A little weight loss

Over the past few weeks I've be able to shed a few pounds. I've been tracking my diet daily. I've found two free on-line food diary's, Fitday and The Daily Plate over at Livestrong.com. Currently my preference The Daily Plate, however both are easy to use. Additionally at The Daily Plate you can read about Lance as he prepares for racing.

In some ways the weight loss was easy. You can see from the graph below it's about calories in vs. calories burned.

Eneas overcomes knee injury to win the Connecticut Cyclocross Championships

We had a chance to interview Eneas when he wasn't whipping Chris K. into shape. We didn't even think Eneas would be able to compete in the Connecticut Cyclocross Championships, let alone win them, not because of lack of preparation, but because of an injury. He had spent two weeks on the sidelines from a knee injury sustained in a last lap crash while cross racing in New Jersey. Fortunately, TARGETRAINING has as a client and consultant Westport resident and orthopedic surgeon Larry Lefkowitz . Larry's sagacious advise brought Eneas back and ready to race just in time for the championship in Cheshire. "I took full advantage of getting the green light. The course was frozen, sub 30 degree weather. I took second place in the race and was the 1st CT rider across the line. It's my 2nd CT State cross title in as many years! I am psyched." As a sidenote, this was also Eneas's 6th straight Connecticut state cycling championship (at the open/elite not masters level). "Thanks to all of the support that I have received this season from my lovely wife and baby, my TARGETRAINING co-workers, friends and teammates."

Okay, so know Eneas can refocus his attention on Chris and his repeats...See ya soon Chris!

70.3 Championships, Clearwater Florida

On November 8th, I competed in the 1/2-Ironman Championships in Clearwater, Florida. It was my biggest race since the conception of my oldest son 6 years ago and I was eager to see how I would do against the stiff competition in this big race.

At the crack of dawn, they started herding us into the staging pens for the start of the race.   The music and crowds were deafeningly loud and the cannon blasts which sent the swimmers off shook my body.  Standing toe to toe with the women in my age group, I felt the excitement building.  We inched forward every three minutes as the waves before us charged into the water.  Finally, it was our turn.  90 seconds, 60 seconds, 30.... the wait was agonizing.  Then finally, "BOOM!" and we were off!

The swim was calm, probably a little too calm.  As I ran to the bike rack I noticed my bike was one of the few left.  Note to self: SWIM HARDER NEXT TIME!  I saddled up and headed out to catch some fast fishes.

One of the perks of being a slow(er) swimmer, is that you get to pass a lot of people on the bike.  And that's what I did.  I kept reeling them in until about mile 40 when a huge pack of riders swallowed me up.  I fought hard to stay off the front, but it was no use.  As they pulled ahead, I noticed 3 maybe 4 women in my age group in the pack.  Drafting is illegal, but with no bike marshals to enforce the rule, they were getting away with it.  I was probably in 3rd or 4th place at this point.  I had fought hard to get to where I was; letting these girls go meant conceding a podium spot.  What would you do?  I let them go.  I finished up the bike and headed out on the run knowing I needed something special to climb back into medal contention.  

The run was a hot, hilly two-loop course.  I tried to stay steady and hydrated.  After a while I gave up trying to figure out what place I was in and just ran, hoping for the best.  At about mile 9, I noticed a blister growing on the ball of my foot, but it was too late to do anything about it. I hoped I could finish before it reached epic proportions.  Over the bridge one last time and around the corner to the finish line!   I crossed the line in 4hr 43min, 7th in my age group.

I want to give a big thanks to TARGETRAINING, especially to Max who made sure my bike got to the race safely and to the Saturday morning bike crew for kicking my butt back into shape. Hope to see you out on the road again soon.

How I spent my Thanksgiving vacation? 2

I rode the mountain bike sessions at Mianus River Park on Wednesday and Huntington today. As a beginner these rides are challenging and tough. Without these rides my bike would be collecting dust. Each time I go out I get better and more confident. I really appreciate the patience and encouragement of Max, Dom and the TT clients. Thank you all.

I wonder if Dom puts chamois butter on his stomach?

As an added bonus today I demoed the Scott Genius. Sweet!

Eneas spreads wings at Chatham Turkey Trot

Eneas Freyre of TARGETRAINING won the Chatham, MA 5k Turkey Trot for the second year in a row. In an event that colects food for the neady as race entry, the Chatham Turky Trot has become a local holliday favorite, and an anual mainstay for the Freyre clan.

TT's Weekend Schedule Update (for all you waiting to work off Turkey Day)

1. We are conducting a special Friday 12:00PM mountain bike session at Trout Brook led by Dom Gillen! (this will be fun)
2. Good news for Sunday Trail Runs: We will be returning to our traditional Sunday trail run 8:00AM, and mountain bike ride 9:30AM at Trout Brook Park this weekend.

We have curtailed Friday's schedule a little bit:
6AM TARGETide (Dom won't be swimming that early after Thanksgiving)
9AM TARGETKick (Fred is taking a day off for family)
10:15AM TARGETYoga (we stretched all day Thursday so we should be ok...)

Full Weekend Schedule...
Friday:
6:00AM TARGETorque/Tough Indoor Cycling Hill Training + Ski Conditioning
6:15AM TARGETide Cancelled
9:00AM TARGETorque/Tough Indoor Cycling + Core Conditioning
9:00AM TARGETKick Cancelled
10:15AM TARGETYoga Cancelled
12:00PM TARGETerrain Outdoor MTB/Cyclocross Cycling @ Trout Brook Park
4:00PM TARGETeen Indoor Cycling

Saturday:
7:00AM TARGETorque Indoor Cycling
8:00AM TARGETour Outdoor Cycling
9:30AM TARGETorque Indoor Cycling
12:00PM TARGETorque Indoor/Outdoor Novice Cycling

Sunday:
8:00AM TARGETread Trout Brook Park
9:30AM TARGETerrain Outdoor MTB/Cyclocross Cycling @ Trout Brook Park
9:30AM TARGETorque Indoor Cycling
12:00PM TARGETeen Indoor/Outdoor Cycling Teen Session

Happy Turkey Day from all of us at TARGETRAINING. Eneas is away with his family at the Cape, Dom is sitting out racing tomorrow to spend time with his family, but a bunch of TT'ers will be at the local Turkey Trot race in Southport/Westport CT.

Eat well, enjoy the next few days. We are open on Friday and the entire weekend and have plenty of sweating to do. This is the beginning of the holiday season. Enjoy!

How I spent my Thanksgiving vacation?

On the slopes of Aspen? Nope. The beaches of Miami? Nope. On a borrowed cross bike I rode all over the beautiful and exotic Sherwood Island. As an added bonus I had Eneas riding next to me. That's right, I started a weeks vacation with a one-on-one training session with Eneas.

Eneas has gotten me to ride harder and stronger than I thought possible. Our one-on-one sessions have made me a better more confident rider. Not once have a left a session without the burn.

Feels something like this:

Everyone should experience a one-on-one training session with Eneas.
Painful yet rewarding. I can't wait for our next one.

Chris

Update from Ironman Arizona

This past Sunday (11/23) was the second edition of the Ironman in Arizona, as NASports decided to move the race from April to November in an effort to get more reliable weather. With perfect conditions, it certainly proved to be a good decision. After a much improved swim from April, I exited the water in good position. Heading out onto the bike course, I felt really great and quickly started moving towards the front of the race. 112 miles later, I had closed to less than two minutes on the two leaders, setting the fastest bike split and a new bike course record of 4:26:12. Out on the run, I moved into the lead(!!) around mile 5 and held that position with Chris Lieto running step for step with me until I pulled away at mile 9 and was the solo leader until mile 18, when my legs started to give out a bit. I got passed by eventual winner Andreas Raelert of Germany and also Chris Lieto at that point. I went through a rough patch, but manged to come around and closed to within 20 seconds of catching Lieto for 2nd by the finish. My 2:58:43 marathon was my first time under 3-hours for the marathon and helped me to break the old course record and the 8:20 barrier with a time of 8:19:45.

Thank you TargeTraining for all your help and support in 2008. It was great season. The legs are sore, but I think they'll be ready in 2009!

© Clarke Rodgers, SportZFoto.com

Tale of the Tape
Ironman Arizona II
Nov. 23 - Tempe, AZ
1.2mile swim - 112mile bike - 26.2mile run
Place: 3rd
Total Time: 8:19:45
Margin Back From Winner: 5:29
Swim Time: 50:28
Bike Time: 4:26:12 *fastest bike split and new bike course record
Run Time: 2:58:43

Retül system, The future of bicycle fitting.

We here at Targetraining are very pleased to be offering bicycle fitting featuring the Retul system. Retul is truly the future of the bicycle fit. Whether it's Road, Cyclocross, Triathlon, or MTB, Retul is the best way to take advantage proper Biomechanics. The retul system has been used by a number of top professional athletes and weekend worriers alike. Both the Pro, and everyday riders will benefit from added comfort for long rides and increased power and speed.

Here is a great article about how 4th place Tour de France rider Christian Vande Velde and his Garmin-Chipotle team take advantage of this great tool.

Cranbury Park Challenge -Results-

TARGETRAINING hosted the 1st Annual Cranbury Park Challenge on Sunday Nov.23rd. Fifty runners braved the sub-30 degree temperatures to run two 5K loops in Norwalk's Cranbury Park. The trail was a mix of ups and downs, twists and turns. Everyone appeared to have a good time despite the cold. (the water at the aid stations froze!) We thank all of you for comming out and hope you will tell a friend about the race and join us again next November. Also, look for more events hosted by TARGETRAINING in the Spring. Results are posted below. Thanks....

2008 Targetraining Cranbury Park Challenge
November 23, 2008
6 Miles, Norwalk, CT
Cold (28F), sunny, dry.
MEN'S WINNER: Dave James - 41:14
WOMEN'S WINNER: Tina Senft - 47:26



PLACE FINISHER TIME PACE

1 Dave James, 30, Trumbull, CT 41:14 6:49
2 Max Viega, 41, Danbury, CT 41:54 6:55
3 Thomas Moloney, 24, New York, NY 46:48 7:44
4 Tina Senft, 24*, Stratford, CT 47:26 7:50
5 Sharon Lemberger, 35*, Stamford, CT 48:18 7:59
6 M30 Michael Brown, 39, Northport, NY 48:27 8:00
7 M40 Tim Delahaunty, 40, New Canaan, CT 48:38 8:02
8 M50 John Krasniewicz, 57, Old Greenwich, CT 49:34 8:12
9 M30 Michael Rodgers, 33, Brooklyn, CT 49:56 8:15
10 M40 David Hoffman, 44, Rowayton, CT 50:25 8:20
11 M50 Kevin Cunningham, 50, Rye, NY 51:31 8:31
12 M30 Jon Heuer, 31, Norwalk, CT 51:34 8:31
13 M40 Wayne Zimmerman, 44, Weston, CT 51:44 8:33
14 M30 Nick Cimiuello, 30, Trumbull, CT 52:18 8:39
15 Kimberly Driscoll, 47*, Fairfield, CT 52:21 8:39
16 M30 Eneaa Freyre, 32, Norwalk, CT 52:25 8:40
17 M30 David Jones, 35, Stamford, CT 52:26 8:40
18 W30 Tammy Kiernan, 35*, Norwalk, CT 52:28 8:40
19 M30 Dan Soi, 32, Darien, CT 52:54 8:44
20 M40 Steve Baz, 48, Wilton, CT 53:43 8:53
21 W30 Brittany Chamberlin, 31*, Westport, CT 53:47 8:53
22 M30 Jason Martin, 35, Westport, CT 53:48 8:54
23 W30 Sarah Schneider, 32*, Rowayton, CT 54:55 9:05
24 M40 Craig Gambrill, 42, Norwalk, CT 55:22 9:09
25 M40 Ted Rawson, 44, Norwalk, CT 56:41 9:22
26 W30 Natasha Parvizian, 33*, Westport, CT 57:22 9:29
27 W30 Heather Schneider, 36*, Rowayton, CT 59:17 9:48
28 W20 Megan Kelly, 29*, Stamford, CT 59:28 9:50
29 M40 Steve McLeod, 40, Greenwich, CT 59:32 9:50
30 W40 Lisa Tirado, 41*, Stamford, CT 59:54 9:54
31 M20 Louis Chiaia, 28, Norwalk, CT 59:59 9:55
32 W30 Susan Roddy, 32*, Rowayton, CT 1:00:01 9:55
33 W20 Lauren Whyte, 29*, Cos Cob, CT 1:00:21 9:58
34 W30 Melissa Lemieux, 31*, Danbury, CT 1:00:22 9:59
35 W30 Susan Carlucci, 36*, Norwalk, CT 1:00:48 10:03
36 M50 Terry O'Connell, 52, Stamford, CT 1:00:49 10:03
37 W20 Jessica Arrien, 25*, Bridgeport, CT 1:00:51 10:03
38 M40 Michael Cohen, 42, Redding, CT 1:01:17 10:08
39 W20 Brittany Steel, 28*, Westport, CT 1:01:48 10:13
40 M30 Eric Roddy, 32, Rowayton, CT 1:03:55 10:34
41 M20 Jonathan Steel, 28, Westport, CT 1:04:06 10:36
42 M40 Andrew Hersam, 45, Darien, CT 1:05:00 10:45
43 M60 Francis Roddy, 61, Huntingdon Valley, PA 1:05:08 10:46
44 M40 Bruce Koffsky, 48, Weston, CT 1:05:11 10:46
45 W40 Jeanette Trujillo, 47*, Norwalk, CT 1:07:19 11:08
46 W50 Carla Wolters, 58*, Norwalk, CT 1:07:20 11:08
47 M40 Erik Ruge, 41, Stamford, CT 1:09:09 11:26
48 M40 Alan Masarek, 48, Weston, CT 1:12:36 12:00
49 W30 Aimilia Gnospelius, 37*, Fairfield, CT 1:13:48 12:12
50 W30 Maine Morgan, 37*, Darien, CT 1:13:53 12:13
"*" indicates females


2 finishers among Men 20 - 29
9 finishers among Men 30 - 39
12 finishers among Men 40 - 49
3 finishers among Men 50 - 59
1 finishers among Men 60 - 69
4 finishers among Women 20 - 29
11 finishers among Women 30 - 39
2 finishers among Women 40 - 49
1 finishers among Women 50 - 59
30 male finishers
21 female finishers
51 total finishers

AGE GROUP FINISHERS CLASS
PLACE PLACE FINISHER TIME PACE

Open Men
1 1 M30 Dave James, 30, Trumbull, CT 41:14 6:49
2 2 M40 Max Viega, 41, Danbury, CT 41:54 6:55
3 3 M20 Thomas Moloney, 24, New York, NY 46:48 7:44
Open Women
1 1 W20 Tina Senft, 24, Stratford, CT 47:26 7:50
2 2 W30 Sharon Lemberger, 35, Stamford, CT 48:18 7:59
3 3 W40 Kimberly Driscoll, 47, Fairfield, CT 52:21 8:39
Men 20 - 29
21 1 Louis Chiaia, 28, Norwalk, CT 59:59 9:55
25 2 Jonathan Steel, 28, Westport, CT 1:04:06 10:36
Men 30 - 39
4 1 Michael Brown, 39, Northport, NY 48:27 8:00
7 2 Michael Rodgers, 33, Brooklyn, CT 49:56 8:15
10 3 Jon Heuer, 31, Norwalk, CT 51:34 8:31
Men 40 - 49
5 1 Tim Delahaunty, 40, New Canaan, CT 48:38 8:02
8 2 David Hoffman, 44, Rowayton, CT 50:25 8:20
11 3 Wayne Zimmerman, 44, Weston, CT 51:44 8:33
Men 50 - 59
6 1 John Krasniewicz, 57, Old Greenwich, CT 49:34 8:12
9 2 Kevin Cunningham, 50, Rye, NY 51:31 8:31
22 3 Terry O'Connell, 52, Stamford, CT 1:00:49 10:03
Men 60 - 69
27 1 Francis Roddy, 61, Huntingdon Valley, PA 1:05:08 10:46
Women 20 - 29
9 1 Megan Kelly, 29, Stamford, CT 59:28 9:50
12 2 Lauren Whyte, 29, Cos Cob, CT 1:00:21 9:58
15 3 Jessica Arrien, 25, Bridgeport, CT 1:00:51 10:03
Women 30 - 39
4 1 Tammy Kiernan, 35, Norwalk, CT 52:28 8:40
5 2 Brittany Chamberlin, 31, Westport, CT 53:47 8:53
6 3 Sarah Schneider, 32, Rowayton, CT 54:55 9:05
Women 40 - 49
10 1 Lisa Tirado, 41, Stamford, CT 59:54 9:54
18 2 Jeanette Trujillo, 47, Norwalk, CT 1:07:19 11:08
Women 50 - 59
19 1 Carla Wolters, 58, Norwalk, CT 1:07:20 11:08

TARGETRAINING Great Escape Event This Sunday 8AM Cranbury Park Trail Run Race

TARGETRAINING Great Escape Event
This Sunday 8AM Cranbury Park Trail Run Race


This Sunday at 8AM will see the culmination of our TARGETRAINING trail run series with a 6mile trail run race at Cranbury Park in Norwalk, CT.

Come join us at beautiful Cranbury Park for this fun filled event this coming Sunday morning. This is a great event for the entire family, even the dog.

There will be a Kids race (at 9:30 AM following the adult race), free bagels, coffee and goodie bags for all!

You must register for this event! To register online please visit here.
Every TARGETRAINING client who refers a friend/family member will receive a $10 coupon for the Tri & Cycle store.

Refer 2 or more guests and get an additional 30% discount on all store items under $100.
Any client that registers by midnight on Tuesday gets a $10 coupon for the Tri & Cycle store.

TT Youth Band rocks to Battle of the Bands Win!

Local youth band Disconnect headed up by TARGETRAINING clients, Blake Hoffman, Santiago Hervella, Alex Mapley and Warren Schorr rocked to an outstanding win at a local Westport Battle of the Bands last Friday night.

Take it from 1st hand experiacne, these kids know how to get their music on. Keep an eye out for them...

End of the '08 MX season

Well, the warm weather is gone and it's time to look ahead to the off season for so many of us involved in summer activities. For myself, this means the end of motocross for the year.

My local MX practice track is about to close for the year, and I was able to squeeze in one last workout this past weekend. For any of you who have done a cycling group ride before, well, MX practice is much the same thing: an open battle ground where a bunch of riders of similar abilities get together to beat on each other with no mercy! Heart rate way up, shoulders on fire, and legs getting tired.....Oh well, until next year. Bring on 2009!!

Swim Clinic featuring 2008 Olympian Larsen Jensen

The Fast Lane Swim School with TargeTraining will be offering a once in a lifetime freestyle swim clinic. The clinic features 2004 and 2008 Olympic Medalist and 400, 800, and 1500 Meter American record holder Larsen Jensen and is specifically created for triathletes.

The 2 hour clinic will be held from 3-5 PM on Saturday, November 15th at Greenwich Catholic School located at 471 North St., Greenwich, CT.

This is a great opportunity to have your stroke analyzed and critiqued by the fastest miler in the USA.

Coaches on Deck:

Larsen Jensen

2004 and 2008 Olympic Medalist
American Record Holder in the 400/800/1500 Freestyle
6 Time National Champion
2 Time NCAA Champion
2004 USA Swimming’s “Break Out Swimmer of the Year”

Jamie Barone

2004 and 2008 Olympic Trials Qualifier
2006 National Champion (4X100 Medley Relay)
4 Years in the top 100 breaststrokers in the world
2002 “Rookie of the Meet” at US Nationals
10 years coaching experience

Dominic Gillen

Pro Triathlete
USATriathlon Resident National Team member 2002-2003
4th at Xterra World Championships 2004
Assistant Swim: Coach, Dartmouth College 2004
NCAC (North Country Aquatic Club) Masters and Junior team head coach 2004-2006
Head of Triathlon coaching at TargeTraining

Sam Masson

University of Southern California School Record Holder in the 100 Fly (46.09)
6 Time NCAA Division I All American
2006 Spring National Champion (4X100 Relay)
2007 Captain of USC Swim Team

Megan Griffis Kelly

USA Swimming 5K Open Water Relay National Champion (2005)
US Masters Swimming 4x National Champion (2004, 2008)
US Masters Swimming 3x Relay National record holder
US Masters Coach: YWCA of NYC, McBurney Y and TNYA (2002-2006)

For Reservations:
Email TheFastLane@ymail.com or call 917.653.4760. 20 person limit.

GREAT SCOTT Review!!!!!

Hey everyone, came across this great review of the Scott Addict R4 that will soon be available at Tri and Cycle. The Scott's are great bikes that have been the #1 selling brand in Europe for the past few years, even though they are an American Company. That have been ridden by the Saunier - Duval team for the past few years, but we won't talk about that!! Next year they will be ridden to many victories by America's Team Columbia, home of riders like Mark Cavendish, George Hincapie, and Kim Kerchen. Between them, they had numerous tour victories and a few days in the Yellow Jersey. Follow the link I have attached to read the write up. Click here.

Trail Serries #5 "Trout Brook"

We had yet another perfect fall day for our 5th trail run race at Trout Brook in Weston, CT. Dom managed to construct what was the hardest course yet in the series with some serious off camber trails bookended with two monster climbs.

In the end we all made it back for some hot coffee and bagels before another adventurous group of TARGETRAINING clients and staff jumped back out into the Trout Brook trails for an 1.5hr of mountain bike fun.

This coming Sunday’s session will be a repeat of Dom’s brilliant course set up so come challenge your fitness and technical skills at
our session in Trout Brook at week’s end, 8AM sharp :)


"Chris Bartlett looking fast"

Money "Cashes In" at Ironman Florida

Congratulations to TARGETRAINING client Mary Money who is the latest Ironman finisher in the TARGETRAINING family.

She placed a strong 16th in her age group with a time of 13:50:04.

Way to go Mary!

NYC Marathon Recap

It isn't often that a race, any race, goes EXACTLY to plan, especially an endurance race like a marathon. However, it seemed that everything lined up properly today, including the week spent NOT drinking and gambling (much) in Las Vegas, the looong (for me) runs and the insane tempo runs on the track.

I arrived at Ft. Wadsworth a bit indecisive about the outfit...it was chilly and windy, so I decided that arm warmers, a gator and gloves would be the way to go. I almost screwed up the baggage drop as they'd moved the UPS trucks for my wave start to a different place from last year, but that turned out to be the most difficult thing to overcome.

Before we knew it, we were herded to the start at 9:00, which means 40 minutes nose to nose with a zillion people that are either shedding clothes, going to the bathroom, planning splits, etc. It's quite a spectacle. Soon enough, though, we were off with the cannon.

First mile - 6:45...it's always a bit slow due to crowds, the hill on the bridge, etc. Second mile - 5:55, the opposite of the first. Figured I'd settle down once that was out of my system, and I did, to a 6:20 for the 3rd mile. My nutrition plan, btw, was simple: endurolytes every 25 minutes, Roctane every 50-60 minutes. Except for dropping the advil I'd planned to take around halfway, everything went to plan. Took gatorade and/or water, at least a bit, at almost every stop.

I'd planned to run 20-minute 5Ks the whole race for a 2:50 marathon. Tried that last year and died at about mile 18 after feeling bad at 13, 16, etc. This year was much different. I felt great at 6, 8, and 10 miles, was able to push up the Pulaski Bridge halfway (1:22:18 - yikes) and even was passing people on the 59th St. Bridge. I was able to feel strong all the way through 23 miles, though I could feel things tightening at about 21. But from 20 (2:07), I was able to figure out that I only had to run near 7 minute miles to hit 2:50 and was able to maintain. I finally crossed the 20 minute 5K mark for the 35th K but was still ahead of time by then. 35-40K was a bit slower but still under 7:00 pace. At 40K, I was pretty sure I had the time, but was hurting. I tried to stick with a guy that was zipping toward the finish, but couldn't quite keep up. The last 800M were agonzing, but spectacular. I crossed in 2:49:18, 8 minutes ahead of last year (357th overall)!

The season's finally over! Time to ease off, at least for a few weeks ;-).