TT Rocks the Rev3 Quassy Half Iron Distance Race!!

Hi All:

TT had an awesome day yesterday at Quassy Amusement Park. I didn't hear about Saturday, but I know Ed Torres of TT did win the Olympic AquaBike Saturday and was third in the half distance Aquabike on Sunday. Congrats Ed!

While I don't know all the results, so please post what I've missed, what I do know about is awesome.

Starting with the Relays - Team TT (coded team Frisk Driskoll on the website)rocked the relay and came in first, but we knew that would happen. :) Great job Frisk, Matt and Timothy!!

Then into the age group standings we had great results.

Alan Masarek, Jared Masarek, Lyn McCabe and myself all did this race as a training race for our respective upcoming Ironman races and I think all four of us got out of it what we needed, that is, what we need to carry with us into the full distance and where we are at with our training.

Lauren Carey rocked the course with her first ever half ironman, yay Lauren!!! The TT long-course program has another successful athlete to add to the ranks!

Even sick and with a toe he broke at the start on the beach Max Veiga rocked the course.

And finally....Eneas Freyre won his age group and was third male age grouper overall. He had the fastest amateur bike split of the day and simply crushed it. Great job Eneas.

Nicky Pearl (another TT'er) (doing her first 1/2 in Providence this year) was out there leading the male pros on the run from her bike and volunteering during the day, and Tony Trujillo of Tony's Kneaded Touch was on hand for post race massages, whisking TT'ers to the front of the line. Thanks Tony!

Thanks Dom for being there for support and to all the TT family and friends who were there to cheer all the athletes on. This was a great race that with the perfect Sunday conditions is one for the record books.

See some of the day's photos on the TT Facebook page.

TT Member Testimonial

Testimonial from TT member and all around good guy Eric Goodman!

This weekend I did the Pawling sprint triathlon. This race is significant because three years ago it was my first triathlon.

First, let me explain some history on this race and my endeavor to do triathlons and become more fit as I age. Four years ago I got on a treadmill and tried to run one mile. I jogged the one mile with success but with pain and exhaustion to the point I didn't want to workout the next day. A few days later I thought I'd give swimming a try and completed one full length of a 25 meter pool before stopping. Yes stopping. One lap had my heart rate so high I thought I'd pass out. Obviously I was out of shape and doing these exercises completely incorrect.

A co-worker of mine had been doing sprint triathlons and asked me if I wanted to try one the following year. I was hesitant but I figured it was time to stop the weights and heavy lifting and focus on endurance. I started to learn how to swim by watching Total Emersion DVDs and practicing in the pool for seven months before my first attempt at a sprint triathlon. I also purchased a road bike and continued to run on the treadmill to work my way up to three miles.

After seven months I could do 10 laps on a 25 meter pool freestyle but could breaststroke for half a mile. So I entered the race in 2008 figuring I'd do my best, and I did. However watching the 60+ and 70+ age groupers fly by me on the bike and run was mentally devastating. Heck I wasn't even 40 yet!

Even with the mental and physical strain of barely finishing the race, I was hooked on triathlons. I figured it was not my swim technique that was all bad, it was that I needed a wetsuit! And it wasn't a bad run but my slow biking that was the problem. So to help me the most why not buy a better bike! Yes I was that guy, thinking it's better to improve with technology than effort or mechanics. Well no one was around to tell me otherwise so that's what I did.

What happened next has changed my technique, my health and my life. I started shopping for time trial bikes and was determined to get a Cervélo and the only store I found close to my home in Stamford was Tri-n-Cycle in Westport. In early 2009 I found a P2C on sale and was delighted to find out I got a month of free training with the purchase.

For a month I started swimming with head triathlon coach Dom Gillen. In one month my technique improved exponentially and I was able to swim freestyle for a required sprint length. I was now a dedicated fan and member of Target Training.

Over the last two years I've trained with Target in swimming and biking and in the last year have been learning to run. Although I don't always listen to everything my coaches say and I do not limit my share of beer, cake, or the occasional order of chili cheese fries – yummm!! The proof of the level of coaching and expert direction from Target Training is in the statistics below for the same race I ran the first time in 2008, again in 2010 and then again yesterday.

Year Place time place in AG
2011 39 1:10:56 8/57
2010 74 1:13:59 12/38
2008 243 1:25:35 24/38

The icing on the cake is what the statistics do not show you. That is, I raced this race in 2008 and 2010 attempting to get the fastest time I could. I ended both of these races feeling drained and fully expended knowing that was my fitness limit. However, this weekend I ran the triathlon sprint again on Saturday and a 5K run race on Sunday. I used this sprint triathlon as a training tool to get back into shorter faster races, as I had been training for the half-iron length.

As you can see from the times, I knocked another three minutes off my time while racing comfortably with a moderate pace on the bike and run. I was completely full of energy at the end of the race. I got up this morning and ran a 5k for charity today in 19:52. Not as fast as I know I can run but I'm still 200 lbs. Now it's time to lose the weight if I want to increase the speed on the run. Yes, time to cry over no more chili cheese fries!

So here's my sincere thank you and gratitude to Target Training. Four years ago I could barely run one mile or swim the length of a pool. The knowledgable coaches, the friendly members and the amazing classes from Target Training are truly responsible for my increases in fitness, as I'm sure they are for many more members that have not taken the time to write their stories.

I'll now do this race every few years to gauge how I'm doing early in the season. I'm sure I'll place and be on the podium soon. "Endurance is life".

TT Outdoor Swims are BACK this week!

Outdoor Swims are Back!

Beginning this week, 6/6/11, we will be rolling out some select outdoor swim sessions. More swims will be added to our schedule in the coming weeks.

Outdoor Swims this week:

Monday 6:30PM Sherwood Island

Wednesday 6:30PM Sherwood Island

Sunday 3:30PM Sherwood Island

Chrissy Wellington at Targetraining Westport - June 14

Come see World Champion Chrissy Wellington at Targetraining Westport, June 14th, from 6pm-7pm.

Cannondale Clinic and Tech night

Mixer, information, new EVO, and unveiling new frame. Chris Peck, VP of R&D at Cannondale, will be here with all the information anyone is looking for. The event will follow the Tuesday evening ride.

Tuesday, May 31 · 7:30pm - 10:30pm, Westport Location.