At some point every athlete will experience a moment of crisis and ask themself "Why am I doing this to myself."  By day 5, I began had to remind myself that this was what training camp was all about (You are supposed to be tired. If you were not, you weren't pushing your limits.). I was beginning to tire, but we as athletes endure and chip away each day to improve.
    On day 8 of my training camp, I finally reached that breaking point. 4 hours into a bike ride through the Kittatiny Mountains, I had my moment of clarity.  Now, Peter's Valley, Walpack Ridge among other towns, are all small country towns hidden in these mountains, that unless your grew up there, you probably wouldn't even know they existed. I had been pretty lucky for most of the day as it had only been light rain up until this point. But knew the forecast had been calling for heavier rains yet to come. Riding near the Pennslvania border along lightly familiar roads, I came across some road blocks.  After looking down the path, it was obvious that these roads had been blocked off for the winter and untraversed for months now. The rain was now beginning to pick up and knew the blocked off road was my quickest connection back. I tried to stop in a restaurant for directions, but it wasn't open. As the saying goes, "When it rains, it pours." I continued on and came across some town names I recognized, but was unsure of how far out of the way the roads would be taking me. Unsure of how long the ride back would be, I decided to back track on the only roads I did know. And that's when it hit me...in the rain, climbing back through the ridge...I began to ask myself that frightful question. "Why am I doing this?" And almost immediately I had my moment of clarity. The answer..."So I don't have to ask myself that question during a race".  I began to think about some of the tougher races I will be doing this year...Quabbin Reservoir Classic 120 Mile Road Race, the Killington Stage Race. I climbed a little harder. I began to think about my goals for the year. Who else is out training in this weather? I took solice in that - and I embraced the rain and pressed a little harder down on the pedals.
    
"The human body can only do so much. Then the heart and spirit must take over.” – Sohn Kee-chung, 1936 Olympic Marathon Champion

So it's pretty clear everyone was out on their bike this past weekend.  50-60 degree temperatures in New England don't happen all that often in early March and from reading athlete logs, great quality miles were put in all over Boston.  I spent the weekend moving, so I can't make the same claims on the long rides, tempo efforts or transition practice that I saw on my athletes logs, but I can say that the athletes who took our winter build cycling classes were in fantastic shape to conquer the roads.  Things heard from class participants: "I rode over 60+ miles this weekend!  First time out on the road and I felt great!"

Boston Performance Coaching Spring Preseason Swim Class for Triathletes

Are you confident in your beach starts?  Do you round the buoys efficiently in open water swims?  In competition are you struggling to keep pace?

Join BPC Coaches for weekly swim workouts/classes at the Case Center Pool.  Each class will have a warmup, drill set, fitness main set and triathlon specific skills.
Classes will cover: sighting, alignment, rounding buoys, pacing for distance, deep water and shallow water starts, transition practice and race set up.

Parking is free (on street) and participants will have access to locker rooms to change and shower. Pool is easily accessible via Green Line T.

Spring Class Sessions:

Class Series 1 Spring 2010
April 9th-May 28th
Fridays
6:30-7:30am

Case Center Pool at Boston University
285 Babcock st
Boston, MA 02215

The class requires:
min of 10 and max of 25 people

Cost:
$145 for series of 8 weeks

I really look forward to this time of year: the weather is warming up and the Multisport World Conference and Expo at MIT is two weeks away which Ali and I are presenting the Strength Training for the Multisport Athlete - it all means the race season is right around the corner. Lastly, it's spring break time at the university. For me, this means some time to catch up on sleep and take advantage of some extra time to train. This week is my training camp and here is how it has started.

FRI: Workout#1 - Swim 5.1K Aerobic intervals. Workout#2 - Brick, Bike 2.5 hrs with a 50' interval at 88-95%, Run 30' transition run
SAT: Workout#1 - Bike 4 hrs with 2 hrs of race pace simulation
SUN: Workout#1 - Brick, Bike 6 hrs including pace line skills practice with Threshold Cycling Team, Run 30' transition run. Workout#2 - Strength Training, Power emphasis followed by a 30' high cadence spin for recovery.
MON: Workout#1 - Swim 4K with a 1650 time trial. Workout#2 - Bike 4 hrs endurance (not including a 30' stop in Concord Center for a muffin and  to talk cycling and training of sorts with Skip Foley?)

It has taken years to learn what my body responds to. And it is volume. Then I will slowly add in small amounts of intensity to give my body another boost in fitness. This week provides a perfect time for me to do it. The key will be to find the right amount of cycling training to mix in with triathlon training as I am spending the first part of the season bike racing and will then transition to triathlon. The second key element will be my recovery methods - really dialing in on recovery nutrition as well as sleep, making sure I get 8-9 hours per night and a 30 min nap if possible at least 2-3 times during the week (can't remember the last time I took one of those). Bottom line, I really enjoy this type of training - the long workouts and challenging your body to see what it can achieve; what can you adapt to, and what can you overcome.

First bike race of the year is slated for March 28 in Marblehead, MA at the Michael Schott Memorial Circuit Race . The triathlon season opens at the Hopkinton Season Opener on May 9.

Get out and train!!!

Bike Class #9 on Thursday night was a Lake Placid "review"

Well if you were at the Hyannis Marathon, Half Marathon or 10K this past weekend you saw several thousand runners hitting the pavement.  I started in the front of the pack, as I always do for these races to get out of the clutter and get my own pacing started so that I don't need to dodge around people, hop on curbs or risk falling over chatting runners.

BPC was well represented this past weekend at the Hyannis Marathon, Half Marathon, & 10K. The Boston University Triathlon Team, coached by BPC Assistance Coach Vic Brown, had a strong showing as well. Congrats on a successful weekend of personal bests and strong individual performances!

10K
Vic Brown 39:09 (5th OA, 2nd M30-39)
Nancy Arena 45:45 (1st F40-49)
Robyn Metcalf 54:19 (1st F60-69, PR!!!)
John Fox 52:07 (PR!!!)

HALF MARATHON
Noah Manacas 1:33:53 (PR!!! 17 min faster than last year!)
Silas Bauer 1:38:48 (PR!!!)
Ali Winslow 1:40:17
Kate Blumberg 1:40:42
Kelly Cassidy 1:41:33
Christina Taddei 1:45:32
Brenda Chroniak 1:46:50 (PR!!!)
Jeff Tassi 1:55:08 (PR!!!)
Kyle Geiselman 1:56:19 (PR!!!)
Carrie Mosher 2:03:49 (PR!!! 13 min faster than last year!)

MARATHON
Carolyn Cullings 3:34:32 (2nd F30-39, Qualified for Boston Marathon!)

BOSTON UNIVERSITY TRIATHLON TEAM
10K
Colin Kipping-Ruane 42:10 (12th OA, PR!!! 5 min faster than last year!)
Meg Thibodeau 50:19 (PR!!!)
Gina Mucciardi 52:43
Meredith Pollard 56:29
Elena Serio 57:31
Jacqueline Sussman 57:34
Claire Hardy 57:40

Half Marathon
Nick Wendel 1:21:54 (1st HM!)
Max Metcalf 1:27:14 (PR!!!)
Sarah Murray 1:59:48
Olivia Kalmanson 2:07:28

Burlington, Vermont to Host 2011-12 USAT National Championships

by Liz Hichens

January 11, 2010

USA Triathlon has announced the picturesque city of Burlington, Vt., will host the 2011 and 2012 USAT Age Group, Sprint and Elite National Championships.

The date of the events has not been determined, but organizers expect the events to be held in August in both 2011 and 2012 at a venue near Lake Champlain and Battery Park.

“On behalf of USA Triathlon, we are thrilled to be bringing our National Championships to Burlington in 2011 and 2012,” said USA Triathlon CEO Skip Gilbert. “The athletes will face a very difficult course putting their athleticism to the full test. On a more personal note, as a graduate of the University of Vermont, I can’t say enough great things about Burlington, the community and I’m confident that our members will find this a championship weekend they won’t want to miss.”

The USA Triathlon Age Group and Sprint National Championships feature the top amateur athletes in the U.S. competing for national titles in their age groups as well as spots on Team USA to compete in the 2012 ITU World Championships in London. The 2010 Age Group, Sprint and Elite National Championship events will take place in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Course distances for each event:

Age Group National Championship – 1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run

Sprint National Championship – 750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run

Elite National Championship – 1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run; conducted in the Olympic-style format of racing – draft-legal with multiple loops

Burlington is located on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain against the backdrop of the Green Mountains and is the largest city in the state of Vermont. Climate for the month of August is mild with an average high of 78 degrees and an average low of 58, according to the National Weather Service.

The city offers athletes the convenience of Burlington International Airport, a 15-minute drive from the venue. Area attractions include the Church Street Marketplace, downtown Burlington’s open air mall featuring historical architecture, dining, shopping, year-round festivals, street entertainers, music and more. Burlington also is home to the University of Vermont.

The USAT National Championship weekend will include a Health & Fitness Expo to be held at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center where athletes, spectators and the general public will be able to browse through the offerings of dozens of exhibitors, all in the comfortable surroundings of the host hotel. The expo will feature a variety of items needed to enjoy an active lifestyle and it will also offer a number of homegrown Vermont products.

USAT is pleased to partner with the Burlington community and RunVermont, home of the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon, to bring this prestigious event to the shores of Lake Champlain.

“We are pleased to be the first course in the Northeast to host this event,” said Rick Milliken, the General Manager of the Doubletree Hotel Burlington and past Chairman of the Vermont State Sports Council. “Burlington’s combination of Lake Champlain scenery in an urban setting provides a spectacular landscape for the competition.”

In the summer, the Burlington region offers outdoor activities like kayaking, fishing, sailing, hiking, cycling and more.

Press release provided by USA Triathlon.

What an awesome turn out at the Landry's/BTT indoor time trial in Boston yesterday!  Cyclists, Triathletes, and fitness enthusiasts alike all came to ride their bikes indoors on computrainers.  This was a grueling 10K course, designed by Jeff and Tammy Godin over the last 10K of the Boston marathon route backwards.  Ok, so it was the same course as last year, however, we did modify it somewhat to make it a bit easier.  We held 13 heats, starting at 7am in the morning and we finished at 4pm.  Each heat was 16 athletes who all learned what it meant to go all out for 15-20+ minutes.  It was awesome to watch these athletes push themselves, especially beyond what they thought was their power or heart rate limits.  The overall men's winner came in at 14:55 and the overall female's winner came in at 17:34.  What is really interesting to watch is the power numbers and specifically the power to weight ratio.  Some athletes get up on their bikes and start pedaling and you see numbers in the high 300's with a 4.1 watts per kilo.  I think these indoor races are a great race to get yourself inspired, get focused on something to do in February and get a good measure of where you are for the build period of training.