raced in two European Championships and one World Chamionship, then retired from classic competitive swimming only to become a World Champion ànd world record holder as life guard swimmer (don’t even thìnk about bringing up ‘Bay Watch’!) And then last year, Bieke became part of the Belgian Bobsleigh Team and even qualified for the Olympics. Due to an injury of her co-rider, Bieke couldn’t compete in Vancouver, which is really a pity. Instead she will be coaching me – I hope - and ‘perfecting’ my swimstyle. And when I say ‘perfecting’, you should imagine something like carving a toothpick out of a really big tree … I was absolutely ravished by this proposal. All I have to do know, is check with my day-to-day coach, Filippe De Borger, who is having his hands full keeping me on the right track, right now. As soon as he gives me the green light, I’m off to train with a former national swim team member, a world champion, a world record holder and an Olympic Team member. Càn it get any better than this, one can’t help but wonder. www.biekevandenabeele.be
01-01-70
Andrei on the difference between men and women
(Titel) Andrei, you have repeatedly stressed the importance of the ‘high elbow’, yet the footage that you showed me of … shows her dropping her left elbow quite often. Is it different when you race? AI: No. You are right. She does drop her elbow and it is often way to low. But, as you pointed out, the camera was set up to her left side, so all you see is her left elbow. She needs to work on that, but on her right side, she’s much closer to perfection. I’m just a triathlete, not an elite swimmer. How important is a perfect style for me? AI: Very important. Over a shorter distance, you might be able to compensate a – slight – lack of technique by sheer strength and force. But over a longer distance your faults become magnified. If your right arm is stronger than your left, and you don’t correct, you’ll be hundreds of yards of course before T1. Having said that … no swimmers style is perfect. Even the 3D computer models and simulations that I showed you during class have an all but perfect technique. Who do you think are more naturally talented swimmers, men or women? AI: Err … All that I can say is that my most promising trainees are all women … And yet there are no women in the ‘Advanced’ group of your masterclass today? AI: Well … there’s a reason for that … Most men seem to overrate their ability. Quite a few signed up for the ‘Advanced’ group when they should ‘ve been in the ‘Beginners’ class. Nico Aeschimann of Sports Promotions adds: “It is something we often see when we organise training sessions. Women have a natural tendency of underrating themselves. A lot of the women you saw train with the beginners didn’t value their own skills quite as high as they should have; while in fact, they belonged in the better group. Instead of some of the men there …”
01-01-70
Andrei's Top-10 Swimming Tips for Triathletes
Read it & weep. Or better still: print these out and hang them above your bed. The mother of all swim tips: keep that elbow HIGH. Relax. Work with the water, not against it. Try to be conscious of the way the water flows around your body.The more you understand what drag IS, the easier it’ll be to avoid is. Look down towards the bottom. Keep your fingers pointed down With your fingers down pay attention .to really push until the end of the pushing phase. Stretch your arms out ABOVE water. Enter your hand far and with your elbow high enough. When you breathe, DO rotate your shoulders but not your hips. Breathe out completely and start inhaling as soon as your lips touch the air. Tuck your head back in as soon as you’ve finished inhaling. 10. Practice specifically on your breathing. 11. Don’t stay out of the water for more than 2 days in a row.
01-01-70
Learning the hard way…
Been very busy at work ànd I got hit by a migraine-from-hell about mid-last week. So I started shifting some of the work-outs. Didn’t train on Wednesday and stayed in bed. Then shortened my run the next day, switched my Wednesday bike work-out to Thursday, did my Thursday swim on Friday night and did both the long run and the long bike in the weekend... And I send my training long to my coach on Sunday instead of Friday. The answer came soon enough: “Peter, if you want me to be your coach, you going to go differently about these things. I have a masterplan in my head. But if you don’t keep me posted, don’t tell when you get sick, start shifting sessions at your own discretion and than tell me about all that on Sunday instead of Friday … Well, that simply ISN’T going to work, is it … “ I felt a little kid, caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Filippe was absolutely right , of course. And I stood corrected. It’s not about putting in the miles. And it’s not about putting in the rest. In fact, I don’t really train that hard or feel tired. Ever. I’ts all about listening and communicating, this time around. I’ve put part of my life in someone else’s hands. That has relieved me of quite a bit of worry and work. But also takes some discipline. As of today, I’ll be talking to my coach after every work-out.
01-01-70
Manuel Zingg!!!!
The picture of Abdrei Ichoutov, that appeared on my site last week, was sent to me by courtesy of photographer Manuel Zingg. And I bluntly forgot te mention that. Sorry manuel. And thank you Manuel. More photographs by Manuel www.mzingg.ch
01-01-70
Get your own pair for FREE!
How? Just send me an e-mail and tell me why I should give up my chances for a marathon PR and hand these fast tr-racers to you. Send me your stories before March 1st and I'll ahnd-pick the best one!
01-01-70
Awaiting the new SCOTT T2 tri shoe
I had just packed my bike and was getting ready to catch my ride to the Fribourg railway station, as I stumbled onto Pascal Ducrot, Scott-Sport’s vice-CEO, a former pro-rider - and still very, very fast, so I’m told. Pascal displayed a keen intrest in the Superman Project and – surprisingly, given his cycling background – seemed particularly concerned about the running part. “What shoes are you taking with you?”, he wants to know. “The Makani, huh? That is a great shoe. Fast and supportive. But we’re also expecting a great deal from our new T2 racing shoe which incorporates some really revolutionary innovations. The idea was to build a danymic running shoe that really favors and induces forward motions. The feedback that we’ve received form our test runners so far is quite spectacular. They say that you can really feel the forward propulsion, even when you’re just walking. You really should tri this new T2, as soon as it becomes available. But that won’t be before mid-February, I guess …” In the mean time, could I get a press-kit, maybe, so that I could already write about this phenomenon? “I’d rather you didn’t”, Pascal replies. The shoe is ready, but now we’re having some scientific tests done in the States. I would like to back up our story with science and facts before we release the shoe, as opposed to ‘selling baked air’ and just unfounded hype beforehand, you understand. But when we get the results, you’ll be the first to know about it and to test-drive this shoe …”
01-01-70
Swimming Theory by Andrei Ichoutov
My entrance at Andrei Ichoutov’s theory lessons feels almost like a scene from ‘The Fast Show’. I’m five minutes late. The classroom is already filled up with eager-to-learn swimmers and triathletes. Andrei – lean, mean and toting a moustache that must be all but hydrodynamic, is the last man standing, with a big projection screen behind him. There is just one empty seat left. As I move towards it, Andrei says: “No, not that one, someone’s sitting there, mate …” Fortunately, … saves the day by fetching me an extra-chair. Andrei starts with the basics and shows us some footage of Annick Van Westendorp, probably his most talented pupils. In the short film, she makes a ‘plank’ so perfect that it looks like she’s floating in the Dead Sea. “And yet, it is not even salt water”, says Andrei. “It’s a fact that the female body proportions and the way a woman’s body fat is divided along the body, legs and hips, is much more favorable to a perfect position in the water than the male body is. Most man will never be able to float this perfectly”. “Nevertheless”, he continues, “there is a lot to be learned from this position. For instance, you should always try to align your neck, hips, the back of the knees and the ankles, like Annick is doing here”. Andrei continues with 3D simulations, computer images and a lot of slow motion footage of elite swimmers. “One of the things that you should always be aware of” he says with a warning undertow in his voice, “is that it’s your EYES that dictate your body position in the water. Most people would say that it’s your head, but it is actually the eyes. If your eyes move to the side for a glance at your opponent, your head will follow and you will slow down. If your eyes look up, your head will follow, move upwards and cause your body to slide down. If you look straight at the bottom, your body will position itself high in the water. So, not ¾ down and slightly forward, no, look straight down! And of course, as triathletes, you are bound to swerve at one point or another during your open water swim, because of imperfections in your style, because your right arm is stronger and what not … If you must look where your going, incorporate that peaking in your stroke. Lift your head up a bit more during breathing, every fifth or tenth stroke. But ALWAYS face down when you’re swimming. Another extremely important issue is your breathing technique. Your breathing-out must always be completely finished by the time your mouth gets in touch with fresh air. And as soon as your face hits the water again, you should start exhaling. Don’t breathe that last bit out above water, always UNDER water. If you’re not a natural swimmer, you should practice on this, at least one or two times a week: grab the side of the pool wall, let your body hang down vertically, in a ‘standing’ position, and than do pull-ups at a steady pace. Make sure you’ve finished exhaling completely, every time, by the time your lips leave the water. And the third importance issue that I want to address today is the position of the hand and fingers. Your fingers should point straight down at ALL times. Almost everybody agrees on the importance of the ‘high elbow’ … but the fingers pointing straight down is at least as important. So forget about your hand entering the water thumb first. And forget about your hand leaving the water pinky first after the ‘push’ phase. When your hand enters the water and your arm is stretched out, you should tilt your hand so that the fingers point down as soon as possible. And than keep your hand in that position throughout the pull ànd the push. And also, DON’T put your hand in the water before extending your arm. Entering the water 15-20 centimeters before your head is another principle that has long passed his expiry date. People aren’t made to swim or to be in the water. Everything that you put in causes drag. So keep your hand and arm out as long as possible, extend your arm as far as you can during the recovery phase, and than point your fingers down. Swimming is a strange and unnatural activity for men. The water causes that drag that you’re fighting so hard against and yet you nééd that drag for your propulsion, to move forward in the water. So try to have your hands and arms in the water only when they’re moving you forward. And try to relax. Be as relaxed as you can. Don’t fight the water, don’t struggle with it, work with it, it is your ally”.
01-01-70
The Zürich Report part 1
Boy, oh boy, these are hectic times. The Zürich report is long overdue, so here goes. Upon arrival, I didn’t even have time for a full breath of fresh Zürich air. Off the bus and on the train to Fribourg. Luckily the reward for all this proved more than satisfactory. The Scott-Sports compounds literally breaths sports, cycling and triathlon. First thing I noticed was a spectacularly shaped dirt track surrounding the building. “This is where our pro-BMX riders test our gear”, my guide - and driver ànd running-and cycling pal for the duration of my stay - Florian Brugger explains. “But we have several riders working here and they also use the track regularly”. Then he proposes to go for a run through the frozen, snowy and hilly woods of Fribourg. “Not a long run”, he reassures me, “just an hour or so …”. The run is actually fantastic. Continuously changing terrain: hills, flats, tarmac, dirt track, forest, downhill … Wonderful. The Scott building is equipped with numerous showers, there are washing machines to do your laundry, there are running shoes, skis and sports apparel everywhere. And of course: bikes, bikes and more bikes … I’m like a kid in a candy store. There are places where I can’t photograph, virtually all design for Scott Bikes is done here (Florian: "Oh, you didn't know that?? Than give the bike back now, please ...") and I get to see quite a few top-secret prototypes. I see Norman Staddler’s bike, I see the new Team Columbia road bike as well as their amazingly sharp looking TT Bike with the incredibly low aero bars (just as low as the top tube). “It is very, very fast”, says Florian “But too aggressive for Iron Man distances. You can’t possibly stay comfortable on such an aggressive bike for five hours or more. Nevertheless, Norman Staddler wants to ride it in Kona, this year. We want to adapt this model for triathlon, but that is not going to happen overnight…” And then I’m finally eye-to-eye with my magnificent Plasma 2! Mechanic Frank explains the dynamics of this bike to me, as het adapts and cuts the frame and seatpost to my specifics. This machine is awesome – albeit slightly heavier to what I am used to riding – and its looks are absolutely unequalled. I’ll tell you more about the dynamics of this frame when I post my Fribourg film tomorrow. But here’s already a few snapshots to get y’all drooling. Tomorrow we talk to Scott-Sports vice-president (and former pro –cylist) Pascal Ducrot, we learn about some new and revolutionary running shoes, we meet the people from Iron Man Zürich, and YOU’ll get some essential and simple but simply inadmissible swimming tips and tricks from world class swimming coach Andrei Iuchotov …
01-01-70
Quintana Roo Lucero, anyone?
I'm selling my Quintana Roo Lucero, since I don't have too much use for 2 TT bikes. Tri-specific TT bike that actually does keep your legs preserved for the run. I rode my fastest times ever on this bike. It is extremely light and fast. Equipped with Dura Ace and Ultegra and superlight tri-cockpit.You can try it if you want.
01-01-70
Swimming Clinic with Andrei Ichoutov
Thanks to the people from Sports Promotion and IM Zürich, I got to do a clinic Andrei Ichoutov, former elite swimmer on the Russion National team and now elite coach of - among others - Annick Westendorp. It was simply fascinating. Got great, great tip, tricks and exercises to taken home. I'll put them online next week. Stay tuned ...
01-01-70
The Magic of Zürich
Here I am, in the very, very sexy design hotel 'Hotel Plattenhof'. Tghe last 24 hours have been amazing: professional bike fitting and customizing of my Plasma (what a machine that is!!), I got to take a look at some prototypes, I saw the new bikes for Team Colombia, I know what Normann Stadler's bike for Kona 2010 looks like, I trained with with continental team riders, I ran through the snowy hills and woods of Fribourg, I talked to the organiser of IM Zürich, thanks to whom, in a moment, I will be on my way for a swimming master class with some Russian top swim coaches. I will post the full stories and interviews here next week. And here's another reason to stay tuned. You know that IM Zürich is completely SOLD OUT ... Well, I'll be giving away free slots for Iron Man Zürich in the weeks to come!!! So keep visiting ...
01-01-70
The loneliness of the long-distance runner
I was doing an easy 17K jog, yesterday. Around 22:00 hrs, I passed Stefaan Engels' mobilhome in Ghent. That was unusual, as Stefaan normally does his daily marathon in the morning. The chrono was at 5:29 and he wasn't quite home yet ... As it turns out, Stefaan was suffering from a foot injury (he doesn't make too much of it himself) and had to walk more than two thirds of his marathon. I have tremendous respect for Stefaan, and I sincerely hope he achieves his 365 marathons goal . I hope his injury gets heals real soon too. Send him some positive thoughts: www.marathonman365.be
01-01-70
Strange Rituals
Dave Bruylants and Luc Van Den Broeck are now official suppliers for the Katucha Cycling Team and for Geert Wellens, who became Belgian Champion just over a week ago. And so Concap seem to have their hands full: the office is stacked from floor to ceiling with flyers, posters and literally hundreds of boxes. On of the boxes has ‘Marathon Man’ written on it. Luc Van Den Broeck explains: “We got a call from Stefaan Engels (do check out Stefaan’s incredible project: www.marathonman365.be. Stefaan is now at his 16th conecutive marathon in 16 days, only 249 to go ... – Peter). Stefaan was starting to feel a bit tired and his doctor asked us for some specific supplements”. Dave adds: “I hope he’ll be alright, but it is a very, very tough goal that he set for himself, both phisivally and mentally. Once we have found some space amidst the boxes and plastic bottles, I am offered Concap Green Tea with non-refined sugar and some fine Concap fondant chocolate, packed with anti-oxidants. The following hour-and-a-half or so, is one of the most memorable experiences in my life. For the ‘kinesiology tests’, Dave wants me to hold small bags, containing all sorts of nutrician components in my left hand (I am a right hander). At the same time, he wants me to clinch my right thumb and index finger as firmly together as I can. Then, every time that he puts a new bag in my left hand, he tries to unlock the clinched fingers on my right hand. Depending on what I have in my left hand, he succeeds in doing this with remarkable ease, or not at all. It looks weird and it’s a really strange experience. When Dave unlocks my thumb and index finger with almost embarrassing ease, I ask for a second chance, feeling that I haven’t put up enough of a fight. But the results stay the same at every second try that I ask. “Is this one of those thing that you have to believe in, fort it to work”, I ask? Luc smiles: “It’s not about ‘things that you have to believe in’”, he says “It’s about facts. Facts that you can either recognize or deny. But eitherways the facts will remain the same. So no, you don’t have to believe in this. But we can meet again in a month or so, and then we can talk about results”. In the mean time, Dave has taken a look at my blood levels: “Your hematocrit is low, you lack iron. You should ask you’re doctor for some folium acid and iron injections. Also, a no-meat diet doesn’t work for you. You often don’t get enough recovery from a night’s sleep, and lower back pains, superficial as well as profound are a real problem during long rides and during the run afterwards. Kine and osteopathy have somewhat improved the problem, but not as well as they should have. And your stomach is often a problem when you race or train. How am I doing so far?” I am in awe. The sleep recovery remark is spot on. And so are the comments about the back and stomach trouble. Even though I am a fairly strong runner, with a marathon PR of 2:41, the back pains seem to drain all the energy from my legs from the first meters of the marathon leg on. “Glutes” says Dave, “are what’s causing the problems. Most of your back pains have to do with digestion. You should derive more carbohydrates from potatoes and rice than from pasta. Pasta might work for others but not fro you. If you want pasta, go for ‘Spelt’. Bake your own bread with ‘Spelt’ flour, try not to drink milk too often, or replace it by rice milk. Don’t go for soy milk either. If you keep that up, and we add some kine, you’ll get rid of the back pains completely. If you stay away from glutes you should improve your times significantly, even without training harder or better”. While Dave is pointing this all out to me, Luc is putting together my supplements. I get six bottles. Plus one bottle of tailor-made capsules they will send to me as soon as it’s ready. Luc is making notes on the print out sheets with my blood results. “These are the levels that I expect to see on the next results, in six weeks”. He writes them down. “Can I take these with me”, I ask, “I’d like to compare your predictions with the next results”. “Of course you can”, replies Dave. And next time around I’ll invite Bart and Geert Wellens and maybe (elite pro-rider and cyclo-crosser) Jan Verstraete. And then we can take the bikes out for a spin, ok?” As I’m walking back to the station, I’m still not too sure what to make of all this. But still it feels almost like I’ve discovered some kind of medicine man or a secret weapon. As soon as I get on the train, I take all my supplements for that day. And I record a note-to-self: “Get Spelt”…
01-01-70
Blood Analysis
Morning meeting with Dave in Herentals, tomorrow. Dave will analyse my blood results and supply me with tailor-made food supplements. And then he will run me trough some kinesiology tests. The purpose of those is to get all the stress out of my body. I'm very curious about all this. And I'm hoping that it will help relieve the pain in my back.
01-01-70
We're in business!!
Project Superman is online. We finally got this show on the road and rolling.Thank you Brecht, thank you Simon. Let's rock & roll!

All the facilities that I could wish for, during these harsh, cold, slippery and dangerous winder days. Thanks a lot, Isabel, Isabelle & Jeroen!

Passage