Have a safe and joyous Holiday!

Happy Holidays from all of us at TARGETRAINING!

2009 Cervelo at TARGETRAINING

The top new bikes for 2009 are at TARGETRAINING. We have in the store some of the first P4 and S3 bikes in the area. The P4 is one fast machine, and the S3 is slick with its Olympic paint scheme. Come on in a check out the new bikes before the holidays and add them to your wish list.

The new P4 brake mount means less drag

Stout but slick chainstays on the S3

Oh Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

The weather outside may be frightful,

But heat things up with a snow ride on our new in stock Scott Cross Bike.

I took this off road loving machine out in the 1st big snow fall of the winter season and plowed my way through one fantastic workout.

So if you are looking to break that cabin fever, stop in at TARGETRAINING Tri & Cycle and ask how you can take out one of these Scott team cross bikes out for your own winter test run.

Sunday AM MTB Ride Cancelled, Run session indoors at TT

Due to the trails now covered in snow, we will hold the 8AM run indoors at Targetraining. The 9:30 Mountain Bike ride will not be held, but there is an indoor session at 9:30 for those that don't want to miss a ride. Thanks, see you tomorrow.

Cervélo gives another reason to brave the snow -- an S3!

Olympic colors and all, we have an S3 on hand to go with the P4. Imagine our surprise when Cervélo came through with this beauty.

Ok, so while it is not the same one that rode in the Olympics to a bronze medal, the 56 cm S3 we have is the first we've seen outside of Las Vegas.

So brave that snow, stop by Saturday the 20th at Tri&Cycle.

It is quite sweet.

Cervélo's newest weapon against slow...this Saturday at TT Tri&Cycle

Wednesday Night mountain bike session Canceled

Do to inclement weather tonight's 6PM mountain bike session at Cranburry Park is Cancelled.

Justin Lindine's letter to the TARGETRAINING community

(Justin in road race win in summer of 2008)

Just wanted to let you all know how the season wrapped up for me.

I finished third overall in the Verge New England series through season long consistency that only saw me finish outside the top 10 once. I was on the podium right behind Jamie Driscoll and Matt White.

With enough UCI points to get a 29th position call up, this past weekend I made the trek down to Kansas and finished out the season with a 15th place in the Elite race.

Not too bad a way to cap off the season.

I hope all is well with everyone, and wish you all a happy holidays.

Thanks as always.

Justin Lindine

(picture of Eneas and Justin crossing finish line together in a road race this past season)

Recap: Gail's Run 10K

Having rested my achilles last week, I figured "what the hell" and ran/raced Gail's Run 10K in Pound Ridge, NY (which takes place on the infamous Leatherman's Loop course). This was organized as a charity event in memory of two local athletes and benefitting The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Here are some highlights from what otherwise was a sunny, somewhat temperate day:
- lost right shoe in mud after 1 minute of running...stopped, went back and got shoe (Nick Logan had the same race strategy)
- crossed a 20ft wide river with strong current and waist deep water about 10 min. into the race.
- despite pre-race plans, I slipped immediately after entering the river and totally immersed my gloved hands and arms in the balmy river water.
THERE IS NOTHING I HAVE EVER FELT LIKE THE 30 SECONDS JUST BEFORE AND JUST AFTER EXITING THAT RIVER.
- I wore half tights, thinking I didn't want to run the whole race with wet heavy tights on. Great! Unfortunately, the mile or so of brambles later in the race were much less fun that way.
- there were a couple steep ups and downs, but the most fun was one maybe 100 yd uphill that you could not climb standing...between slipperiness and steepness, you had to do it with knees and hands.
- I lost the trail twice, but "luckily" had someone near me I could spot off of...I almost felt bad kicking away from him late in the race. Fortunately, I had gapped him enough by the last 1/2 mile that I didn't have to get up on my toes, 'cause I couldn't.
- by yesterday night, my left big toe, which was numb and black under the nail after the race, was throbbing nicely. I suspect mild frostbite. Considering that my top shirt literally froze solid after the river incident, I could be right.
- result: fourth overall (83 hearty souls finished). My time as 48:09, which indicates both that the race is a little longer than 10K and the course is "nontrivial". If not for running like a wuss for various reasons after the river, I might have contended for the win, but what the hell.

Notwithstanding all that, it was great fun for a great cause.

Cyclocross Nationals: Justin Lindine 15th!

The best of the best in U.S. cyclocross went to Kansas City this weekend. TARGETraining was fortunate to have Justin Lindine representing there (Eneas did not make the trip and neither did Tyler). Gabe Lloyd also went representing TARGETraining.

Justin finished 15th overall in the race, while Gabe finished 52nd. Ex-TARGETraining team members Todd Wells got 6th (he was national champion last year), Matt Shriver was 7th, and Justin Spinelli was 9th, Nathaniel Ward was 31st.

Congrats Justin on a great season.

P4 Cervélo Day Saturday Dec 20th 2008

Come see, touch and maybe ride a Cervélo P4 at TARGETRAINING Tri&Cycle next Saturday December 20th 2008.

We had to go all the way to Las Vegas.

Fortunately, Cervélo has been kind enough to give us one in stock before Christmas! And Dave, the Northeast representative for Cervélo, is bringing another. So we will have two on hand December 20th. Are these stealth? Yes.

Honestly, I can't wait since the Interbike P4 was a prototype. This will be a working version and yes you can buy one. It is going to be a 56 cm bike.

Can you feel fast? Well, at least you are allowed to see and touch fast Saturday Dec 20th in Westport CT at Tri&Cycle.

Please stop by. Happy Holidays.

SWISS NIGHT - CUCKOO CLOCKS & CHOCOLATE!

NOPE

December 11th is Swiss Night at TT Tri & Cycle. BMC, Assos, chocolate fondue, wine and cheese!

For more details and to RSVP got to the website here: http://targetraining.com/swiss.htm ...YES!

TARGETRAINING gets Schooled in Retül

After braving a blizzard in Denver, Todd Carver from Retül made it to Westport Friday morning to instruct the staff on the inner workings of the system. Todd isn't one of those "tech reps" that spews buzz words and lingo, but he is one of the worlds foremost experts on bike fit and cycling mechanics. His schedule: Last week Christian Vandevelde, this week TARGETRAINING, next week Normann Stadler in the wind tunnel...you get the picture. After a few cups of coffee, we grabbed Matt and got to work.



The Retül system works by tracking LED markers with an infra-red camera system. The markers are positioned on the body at select landmarks that represent a riders profile. In a matter of seconds, the computer records these markers in space while the cyclist is pedaling. Accurate to the mm, the system will detect any deviation in form and fit- upper and lower body, right and left side.



We determined Matt's "optimal position" could be improved upon in seat position. These slight changes can make a significant difference in performance over a race season. A few mm's here and a few there can account for a few extra watts without taxing the system to get them. So whether it is road or aero keep in mind that to get those extra watts, the Devil is in the details!
Thanks again Todd!
Jeff, Matt, Max, Dom, Jake and Tyler
Top Left: Todd Carver sets markers on Matt's shoe.
Above: Max V. places a marker on a landmark
Right: Todd illustrates marker placement in aero position.





Need a fitting? The staff at TARGETRAINING is happy to accommodate you. Give us a call to schedule your appointment 203-227-6177.

Max Veiga reaches the summit!

Congratulations to Max Veiga who was the 1st to complete all 240 miles of the 2008 Tour Climb Challenge. Thats right, Max simulated climbing indoors every climb of this years tour from the category 4's the the mighty hors category. Way to go max!
TARGETRAINING clients have until January 1st 2009 to complete the list and receive a 50% discount on a VO2 test.
Good Luck!!

Southport Turkey Trot: A Day of Personal Bests

My apologies for the delay, this blog is way over due. This past Thanksgiving morning shaped up to be an excellent day for a race, and what better race than the "Thanksgiving Day 5 Mile Road Race" by the Pequot Road Runners. The morning was a "brisk" 34 degrees and slightly cloudy, which was quite perfect for a high intensity all out 5 miler. The race held a field of 3300 racers from all over the Ti-State area. Within that field two TARGETRAINING clients recorded personal best times for a 5 mile race. Kim Driscoll stepped out of her house race day looking to run at a 7:00min pace to cross the finish line at 35 mins. When Kim had found out that I ran a 5 mile race in NYC at that exact pace a week before the ING Marathon she knew who she was running with. Well wouldn't you know it Kim Driscoll went out this Thanksgiving and shattered her goal and finished in 33:20 a new personal best. Not only did she set a new best time for the 5 Mile, but she also finished 2nd in her age group. Let me tell you, although she might not have shown it I could tell she was totally "stoked"! Just wait one minute now, Kim's Husband Michael Driscoll recoded a personal best as well. Mike had set his goal at 40-42mins and finished with a new best of 39:00mins. Congratulations to both Kim & Michael Driscoll.

I set out that morning as well looking to record a new best. Like I said prior I ran the "Poland Spring 5 Mile Marathon Kickoff Race", in NYC at a 7:00min pace. Anything under this time would have made me happy, and anything over would have absolutely infuriated me. At mile one the pacer yelled out "7:12", this is when I knew I had to pickup my pace in order to walk away a happy man. When I made the last turn coming to the finish I had enough left in the tank to sprint my way to the finish line. When all was said and done I walk away with a new personal best time of 33:00mins, and a 6:39 pace.

Great Race for all, once again Congrats to both Kim and Michael. What better way to end a race day than with a Thanksgiving meal.

Ironman NEWBIE at Ironman Arizona

To say there was a long build-up to this race would be a huge understatement. You sign up for an Ironman race a full year in advance, so the anticipation of this race was a solid calendar year. Being my FIRST IRONMAN, the anticipation was that much greater. This race came at the end of a long racing season in which I began the year with a knee injury and lots of pool running. I went on to have some good results later in the season, but I always knew that the Ironman was my big "A" race.
I have many friends (and TT teammates) who wish I paid them a nickel for every question I asked them about the Ironman race. As a newbie, I was anxious to garner every piece of training, racing, and nutrition advice I could get. Fortunately, they patiently answered EVERY question I had (I still have many more!).
My training leading up to this race gave me some nice confidence going into this race. Rick and Eneas were nice enough to let me indoors at TT every Saturday in October at 5:00 a.m. for 5.5 (yes, 5.5) hour indoor rides followed by a transition run upstairs on the treadmill (AZ was hot, you see). These were not intense rides, but rides that would get me used to staying in the aero position for five hours straight. To this end, these rides were invaluable, and could not be duplicated outdoors. Plus, I annoyed everyone in both Sat. a.m. classes; double bonus!
Come race day, I indeed felt ready to be "shot out of a cannon," as Mimi Boyle suggested I should feel. My swim was mostly uneventful, save for wearing the "wrong" wetsuit (sleeveless in 63 degrees, brrrr!) and having horribly leaky goggles (how stupid can you get?). Having stopped many times throughout the swim (to get the water out of my goggles), I was very pleased to get out of the water at right about an hour (1:00:07).
My bike plan was definitely to be very patient (thanks on the advice gang!) in this three loop bike course and to attempt to make all three laps pretty even. Each loop was an "out and back" with the "out" featuring a stiff headwind and a slight uphill grade. Therefore, the back gave you a nice tailwind and was slightly downhill. I was super-aero and feeling amazing on my new Cervelo P2C, just purchased from the shop back in May. For those of you who read Allie's post, I'm gonna say "ditto" in terms of the outrageous drafting that I witnessed. When a pack of 8 goes by, and you get passed by a guy that's not pedaling, everything in you wants to say "screw it" and hop on the back of the train. However, you then have to be able to live with yourself, and try and fall asleep at night. So... I held back some and remembered that patience would hopefully pay off in the marathon to come. Another friend assured me that people cheat on the bike becasue the "can't run." I was praying this was true. My overall bike time was 5:16:03, averaging 21.3 mph, and I was feeling pretty fresh.
My first several miles of the run felt absolutely effortless. My Garmin watch gives me my current minute/mile pace and let me know I needed to back off the pace, as a 3 hour marathon was definitely not going to be realistic! At this point, we were definitely running in the heat of the day on a completely exposed course. I made sure to get all the fluids and calories in that I could, sure that this would pay dividends later in the race. My first 13.1 miles were relatively easy and I was averaging roughly 7:30 pace. However, by miles 13-20, I would say I was really beginning to "feel it" and my pace was definitely slowing. At some point after mile 13, my buddy Greg Stewart yelled out to me (thanks Greg!) that he noticed a lot of salt stains on me and was huge in reminding me to continue to hydrate and get calories in. Therefore, I made a point of walking thru some of the aid stations to make sure I had enough fuel for the final 10 K. This "strategy" paid huge dividends in my final 5.9 miles as I was able to average 7:34/mile and passed a slew of folks who were now struggling. I had begun the marathon in 213th place overall and 36th in my AG. By the time the day was through, I had moved up to 107th overall and 20th in my AG. More importantly, I was able to "run strong" the last 10K which was just a great feeling that made for a wonderful experience. My marathon was a 3:27:06, averaging 7:54/mile. My total time was 9:51:21.
Well, if you've read this far... you need a life and should be out training! But one more thought: As I noted, I was 107th overall, which included the 90 pro men and women in the field. That's the good news. The bad? That was only good for 20th in a blazing fast men's 35-39 field! My good buddies and TT teammates Stewart and Mosse have had the exact same experience in their many Ironman races; and now I get to eat a little humble pie of my own!! Thanks Fellas!! Overall, I had an amazing experience in my first Ironman, and it definitely left me hungry for more. Only now, I am just plain hungry-- and plan on putting on 10 pounds! But come January, I am counting on Eneas, Dom and the boys at TT to make me stronger on the bike and a hill-climbing machine as I look toward Lake Placid in July. But perhaps more importantly, I can get an easy 3 minutes next race with 1 "easy" trick: HELP! Anyone!?! How the hell do you pee while riding your bike????
Thanks for reading---
Mitch

A day of racing at Cranbury Park

TARGETRAINING hosted the 1st annual Cranbury Park Challenge in Norwalk on November 23rd. The event was a 10 kilometer trail race that wound its way through the woods and fields of beautiful Cranbury Park. Over 50 runners from the tri-state area braved the sub-30 degree temperatures to challenge themselves and the course. The men's event was won by Dave James, 30, of Trumbull, CT in a time of 41 min, 14 sec. The women's race was won by Tina Senft, 24, of Stratford, CT in a time of 47 min, 26 sec.

Trail running presents a different challenge to athletes and requires skill, endurance, and special equipment. The athlete needs to navigate obstacles commonly found on trails such as rocks, logs, mud and streams. Trails tend to be found in hilly areas, running up steep inclines can be taxing on the legs and lungs. Runners use special trail running shoes to tackle the trails. The shoes have a more aggressive tread pattern on the bottom for more grip, some are waterproof and have a narrower opening to prevent leaves and twigs from getting in. There are many great parks in the area with safe, well-maintained trails where anyone can enjoy the thrill and tranquility of trail running. We meet every Sunday at 8AM in Trout Brook Valley Park in Weston for trail running.

Enjoy some of the photos taken at the first event.