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Although there's no substitute for training, aerodynamics is where equipment has the greatest affect on your performance. Aero wheels are proven to make you go faster - so what are you waiting for? Not sure which style is best for you? Come join us on Tuesday, May 15th at TARGETRAINING Tri & Cycle Westport to learn more about Zipp and SRAM and try them out. Wheels will be available for trial during our 5:45 PM group ride.
Please reserve the wheels you would like to demo by emailing Matt.
Bikes must be dropped off prior to 2 PM on 5/15 in order to properly install wheels on bikes in time for evening ride.
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The 3AM wake up call went off and if not for the auto start of the coffee maker I’m not sure that I would have made it down the stairs. Fortunately I had a partner in crime to head up to Congers, NY in fellow TT Endurance Club member Bruce Turner. We piled everything into his truck and headed out on our 3+hr trip north to meet up with other club members, Clare Zecher, Team Budden, and Lyn McCabe.
We were all about to tackle the Tour of the Battenkill which has quickly grown to be the must-do race of the spring season in the northeast. Why? Perhaps it is because 25% of the race is covered over dirt and gravel roads (not sure why we all love to put our lovely carbon bikes and wheels over such roads but we do!), or maybe its position on the race calendar as the 1st real road cycling race of significant distance of the year (80 miles for elite race).
In classic New England style, the maple syrup would be flowing this morning with start temps below freezing but a swing of 30+ degrees was expected by end of day. This called for a race pack full of every conceivable piece of clothing as dressing for this race was going to be just as challenging as the course itself.
With a solid elite field at the start and a challenging 80miles of rolling and dirt roads ahead, the plan was to stay hidden and ready for the final 40k when things were going to get hard.
50 miles into the contest the legs and Evo all-weather tires were rolling and I was riding at the front of the field up the climbs with confidence, waiting for things to blow up and hopefully make the selection.
The Bad
Sure enough things did blow up but not in the way I had envisioned. As we crested over another dirt road climb part of my seat post snapped and I was quickly sidelined sans saddle and left only with a carbon post to sit on. No thank you!
Pulling over and waiting for a support car I was fortunate enough to find that they had a spare bike that was as expected the wrong size and not fast but I had wheels and, after losing several minutes on the bike exchange, I was on my way again.
Figuring that I would not go down without a fight, I started to chase. Within a few miles the support car came up on me and I quickly jumped on his bumper at 50+ mph. Holding off speed wobbles behind an SUV is no fun at all, and having to slam on the brakes to make a turn with smoke coming off of your rims is no fun at all, but when I made the turn on to yet another dirt road I could see the front group about a minute up the road and my already over rev’d heart started pumping even faster with the excitement that I may actually regroup with the field.
The Ugly
Adrenaline pumping and wheels bouncing I picked up my pace in hopes of catching a stalling field when I heard the sound that all cyclist dread. Hissss! My rear wheel had pinch flatted and as quickly as I had gotten up to speed, I was now back to 0 mph. AGAIN! Only this time with a rear flat and no support car in sight to help.
Fortunately the weather was great as I hung out at an intersection with some great local police to watch field after field of age groupers roll by with no extra wheel for me.
30 min later, and seriously considering running the last 25 miles to at least get home, a wheel was gifted to me by a generous motorcycle support vehicle and I was on my way again.
My race was over but why not get a great workout in? So with about 40k to go I put the hammer down on my ill-fitted bike and motivated myself on trying to catch as many age groupers as possible before the finish.
In the end I had been defeated by mechanicals which is never a fun way to go out, but I was happy to see that my other TT Endurance Club members had made it home safe and sound with great personal results.
]]>Proven strategies and practical tips for developing the sportsman’s edge so you can get to the finish line faster.
Thursday, April 26th, 7:30 PM at TT Westport.
During training, we measure progress in terms of wattage, cadence, and miles, but the most important element of success, as elite athletes know, is harnessing the power of your mind. How do elite athletes train for success and overcome setbacks? Eneas Freyre, Head of Training, Endurance & Coaching and the Team at TT will share insights and anecdotes from their own experience and what they’ve learned from coaching and motivating amateurs.
Topics will include:
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Monday
6:00PM sprint interval training session all levels at TTW with Carlos (Longshore)
Tuesday
9:00AM group ride blue/green at TTW with Carlos/Eduardo
Wednesday
9:30AM beginner tri class green TTW (Sherwood) with Chris
Thursday
9:00AM interval session TTW all levels with Matt or Chris (Southport)
5:45PM interval/duathlon session all levels TTW with Carlos (Sherwood)
Friday
9:30AM beginner tri class (Green level) at TTW (Sherwood) with Chris
Saturday
7:30am TTW Black group ride with Eneas or Matt (2hrs)
7:45am TTW Blue with Eneas/Carlos
8:00am TTW Green with Chris
Sunday
Member + Club events and rides
Group coached sessions
Please Note: Classes will be held indoors if weather is inclement
More outdoor Classes starting June 1st:
Tuesday and Thursday 5:45am classes will be going outdoors beginning June 1st.
Tests available out of TTG and TTW.
To schedule an outdoor time trial contact timothy@ttwestport.com
]]>As the warm humid air hit me upon exiting the cabin of the puddle jumper, a refreshing wave of rejuvenation hit me. I had left the spring of the northeast, still somewhat clad in mild winter browns and grays, and greeted by the sweet smell of spring in full bloom in Birmingham, Alabama.
With rental car secured I headed out for my “home stay” that the race directors were kind enough to arrange from me. The rainbow of colors and lush green foliage of Birmingham was a sight for tired eyes.
I had arrived two days early to compete in the Elite Duathlon National Championships which was organized by Team Magic at a local state park. Concurrently, the park was hosting its annual Power Man race, a duathlon event that is a hybrid of Olympic and long course distances, not for the faint of heart and certainly an event that is lacking on the US race calendar. But Nationals was the standard 10k run, 40k non draft bike, and 5k run, still a challenge for any athlete.
As is my standard practice I took the time to recon the race course and was surprised by how subtly challenging it was. The bike leg had zero flat stretches, all big rollers up and down, while the run course was more of the same including an almost 1mile twisty trail run every 5k. This was going to be one tough race, and that run course was going to shatter the field in short order.
Race Day
It was an early start on race day as breakfast was had before sunrise, but most of my mornings are like this and it was relaxing sharing a coffee with my roommate and fellow competitor, Michael Russell. He happened to win Elite Duathlon Nationals last year and is a full time multi-sport athlete so it was interesting hearing his war stories and the life of travel and training that is a pro. Laughing inside as he replayed his epic training regime, it was almost embarrassing how little time I actually afford to my training in comparison with a true full time athlete. I hoped that my precision and passion would be the equalizer.
5-4-3-2-1; the gun went off and we were at 5min pace, running up hill in a blink of an eye. After mile 1, I was still in the front group but knew the pace was way too fast for me to hold. After 5k, I was still in solid position but burning matches too fast. It wasn’t by choice but I had to dial the speed back and when I hit transition 1 to begin the bike leg I was already down 3min to the lead group of 4. It had been a long time since I had raced a hard 10k and I was reeling from having lost so much time even after running a 34+min 10k on a hard and technical course with single track. Elite duathlon is about running fast, very fast, and most of my competitors are accomplished collegiate runners that eat 15min 5k’s for breakfast.
Not to worry- the bike leg is my strength; I’ll make up the time. At the halfway point, I realized that the first run had done a number on me and my legs. I was making up ground and going fast on the bike, but not like I was used to. The rolling terrain was taking its toll on the entire field, but yet again the front group was holding their own and I couldn’t get enough time back.
I hit transition 2 having made up only a couple of spots on the bike and was in 5th place, the last podium and money spot. My legs were trashed and by mile 1, I was caught by a gazelle. Whoops, no, he was human, but it certainly didn’t look like his running was taking the extreme effort mine was. I lost a further couple minutes on him and settled for 6th place.
Post Race
It’s not often that I get the chance to be at an event with time on my hands. Usually I am chasing after one of my boys or meeting up with clients at TARGETRAINING , all in balancing being a parent and a professional, but today I had more time than I wanted to reflect on my 6th place finish. Today I had found my limits and felt the crushing sense of being ordinary. Nothing special, no podium placing or post race news media. Worst of all no family or teammates to distract me from simply failing in my goal of achieving a podium spot at an elite national event. Sometimes being human is a lonely endeavor and often it makes you call into question your goals and aspirations in life.
This is a good thing! How boring we would all be if we just cruised through our days in simple bliss. What if we all got that ribbon and we all shared in a collective victory after every event we participated in. That socialist view of competition has never sat well with me. Testing your limits in life helps refine and sharpen our focus. The choices we make and how we proceed after disappointment or failure defines our character and often the greatest moments in history are responses to these challenges.
At TARGETRAINING we are fortunate to have athletes train with us that are passionate, driven, and disciplined. But we and they don’t always come out on top; it is the process of getting to the start line, and then the finish line that helps drive us and win, lose, or draw how we move forward after our events is what life is all about. We train, compete, and socially participate because we are passionate about a healthy and sustainable life style of endurance athletics. Whether you’re jumping into your 1st bike century in our TT Spring Classic, or trying to PR at the local triathlon, being a TARGETRAINING athlete is about excellence, but it is also about being human and finding a balance with the many balls we juggle in life.
Is it realistic for me to race at the highest level of the sport given the balancing act that I play every day? Probably not. Will I be a stronger athlete and person from having hit the limits of my physical capabilities given my constraints? Only time will tell. But the process of preparation and how I respond to disappointment is what will certainly define me, while creating lasting memories that will carry me through future challenges.
I would like to thank my family and friends at TARGETRAINING for helping get to the start and finish line of yet another great event.
Be strong and passionate; it is the TARGETRAINING way.
]]>If you are among those that have been training at TARGETRAINING in our indoor cycling and running program this past winter season, don’t be surprised if you find yourself fit and ready to roll. Perhaps your top end speed is not refined, or you don’t have the rhythm of being on opens roads in your legs yet, but there is no doubt that you are strong.
TARGETRAINING clients have proven time and time again that our indoor programming pays dividends when it comes to outdoor performance. So I cringe every time I hear someone say, “Thanks for the great indoor workouts; my fitness is fantastic, but I’m going to start training outdoors now.” Inevitably I’ll see these individuals again in short order, tan but slower. Don’t get me wrong, we all train indoors to be able to enjoy being outside and feel free as a bird, but the specificity of indoor training can and should be maintained to some extent during the spring and summer seasons.
We often recommend that if you can incorporate about 20-40% of all of your training sessions into an indoor setting, you can help keep your fitness strong all year long. For most of us this may be 2 or 3 sessions a week, a small commitment to be able to be at the front over the weekend with your friends.
Why does our program work? Very simple. We keep you exercising consistently and targeting an average intensity of 80% which is a great way to improve endurance, and stimulate the ever important limiter of “metabolic threshold.” To boil in down even further, we help you burn fat and more of it over time which is the key to going longer and stronger. Sure you could do this outside, but with the dynamics of inconsistent terrain, the draft effects of group training, and of course the time constraints that most of us have, you will be hard pressed to replicate a 1hr TARGETorque or Tread session outdoors.
One of the most successful international triathletes of 2011, Andy Potts, is known to perform as much as 80% of his training all indoors on the bike. This is an amazing testament to his focus and legitimizes the benefits of a highly controlled training setting. Check out this great interview with him here.
One of our long time TARGETRAINING clients, Brad Hardy, will train indoors all year long and has been doing specific indoor run sessions and bike sessions as an integral part of his training program as he prepares to compete in this year’s age group Duathlon National Championships at the end of April. Brad expands on this thought by saying "Indoor training during the summer months is an important part of my training because it allows me to include very specific high intensity sessions along with outdoor rides that offer more variation due to traffic and terrain."
Sometimes a picture says a thousand words so below you will find two graphs.
The 1st graph was generated in one of our Wednesday indoor cycling hill classes which focused on steady zone 3 work with some light sitting and standing intervals. The session was only 1:10 min in length, but the time spent in zone 3 was almost 40min! That is quite efficient when you consider a warm up and cool down. The 2nd graph was produced from our recent spring classic ride which included cycling to and from the event so for a whopping 5hr ride only about 60min was spent in the critical zone 3 area. Yes, the Classic was fun, but if I want to get an efficient workout in during the middle of the week, I’ll stick with a quick 1hr indoor ride that has specific zone distribution targets.
zone chart 1
zone chart 2
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