Interbike 2008

Hey everyone.  Here are some great close ups of some amazing bikes that will be available at Tri & Cycle!!

Run in the park.

Sunday morning turned out to be a great fall morning for a run, and the newest member of the TARGETRAINING family, Brett Jones (pictured to the left) took full advantage by competing in his first road race. The New York Marathon Kickoff, a 5 mile race in central park, sponsored by Poland Spring, had a field of 6472 racers. Brett finished the race in the top 8% of all racers in the field! Congratulations Brett on a great start to your racing career. Expect many more races to come for him, and if you haven't met Brett then please stop by the Strength & Conditioning facility introduce yourself and welcome him to the TT family.














I also decided that it would be a good day to run and entered into the Children's Place 5k in Milford. The race course was great, and even though my legs were still sore going in I started the race well. After getting dropped by the lead pack I settled into my own pack not to far of the pace. This is where I must appologize to those who were following me. What happened next is
what some people around TT call "pulling a Max" in rememberance of the wrong turn that Max took in the Minute Man race while trying to chase down the leader. Well i proceeded to miss the next turn in the course by nobodys fault but my own, and to make the story short it certainly was a great day to run, so great that I decided to lead a group on what would turn out to be closer to a 3.75 Mile run instead of the 5K. All in all it was a good race, and I returned home to relax and watch Dom in the Xterra World Championships on Xterra TV.

The Run After the storm: Trail Run Series #4 recap

After a wet and rainy Saturday night, TARGETRAINING trail runners were greeted with yet another beautiful Sunday morning for the 4th edition of our trail run series. Today’s run was a repeat of last week’s 5 mile course at Devil's Den Park. Despite the heavy rains from the night before, trail conditions were fantastic as fast times were set on the picturesque course. Next week we will tackle what is sure to be the most challenging venue of the entire series at Trout Brook Park in Weston. If you haven’t hit the trails with us yet this season, take the leap and join us for a morning of leaf-crunching, mud-stomping fun.


Max Veiga 38:17
Dave Booth 40:21
Bob Schoff 40:59
Chris Bartlett 52.37
Mike Wallace 1:00
Lauren Nadler 1:13
Eneas Freyre “course sweeper”

Off-road Triathlon World Championships -- Sunday October 26th in Maui!

Dom Gillen is in Hawaii. Not on vacation. It is 6 hours behind us there, and the race starts at 8 AM Hawaii time, or 2 PM our time.

In the words of the host website:
"At 9:00AM on Sunday, October 26th, a maxed-out field of 600 international dirt lovers will embrace the annual challenge of XTERRA's most grueling course - and in the ensuing hours put their mental and physical toughness up against Mother Nature's arsenal of sun, sand, water, kiawe and lava. When it's all over, they'll don some of the weirdest and most wonderful costumes you've ever seen and dance the night away at what is surely triathlon's greatest after party.

Athletes from more than 20 countries and 40 states will gather in Maui - having competed all season long for the right to be at the XTERRA Global Tour's culminating event. What begins as a gathering of relative strangers end as a family whose friendship defies boundaries of title and expertise and unites them all in the challenge of Man vs. Mother Nature.
$130,000 in pro prize money is up for grabs and for age groupers the title of World Champion earns them a one-of-a-kind XTERRA World Champion jersey.

All the action will be filmed for a one-hour nationwide TV special, and on race day, you can log-on to XTERRA.TV for live coverage from Maui. "

"Tri"ing for cancer -- coming in June 2009 to Connecticut

Please check out this new, incredible Half Ironman event coming up next June, the Revolution 3 Triathlon.

From the site:
"In the races premier event, the athletes competing in Revolution 3 will be doing so in an unprecedented atmosphere catered to families and spectators. This fun, “family friendly” environment will be sure to leave the athlete as well as the children coming back again and again.

In addition to the age-group and professional events, the weekends activities will include live music, live video coverage, GPS tracking of all athletes, as well as moon bounces, thrilling amusements park rides and wild water activities for children of all ages. Also new this year, will be the Revolution 3 Triathlon Race Exposition."

"Revolution3 Triathlon is proud to announce our association with The V Foundation for Cancer Research. Revolution3 will donate $10 of every race entry fee to the V Foundation.
Additional Program Options: Revolution3 has set aside 25 race entries for individuals who agree to raise a minimum of $500 on behalf of The V Foundation. Program participants will receive a comp race entry. "

The founders of the race, Heather and Todd Golnick, are raising money for friends who lost their daughter Payton Wright to a rare form of brain cancer when she was only 5 years old. Heather is a world class triathlete (5 time Ironman winner). She runs a cool triathlon coaching company out of Florida and a camp for women in February. I don't know what inspired her to do the race in CT but it's pretty cool stuff.

We are going to compete there as a club as well as enter our pro triathlete Dom Gillen (and maybe Jordan Rapp) into the event.

Looking back at the season: A nice result

A TARGETRAINING client, Rob, who did pretty darn well in a pretty darn tough race in Darien, Connecticut.

Rob rides a Cervelo fast, runs well, and still also has time for business and family.

He's a good guy, too.

And that picture with his podium placing is a great way to cap off an excellent season.

Congrats Rob!

Slowtwitch discusses the right moves

Slowtwitch is an incredible resource, as many of you know and those who don't should. I have only seen Dan Empfield in the midst of a crowded seminar, but his insight and passion for the sport of triathlon is legendary. Jordan Rapp, whom I know well, admires Dan. And Slowtwitch content is, in a word, excellent. What a simple and compelling way to convey what is going on in the world of triathlon than to show what the type 15 riders are riding, or what the top 10 runners are running in.

Slowtwitch shows Gina Kehr of the US (second fastest US finisher) with the Zoot Ultra TT running shoes.

And Slowtwitch also shows Chrissie Wellington's incredible bike split, sans aero helmet, on her Cervelo P2C.

The Thrills and Spills of Cross Racing: A Gloucester race recap

With the arrival of the brisk air and shortening days of autumn comes a transition point for many of us endurance athletes. Some of us put the bike aside and focus on trail running; others take some much needed rest; a select few refuse to lay down arms and take on the insanity of cyclocross racing.

For the uninitiated, cross racing is a hybrid sport of criterium racing, mountain biking, and, yes, running! Races are generally held in parks and last 45 to 60min. So what’s the big deal? Well, we are talking about racing a bike with skinny tires on tight, off road courses during the fall and winter months that bring rain, wind, and mud. And no, they never cancel races even if it snows; they just shovel the course! These are all-out hammer fest races not for the faint of heart. If you haven’t been to a national level cross race to spectate, do yourself a favor and go.

The New England cross season is historically opened up by the Gloucester cross weekend October 11-12th in Massachusetts as some of the best crossers in the country descend on the North Shore. This year we were blessed to have one of the most temperate and beautiful fall weekends in recent memory for this fun-filled weekend. Having headed up with my wife, Nancy, and son, Caden, after leading the morning indoor cycling sessions at TARGETRAINING, we barely made it to registration for number pickup as we had to work our way through notorious Boston traffic.

After a brief warm up and course preview, I was joined at the starting line with fellow teammates Adam, Justin and Tyler. Unlike most cycling events that we do during the year, cross racing has a call up system based on series and UCI points classification which sets up racers in grid lines much like NASCAR. Not having any points to work with, I was placed last on the start grid, making my task of finishing with in the top 25 a real challenge.

The gun went off and so did the stacked field. No sooner had I clipped into my pedals that I found myself face down on the pavement. Five seconds of racing had rewarded me with a world of hurt as I was knocked down by a fellow racer. The crash was made worse when I looked over my shoulder to see that Tyler had also come to a stop with a broken chain and a disappointing DNF. With Nancy helping me up to my feet and damaged bike in hand, I remounted and began an hour of chasing. When all was said and done, I finished in the top 20 and was ready for an Oktoberfest.

Sunday’s race provided another day of spectacular weather, and the continued bad luck. This time it was in the form of several mechanicals and additional falls but with family and friends on the sidelines it was worth all the efforts. Fortunately for TARGETRAINING, Justin managed a personal best, placing 5th on a fast day of racing.

Newton's -- a running shoe of distinction at TARGETRAINING

Craig Alexander winning Ironman Hawaii in his Newton running shoes.

Our own Tyler Johnson and Mitch West are converts to this incredible technology.

Purchase these and get 50% off a $100 gait analysis from our running experts Tyler Johnson/Dom Gillen. If you end up not buying the shoes because they are not right for you, you may apply the $100 gait analysis to two indoor speed sessions at TARGETRAINING.

No, we do not discount the Newtons. That would make the company unhappy. They are worth full price and we have them in stock.

Again, that is the Craig Alexander to the left. We aren't making this stuff up -- they are great shoes (he did the marathon in 2:45 after cycling 110+ miles pretty fast).

Getting to your goal is winning

Ellen and Phoebe after Ellen's successful completion of her first half marathon. And no, Ol' School, Ellen did not get 2nd. But she's No. 1 to us. (By the way, good stuff David on your second place).

Ellen started training for her half in June under the tutelage of Dom and Tyler. She perservered through what often happens when you train for an event: family stuff, illness, sore muscles, trepidation, and ultimately, the event itself.

Look at that smile. It was worth it.

Westchester Half Marathon Report

With 3 weeks to go before the NYC Marathon, I figured the Westchester Half Marathon - a somewhat boring but fairly challenging 1/2 in White Plains - would provide a good way to get one fast-ish effort in and also give me a glimpse to see how training was going. Turns out it's going pretty well. My goal was to run 1:19-1:20 comfortably...after leading the race for 6.5 miles, I was caught by the eventual winner. I stuck with him for another mile but just didn't have the turnover to keep up. I'm sure all my friends (there were about 10 of us that knew each other out there) that were shouting encouragement on the loop course helped to motivate HIM as well as it did me. I was able to finish strongly though, maintaining the sub-6:10 pace through the finish. I ended up 2nd overall in 1:20:25, which hopefully will make marathon pace seem a whole lot easier.

Harold Kamins tours with Andy Hampsten

Targetraining cyclist Harold Kamins rides with Giro d'Italia winner and Alpe d'Huez stage winner Andy Hampsten in Italy. Here is his report.

My wife and I just did an 8 day cycling tour in Tuscany with Cinghiale Cycling Tours, a company owned and run by Andy Hampsten. After retiring from pro cycling, Andy wanted to kick back and enjoy life, and felt the Italians did this best. He moved to Tuscany, and has become a local. Andy's bike tours reflect his own philosophy on life - enjoy the riding, but make sure to stop for an espresso or a gelato along the way. Andy rode with our group everyday, along with four other terrific guides.

Our tour included great riding on Elba island and on the mainland, as well as a winery tour, a visit to an olive mill and cooking classes. Andy personally conducted a seminar on Italian wine that included a tasting of great wines from his own cellar. He used to own a vineyard, so he knows his stuff. Despite al the riding, I'm sure everyone gained weight on the trip given all the great food and wine. The tour was able to accommodate a wide range of cycling abilities because of the large number of guides. If you're thinking about a bike tour in Italy, check out www.cinghiale.com.

Trail Series Results

Results from the 10/5 Training Race.

PLACE NAME TIME POINTS

1st Eneas Freyre 19.05 60
2nd Max Veiga 20.08 50
3rd David Booth 20.35 40
4th Bob LaBanca 21.13 30
*5th Kim Driscoll 26.10 20
6th Max Caspeschia 30.40 10
7th Joe Bogden 32.00 10

Conditions were cold, windy and rainy. Next race is 10/12 on the same course @ 8AM.
*1st Female Finisher

3:59.49 is no bull!

Ok, so the swim may have been a little short, but that did not stop me from sprinting to the line to make sure I was under 4 hours for the first time in a 1/2 ironman distance race.

The Longhorn Triathlon outside Austin, TX was a great event to end my on-road triathlon season. I finished 11th in a strong pro field that included two former world triathlon champions. While it was not my best day ever, sometimes it is what does not happen during the race that can produce a solid result. I had no flat tires, no cramps, no bonking....no issues.

After the race my wife and I had our fill of Tex-Mex and barbeque, and I got a photo taken with my buddy Dakota! Up next is the Xterra World Championships in Maui...only 2.5 weeks to go.

Toyota US Open

This past weekend I returned to racing after almost a two month hiatus (mostly due to a long, two-week trip to China to watch my friends race in the Olympics). The Toyota US Open in Dallas, TX was probably not the most relaxed way to ease back into competition, boasting a championship field certainly on par with the field at Lifetime Fitness, and easily one of the most competitive races of the year. All in all, it was an average day, which is both good and bad, depending on how you look at it.

About 21:30 on the swim (andy potts was fastest at 18:30), which is not great, but also not bad for me. It was a better swim than it looks. I was only 30sec back at the 800m buoy. Coming back was directly into the sun, so sighting was very hard. I was really close to that pack on the way out, so I'm getting closer to crossing that threshold of being able to stay in the pack.

Out on the bike, it was basically a tail wind the whole way (point to point) so that made it hard to really make progress, since you'd spin out the downhills. I just about even split the front group of five athletes, who made up five of the top six final placings, though Greg Bennett put about 35 seconds on me in total. Legs felt kind of flat without the snap you hope for, but I also think some of that was just the fast conditions, which make it harder to pound the pedals. 56:30 for 41km, so a fast day. Watts were not stellar, but again the wind was a large part of that.

Out on the run, I felt ok, but not great as I stood in 11th position overall. Focused on good turnover, and thought I might catch 10th, but Simon Thompson and Chris Forster ran by just after the turnaround, and I just barely missed catching 12th place in the final kilometers. I ran much better in the second 5km once I'd warmed up, running a 34:38 after a relatively slow opening 5-6km.

On the plus side, I was pleased that my "average" speed is better than it was, for example, at lifetime. I'm encouraged with that progress, and I'd like to do the Olympic distance races again next year, as I think a year from now, I'll be over that cusp and can consistently finish a handful of spots higher than I did this year. It's always good to see "representative" performances bringing me closer to the front, and I think it shows that I'm back on track with my training with two more races to finish up the year - a fun trip to Jamaica to race Greg Bennett head-to-head at the new Rosehall Triathlon near Montego Bay and then the big season finale at the second edition of Ironman Arizona, now on it's new date.

Thanks to Kerry Yndestad of Yndecam.com who always takes the best pictures. I think you can just spot the TargeTraining logo as I exit the swim.

© Kerry Yndestad

Longhorn Half Ironman Oct 5th 2008

Dom Gillen decided to warm up for XTerra World's by going to Texas to race in the heat. Dom we hope will put together a nice blog about the event. But if for whatever reason you didn't google "Longhorn Half Ironman" on the web, here it is. Dom raced to a personal best 3:59:40. He finished just out of 10th place (11th place), 10 minutes off of winner Richie Cunningham (an Australian with a lot of excellent 70.3 results). Dom also finished behind such notables as Tim DeBoom and Simon Lessing by 5 and 6 minutes respectively.

Dom's a little tired but when he gets a chance he'll give us some color about the race, share his experience and thoughts, including his disappointment that he missed the top 10 (but also his excitement that he did a PR time).

Here's a nice article from Slowtwitch on the race.