The Return of Lance Armstrong...to Triathlons

When Lance Armstrong was only 16, he was already a professional Triathlete…and a really good one.  Soon after turning pro, he was ranked #1 nationally in the 19 and under age group.  The dude was a stud high school swimmer, great runner, and obviously had ridiculous talent on the bike.  

Despite being a 3-sport machine, he announced his first “retirement” late in his teenage years when he decided to give up Triathlons and focus full time on cycling.  Unless you live under a rock, you know he went on to become the most famous cyclist and one of the most recognizable athletes in the country over the next 15 years.

In 2005, Armstrong announced his first retirement from professional cycling.  It was tough to blame him.  After beating testicular cancer and winning 7 straight Tour de France titles, it’s tough to imagine what else he had left to prove.  I guess both Lance and Michael Jordan have taught us that there’s only so much you can dominate before calling it quits.  As a side note, I personally disagree with both Lance and MJ here.  I’m completely fine dominating indefinitely…but hey, that’s just me. 

As another sidenote, Wikipedia tells me that one of Lance’s nicknames is “Juan Pelota.”  For those who didn’t take Spanish in high school…”pelota” means “ball” in Spanish.  Remember, he had testicular cancer and goes by Juan Pelota.  How comical is that?

Anyway, 3 years after his first retirement from cycling, Lance began a ridiculous comeback that saw him capture 3^rd in the 2009 Tour de France and 23^rd in 2010.

Finally, in February, 2011 he called it quits “for good.”  He called this retirement 2.0.  He was 39, not getting any younger, and apparently ready to move on with his life.

So what does Lance do in his “retirement?”  Kick back on the beach?  Watch some TV? 

Unless you follow him closely, you probably haven’t heard much from him over the last year.  What many people don’t know is he started training for arguably one of the most difficult endurance races in the world…the Ironman Triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run).

Yes, after 20+ years off, Lance is making a comeback on the Triathlon scene.  Triathlon is already one of the fastest growing sports in the country (off a relatively small base) but the sport is finally getting a recognizable face that is likely to take it to the next level in popularity.

So far this year, Lance has competed in several half Ironman events.  You remember all about the half Ironman, right?  You know, the one that pretty much killed me on Cinco de Mayo where my leg cramps were so bad I literally had tears coming down my face as I crossed the finish line. 

Well, he doesn’t appear to be struggling like me.  In fact, Lance has won his last 2 Half Ironman events with beyond ridiculous times.  He finished Half Ironman Florida in 3 hours and 45 minutes…11 minutes faster than the 2^nd place finisher.  As a point of reference, I finished White Lake Half Ironman in 6 hours and 10 minutes...ummmm, apparently I’ve got some improving to do.

For a full breakdown of Lance vs. Schmeis, here is an official Tale of the Tape that some company called “Busy Notepads” must have put together.

A 32 resting heart rate?  Yes, that isn't a typo.  I’m thinking he’s in pretty good cardio shape, but at least I smell better.  Anyway, let’s go a bit deeper here into the swim, bike, and run.

On the swim, his pace over the entire 1.2 miles is about 1:08 / 100 yards.  For some perspective, one of my Schmeis35for35 goals is to swim 100 yards under 1:10.  In other words, his pace over the entire 1.2 mile swim is faster than my goal for sprinting 100 yards.  Insane.

How about the bike?  For the 56 mile bike portion of the race, Lance averaged 27.6 mph.  Again, for some perspective, one of my other 35 goals is to bike 1 mile in less than 2 minutes and 15 seconds…26.7 mph.  Are you kidding me?  He can sustain a faster pace over 56 miles than I can for 1 mile.  Ridiculous…how does he do it?

For those of you who use a stationary bike at the gym, see if there is a power meter on the bike.  Many bikes will tell you the Watts you are pushing as a measure of power.  When I started biking 6 months ago, I had very little leg strength and was averaging in the low 100s over the course of a 1 hour spin class.  Today, I can sustain 230 Watts over an hour.  As for Lance?  He can sustain ~500 Watts over an hour and he only weighs 157 pounds.  I can’t begin to describe how crazy that is.  Again, those numbers may not mean anything to you now but please get on a bike at the gym and see for yourself what that would be like.  Incredible. 

Let’s move on to the run.  Another of my 35 goals is to run 1 mile in 5 min 30 seconds.   That’s a pretty damn fast mile for someone who doesn’t have a running background.  Lance’s pace?  5 min 48 sec / mile over the course of 13.1 miles.  Keep in mind, this is how fast he runs immediately after he swims the 1.2 miles and then cranks out 56 miles on the bike.  I’m just trying to run 1 mile with fresh legs at that pace. 

So basically, my sprint pace for a short swim, bike, and run is equivalent to what Lance can do for the ENTIRE Half Ironman. 

What’s crazy is that everyone assumed when he started his Tri comeback that he would dominate the bike, but he isn’t just dominating the bike.  In his last win, he also had the fastest run time in the field and was 3^rd in the swim.  The guy is an absolute freak. 

His stated goal for 2012 is to win the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii in October.  First though, he is trying to qualify by collecting enough points in other Half Ironman and Full Ironman races throughout the year.  He’s competing in his first full Ironman (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) in a couple of weeks on June 24^th  in France.  Interestingly, the Tour de France starts that next week on June 30^th.  There is no way that’s a coincidence.  The guy is an animal and he wants everyone to know about it.

Breaking News

No joke, I was just winding down this post when I saw on CNN that Lance is being charged with more doping allegations from the US Anti-Doping Agency.  Nice timing.  On the plus side, I guess I feel slightly better about his times vs. mine now.  On the negative side, this is obviously devastating news for Lance.

Apparently, this agency can’t bring criminal charges but could potentially strip Lance of his 7 Tour de France titles.  To make matters worse, they have the power to ban him from future events…including Triathlons.  He is now banned from competing in the Ironman events while the investigation is pending…he can’t compete at Ironman France in less than 2 weeks. 

So what does this all mean?  Will it lead to another retirement?  Will he fight the charges and go on to win the Ironman World Championships in October?  Was he really doping?

Here’s my theory:  Lance read my blog post on motivation and had been telling himself over and over “DON’T BE A PUSSY.”  Because he’s a nice guy and didn’t want to use the P-word all the time, he preferred instead when I rearranged the letters into other Acronyms. He likely took a ride on my NASTY DOPE BUS and got busted.  Perhaps if he just focused on BUSY NOTEPADS instead none of this would have ever happened.

In any event, Lance, you motivated me.  Even if this is the end for you, I’m moving full speed ahead.  I’ve got my 3^rd Triathlon of the year this Saturday where my goal is to finish top 15%.  From there it is on to Muncie, Indiana for Half Ironman 70.3 on July 7^th where I’m looking to redeem myself from White Lake and finish in less than 6 hours.  Finally, it’s on to the ultimate test in October when I compete in my first Full Ironman.

Lance, I'll drive the NASTY DOPE BUS from here.

Schmeis