Greenwich Tri Bike Course Update

For those people racing Greenwich this weekend, the bike course has changed slightly.
Due to Road Construction:
From Valley Road, cyclists will now turn right on Dandy Drive, left on Clover Place, then right on Bible Street.
Cyclists will also detour from Tomac, right on Lockwood, Left on Sound Beach Avenue, then right on Shore Road
& back to the Point.

Ironman Lake Placid

While the rest of my TT buddies have been busy racing this summer (Yoke- 59 races), I have been training for my one "A" race and watching from the sidelines. Weekends when I could have raced sprint and Olympic distance races, I have stayed disciplined and made sure I got in my long rides and runs. The nice thing about racing frequently is that if you don't like your performance, you only need to wait a week or 2 for the next race. This year, all of my proverbial eggs were in 1 basket. I did race the Rev3 Half (and DNF'd after going off course... on the run!), but that was it. After this race, I also had no plans and had not signed up for anything else. So, yes, I was a little nervous going into this race and was definitely pushing in all my chips.

After a stellar tune-up of my Cervelo P2C at TT, my bike and I headed up to LP on Wednesday where I would enjoy time with family and friends in the most spectacular setting anyone can imagine. I felt good race morning and tried to not get bummed or freaked out as the skies opened up around 6:30, a half hour before the race start. Fortunately, the rain was short lived and there was no repeat of the torrential rains from LP08. My swim felt solid and I managed to find some toes to draft now and then. I was out of the water in 57:27 and was feeling pretty good about my start to the day. Once out on the bike, I intended to ride stronger in the beginning then I had at Ironman Arizona as I feel I may have given away too much time to competitors. Well, I may have went a bit too hard on the first loop but was really feeling strong as I came back into town and got huge energy from seeing my wife, kids, parents, and friends. (2:38:41, ) Reality set in on the second loop of the bike. I accidentally threw away my salt tabs at the end of the first loop (don't ask) and also did not plan for the Powerbars on the course to be the 1 ounce, 2 bite, sample sizes. Yikes! Low on nutrition and no salt is not very smart! Also, the wind definitely kicked up a bit on the second loop and I suffered badly over the last 20 miles of the bike. That is a decidely uphill section of the bike and I was getting passed and struggling to find any power. Emotionally, this was definitely my low point as I kicked myself for my earlier mistakes and felt like I was watching the wheels come off the bus. Also, the looming marathon did not seem like something I was ready to attack. My second loop ended up being 2:48:08, roughly 10 minutes slower than my first loop for a total bike split of 5:26:49.

Apparently my body was thrilled to get off the bike and have a go at running (must be my Newton's!!). I felt strong and comfortable for the first loop of the run and completed my first loop in 1:34:36 (7:13/mile). While this was a good 17 seconds per mile faster than my target time, I really didn't feel I was "pushing it" and any point and figured I'd run while I was still feeling well. Similar to my experience on the second bike loop, things began to get tough on the second loop of the run. I believe this is where some of my earlier nutrition mistakes may have really hurt me as I began to have some cramping and then dizziness after mile 20. Unfortunately, the last six miles also possess the 2 biggest hills on the course. While the wheels didn't completely come off, it was really close, as I managed a 1:48 flat for the second loop (8:14/mile). I certainly hadn't planned on running my first loop a whole minute faster than my second, but I was happy with my run time of 3:22:36 (7:43/mile). My final time: 9:53:56. I was hoping to scare 10 hours and thrilled to have met that goal. Following the first loop of the run, my wife screamed to me that I was in 5th place in my AG. Having gotten passed by a few guys on the second loop, I ended up 8th in the AG and 36th overall, good enough for a spot to "The Show" in Hawaii.. I secured my spot the following morning and am now making plans for my family and I do go to Kona this October 10th. A dream come true for me, and something I have wanted since I began this sport. A huge thanks to everybody at TargeTraining for supporting me along the way and helping me to reach my goal.

Swim Session Canceled for Tonight

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect until 8:00 PM EDT
for Fairfield County, CT. Due to this, the swim session tonight has been canceled.

Congrats to Mitch West who completed the Lake Placid Ironman this past weekend finishing 9:53 landing him 36th overall and 8th in his division. He also now qualifies for Hawaii. Way to go Mitch! Hoorah

30K Sherwood Island Time Trial Test

Time Ave.Speed MPH
Rob Weiss 43:12:00 25.9
Rob Labanca 45:22:00 24.7
Mike Wallace 48:53:00 22.9
Ed Parker 50:05:00 22.3
Andy Kaplan 50:50:00 22.3
Marc McCoy 50:51:00 22.0
David Burns 52:00:00 21.5
Josh Cooper 58:10:00 19.2

Fighting the Good Fight

Sitting between the CT Challenge and the Pan Mass Challenge, this week reminds us of our humanity, appreciation for one’s health and a drive inside all of us that often comes out when we stare cancer in the face.

Not a week goes by at TARGETRAINING that we are not reminded of the reality that is cancer. We see clients, friends, family and many others come across this disease in many different forms. But one thing that we see as a common thread is the human drive to fight! Unlike what others may think, we do not believe that life is fragile. Yes tragedy does and often occurs, but as members of the human race we are driven to see the light of the next sun rise, and the love of the next generation.

Sometimes we fight and lose, but it is that courage to battle that breaths life into the next patient to hold onto hope when there is little to grasp.

Last year our fellow team mate, Rick Spear, fought the cancer battle and has to date remained cancer free! We take inspiration from his success and support for others in our community that face similar struggles.

For those heading to the Pan Mass Challenge this coming weekend, good luck and thank you for all that you contribute. There are many unseen faces and stories that you will not know about, but your ride for them will be felt.

Tour de Greenwich and Greenwich Cup Triathlon Course Preview Map

TARGETRAINING Clients complete the Etap du Tour and conquer Mont Ventoux

Congratulations to TARGETRAINING clients Jim Carpenter, Robert Baird, Kevin Burke, John Colbert, and Bruno Perreault for conquering the 114mile and 19,400 feet of climbing stage of this year Etap Du Tour, finishing atop of the brutal Mont Ventoux climb. We are proud to have helped with their preparation for the Etap via our TARGETourque indoor hill climbing classes at TARGETRAINING. We are proud of the boys accomplishment!

Cyclists are nuts!

Cyclists are nuts! or so says Radio Freddy at Belgium Knee Warmers.

As July gets underway, the miles continue to climb and our passion for the bike and the time we spend in its presence is reaching a feverish crescendo. The cycling lifestyle is everywhere around us and, at times, all encompassing. Not only are there hours dedicated to riding and racing and talking about the sport, but with the Tour beaming worldwide we now dedicate even more of our already scarce time to cycling. With all of this time spent deep in the cycling mindset, our loved ones and friends can arrive at only one conclusion: cyclists are nuts!

Read the whole thing.

Cervelo Demo Ride Map 24 miles

TARGETRAINING Weekend Schedule 7/24-7/26

Cervelo Demo Day Saturday!
The Cervelo demo truck is back in town! We will have a special Saturday outdoor ride schedule to allow clients to demo these fantastic bikes and get quality TARGETRAINING rides in. These rides will be about
1.5hrs in length and have multiple group ride leaders to accommodate novice to faster paced riders. For those looking to get a long day in the saddle, we encourage you to participate in the standard 6AM ride and then double up with one of the demo rides at 9AM/11AM/1PM.

TARGETRAINING Destination Ride Sunday!
We will be conducting a destination ride on Sunday at 8AM of the Greenwich Tri and Tour de Greenwich courses. We will be meeting at Greenwich High School and will be previewing both courses.

Weekend Schedule Update
There will be no Sunday 8AM TARGETri Session this weekend in lieu of the Greenwich Tri Destination Ride.

Please visit the TARGETRAINING blog page for the latest TT news:
http://targetraining.com/TTBlog.html

Friday:
6:00AM TARGETorque Indoor Cycling Hill Training
6:00AM TARGETough Strength Training
6:00AM TARGETide Open Water Swim (Burying Hill Beach)
9:00AM TARGETour Outdoor Cycling (novice skill ride)
9:00AM TARGETorque Indoor Cycling
9:00AM TARGETKick Kickboxing
10:15AM TARGETYoga Performance Yoga
4:00PM TARGETeen Indoor Cycling
5:00PM TARGETKick Kickboxing

Saturday:
6:00AM TARGETour Outdoor Group Ride
7:30AM TARGETorque Indoor Cycling (suspended for weekend)
9:00AM Cervelo Demo Ride Outdoor Group Ride
11:00AM Cervelo Demo Ride Outdoor Group Ride
1:00PM Cervelo Demo Ride Outdoor Group Ride
12:00PM TARGETeen Sport Performance

Sunday:
8:00AM Destination Ride Greenwich Tri and Tour de Greenwich courses
8:00AM TARGETri Triathlon Session (suspended for the weekend)
8:00AM TARGETour Outdoor Woman's Group Ride
8:00AM TARGETour Outdoor Shootout Ride!
10:00AM TARGETorque Indoor Cycling
10:00AM TARGETPilates
4:00PM TARGETide Open Water Swim (Sherwood Island)

2009 Donovan-Ruhlman Naugatuck Criterium Master's Race Report

Rick, Abdul, Badger, Max L., and Ed lined up at the starting line of the 28 lap event (25 miles).  Unlike the usual rain and thunderstorms that typically occur at this event, the weather was perfect.  We met just before race to discuss strategy, and now all that was left was to execute the plan as best that we could.  The course was littered with potholes and manhole covers which took some getting used too.  The team was extremely assertive throughout the race getting into or initiating most, if not all, of the moves.

A few good moves involving Badger, Max. and Adbul looked promising early in the race. However, all were short lived.  A little later Ed attacked the field getting a prime and was off on his own for a little while.  This took some pressure off the rest of the team who could simply sit on and follow wheels.  The field eventually came back together and throughout the race most of the team had a moment or two in a break trying to get something to stick.  Once again, things came back together.

A bit later, and closer to the end, Ed once again got into another move and when he noticed some disorganization up front decided to have a go on his own.  Once he had a little gap, he rode an effort that he felt he could maintain fairly comfortably hoping that a few others would bridge up with more team support in tow.  Eventually Leigh Sorrells, a strong rider from another team, bridged up solo and there were two up front about 15 seconds ahead of the pack.  Leigh had team-mates in the pack that would not chase while he was up front.  Ed didn't want to risk being out-sprinting by this normally much faster guy, so with 3 to go Ed accelerated and was on his own giving it all he had to take the win.  In retrospect, probably would have been better to wait another lap or 2 because Leigh's teammates then picked up the pace significantly and Ed was reeled back in with about 1 lap to go.  Wasn’t a total waste though because this also gave our guys a chance to sit on and rest up for the likely field sprint.  Things were pretty stung out for the last lap and Max gave it a go from way out sensing a good opportunity. Max almost held everyone at bay for the win but was nipped by a couple of riders.  No-doubt he gave it his all as he laid on the ground gasping for air for some time after the finish.

Overall, the team executed very well and fell just short of the victory. But above all, it was fun and we're very proud to be wearing the team colors.

1 Wilson Vasquez  Champion System Racing

2 Johann Burrowes We Stand United (W.S.)

3 Max Lippolis TARGETRAINING 

4 Stephen Gray Bethel Cycle Sport Club 

5 Anthony Taylor CCV - Hotfoot Cycles/Iron Hill Race Teams

6 Raymond Newton Century Road Club Association 

7 Stephan Badger TARGETRAINING 

8 Gary Steinberg Global Locate 

9 Wayne Kirk Mystic Velo Club 

Destination Ride Sunday July, 26th

Greenwich Triathlon and Tour de Greenwich

Bike Course Preview

Sunday, July 26th

35 Miles

Let by Dominic Gillen, winner of the 2008 Greenwich Triathlon

Meet at TARGETRAINING at 8:00 AM or Greenwich HS at 8:30 AM

email dom@targetraining.com

Mossman Race Report

When I signed up for the Mossman Sprint Triathlon, I wasn't really paying attention to the fact that I had the Rhode Island 70.3 exactly one week prior.  I started paying attention when I realized how much the half Ironman kicked my butt! But I still planned on participating in the Mossman and I'm glad I did! By the end of the week, I was actually looking forward to a short, fast race despite still not being 100%. But I gave it all I had yesterday and ended up 2nd overall woman, coming in behind our own Megan Kelly! 

    

When you are as strong a swimmer as Megan, it makes it REALLY hard for others to make up the distance over the remaining 12 mile bike and 5k run. Basically, Megan was out of the water while the rest of us mortals were still rounding the first buoy :).  She came out of the water almost three minutes ahead of me (a 9:15 to my 11:59), maintained her lead with a 1 minute faster bike split (32:36 to my 33:37), and even with my 19:00 5k, I still couldn't catch her (she had a great run as well in 21:19)! Overall, she had a course record crushing 1:04:46 and I had a 1:06:35.  Next head to head for us, the Greenwich Tri on August 2nd!  

Congrats to all the other Targetraining rock stars- 

Jon "Bax" Baxendale was 2nd in his age group, 7th overall! 

Laurie Cizek-Brannigan was 2nd in her age-group (Pascale was actually third overall female, moving Laurie up to 2nd!) and 8th woman overall!  

Oakes Ames won his age group (of course:). 

David Booth was 2nd in his age group and 14th overall (after a crazy Xterra race last weekend!).  Also coming in with great performances were Chris CK Kinney and Cornelia P-H! Way to go Targetraining! Thanks to Mitch West for cheering us on and best of luck to him at Lake Placid next weekend!

Results page: http://results.active.com/pages/displayNonGru.jsp?pubID=3&rsID=81392

Wetsuit Rentals are here at TARGETRAINING

We are now offering a full line of wetsuit rentals from Zoot. Come and demo a Zoot Fuzion wetsuit. The cost is $40 for a weekend. Best of all, apply the rental cost to the purchase price of your own wetsuit.

From the Zoot website...

"In their second year, Fuzion WetZoots will continue to be the most competitive and eye-catching wetsuits in their category by offering premium features, quality, and durability. Our choices of materials, design, and details offer more flexibility, flotation, and overall performance than all other wetsuits at this level.

• Yamamoto #39 cell neoprene is the world’s most lightweight and low-density rubber, making the suit flexible, buoyant, and durable. Low density = maximum buoyancy = more SPEED


• Yamamoto SCS finish is one of the most hydrodynamic wetsuit coatings available, reducing the suit’s coefficient of friction in the water to .032 (compared to traditional neoprene CoF of 4.0)


• 3mm thigh and calf panels ensure advanced mobility and easy on and off for fast transitions• Tapered collar lined with SCS smoothskin features a new lower front to eliminate neck constriction and minimize chafing• Updated cuff construction seals out water and makes for easy on and off.


• 5mm torso/thighs, 1.5mm sleeves and underarms, 3mm and 4mm legs"

Block Island Destination Ride

We are excited to announce that we will be conducting a destination ride at Block Island this Friday, July 17th.

We are going AWOL to enjoy a fun (no intervals) ride around beautiful Block Island and partake in the sun and surf.

Most of us will be taking the 11:30 AM ferry out of New London which gets us there at 12:45PM. The last ferry back is at 7:50 PM. There is also an earlier ferry in the morning.

See this link for ferry schedule. https://www.longislandferry.com/bif/schedule.aspx

It is a good idea to reserve a spot online because they only have 50 bicycle slots available.

The drive to the ferry takes at least 90 minutes from Westport. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=2%20Ferry%20Street%2C%20New%20London%2C%20CT%2006320%20Click%20HERE%20for%20a%20prin&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

Those that would like to car pool should meet at TARGETRAINING Friday 8:30AM. Don't forget sunscreen, swim suits, change of clothes, pooka beads etc.

TARGETRAINING Member, Rob Weiss, has generously volunteered to be ride leader for this event. In addition, TARGETRAINING Staff members Carlos and Suzie will be on hand to lend a helping wheel.

Saturday Cycling Course Map 7/18/09

Targetraining Bike Fit A++

Want to thank the guys at Targetraining, especially Jeff,  for getting me set up nicely on the bike.  I'm a member of the Master's Cycling Team and have been struggling with my bike fit over the years.  Even though my racing results have been pretty good, I've tried everything to get more comfortable ranging from shims and footbeds to the pretty extreme mid-arch cleat position (i.e., drilled some hole in the middle of the cycling shoes to mount the cleat in the arch).  As many of you know, desperate times call from drastic measures.  Long story short, took the bike over Targetraining and had Jeff take a look.  Jeff is extremely knowledgeable giving me confidence that he really knows what he's doing.  He made some changes using some state of the art tools as guidance (Retul) but mainly his great feel and eye for specific areas to improve upon.  I have bugged Jeff a bit over time as I'm pretty stubborn and tend to change things around from day to day (not a good idea I know).  Anyways, Jeff has been really helpful and the shop extremely tolerante of my sometimes crazy behaviors.  I would highly suggest you check out what they have to offer if you already haven't.  Thanks much!!                 

Scenes from Vermont

Our home for the weekend, Nice work by David Booth.

Bailey

Dom and wife Catherine

The cave like opening leads to a wet, muddy, steep ride, the gates to hell.

This section was part of the run course.

We to got run down the mountain and it was so much fun, not.

More of the same, wet mud.

We ran down this to the finish.

Cleats were added for hike-a-baike traction.

During last years Green Mountain Stage Race, Eneas wont a stage on this climb.

The guy behind me was out of the water before me. Maybe his wetsuit got stuck?

Sam out of the water.

Dom giving pre-race advice.

Trev heads on to the course.

Suzie heads onto the trail

Dom at T2

David Booth starts his run.

Trev finishes, second in his age group.

Dom has a well deserved beer.

Dom, Catherine and Bailey meet a fan.

The view from our deck

Swim Time Change for July 15th

The Wednesday 6:45 PM swim will be held this week at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk, CT. We are doing this to preview the swim course of the upcoming Mossman Sprint Triathlon on Sunday. We will meet at the same time, 6:45 but we will meet at Calf Pasture Beach. See you there!!!

Amica Rhode Island 70.3 Recap - "Don't leave before roll down"

Yesterday was the 2nd version of the Rhode Island 70.3 and Allie Lawler, Kristin Budden and I from TargeTraining (and over 1300 others that finished) were all ready to rock and roll. We had been somewhat worried about the weather, which earlier predictions showing rain and maybe thunderstorms on race morning, but the storms went through Saturday night and on Sunday, we awoke -- at 3:15 am for those of us taking the shuttle from Providence to Narragansett - to somewhat cloudy but not rainy skies. We arrived at the start in Narragansett to find that the race was being delayed as the night's storm and winds had relocated the buoys. This was a big field and we all had a wide range of start times...pros were going off first at 6:20ish with other waves following every 4 minutes...I had the 10th wave and so had a lot of time to kill making sure my T1 stuff didn't fall onto the "clean transition area" ground we were supposed to maintain.

I went in for a warm up "swim"...it was more like a warm up pinball game as the swells on what was supposed to be the calm beach basically tossed me all over (Megan, how much can I pay you for open water swim lessons?). "OK, I'll just make it up on the return back to shore," I thought. Finally, we start, and I was looking forward once again to being the USAT-age 45 year old guy in the 45-49 age group. The swim was brutal...crowded, choppy, just not fun all the way to the turn. The return was OK, but I went a bit wide and came back toward the buoys. Out of the water...slower than last year (31:24 including the run up to the mats), but hey, the swim was MUCH calmer last year. I figure I'll make it up on the bike.

We had tail winds for a decent portion of the first half of the ride, but looking at my splits, I think my head was somewhere else. I basically rode a little slower than last year, perhaps anxious to get to the run strong. The bike course is relatively fast, certainly not as difficult as some of the courses around here. Not feeling spent, I cam in with a 2:29:27; I'd hoped to go 2:27-2:28 but must have had a brain freeze around 50 miles or something and slowed a bit.

My goal was to come out of T2 at 3:00 and then runa 1:30 for a total time of 4:30. I emerged from T2 at 3:04, meaning I had to run a 1:26. OK...not out of the realm, so I got going. The run in Providence is a double loop with one really bad hill that's maybe 1/4 mile long...despite that, I was on 6:30 pace through 7 miles and felt OK...but after the 2nd time up the hill, I think I lost a bit of energy, focus, etc. and began to slow; over the two rollers between (now) 10 and 12 miles, it was even slower going. Nonetheless, I pushed back down the big hill and into the finish, ending up at exactly 1:30:00. Finishing time: 4:34:14. Place: 10th in age group (58th amateur).

This race was MUCH more competitive this year than last (that time would have been 2nd in the AG last year). Kristin was 5:03:36 for a big PR and 12th in her AG; Allie was 5:02:35 for 8th in the incredibly competitive women's 40-44, which included former Olympian Brigitte McMahon, Lisbeth Kenyon and Cassie McWilliam (to give an idea of the strength of the field, Cassie won the 40-44 at Eagleman and was 5th woman OVERALL including pros -- she was 4th in the AG here). This race was not only giving away Clearwater spots but also Kona spots, and it seems people came out of the woodwork for them. Subsequently, we all thought we'd be shut out of Clearwater spots and left. Unfortunately, it turned out that apparently, Clearwater isn't so popular (indeed, we've heard that many pros are upset with the race due to the amount of drafting that goes on) and BOTH Kristin and I could have had Clearwater spots if we'd been there to accept them. Note to USAT - the ridiculously stupid process of having to wait for over 2 hours after the standings are known to do roll down needs to be fixed.

Kristin's husband, Chris, also PR'd in 4:53:28 and numerous Westchester/Connecticut locals enjoyed the day as well. Congrats to all that raced!

Xterra Northeast Cup

TARGETRAINING sent a huge contingent to the 1st Xterra Cup race ever held in New England. Dom Gillen, Suzie Snyder, Trevor MacLean, Sam Goater, Chris Kinney and Dave Booth all participated in the events over the course of the weekend. The race was muddy, hilly and muddy and hilly. The dryest and flattest part was the swim! Everyone finished in one piece. Congrats to all the racers that got across the line. Of note, Sam Goater won the overall Xterra Sport division, Chris Kinney won his age-group in the Xterra Sport race. Trevor MacLean was second in his age-group in the Xterra Cup race, Suzie Snyder won the overall amateur title in the Xterra Cup race.

The weekend was more than just racing, we all stayed together at a rented house on the mountain. We enjoyed our share of food, laughs, boardgames, bike repair, and dogsitting. Keep checking for photos, (we took lots) and will be posting soon.

Colorado's Triple Bypass

TARGETRAINING Member Harold Kamins just completed the classic "Triple Bypass" this Saturday, here is his report.

I rode the "Triple Bypass" on Saturday, 7/11. This is an annual ride starting a little west of Denver, CO and continuing west for 120 miles to Avon, near the Beaver Creek ski resort. Along the way it crosses Juniper Pass (11,100 ft.), Loveland Pass (12,000 ft.) and Vail Pass (10,500 ft.). The ride is limited to 3500 riders, and sold out in about 36 hours this year.

Here's a photo of Arlo Ellison on his TargeTraining Cervelo near the top of Loveland Pass. Those cute, fluffy white clouds turned into rain and hail a few hours later, but luckily the huge barbecue party at the finish was dry. I've done this ride the past three years and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a non-racing challenge. You can combine it with the Mt. Evans (14,130 ft.) race to the summit the following weekend. You won't find me there.

Unionvale Road Race-Sunday 7/12

Here is a recap of the Masters Elite Racing Team's day at the Unionvale Road Race

in Unionvale, NY. A very lumpy 58 mile race to say the least, a few big climbs, a final climb of 1.5 miles straight up and the wind was a definate factor today. Westwood Velo sent Freihoffer or whatever his name

is (won Bear Mtn RR) off the front by himself at the beginning of lap 2 after a

couple of early moves were caught. After numerous attempts by Ed, Badger,

Fernando and myself to bridge with different surges off the front, the break

settled in. We had to do a lot of the heavy lifting at the front of the

group and tried to keep Fernando fresh. We had the most numbers of any team

and a lot of guys were just willing to sit in. Marc Alden from Blue Ribbon

put in a few huge efforts on some hills to keep it close and his teammate

Eddie did his fair share to help. We kept it steady and crisp going into

the last lap and we started to smell blood. Alden again put in a big effort

again coming through the feed and only Troy Kimball from Westwood was able

to follow. Given that he didn't have to do any work (because his teammate was already off the front), Troy sat in and the

move was destined to fail. We caught the soloist not long before the left

turn on Rt. 21 towards the end of the first lap and it was steady on that hard

climb. At the top, 2 guys (one being some unknown Westwood guy who

eventually wins) roll off without much response figuring the fast downhill before the final climb ahead will keep them close...well it doesn't and they probably start the 1

1/2 mile finishing climb with 30-45 seconds. Damn that is a hard climb with

the first 3/4 of a mile the hardest and that's when the lactic acid burn

settles in!! The climb was steady at first with 7 or 8 of us in the group

but dwindling as the climb got progressively faster (just the way I like it

except my legs were already rubbery with a lot of energy spent in early

break aways and work at the front of the main field). I was staying with

John Funk and Troy Kimball for most of it until I cracked with about 1/2

mile to go. Almost started to go backwards but got motivated by the

oncoming chasers. I held on for 7th, Fernando I believe was 8th. Props to

Ed and Badger for some sacrifice and attempts at the front of the field!

Ouch...my legs hurt!

Griskus and Vermont Xterra

This past Wednesday I completed my first Triathlon, the Pat Griskus Sprint.

Today, (Saturday) I finished my first Xterra race. My first Triathlon and Xterra Race in the same week.

Today at the Vermont Xterra Sport Race I had a really good swim. My swim improved from 21:56 (Griskus) to a little more than 16 minutes. I was in third place overall coming out of T1. Crazy!!! The mountain bike course was brutal , it was wet, muddy and up a mountain. World Champion Conrad Stoltz called the course "by far the hairiest XTTERRA course I have ever pre ridden."

The 5k trail run was either straight up or straight down the mountain. The back of my legs were hurting while running up and my quads were screaming while running down.

But I managed to finish.

Sam Goater had a great race and took first place.

Because of Targetraining I was able to finish both events. If I can do it anybody can. Sunday I get to rest and watch the Pros suffer on the long course. Good luck Dom!

Saturday 7-11-09 ride map

4th of July Weekend Wrap Up

We would like to thank all those who joined us on what turned out to be a beautiful Independence day weekend.

We had three great days of events including an excellent group of TARGETRAINING clients and friends for our Croton Damn destination ride on Friday, our Saturday 6AM and 9AM group rides, and our TARGETTri event at Sherwood Island on Sunday!

We hope that the rest of the summer has such great weather and camaraderie.

4th of July TARGETRAINING Ride Map

Another Podium for Eneas!

Down at the USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships Eneas was on the podium again. He finished third in the 30-34 Men's 25.8-kilometer Time Trial.

Congratulations on another great finish!