LifeCycle Tri-Team

2008-05-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

TEAM RIDE
Sunday, May 11, 10am, 3 hour group ride. That means we'll meet up at the top of hills and at stop signs. We'll be giving points for hills, sprints and puking! Meet at 29th and Amazon by the dog park. Open to anyone interested in riding with us tri folks and having some fun.

2XU Order is in!

Pick it up at the shop. If you're interested in getting it screen printed (and how could you not be?) contact Gina(ginadhom@earthlink.net). She has a killer deal with Gerda Shirts(gerdashirts@comcast.net) here in Eugene. They do fast, excellent work.

Details are:
It will be a two color design. We all got different color jersey's so the screening will be different colors:
black top: white and green print
white top: black and green print
blue top: white and green print

while it won't and can't be as nice as a factory produced print it is very reasonable.

COST per person per top:
if one person does this (ME!) - $18
if 2 people: $12.50
if 3 people: $10.50
if 4 people: $9.25
if 5 people: $8.60
if 6 people: $8.20
if 7 people: $8.00

GO TEAM LIFECYCLE! Gina:)

2xu Triathlon Suits

2008-02-12T09:52:00.000-08:00

Listed below is the 2008 suit collection for 2xu. Once you send me an email about what suit you are interested in, I'll send you the price list for each item. Also, we'll be silk-screening so the cost will rise a few more dollars. You may pick any suit you’d like, but please keep in mind the suit color. Since we’ll be having a Life Cycle logo silk-screened on the jersey, let’s stick with Black, Silver, White, Light Blue, or Dark Blue (color availability varies for each specific style). For more information regarding the technology behind each suit, colors available, and for deciding which suit would work best for your race needs, check out their website: www.2xu.com/triathlon

Unfortunately I won't be able to put together a fit kit, but once you what you'd like, email me at ewegsche@gmail.com. As soon as I hear from everyone, I'll place the order.

One Piece Suits:
• Kona Fusion
• Super Elite Endurance
• Super Elite
• Elite
• Endurance

Tops:
• Elite
• Comp
• 3 Pocket

Shorts:
• Elite
• Comp with Pockets
• Comp

The Next Tri-Stud! Scott!

2008-01-24T11:29:00.000-08:00

Hey all you Tri-Studs and Studettes! Here we are in late JANUARY already! Geesh! Time flies huh? I know that I'm about 4 weeks into my base training for the '08 season and things are truckin along slowly but surely. Hope all of your training is going well and I look forward to some group workouts/rides in the very near future!

On another note! Our first "official" meeting of 2008 is scheduled for Thursday, February 7th at 5:30 pm at LifeCycle! This will be our first opportunity to meet one another and share our overall vision of what we'd like this club to become! We'll also be collecting club dues for the '08 season so that you can take advantage of the OUTSTANDING benefits that the shop has to offer club members!

In addition, Steve Laurie, Excercise Physiologist will be joining us and giving an in-depth lecture about lactate threshold and VO2Max testing, what the benefits are, and ultimately how it pays off to train within the proper zones in endurance sports! It's going to be an amazing evening and I sincerely hope that you all can make it!

NOW! Onto our next featured "Tri-Stud"... Scott Downey!

1) When/Where were you born?

Madison Park Hospital, Brooklyn, New York 1959

2) Age? 48

3) Marital Status? Unmarried

4) Kids? Dogs? Cats? Rats?

No... none of those... but my brothers and I had a squirrel monkey when we were kids.

5) Profession?

Buy/move/fix/rent/and sell houses. Find me a house and I will give you $800... for real!

6) Favorite food/meal?

Bin #5056 at Capella Market/Carob Malted Balls... and ummm potato chips!

7) Favorite toothpaste? Jason Power Smile

8) Favorite color?

Any color that's metal flake... like a 60's drum kit.

9) Favorite quote?

I have a few... "Discipline is freedom.", "Slowly slowly catch a monkey.", "The law is no excuse for ignorance.", and one most of you can probably relate to, "Excercise, the more I get the more I want."

10) Favorite book?

Right now I'm reading, "The Four Hour Work Week", and "The Triathlete's Guide to Mental Training", and I just finished Scott Tinley's, "Racing the Sunset"... !CAUTION!... after reading this book I felt like quitting all competitive sports!

11) Favorite movie?

"Shaw Shank Redemption"... "Dog Town Z-boyz" and just about any documentary. I like stupid movies too... like, "Super Bad" and Deuce Bigalo American Gigolo"... dumb stuff like that.

12) What draws you to endurance sports?

The skin. This is the sexiest sport in the world. Oh... and of course all the trivial stuff like having something to identify self with, goals, something to live for and focus on... ya know... stuff like that.

13) Years cycling/running/swimming?

Really, the only bike experience I have is, (besides riding a sting ray with a sissy bar and banana seat as a kid), I biked across the country in 1983 with a friend, East to West, camping every night. Swimming... my dad taught me as a kid. Right now Gina's clueing me in with some coaching. THANKS GINA! And running... about 5 years.

14) Other interests outside of endurance sports?

I love surfing and I'm working on breaking the worlds record for the oldest person to ever live.

15) Short/Long-term fitness/competition goals?

Short term goals right now would be , show up, stick to the plan and have a good time! I'll be doing local Olympic distance races throughout the season, like Blue Lake, Pacific Crest, Deschutes Dash, and Portland (Downtown) but my "A" races will be Lake Stephens 70.3 in July and USAT Age Group Nationals in Sept. For long term goals I want to compete in a 70.3 that will qualify me for Kona. (Yeah right). I figured I would like Kona to be my first full iron, just in case I don't like the longer distance and decide to never do another one... I can at least say I did an Ironman!

16) Favorite piece of gear?

Compression socks

17) Favorite workout?

28 mile bike/4 mile brick on Lorane Hwy on a really sweltering hot day.

18) What's your vision for the tri-club?

Really cool race outfits, friends to connect with for training and travelling and hangin out. Seeing that I live right on Lorane Hwy, I would love to do some long early morning team rides then do a big breakfast at my house!

19) Secret little-known talent?

I can whistle with any combination of any finger on any hand. I just about got the one finger whistle.

THANKS SCOTT! I'm REALLY looking forward to that long ride and breakfast at your cool pad!

Breathe....

Tri-Stud Profile: DAN!!!

2008-01-08T11:26:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Things are moving a bit slow due to the holidays but a lot of us have entered into our first couple of weeks of base training for our '08 season! You know what THAT means... LOTS of BORING low-intesity mileage! YUCK! Just remember... your patience now will pay HUGE dividends heading into race season... so stick with it!

On another note... you might have noticed that there hasn't been a lot of team activity... don't sweat it... things will ramp up as we get closer to Spring. In the meantime I'll continue to post athlete profiles AND if you have anything that you want to post about... lemme know!

Finally... here's another team-mate that we should all get to know a bit better: Dan Schmitt! Thanks for taking the time to fill out the profile Dan! I for one am looking forward to getting some training in with you!

1) When/Where were you born?

I was born in Seattle Washington, November 29, 1973.

2) Age? 34

3) Marital Status?

Divorced, currently dating the “shop girl”

4) Kids? Dogs? Cats? Rats?

Two crazy high energy dogs. Anyone looking to adopt two cute dogs?

5) Profession? Potter, adjunct professor at UO, and swim coach

6) Favorite food/meal? Sushi

7) Favorite toothpaste? Crest regular with cavity protection

8) Favorite color? Pretty much anything earth toned

9) Favorite quote? “All things in moderation including moderation”

10) Favorite book?

Hmm, that’s a tough one. A couple recent favorites have been the Harry Potter series, The God Part of the Brain, Blink, and Stumbling on Happiness.

11) Favorite movie?

Another tough one. Probably Dead Poet’s Society, the Squid and the Whale, most Wes Anderson films, and Amelie.

12) What draws you to endurance sports?

I enjoy the training and it is something I have been fairly successful at.

13) Years cycling/running/swimming?

Cycling 3, running 3, swimming 7.5

14) Other interests outside of endurance sports?

My main interests outside of endurance sports is my artwork and renovating my house.

15) Short-term/Long-term fitness/competition goals?

My main short-term goal for this year is to work on my running and staying injury free as much as possible. My long-term goal is to keep endurance sports and physical activity a part of my life whether I’m competing or not.

16) Favorite piece of gear? What I don’t own yet

17) Favorite work-out?

Swim Dorena Lake, have breakfast in Cottage Grove, and bike home. My other favorite is biking down the backside of Briggs Hill.

18) What’s your vision for the tri-team?

To develop an established team and have fun training together.

18) Secret little-known talent…

I can cook some pretty awesome crepes!

THANKS Dan! Next time the team gets together... we'll ALL expect to be sampling some of your mad crepes!

Next Tri-Studette... GINA!

2007-12-28T14:20:00.000-08:00

First I want to thank Erich for taking the time to post during his 2 weeks of training! I really enjoy reading race reports and training reports... seems like I learn something new with every one I read!

ALRIGHTY! With X-mas out of the way... the family surviving to plague... and a couple of moments to myself... I finally have the time to post another athlete profile! This week's comes to us from Gina! Read and enjoy!

1) When/Where were you born?

Mt View, CA on May 26, 1978, Gemini, Baby.

2) Age?

29 – but my racing age is 30, yikes! I'm getting old!

3) Marital Status?

Married, to the most amazing man I've ever met! He's understanding of my triathlon lifestyle AND my coaching lifestyle.

4) Kids? Dogs? Cats? Rats?

One cat, Haley, although her nick name is “pretty girl”

5) Profession?

Coach (swim and tri) and personal trainer (to the stars!)

6) Favorite food/meal?

Pizza (homemade of course)

7) Favorite toothpaste?

No favorite, whatever is on sale.

8) Favorite color?

Oh this is a good one. I think today I'll pick PINK!

9) Favorite quote?

“Do something every day that scares you.”

10) Favorite book?

There's too many to pick just one. Right now I'm reading Mysteries of the Middle Ages by Thomas Cahill.

11) Favorite movie?

40 year old virgin or Team America (new team name?)

12) What draws you to endurance sports?

The complexity and crazyness of it all. Plus that whole taking and inflicting pain of the coach - athlete relationship is awesome!

13) Years cycling/running/swimming?

Swimming: 25 years competitive swimming
Cycling: 8 years for triathlon and a little dabbling in competitive cycling
Running: 14 years, but seriously for 8 (definitely my weakness!)

14) Other interests outside of endurance sports?

Reading, trivia nights, TV, who has time for much else?

15) Short-term/Long-term fitness/competition goals?

Olympic Distance USAT Nationals and Aquathon Nationals this year. Long term, to be fit and happy and crazy!

16) Favorite piece of gear?

The new tri bike I'm going to order any day now...a specialized elite transition

17) Favorite work-out?

Right now it would be running. Getting out and away from everything, zoning out.

18) What draws you to endurance sports?

Didn't we see this question already...This time my answer is: the meditative aspect, totally being in the moment, the purity of the physical experience.

19) What’s your vision for the tri-team?

Fun, friends, holiday parties, and PODIUM buddies!

20) Secret little-known talent?

I can eat way more than most women my age and weight! HA!

Thanks Gina! Looking forward to a GREAT '08 season!

Breathe...

Arizona Training Report IV

2007-12-23T15:53:00.001-08:00

My training here in Tucson is all said and done with. I’ve logged a lot of time on the bike and with the road conditions; sometimes I think I’m getting a taste of the Paris-Roubaix. Anyways, I’m ready to pack it up and head home and actually spend more than a day with my family.

My last Saturday here entailed a 3 hour ride and a 2,000 yard recovery swim. A relatively low-key day since I had another 6-7 hour day scheduled for Sunday. I began my ride around 9 and I wore bib shorts and a jersey. The temperature was in the 30’s, I figured it would warm up fast, it didn’t. As I headed out of town through one of passes, I decided I’d climb at a slightly higher heart rate to keep myself warm. It didn’t do much good as my body was still covered with goose bumps. Once I reached an intersection, I decided take a right and ride through a National Park, bad idea! The road offered no shoulder to ride on and it was busy! Nothing like cars whizzing by you to keep you on your toes. My pace was much faster than my usual slow crawl of a ride, but I was right at my heart rate, so I kept the tempo. Soon enough, the Park’s boundaries ended and the traffic eased up. After that it was nothing but gentle rollers into Tucson. For some reason on my ride, I started thinking about how treacherous all the potholes I’d seen Arizona were and how they could easily take down a rider. As it turned out, I shouldn’t have been thinking about potholes, but rather trolley tracks. I was no more than a quarter mile away from my apartment when a car started backing out. I had just sped through an intersection to make the light and was carrying a speed of 20 mph. I moved left to get out of the way and jumped the trolley tracks that ran down the middle of road. When I tried to jump back over, my back wheel got caught and I went down on my right hip and slid into the curb. First and foremost, I looked my bike over. It was fine except for my shifters being way out of alignment. Then I checked myself over and I fortunately sustained only a few cuts on my right ankle and on my right arm. Once I got going again, I rode to yet another bike shop to have it looked over more carefully and while I was waiting, my hip was starting to hurt. I took some Advil, rested for a bit, and went for my recovery swim.

When I woke up Sunday morning, my hip was even more sore, as expected. A part of me wanted to go out and break the century mark, but after getting on the bike and going up some hills, I soon realized that wouldn’t be beneficial. Every pedal stroke yielded some pain, so I put my ego aside and rode an easy 50 miles. However, my hip feels better when pedaling than when walking, basically, I’m going be icing it for a couple of days.

Overall, my time down here has been great! I’ve been in a very focused environment and I know this trip has been great for my base. Will I come back here next year? Probably not, I have a friend who is going to be in New Zealand training. Then again, there’s no need to think about base training for next year when my season is coming up!

I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and thank you for taking the time to read about my training while I’ve been down here! I’ll keep you posted.

Arizona Training Report III

2007-12-21T19:39:00.000-08:00

I’m well past the halfway point of this training trip and I feel like I need to start mentally preparing for worse weather. My fingers are crossed that my hometown of Almaden, CA will shed sunlight so I can continue to take in some Vitamin D before heading back to Eugene.

As I mentioned in my last blog, Monday was a rest day. It also served as a day to get my bike in working order so using an allen wrench wouldn’t be required every hour. After getting the bike fixed, I did as little as possible.

Training resumed on Tuesday and to get back into things, I had a run and ride scheduled. I don’t have too much to say about my runs anymore since they all been the same thus far; 40 minutes in duration while keeping my heart rate under 140. Later on, I went out for my ride. There’s not too much to say about the two-hour rides either, since I can’t make it that far out of town in one hour, so I end up backtracking until I meet the time limit.

Wednesday morning I went for another run and I started to notice shooting pains in my medial ankle of the left leg. I had noticed them in the past few weeks, but I figured my stabilizer muscles were just sore since I started my running training just before Thanksgiving. The pains subside once I am completely warm, but it lingers nonetheless. To be honest, this worries me a little. I’ve spoken with my Doctor who is familiar with the level of activity I put in each week, and he think that it may be tendonitis/bursitis of the medial ankle. So on top of taking my shake and a nap after each workout, I now dedicate 15-30 minutes for icing. When I get home, I plan on having my gait analyzed to see if I can get a better idea of what the problem may be. Moving on, I also swam. I had a descending set and it felt great to get the arms going and feet really kicking. After the hard stuff was over, it was back to the long form-conscious sets.

As a result of going to bed early every night, I started waking up early everyday. On Thursday, I woke up at 5:30 and was ready to workout! Luckily the pool was open, so I headed over there. The lifeguard thought I was nuts to go for a swim at 6:15 when it was 35 degrees outside, but I told her that I’m a Triathlete, and she still thought I was nuts, oh well. Since it was still early by the time I got home, I fell asleep again and woke when my roommates did. Then it was time to ride. With a route planned and goal ride time of four hours, I was off. The first two hours were pretty uneventful and short; I was able to hold a fast pace and was well past the halfway point in terms of mileage. However, the second half of the ride was a little more somber. First I passed an accident scene where a cyclist was being taken away in an ambulance. Then about 10 miles down the road, I reached another accident scene where a SUV had flipped and rolled onto another car. A helicopter was landing as I rode to the blockade and at that point I figured I’d have to find an alternate way back. As I rode on, I knew this ride was going to easily surpass my anticipated goal time. I was about 15 miles from my apartment when I suffered my first bike related setback and this time it didn’t have to do with my crank, a flat tire. I had an extra tube and I fixed it. Within minutes the same tire went flat! Now I was 13.89 miles from home, out of tubes, and out of CO2 cartridges, so I started walking hoping someone would pull over. Someone finally did by the time I was 12.29 miles from home. The man who picked me up was even nice enough to take me to a bike shop where I bought a tube for $2 since all I had was $2. Thankfully, I got home without any more flats. One thing I began to realize about myself after training was that I became reserved. Spending all my extra time in the apartment here is depressing, so while my two friends were still out on their ride, I grabbed my car keys, a book, and headed out to a National Park. I parked off the main road facing the sun, sat on the hood, and read the last chapter of my book as the sunset. It was exactly what I needed.

There’s not too much to say about Friday’s training. I rode two hours in the morning and ran in the early afternoon. My ankle was acting up once again, so I iced it and rested as much as possible.

I can’t believe I’ve almost been here two weeks; this past week has flown by! Now all I have to get through is 10 more hours of riding and 3,000 more yards of swimming and then I’ll be home and with my family for the Holidays! I’ll also be training there as well, I mean, what else would I do? I’ll be sure to get one final post in before I wrap up my training here.

Arizona Training Report II

2007-12-17T07:46:00.000-08:00

The first week of training is in the books and I've finally come across a rest day and a much needed one at that! Overall, I logged 2 hours in the pool, 2 hours running, and 23 hours on the bike...it should have been more had my crank stayed attached to my bike like it should have.

For Thursday, my cycling friends had a rest day scheduled and all I had for the day was a typical 3,000 yard swim. It seemed natural that the nicest day of the week would fall on a rest day. We all decided to go check out campus and being that it was so warm outside relative to Oregon, we put on shorts and t-shirts. Almost everyone we saw walking through campus wore a sweatshirt or something long-sleeved and pants. We kind of stood out. After grabbing lunch, we began walking back to our apartment and once again I needed to find a sponsor to get into rec center. Fortunately there was a group of girls walking across the street in front of the center so I walked across and politely asked. Thankfully they were nice enough to sponsor me even though I dawned duck gear. The swim for the day was based on long sets, but those days are my favorites. I feel that I can really fall into a rthymn and work on my stroke count and breathing. Apparently I don't like to breath much when I swim, but I am seeing the benefits of breathing often. After the swim I headed back and took the same old shake and nap.

Friday called for a ride in the morning and run in the afternoon. I set out the bike and as usual I kept my heart rate down and pushed the big gear. I didn't see anyone else on the road in the first hour and I turned around to head back. I was heading over rolling hills and reached a T-intersection and turned left. All of a sudden, I heard a bike coming up behind me. I hugged the line so they could pass. As the man passed, all I could do was laugh at myself. Here I am, 21 years old with a pretty high level of fitness being passed by a fairly round 50 something year old recreational rider. Usually I'm the type of guy who would attack or chase anyone and everyone! Heck, I used race cars through intersections when the lights turned green! However, I'm keeping my ego in check and am after the long-term benefit of having a strong base. I returned to the apartment and took a nap outside. In the afternoon I went out for my run. Same route around the outskirts of campus and I had the same results, within my target heart rate and at my cadence.

On Saturday morning, my two friends went to a ride called the "Shootout." Basically, everyone heads out of town together and once they pass the last stop light it's an all out race. I didn't go; instead I went out for an easy 4 hours. I worked on the same old stuff and enjoyed being out in the sun. For first three hours, everything went smoothly, I had my "dumb focus" where all I care about is my numbers and tempo and then I got thrown off. I started to notice that it felt like my cleat was coming loose on my left shoe since I felt a little separation when my pedal stroke went up and over. Then it hit me, it wasn't my cleat, my left crank arm was coming undone again! By this time, I was riding on city streets with mini-malls lining both sides, so I began glancing over all the storefronts for a bike shop. I found one and they tightened it saying everything looked fine. It remained firmly attached for the remainder of the ride, so I figured that was the last of my problems with it...or so I hoped.

Sunday was my big day with a goal ride time of 6-7 hours covering 120 miles. I left with my two friends thinking we could all stay together for the ride, but I dropped back within the first hour to ensure a low heart rate, then it was all solo riding. I don't know what goes through my mind for that long while in the saddle, but I guess I can think of a few things/people that would come across it every now and again. By the time I was 35 miles out of town, my nemesis reared its ugly head. My left crank arm was coming loose again! Luckily I had passed a gas station a few miles back that also had an Ace Hardware, so I went back and bought an allen wrench to take with me. Then it was back to the road in search of Kitt Peak. Along the way I ran into one of my friends who was turning back with problems of his own. I continued on but I had to stop every 30-45 minutes to tighten my crank, to say the least, it was kind of frustrating, but it surely wasn't going to make me turn back. Not before long, I reached the base of Kitt Peak and two signs welcomed me; one saying it was 12 miles to the summit and the other saying the peak's elevation was 7,000 feet (The elevation of Tucson is 2,389 feet). I figured I hadn't ridden 53 miles to get here and just look at the peak, so I began climbing. I did my best to focus on my cadence and heart rate, but there was no way I was going to be able to get up and get all the way back to Tucson before dark if I didn't give a little extra effort on the climb. Slowly but surely, I began passing the mile markers and elevation signs and each time I passed one I looked at them and thought, "Is that all you got?" but in truth, my legs were beginning to burn. Motorcycles and cars would come up and down the road and more often than not, they would either give me a thumbs up or roll down their window and say something along the lines of "Wow" or "You're nuts." For every car that went up and gave me encouragement, I felt I had to get up to the summit that much faster so they could see me at the top. Once I got to the 6,000 foot elevation sign, snow was lining the sides of the road and it made me think about all the YouTube videos I've watched of Lance training in the Pyrenees. About a quarter mile from the top I ran into Kennett on his way down and we rode up to the top together and decided to ride back together. The best thing about climbing 12 miles and summating several thousand feet is that you eventually have to ride down it. With the exception of a few icy spots near the top, the road was dry and the turns were long and predictable and this translated into a brakeless 40+ mph downhill extravaganza! Kennett and I met up at the base again and began our way back to Tucson. We started off with one-minute pulls holding about 25 mph but my legs were growing heavy from the extra effort on the climb, plus my heart rate was climbing so I dropped back and rode in at my pace. I got into town shortly before dusk and I was beat! I had eaten a lot during the course of the ride, but I did not eat nearly enough to offset the 5,300 calories I burned. In the end, my ride time came out to be 7 hours 35 minutes over 120 miles. I took a nap after, but I when the 30 minute alarm went off, my body probably wondered what the hell I was doing getting up already. I had good reason to get up, I needed food! And a lot of it! So the three of us went to Zachary's Pizza and we each ordered personal 14-inch Chicago style pizzas. Believe it or not, it was more than we could eat and that basically capped off the night, as I just wanted to sleep!

As week one comes to a close, I feel very good about how my training has progressed and how I've been making some good deposits as Matt says. I hope to have a strong second week as my workload increases. In the mean time, I'll be resting...a lot!

Arizona Training Report

2007-12-12T18:17:00.000-08:00

I've been in Tucson and training for three days now and it finally feels like I'm in Arizona! The first two days were cold and rainy and I was beginning to think I wasn't going to be able to escape the weather of Oregon!

For Monday’s workout, my two friends from the UO Cycling Team and me jumped on our bikes in the early afternoon when we saw a break in the clouds. The weather held up and it was a good 3 hour spin over rolling hills getting familiar with the area. One nice thing about being down here is that it seems that every road out of town takes you through a National Park. However, cacti and other thorny bushes crowd the edges of the road in the parks, basically you have to have your attention on the road at all times with traffic left and cacti right. After the ride, I took my usual recovery shake and started a new recovery method recommended by Gilad, a 30 minute nap regardless of whether or not I'm tired. It's so nice, I suggest you all try to work that into your workouts! Feeling rejuvenated, I grabbed my things and headed for the Rec Center at the University of Arizona. I needed a sponsor to get in, so I didn't get to swim.

My goal for Tuesday morning was to find a sponsor to get access to the gym and I found a student walking to school for a final, problem solved. The pool there is so nice and it's huge! I don't care much for splitting lanes and considering the weather was overcast and rainy, I figured not too many would be at the pool and I guessed correctly. The lone lifeguard sat on their perch and watched me swim 10 150's. Being in the water felt great considering I hadn't swam since my test set with Gina last Thursday. Overall, I feel like I’m getting much more consistent in the water and that my stroke is getting a lot more powerful. I can tell cause my shoulders and triceps don't fatigue as soon as they once did. After my swim, I headed back to my apartment and made my usual shake and took a quick nap. Outside it was beginning to pour and my two friends were keeping a close eye on the radar to see where we could ride to avoid as much rain as possible. After a few miles into the ride, we all realized staying dry was going to be impossible as the streets of Tucson have poor drainage. After what seemed like hours, we made it out of the city and were on better, less crowded roads, but it was starting to pour. About 2 hours into the ride, I started having problems with my bike, at first they were minimal, I couldn't shift into my big ring, and then it progressed into a ride debilitating problem, my crank fell off. I have no idea how it happened, but it did...and now I've officially hitchhiked. A guy in a truck was kind enough to drive me to a bike shop in town. Within minutes the bike was in running order again I headed home and decided to call it a day.

Wednesday’s workout consisted of a 40 minute run and a 4 hour ride and finally the weather was as expected, warm and sunny. For the run, I headed out around campus and for the first time I was able to keep my heart rate under 140 for the entire run while maintaining a cadence of 90. Running with an ipod has really helped me keep a slow tempo for my base miles. When I got back, made the usual shake and took a nap and ate once again. Then it was time for the ride. I went out on through the same National Park I rode through on Monday, but this time I was much slower through the area. My triathlon coach, Matt Lieto, is having me focus on keeping a low heart rate and consistent cadence throughout my rides. Usually, my heart rate spikes on hills and gets up near 155 or higher depending on my exertion. Matt is having push a bigger gear and keep a lower cadence and it has really helped keep my heart rate down. Instead of being in the 150's I was staying right around my target hear rate of 135. This makes my legs burn a little more than usual, but I know it will only make me a stronger rider. After the rolling hill portion was over, I had nothing but flats ahead of me for the next 2.5 hours. I kept my ego in check and made sure to keep my heart rate below 135 for the rest of the ride. Overall, this ride was one of the best I've had this year, I had great stamina and good focus throughout.

As the weather continues to improve, I'm hoping I'll continue to stay well rested and keep having rides, and training sessions, like the ones I had today. In the mean time, I'm going to kick back, watch a movie, and keep resting. I'll keep you guys posted...

The Next Tri-Stud... ERICH!

2007-12-11T09:58:00.000-08:00

Hey all you Tri-Studs and Studettes! This weeks athlete profile is our fellow team member Erich! He's currently down in the SouthWest training in Arizona and hopefully we'll be getting some training reports and stories from him while he's down there! In the meantime... Erich answered some questions to help us all get to know him a bit better! Enjoy...

1) When/Where were you born? January 1, 1986 in San Jose, CA

2) Age? 21

3) Marital Status? Single

4) Kids? Dogs? Cats? Rats? One cat named Cheney

5) Profession? Student/Triathlete

6) Favorite food/meal? German bread dumplings

7) Favorite toothpaste? Aquafresh

8) Favorite color? I like to many colors to pick just one.

9) Favorite quote? “I’ve never failed, I’ve just found ways that didn’t work”

10) Favorite book? The Rider

11) Favorite movie? Jurassic Park

12) What draws you to endurance sports? The physical and mental demands and the discipline one must have to succeed.

13) Years cycling/running/swimming 2 years cycling, 2 years running, and 9 years swimming

14) Other interests outside of endurance sports? Cooking and Traveling, I’ve been to 30+ countries.

15) Short-term/Long-term fitness/competition goals? Short-term: Qualify for Kona before I’m 24. Long-term: Become a top ranked professional

16) Favorite piece of gear? My Zipp 404’s with PowerTap

17) Favorite workout? Long hilly ride

18) What’s your vision for the tri-team? To take over podiums!

19) Secret little-known talent…it wouldn’t be secret anymore…

Cycling Kit is IN!

2007-12-09T08:05:00.000-08:00

Hey all you Tri-Studs and Studettes!

The LifeCycle cycling kit has been firmed up and Gilad is ready to place an order! Remeber that as team members you're able to purchase this SWEET lookin kit at COST! If you're interested in purchasing a kit... or multiple kits... Dan will be assembling the list of sizes and quantities for the team and submitting them to Gilad. Let's do our best to get our orders to Dan ASAP! I'd like to see the list submitted to him no later than Friday the 14th of December! Just email Dan at dan@danschmitt.com and he'll take it from there.

On another note... Erich is working diligently to get the tri race kits together before the tri season begins in early Spring! I'll keep you posted as things develop!

Coming up next? Another athlete profile! Yes! Erich is our next Tri-Stud to be profiled here on the blog... so look out for that!

Breathe...

Off and RUNNING! Or Biking. Or Swimming!

2007-12-01T21:39:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the official launch of the LifeCycle Tri-Team's blog! What you'll find here on a roughly weekly basis are profiles of your fellow triathletes, upcoming races, team events, guest speakers, team workouts, race reports, article reviews, and kooky stories from the whole gang! Anything that we want communicated to the entire group can be posted right here for all to see! The beauty of it is that you can all post individually! If you ever feel like writing up a post about the in's and out's of post-workout recovery... or anything else for that matter... POST IT! More on that later...

For the launch of the team's blog, I thought it'd be appropriate to get to know the owner and manager of LifeCycle a little bit better. I sat down with Gilad and Jeff for a 6 hour intensive interview and here are the results!

R: Hi guys! How's things?

J: "Shut up Rob. What do you want?"

R: "I just had a few questions that I thought you could answer to help the team get to know you a bit."

G: "Golly Rob... that sounds nifty. You're sure cool. Ask away."

R: "Ok, first of all, when and where were you guys born?"

G: "I was born a poor child in Haifa Israel in 1980... that would make me 28."
J: "I was born in Eureka, CA in 1975, which makes me... uhhhh... ummm...."

R: "That makes you 32 Jeff. OK! What about spouses, girlfriends, kids? Any of the above?

G: "Married to a beautiful and brilliant woman and we have 1 puppy... as in a dog"
J: "I'm engaged to be married in May of '08"

R: "God help her Jeff. OK! So what do you guys do for a living?"

G: "I'm a bum"
J: "I'm the shop manager at LifeCycle and I'm also the local resident expert bike grease-monkey... emphasis on the monkey."

R: "Cool. What about your involvement in endurance sports? What's your sport and how long have you been doing it?"

G: "I've raced road and mtn bikes for roughly 14 years."
J: "I've been riding for 10 years and competing in mtn. bike, cyclocross for the last 3 years"

R: "What was your first paying job?"

G: "Evening newpaper delivery boy."
J: "Dish washer"

R: "Favorite food?"

G: "Whole wheat pasta, israeli salad, grilled chicken, and Blue Bunny ice cream."
J: "Shrimp tempura shushi... I can eat that until I puke... and then eat some more. I LOVE homemade apple pie... I had that for my birthday once."

R: "Favorite color"?
G: "Pink... no... sky blue. Seriously."

R: "Favorite toothpaste?"

G: "Halatosis mint."
J: "Crest Pro-Health Mint."

R: "Favorite quote?"

G: "Life is what happens when you're making plans." or "The really hard I'll do right away, the impossible will take me a second."
J: "A smart man surrounds himself with smart women."

R: "What draws you guys to endurance sports?"

G: "Pain. I like pain. I like the burn. Plus there's a social camaraderie amongst endurance athletes that you can't find anywhere else."
J: "There's more bang for your buck. The more you train the better you get. I like suffering over extended periods of time. Competitions are long... I like that too."

R: "What's your favorite workout?"

G: "Good long, hard free ride."
J: "1 hour time trial."

R: "Any long-term or short-term fitness or competition goals you want to tell us about?"

G: "I want to finish Escape from the Gorge 1 minute faster than you Rob, in Sept of '08."

R: "Good luck with that. What about you Jeff?"

J: "I'd like to win the CCP (Cream Puff) 100 mile mtn bike race in July of '08."

R: Why do you think LifeCycle needs a tri-team?"

G: "Triathletes are fun people. They're real athletes. It takes discipline to excel in the sport and I enjoy the sport myself. I like to surround myself with people like that."
J: "Triathlon is an under appreciated sport. We want to be different here at LifeCycle and we want to have fun."

R: "What's your vision for the tri-team's future?"

G: "I see it in a couple of different ways: 1) I want it to be a strong, social, FUN community of triathletes. I want to see massive amounts of people out there supporting, encouraging, and pushing each other in their training and racing. And 2) Ultimately I'd love to have the team known as a group of triathletes to reckon with... when we show up at a race I want people to know that we're there to take the podium in every age group we represent."
J: "My only role in this thing is to make sure that every one's bike is performing at its peak... that's it... that's my vision."

R: "Thanks a lot guys. I know we're all looking forward to the '08 season and we really appreciate all the support you'll be giving the team."

That's it for the first official post guys! Leave a comment. Let me know what you think. In another week or two you'll see another featured athlete!

In the meantime...

Breathe...