Tag: CompuTrainer

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things: A Triathlon Gear Geek’s Must Have List

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I didn’t used to think of myself as a triathlon gear geek. But, one look around my house and my garage will quickly call that assumption into question. When I first started in triathlon, I had just the basics: a used bike that was 2 sizes too big for me, $20 bike shorts (ouch!), a grocery bag for my transition bag, and I was just learning about the value of some type of butt butter. I had no idea was Zipp was, nor did I own a single pair of compression socks. How on earth did I ever finish those …

Sometimes it sucks

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Last Thursday, I fought through a 90 minute ride, with the final 10 minutes feeling like 100 minutes. I could feel the energy slipping away from my legs. I was so drained, I skipped my 15 minute transition run. Friday’s a new day, right? Wrong. I slogged through 3200 yards of swimming. On good days, I can swim 3200 yards to warm up for the rest of my workout. On this day, those same 3200 yards sent me to the couch for a 2-hour nap. And, then it was Saturday morning. Time for another long ride. Three hours. Sigh. I’m …

Wait, how many feet is that? Previewing IM Mont Tremblant on the CompuTrainer

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Elevation profile for the Ironman Mont Tremblant bike course. I opened my Training Peaks schedule on Christmas Eve to find a 3-hour hilly ride that my coach, Vince Matteo, had scheduled. This would be my first 3-hour ride since September. For me, the three-hour ride is a sure sign of beginning base training for an Ironman. With Ironman Mont Tremblant 7 months away that’s exactly right where I need to be. Usually, I would opt to do my long ride outdoors. But, a few factors drove me to the CompuTrainer for this ride. Most importantly, it was only 35-degrees. The …

CompuTrainer Ride of the Week: Felog’s False Flats

Every race has got ’em. Those infuriating patches where we stare in wonder at our bike computers as they report decreasing speed despite maintaining power and effort. False Flats. Just the phrase is enough to conjure another F-word. False flats remind us that not all elevation change comes in big leaps. Sometimes, we climb a hill 1-2% at a time. After two years competing in Ironman Lake Placid, I’ve learned quite a bit about how false flats will try to get the best of you. But–and this is a really important “but”– false flats represent an opportunity if we train …

A little saddle time with my honey

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When we were preparing for our first Ironman in 2010, John and I did many of our bike rides together. Nothing quite like spending 6 hours together in the saddle, complete with sweat, blood (from the chafing), and tears (from John because he was so bored waiting for me all the time). But this year,  I simply could not keep up with him anymore. There is a limit to how many times he can double back to make sure I’m not splayed out on the road somewhere. With the aggressive goals he had for 2011, I knew I would only …

Tempo Intervals: Crying for my mommy in the last 10 seconds

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With IMLP 2011 a fond memory, it’s time to enjoy a return of the sufferfest. We’ve moved the CompuTrainer into a deluxe suite in the garage, where we have a TV, cable, and climate control. Lap of luxury, people! As an added benefit of the deluxe sweet, I don’t have to worry about my house smelling like a locker room–or leaving bike grease all over the floors (which I did two weeks ago – oops!). I like sweat and grease as much as the next triathlete, but I think the garage is a better place for stinky and sticky stuff. …

How can I do better next time?

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An endorphin-craving, wild-eyed smurf-like triathlete sits on my shoulder and consistently asks this question after every race, and most training sessions. While visible only to me, you will simply have to trust that she exists. In fact, she looks exactly like me, but just in miniature smurf size. With three weeks elapsed since IMLP, she has grown persistent and insistent in asking this question. She must be answered. I can no longer hide inside the post-race glow. It’s time to reflect reflect upon what worked–those strategies that helped me achieve a personal best by 41 minutes–and what didn’t work–those strategies …

Fartlek Freestylin’: Muscular Endurance Rides on the CompuTrainer

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Effective endurance training must incorporate sessions that work on muscular endurance, which Joe Friel and Gordo Byrn (2009) define as the point “where force meets endurance [which] allows the athlete to apply a fairly large force for a fairly long time and is essential for cycling” (p. 27). In a little more than three weeks, muscular endurance will power me up Whiteface Mountain, and help me push through those relentless rolling hills that make the Ironman Lake Placid course so challenging. In the early base phase of training (January and February), most of my workouts focused simply on re-establishing and …

Promises to keep

There’s nothing like biting off more than you can chew, and then chewing anyway. ~Mark Burnett   My cycling was a disappointment last season. While my first Ironman was best day of my life so far, I made a promise to myself that this year, my performance will be better. And by “better” I mean faster. A lot faster. In the afterglow of IMLP 2010, I initially set what I thought was an aggressive goal: a 12 hour and 30 minute Ironman for 2011, which would be 1 hour and 3 minutes faster than my debut effort. John’s response? “You’ll …

Where it matters most: Heading for the hills

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It’s time to test my mettle. It’s time to see if all of this cycling-focused training has made a difference where it matters the most. It’s time to return to Lake Placid. John and I are heading north for the Fireman Ironman May Training Camp, which is run by NY City Fireman Larry Parker. Last year, John and I went to the June training camp, and it was such a positive experience, I can hardly wait to do it again–and again (for the June camp). We made friends, learned valuable tips, and swam, rode, and ran ’til our bodies cried …