In late June, I manned another booth for Computrainer at the Philadelphia Triathlon Expo and managed to get in another long ride under my belt by cycling down to spectate the race.  The entire race weekend was an unfortunate one, however, with the confirmed death of a participant, Derek Valentino, in the sprint race.  A real tragedy.  As a coach, I am well aware that one of the most common fears for first-time and even relatively experienced triathletes is the swim.  I have certainly had to deal with my own “swim anxiety” issues over the years.   How often have I heard, “I’m only worried about the swim, I’ll be fine once I am on land….”?   How many times have I said to an athlete, “you’ll do fine in the swim, just stay relaxed and don’t start off too hard or fast”?  I am still confident in those words of comfort and encouragement but at the same time this tragedy is a reminder that there are always risks and that a little fear, or call it healthy respect, of inherent dangers is not unfounded.    For information about how to help the Valentino Family see http://www.libertysportsmag.com/?p=1843 and http://www.valentinomemorialfund.org/

June ended celebrating my dad’s 80th birthday.   July began with my turning 46.   I can’t say I feel even remotely close to what I thought 46 might feel like when I was 26.  I know “me at 26 or 30″ would kick my butt today but I think I’d give “me at 36″ a good race.  Some routine 4th of July activities included a couple 5k’s and fireworks.   The Iron Soldier’s Biathlon was next on our agenda.   This consists of an ocean swim – usually somewhere between .5 and 1 mile followed by a run  – usually between 3 and 4 miles.    Although I felt really good and tried my best, I still got whooped by my 16 yr old son and he’d only been swimming consistently for a couple of weeks!   This is a great event, for a great cause, that our good friend, Freddie Klevan, puts on every summer in Ocean City, NJ.  See http://www.philatreatsfortroops.com/ for more information.

A few weeks later I got make a quick trip out to Colorado to check out the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike course.  Technically speaking, it didn’t seem that tough, even for a triathlete/road guy who dabbles in off-road occasionally.   However, from a sheer amount of climbing and altitude standpoint and realizing just how long 100+ miles on a mountain bike can be,  it is a beast of an event not to be taken lightly.   I was not surprised to see the number of athletes on the DNF list.  It did rekindle my love for off-road and got me riding my mountain bike again.   Stops in Vail, Leadville and Aspen, great company and mostly great weather made for very nice “business” trip.     Ok – I’ll say it – Colorado is awesome.   Not that I am knocking home in Pennsylvania but….  why we never moved to Colorado still escapes me.

Next stop was a trip to another one of those “most beautiful places in the US”, Lake Placid, for the Ironman where I had a few athletes competing.   My son joined me for this weekend and got to witness an Ironman for the first time since he was about 2 and 1/2 years old.   He’s a “runner” who happens to swim a little and bike a little but wouldn’t call himself a “triathlete”.   However, we did ride a loop of the bike course and swim a loop of the swim course.    His first responses were – “I thought this was supposed to be a hard and hilly bike course?” and “that was a lot more fun than swimming in the pool?” – followed by – “even though I am a runner, I think the run would be the hardest part of an Ironman” and then after the race, “I’m not going to do an Ironman unless I can do it in way less than 9 hours, more than that is much too long….”   For now, it’s back to training for Fall Cross Country…

Other summer fun included getting to several of the Philadelphia Independence women’s pro soccer games and a couple of Phillies games.    We didn’t do a “week at the beach” this summer but we did manage a few days in August and had some great weather.    We thought we would get in one more family mini vacation to visit friends in Boston but no such luck.   The  windows of opportunity began to close too quickly with soccer and cross country rolling into full steam in preparation for fall and school.

Race day morning arrived way too early but I managed to get enough fuel from my Holiday Inn Express complimentary breakfast before heading back to Cambridge.   I parked well out from the race site so I could make a quick exit when it was time to hit the road to home (having a date with my daughter for a women’s pro soccer game later that day but also wanting to stay for as much of the race as possible, I could not be delayed).   I rode my bike to the swim start and managed to see everyone before they hit the water.   As I had been in the water the day before I was not surprised to hear that wetsuits would not be allowed.

I watched several of the waves finish the swim and looking at the times I would have to agree with virtually everyone’s assessment that the swim course was rather long – I would guess 1.5 vs. 1.2 miles.  Maybe not significant for the pro’s but some of the slower swimmer’s may have been faced with making a swim cut-off and not.   Rough!  The rest of the time I tried to ride and get to as many points on the course as I could, both bike and run.  I ultimately ended up with about 74 miles on my cycle computer.   Nice.  My longest ride since last summer so I am waiting to feel that “fitness bump” within the next day or two.   It used to come at around 2-3 days after a big workout, now it’s more like 8-10!

I must say, I briefly felt some urges to be out there competing and a few thoughts of…hmm, maybe if I get in one more ride and swim during the week I could duke it out with some of these youngsters in a month or two.  That came and went pretty quickly, though.   Maybe when I turn 50.

All in all it was a lot of fun to be out there and watch and I am looking forward to this coming weekend at the Philadelphia Triathlon where I will, once again, man the Computrainer booth at the expo, so if you are there stop by and say hi.  I’ll try to convince to buy a Computrainer or a training plan and you can try to convince me to jump in a couple races by the end of the summer.

Time to stop rambling….  really, just a test to see how this all works…

What does everyone want to do when they ride their bike? GO FAST!!! It’s doesn’t get any simpler than that. However, when we ride our bikes we have all kinds of forces working against us and they SLOW US DOWN. The more forces working against us, the more POWER we need to generate to GO FAST! That’s really the best way to think of power (if you are just chomping at the bit for a more technical discussion and equations and stuff go to the end of this article for some links to just that) How can we generate more power? One way is to get stronger and push bigger gears. Other ways include pedaling faster and getting in better shape. Or, my favorite – do all of the above. Do any of these things and you will ride faster. Of course, generating lots of power is not the absolute bottom line when it comes to riding faster – aerodynamics, weight, weather, road surface and other forces that work against a rider can always be minimized (I like to think of all that stuff as FREE SPEED and you will have to wait for future article on that). For now, let’s talk about training and the EARNED SPEED which comes from increased power output.

There are many training methods and philosophies and there a many ways to measure intensity when you ride. You can simply watch that cycle computer and see your speed. Unfortunately, speed is subject to all of those pesky forces working against you and so it becomes a fairly unreliable measure of training intensity (hey, I can ride 30 mph on my rollers but it’s not all that hard) unless you are riding under very controlled conditions. You can train by your own sense of perceived exertion. Many experienced athletes train this way very effectively and will continue to laugh at the idea of doing anything but getting on the bike and riding that thing until you have to puke. (I must admit to occasionally falling into this category, myself). At the very least, I believe perceived effort should always be part of the training intensity equation. However, used exclusively and by itself, it leaves a lot of room for errors in training. I have found that most athletes, when left to their own sense of perceived effort, tend to train too hard when they should be going easy and not hard enough when they should be going hard. You can train using heart rate as your measure of intensity and I am guessing that most of you reading this article do just that. Still, heart rate training has it’s own set of limitations. Heart rate always lags behind your actual intensity. It takes a solid 3-5 minutes before heart rates reach a steady state level that matches your effort level. Because of this, heart rate is not very practical for measuring the intensity of shorter work bouts, and really the first 2-3 minutes of ANY work bout. Heart rate is also affected by many variables such as heat, hydration, stress, illness to name just a few. Like perceived effort, I do believe heart rate should be incorporated when measuring intensity. It can tell you a lot about your current state of health and fitness. Still, though, for longer steady aerobic training, I find heart rate is still my primary guide for measuring training intensity.

Power, however, is an instant, objective and direct measure of just how hard you are working. Back in ancient times you were and maybe still are asking or are being asked “what’s your heart rate?” These days you may often hear group ride banter with questions like “how many watts are you pushing?” or “what wattage can you maintain for that climb?” You ask, “aren’t watts those things that light up your house?” Yup. “Ok, so, will the rider who can light up the biggest house always be the fastest and win?” Not necessarily – remember FREE SPEED? Somewhat like heart rate, power is unique to each athlete. The more force you have to overcome the more power you need to generate. When you are really light and really aerodynamic and your bike is really clean or you take advantage of any other FREE SPEED available, you will require much less power to travel at the same speed than if you just rely on EARNED SPEED. I have been using power to earn my speed since the early 90’s when I first started using my Velodyne trainer. At first, it was really nothing more than another number to look at while I was training. Over the years, particularly when power measurement became available for riding on the road, I have found it to be extremely valuable when it comes to pacing and starting time trial, interval and hill climbing efforts. Most riders will start any training or racing effort much too “fast” or “hard” without realizing it – they see heart rate low, their perceived effort isn’t very high – yet – so they push, but their power output, if they were measuring it, will typically be much higher than they can maintain for the entire length of that effort. Ultimately, they end up having to slow down to reduce their heart rate and lactate production. I believe that any training at levels higher than basic aerobic endurance training is going to be more effective when using power as the primary guide ro measuring intensity.

There are currently three reliable and relatively accurate systems available to measure power output while riding your own bike on the road or trail – The SRM, the Power-Tap and the Polar S-720i. They all have advantages and disadvantages associated with them and to go over all of that and try to determine which is the “best” has more or less already been done (see http://mywebpage.netscape.com/rechung/wattage/ ) The SRM is generally regarding as the most accurate and most direct measure but also the most expensive. The Power-Tap is nearly as accurate although not quite as “direct” since power is measured at the hub/wheel rather than the crank/bottom bracket (I kind of think this provides a more useful measure, myself, although you will be giving up a few watts to brag about). It sells for a quite a bit less than the SRM. The Polar S-720i, at first glance, seems like it would not be very accurate, but it actually does a pretty good job and it’s only real drawback is the actual set up and calibration process which I know is enough to scare away a number of potential buyers, regardless of the price. A complete system will cost you about the same as the Standard Power-Tap and a bit less than the Power-Tap Pro. I have used the Standard Power-Tap since it first came out and currently use the Power-Tap Pro which has been updated and improved by Saris/CycleOps. I love it and recommend it. I’ll even sell you one if you are interested ;-)

Finally, you ask, “ok, if I go out and buy a power meter for my bike, how do I use it in training?”. If you are familiar with heart rate training zones it won’t be a difficult transition to understanding power training zones. In both cases, the zones are based an athlete’s output or intensity at their lactate threshold. One way to determine lactate threshold is to go visit Doc Dan and undergo a lactate test in the lab. Another way, that may be more convenient but definitely more painful is to perform a 20-30 mile time trial or make an attempt at your own hour record. The power/heart rate/lactate that a cyclist can maintain for ~60 minutes is very very close to the lactate threshold determined by a laboratory test. If you are not in shape for that kind of ride or simply don’t have the stomach for such an effort, I would recommend the lab test. You can always do a shorter distance – maybe 8-12 miles and consider 93-95% of that power to be close enough to your actual threshold. Once you have your number – let’s use 300 Watts as our example – you can determine your other training zones.

AEROBIC (30-360 minutes)
A1 = <75% or <225 Watts (Recovery and Easy rides)
A2 = 75%-85% or 225-255 Watts (Aerobic, Endurance, Long rides)
A3 = 85%-90% or 255-270 Watts (Aerobic Threshold, Tempo, Long races)

LACTATE THRESHOLD OR AEROBIC POWER (20-150 minutes)
AT1 = 92%-95% or 275-285 Watts (Tempo, Longer time trials, sub-threshold training)
AT2 = 95%-98% or 285-295 Watts (threshold training, road races)
AT3 = 98%-103% or 295-310 Watts (time trials, threshold training, long climbs)

VO2 MAX or AEROBIC CAPACITY (3-10 minutes)
VO2 = 103%-125% or 300-375 Watts (shorter time trials, pursuits, VO2 max intervals)

LACTATE TOLERANCE or ANAEROBIC POWER (30-150 seconds)
VLa = 120%+ or >360 Watts

MAX POWER or ANAEROBIC CAPACITY (5-30 seconds)
VLa MAX = all out

For more technical discussions of power and related information try

http://www.analyticcycling.com/

I ride a really cool titanium bicycle. It is not exactly inexpensive. It is extra light. The frame material and design are advanced. However, it is basically a “traditional” bike. Double diamond configuration, two wheels of the same size, even round tubing. Are athletes fast because of the bike they ride or are bikes fast because of the athletes riding them? I think you know the answer. The fastest riders are fast because their bikes FIT and allow them to maximize their biomechanics, power output and aerodynamic position. Certainly, other factors are involved such as talent, confidence, genetics and hey, here’s a thought, TRAINING. Of course, some bikes are better than others. No question about it. Some look cooler. Some handle better. Some are more comfortable. Some are lighter than others. Some are built better. Some will last longer. They say you get what you pay for. As far as quality, materials and design go, that is typically true. More money, however, does not mean faster bikes. The smart money is on a bike that fits well and won’t fall apart. Let’s not lose sight of the primary factor in our quest for speed. The engine.

Fortunately, engines can be tuned up and modified to run more efficiently and generate more power. The speed gained from training far exceeds that gained from an aerodynamic bicycle frame. More training does not mean more health and fitness. The factors determining what the optimal amounts and types of training are for each individual is far beyond the scope of this article. Quality training is the key. Do not mistake quality for “high intensity” or “high mileage”. Quality training is any exercise that serves a specific purpose.

Where does this leave you in your quest for a new bike? Well, I am not going to tell you that buying a new bike is a bad thing to do. In fact, it can be one of the most enjoyable experiences of a triathlete’s or cyclist’s life (well, maybe not, but it can be a highlight of the week , month or year). Avoid falling for any “get fast quick” schemes. Health and fitness should always come first. When you start missing out on a podium place or personal best by a few seconds then train smarter. If you find that your training partner is still beating you by a nose, that new bike could be just what you need. Always make sure that the bike you are buying is available in a size and geometry that will fit your body measurements and the type of riding you will be doing. The best manufacturers offer a wide range of sizes and models that should meet your requirements.

Here are 5 good reasons to buy a new bike:

1. Your current bike does not fit properly and no stem length/saddle position combination will make it fit.
2. Your current bike is worn out, fatigued or no longer safe to ride.
3. You are serious about racing and your current bike weighs more than you do.
4. A new bike is going to motivate you to get out the door and train.
5. You are an adult and your current bike came with coaster brakes and a kick stand.

Here are 5 bad reasons to buy a new bike:

1. You’ve got eleven bikes and you want to make it an even dozen.
2. You don’t want to be shunned when you take your bike to the local pro shop for a tune up.
3. To knock minutes off of your fastest times.
4. Your current bike color does not match the new spring fashions.
5. Your current bike keeps getting dirty and you want a bike to save for races only.

First of all, remember, aero race wheels fall under the category of FREE SPEED (although it’s not really free – some wheel sets might set you back as much as $1500-$2000!!!). Also, realize that even in a best case scenario, the very most aero wheel set might drop 3-4 minutes from your current 40k time trial personal best (but probably more like 1-2 minutes) if you are now using a basic set of box rims with 32-36 spokes. Extrapolate that over the distance of an Ironman bike course and the numbers start to sound very impressive and very much worth every penny invested if you are on the bubble for one of those Kona slots. The faster you already are – the more aero wheels are going to help you – if you currently ride at speeds less than about 17 mph, aero wheels are not going to help as much as if you currently ride 28+ mph.

Without any constraints on budget, you could have a “quiver” of wheels from which to choose for any course or condition you might encounter. With lots of constraints on budget, however, you might be considering a single wheel, or at most, an “all purpose” pair that is sturdy, reliable and can be used on any course in any conditions and possibly even for training as well as racing. One thing to remember is that the front wheel is the most important wheel as far as aerodynamics goes but it is also the most affected by crosswinds.

There are many factors that affect the price you will pay for a specific wheel and there is some basic truth to the saying – you get what you pay for…. It seems to me that weight is probably the single most considered factor when an athlete is purchasing anything bike related and that includes wheels, for sure. But don’t look at weight (or aerodynamics) alone – look at hub design, braking surfaces and structural integrity. Some wheels are virtually bomb proof AND very fast (but not necessarily the lightest) while others are, well, let’s just say not very fast if you have to pull out of the race or stop and wait for a wheel change from neutral support.

How the heck can you possibly decide? You might be thinking, well, why don’t I just look at the wind tunnel test data that many wheel manufacturers provide and see which wheel set, within my budget, is the fastest? Or maybe I should look at what the fastest riders out there are riding. Or maybe I should just pick the ones that match my bike or jersey colors best? Wind tunnel tests are valuable, but there is just so much more to “how fast is this wheel?” than looking at the drag numbers of that wheel spinning all by it’s lonesome, at one speed, without a rider and a bike being part of the equation. The thing is, if you tested every wheel with different bike frames, different riders, different tire sizes and shapes under different wind conditions and at different speeds and you will get A LOT of varying drag numbers that show both good and bad numbers and your decision would become even more incredible.

So, what do we want? A wheel that is light and aero and sturdy and affordable. Simple. What exactly constitutes a wheel being “aero”? The single most effective way to make a wheel aero is to increase the depth of the rim. Generally speaking, the deeper the rim, the more aerodynamic and the faster the wheel – the fastest being the deepest rim of all – a disc wheel. However, the shape of the rim is a critical component. Ideally, this shape of the rim should be oval or elliptical. Note that the only deep section wheels that legally can have that most aero shape are those made by Hed and Zipp since they both hold the patent which was originally Hed’s. In some cases, it may be a marginal difference but technically speaking, the wheels from these two manufacturers should always be faster than a similarly designed wheel (i.e, same rim depth, same number of spokes, etc) made by someone else. That’s not to say that other wheels aren’t fast. There is much debate whether one wheel is faster than another – the Hed 3 wheel and the Nimble crosswind would be one instance. My best guess is that each wheel may be faster than the other in different conditions but the differences are probably not worth obsessing about for very long. Either would be a good choice if that is the type of wheel you are considering. The next way to make a wheel more aero is to reduce the number of spokes. Fewer spokes mean faster and lighter wheels but not without some compromise when it comes to the strength and lateral stiffness of the wheel. To be really fast, rim depth should be between 50-60 mm and spoke count should be between 16 and 24 spokes (or as low as 3 spokes in the case of composite spoke wheels). Hed makes even deeper sectioned rims that are 90 mm and are among the most aerodynamic wheels made – only a disc is faster – but with more rim depth and aerodynamics comes more susceptibility to crosswinds and handling issues, particularly for lighter riders.

Here are the basic categories or types of wheels (with a few examples of each) you should be considering when in the market (these are just examples and tend to be the wheels that I, personally, would consider using but in not is meant to be an exhaustive list or suggest one wheel is “better” than another (awe, who am I kidding? I think Hed wheels are the best and anyone who I’ve ever coached knows it ;-) ):

Semi Deep: 38-44 mm (Hed Jet 40, Zipp 303, Bontrager Race X Lite Carbon, Corima Roues Medium)

Deep: 50-60 mm (Hed Alps, Hed Jet 60, Zipp 404, Corima Roues Aero, Mavic Cosmic Carbone)

Super Deep: 90 mm (Hed Deep)

Composite Spokes: (Hed 3, Nimble Crosswind, Corima Roues 4 Batons, Mavic IO)

Disc Wheels: (Hed, Zipp 909, Bontrager, Mavic Comete)

All right already, what wheels should I get!!!!

If you want to go as absolutely, no doubt about it, fast as you possibly can, get a disc wheel and super deep or composite spoke front wheel. I mean really, what does Lance ride in the tour TT’s? I can tell you, he is not going to ride it unless it’s the fastest option going for the given course or conditions.

If you can only get one set of wheels and you plan to be going to the show in October consider a super deep or composite spoke for the rear and a composite spoke or deep wheel for the front. A pair of Hed 3’s is a super fast and all around do anything set up – or you could keep it simple and go with a pair of 404’s or Alps – you might give up a little in aerodynamics but gain a lot in peace of mind when the winds really begin to howl (my fastest rides in Kona were on twin Hed Cx wheels which were the same type of wheel as these). So basically, a pair of composite spoke wheels or a pair of deep rim wheels or a combination of the two, will provide you with a very fast, very versatile wheel set.

If you are a very light rider (under 120 lbs) and already feel like you get blown around on your regular wheels you should probably avoid a disc, super deep or composite spoke wheel and consider only the deep and/or semi deep rimmed wheels.

Now for a few other little items….should you get tubulars or clinchers?

If the wheels are to be truly “race only” wheels – get tubulars. The wheels are lighter, the tires quicker to change and you won’t be as tempted to train a lot on them because you won’t want to risk flatting that $90 race tire you’ve got on each wheel!

If you really don’t want to deal with gluing tires, however, and you feel you might be training some on your wheels get clinchers.

What size wheels are best?

The size that fits your bike! No, seriously, in almost every case I would lean toward 700c wheels. Only when a rider’s size warrants a smaller wheel sized frame should 650c wheels be considered. I’m not even going to go into the many reasons why someone would or wouldn’t want to disagree with that. Don’t ride a circus bike!!

Whatever wheel you decide to go with – remember, you will always get more speed from training smart and working on your engine but believe me, I know as well as anyone that part of the fun of cycling is all the cool gear and gadgets we have to choose from.

Living on the East Coast and being a cyclist or triathlete, hmmm…. I know many cyclists and triathletes who can’t even begin to grasp the concept. If the weather dips below 60 F, cycling is not going to happen, not outside anyway. Most of us in the Mid-Atlantic region have a much lower cut-off point than that. For me it’s about 10 F, and that just means I may opt to ride off-road in the woods where there is not as much of a wind chill. Oh wait….but that was when training was my job and I could ride in the middle of the day. Strike that. It’s been quite a while since I’ve actually started a ride in full daylight, let alone outdoor. During the winter, you may find yourself in the same predicament, at least during the week. In the cold, potentially icy darkness, cycling outdoor becomes less and less appealing (or sane for that matter).

Think about it. Cycling indoor is much more time efficient. There is no need to waste valuable time putting on layers and layers of clothing. If you only have 20 minutes to ride, you are way more likely to get on the bike indoor than you are outdoor. There is no stopping due to traffic or lights. You can get other things done while riding indoor: reading, studying, music or for those long rides you can watch a movie or your favorites sports games. Cycling indoor is much more controlled. You can more easily monitor your progress and know that you are improving (or not). Most cycling drills are more easily performed on an indoor trainer than outdoor. Cycling indoor is safe (on rollers, that may be arguable). It is said there are two categories of cyclists, those who have crashed and those who will. I know enough cyclists and triathletes who have been severely injured or killed in bicycle accidents that it makes me think twice every time I am about to venture out on the road. If you don’t feel well or are having a bad day you can just stop and get off the bike if you are riding indoor. Cycling indoor can be more social. We all know how much fun cycling can be when riding with others but with a wide range of abilities the training effect of a group ride can vary greatly from one cyclist to another. Indoor you can ride with friends, at your own pace, without worrying about having to keep up with your buddy, the hammer head. Everybody gets the workout they are looking for.

Way back in the early 90’s (when I used to be faster and ride outside in just about any conditions) there were a few of times I was “forced” to ride indoor. Of particular note was during the winter of ‘93-’94 when I spent from December through March cycling, almost entirely, on a Schwinn Velodyne (heck, one of the only days I did get outside that winter I got hit by a car and my shoulder hasn’t been right since). Looking back, I was in the best cycling shape I have ever been coming off that training period. Since then, I have used and tested a variety of other trainers ranging from rollers to inexpensive magnetic trainers to Fluid Trainers to the Computrainer. I believe they all are of benefit and are better than 100% outdoor cycling.

Now, I am not suggesting that you do all of your cycling indoor (although I do coach a few athletes who only hit the road when they race). During the winter, I believe it’s a good idea to get out on the road or trail once a week if you possibly can. Most of your cycling, however, is probably best done indoor. The more indoor cycling you do, the more important the type of trainer you use becomes. Trainers come in all shapes and sizes and you might be thinking, as long as I can turn the pedals over and get my heart rate up what’s the difference? With prices of trainers ranging from as lows $80-90 to as high as $25,000 let’s hope they aren’t all the same. Most lower priced trainers use a small roller and some form of resistance (magnetic, fluid, windload or friction). The type of road riding condition that these trainer most closely emulate would be considered “low inertia” – i.e, slower speeds, climbing or riding against a stiff headwind. The higher priced trainers tend to use a larger flywheel and more closely replicate the feel of road riding under “high inertia” conditions – i.e. faster speeds, road racing or time trial. They may also offer the ability to program courses, monitor power output, heart rate, pedal efficiency, and on and on. A few more popular trainers that would be considered “high inertia” trainers include Racermate’s Velotron, Velosport’s Velodyne, CycleOps PT Trainers, Kurt Kinetic Trainers and most “spin” bikes.

Another option for riding indoor that I have always included at some level is rollers. They allow you to work on your coordination, balance and bike handling as they do require some skill and focus to stay upright, but this is easily learned.~ Rollers feel more like riding on the road than a low inertia trainer and they~force you to pedal smoothly. The resistance~offered by rollers can vary with the drum size and with additional resistance units,~which can be of similar types to stationary trainers.

Maybe you want to get your money’s worth out of your gym or YMCA membership and use their stationary or spin bikes. A “Spin” bike is a good choice as it can be adjusted to fit and will feel more like a “real” bike than many other stationary trainers. A drawback of both is that you may be limited to the amount of time you can actually spend on one. What about “Spin classes”? Well, let’s just say it depends on the instructor and how well cooled and ventilated the “classroom” is. The quality of the workout is not measured by the amount of sweat you have accumulated on the floor beneath you while hammering away in a stuffy closed room with no fans blowing to keep you cool.

So, what is the best trainer? That is a loaded question and very difficult to answer. Much depends on your budget (or lack thereof) and how much time you expect to spend cycling indoo. If you expect to spend a LOT of time riding indoor – spend a few more bucks, you won’t regret it. I highly recommend having some way to measure power and many indoor trainers have this feature. If you own a power measuring device like an SRM, Power-Tap or Polar S-710 (now S-720i) (which all have their own set of advantages and disadvantages) you have already spent a few bucks and you might not need, nor be able to afford a trainer that measures power. If you don’t own a power measuring device, you should definitely consider one or at least consider a trainer that has that feature. What is power and why is it important? That’s another article altogether. The bottom line is that cycling indoor doesn’t have to be just a winter or foul weather activity and whichever trainer you get, if used intelligently, will help you see faster bike splits in your upcoming racing season.

First, with time constraints, cold weather, limited daylight and the fact that the volume of training through November and December is mostly likely lower – long aerobic miles just don’t make sense for most athletes.

Second, if you are starting back from a long layoff, just beginning or coming back from illness, injury or “burnout” you will need to do all lower intensity aerobic training but hardly any of it long (see Short Slow Distance). By long, I mean a bike ride of at least 2 hours – but most likely longer than 3 hours or a run of at least 1 hour – but most likely longer than 90 minutes.

Starting to build up to one weekly session of this length IS appropriate for this time of year.   Building conservatively and gradually is important – no more than 10% per week.  Unless you are training for longer, ultra-distance events (i.e., 5 or more hours) or multiple-day events and have the training time available – once every 1-3 weeks should be fine.  Try to build to at least 80-85% and possibly as much as 110% of the actual time that you expect your event to take.   Even if your event is far less than 1 hour you will still benefit from a run of 60-90 minutes and a bike ride or 2-3 hours, occasionally.

Your base training period IS when you want to build your aerobic capacity and strength to its maximum levels for the upcoming season.  Don’t get me wrong, putting in 80 mile run weeks and 400 mile bike weeks will do just that.  However,  long intervals and hill repeats reaching about 90-95% of your maximum effort or VO2 max pace will do the job in far less time – and with far less risk of injury.  Hill repeats will also build strength for both cycling and running. Another bonus – efforts on hills will make it “mentally” easier to reach that higher end intensity than doing them on the flats.  The length of the intervals or repeats should be about 3 to 6 minutes. Recovery between intervals should be complete and allow your heart rate to drop below about 60% of your maximum heart rate.The key to this training  is that the efforts are progressive, building efforts.   Your pace and heart rate should gradually get higher throughout the first 2 to 3 minutes and then “open it up” for the last 1 to 2 minutes.  These efforts are primarily “aerobic” but it tap into your “anaerobic” energy systems as well. Your heart will be pumping a lot more blood – per beat – particularly during the recoveries. You will be training your body to utilize more oxygen and consequently, raise your VO2 Max . (This is the maximum amount of oxygen you can take in and actually use during exercise. The higher your VO2 max, the higher your aerobic capacity and the more you have to work with. Think of it as the size of your engine.) As your fitness builds you can lengthen the intervals and the amount of time you can maintain that high end pace and heart rate.  When you are really fit it is possible to maintain your VO2 max pace for up to about 10-12 minutes.

How often should you do this type of training?  Well, that depends too. The maximum frequency for cycling or swimming  could be 4 times per week but typically 1 to 3.  The maximum frequency for running could be 3 times per week but typically 1 to 2.   Your personal strengths, weaknesses and available training time will  play a role in how much of this training should and can be done.  REMEMBER, put more energy into overcoming your weaknesses NOW and sharpen up your strengths LATER as you get closer to your racing season.

The most accurate way to determine heart rate zones is to have a stress test done. This will determine your maximum heart rate and your anaerobic and aerobic threshold heart rates. This may not be an option for most athletes. So, without knowing your maximum heart rate or threshold heart rates you need another method. There are many formulas that are about as accurate as a coin toss. Using a formula that considers your current fitness level and health will increase the odds of finding the correct heart rates. Once you have some training under your belt there are self tests you can perform to more accurately determine your target zones. I will discuss this further in another article.

You also have to realize that everyone is different. Some people are “slow beaters” and some are “fast beaters.” Though it must be said, neither of the two indicate better health, fitness nor will give you lower life assurance rates. A low heart rate does not necessarily mean you are a”stud” and a high heart rate does not always mean that you are out of shape.

There are many factors that influence your heart rate including age, genetics, training, overtraining, conditioning, illness, recovery, weather, hydration and nutrition. These factors may affect your resting heart rate, your maximum heart and your threshold heart rates in a variety of ways.

AGE - Maximum, resting and threshold heart rates decrease with increasing age.

TRAINING, CONDITIONING -Maximum heart rate typically does not change with training. However, the rate at which it decreases with age will be slower with consistent training. Threshold heart rates can change drastically through training. The more well trained an athlete is, the higher his threshold heart rates will be. Resting heart rate will decrease with training.

OVERTRAINING, RECOVERY -Overtraining and incomplete recovery will cause lower maximum and threshold heart rates while causing a rise in resting heart rate. It may be difficult to keep heart rate in low intensity zones and impossible to achieve high intensity zones. You get stuck in no man’s land. Your body is too fatigued to work out at high intensity and needs to go slower at your normal low intensity zones.

ILLNESS -Like overtraining, illness will cause a rise in resting heart rate and lower maximum and threshold heart rates. However, heart rates will typically be higher than normal at any given pace or perceived effort. Your body is working overtime trying to fight off infection or a cold.WEATHER-In general, the hotter it is the higher your heart rate and the slower your pace is going to be. Athletes can overcome this by regular training in warmer climates. When you acclimate to the heat, the increase in heart rate and decrease in pace will be less drastic.

HYDRATION/NUTRITION-When it is hot, you sweat. When you sweat you cool your body but you also lose fluid. Without cooling and without fluid replacement heart rate will increase while pace decreases. When you exercise, you burn primarily carbohydrate and fat calories. Carbohydrates (which are limited) must be present in order to burn the fat (which is virtually unlimited). Without proper nutrition during exercise, heart rate will increase while pace decreases.Listening to your body and understanding what it is telling you is the key to staying healthy and getting fit.

Most of my professional triathlete colleagues train in San Diego, Arizona, the south of France or Down Under for the winter. When anyone asks me, “Jeff, where do you go to train for the winter?” My answer is “down in my basement.” If I feel like treating myself to some really warm weather I’ll turn on the space heater and forego the fan. Before I go anywhere to train, I spend some quality time off. Any athlete who wishes to maintain their health, both physical and mental, takes time off from training. In the past, I have taken two weeks to two months off during the winter. I know, I know you are thinking you would like to take two months off from your job, too. Those two months are typically spent begging and groveling for sponsorships for the next season. You do not want that job. Trust me on this.

Whether I’ve taken two weeks or two months off, I have usually been “mentally” ready to start training again. Physically, however, I am never ready to start at the level that my head and my peers are telling me too. For example, I have a friend whom every year tries to talk me into participating in a 4-5 hour mountain bike ride on Super Bowl Sunday. It sounds like great fun and always tempts me. My wife knows better and will not let me go! She knows that my body is not ready for a 4-5 hour ride, no matter how hard or easy the pace is or how much fun I think I might have. The first few weeks of training always require a great deal of patience. By necessity, my workouts are both short and slow. I must remind myself that I will get in shape although I am doing what I like to call SSD (Short Slow Distance) training for those first few weeks. I know that many athletes can and will just jump into the same training routine they were following during the summer. You know these athletes. They are always in really good shape but they never seem to get any faster. Their days are numbered. When I was young and stupid and never got sore and never got tired I was one of them. Now, I am older. I train intelligently. If I am not careful, I do get sore and I do get tired. Trying to keep up with our toddler may contribute to my fatigue. It’s hard to believe that once we all had as much energy. The point is, the triathlon season is long and you do not need to reach your “peak” fitness in February. By building your health and fitness gradually and systematically from the start you will be more consistent with your training and racing throughout the year.