Holiday Gift Guide

With the holidays right around the corner, as a spouse/family member/friend of a triathlete you may wonder what to get for them. To simplify the effort, think of it this way, your triathlete can never have to much gear.

The place to begin is to visit your local bike shop and seek out the resident triathlete/gear expert/bike nut and see what they would look for in a gift. Most shop employees have everything and when they are looking for new gear, it is the crazy cool stuff that triathletes want.

Here are just a few ideas:

Under $10

To keep things on the cheap, nutrition is always needed. Justin’s Nut Butter comes in 1.15 oz. squeeze packs that can be used out in the field during your workouts. With 9 different flavors, there is always a great choice out there. These come in packs of 10 for $5.99 and are available online or at your local bike shop

Honorable Mention: Nuun Hydration Tablets, Yankz Lace Systems

Under $50

If I had to pick one piece of my gear to have on a desert island, it would be my 2 bottle Helium Belt from Fuel Belt, Inc. Fuel Belt is the authority in hydration belts and the latest generation is by far the best yet. Not only does it fit great and hold 20 oz. of fluid, the small pocket is perfect for nutrition and an iPod. These belts come in at $41.95 and right now you can purchase them through www.fuelbelt.com for 10% off.

Honorable Mention: Bontrager XXX Lite Carbon Water Bottle Cage

Under $100

Bike stuff is expensive, that is just the way it is. That doesn’t mean you can’t “pimp” out your ride with some killer accessories. Nothing says Bling on a bike like Nokon Cable Housing. This German product comes with an internal sheathing and aluminum “Pearls” that link together to form the outer casing. Nokon housing is ideal for the the tight bends on tri-bikes and looks absolutely amazing.

Honorable Mention: X-Lab Torpedo Mount and Cage

Under $1,000

Powermeters are available for under $1000, thats right, it is. The iBike Aero comes in at $899 and accurately measures how much wattage is produced through a complex series of mathematical calculations utilizing a mini wind tunnel on the front of the unit. By mounting this small, cell phone sized unit on your stem the rider gets all the power data of its significantly higher priced competitors

Honorable Mention: Mavic Ksyrium SL Wheelset

Under $5,000

Buy a Bike: Cervelo P3; Specialized Transition Pro or whatever fits your fancy!

Honorable Mention: Shimano DI2 Groupset

Under $20,000

Go ahead, build your dream bike. Start with a Storck Aero frameset (comes with aerobars). Shimano DI2 gruppo and a set of Zipp Zedtech wheels. The $4,000 SRM Dura Ace powermeter will fit your data needs nicely. This is the best of the best and even if you aren’t fast, you will look good!

Honorable Mention: Buy a car

The Company Car - 2009 Cervelo P4

Tips for Winter Riding

With the winter rolling in (although it is 70 degrees right now), here are few things to know about continuing to ride outside:

1) Prepare your bike for winter riding. For example, run wider tires or studded tires with lower tire pressure. If you are thinking about a second, winter bike, get a cyclocross bike. They can run really wide, very nobby tires and can be ridden off-road, which is a whole lot warmer than road rides.

2) Apparel is key. Think a) Base Layer - This is designed to wick the moisture away from your body. A wet base layer will make you even colder than no base layer. Also, companies such as Craft make these in different levels based on how cold and how long you will be out. b) Thermal Layer - This is what keeps you warm on top of the base layer. This is based solely on how cold it is. c) Element layer will keep the wind and weather outside your body. This is so incredibly important because wind chill makes a huge difference.

3) Winter riding shoes are a killer idea since they are typically a bit bigger to allow thick socks, are weather resistant and can take a beating. Much more pleasant to destroy winter clothing than you shiny riding shoes that you race in.

4) If possible, try to change your work schedule so you can ride mid-day. Light becomes an issue as the days are getting shorter.

5) Here is a good rule of thumb..."there is no such thing as a cold riding day, just poorly chosen apparel.

Happy Winter Riding!!!

Turkey Day Special!!!

If you contact CI Multisport between now and 11:59pm Sunday night (11/29/2009).

You will be eligible for the CIM Discount Rate on our Coaching Plans!

info@cimultisport.com

www.cimultisport.com

Coach Jared Builds A Bike

Finally, after 3 months of waiting, my new weapon for 2010 showed up.

It is the new super-fast, ultra-sleek Cervelo P4. I am so excited to finally get on this beast after racing on a P2 (2008), a P3 (2009) and now the big gun for 2010.

One thing I find incredibly interesting when it comes to bikes is the process of building and fitting it.

1) The geometry of the bike is exactly the same as the P3, so I duplicated my saddle and front end. My saddle height remains 76.2cm with a virtual seat tube angle of 79.5 degrees. I use a 100mm stem with a -8 degree angle and 3cm of spacers under. This gives me an 11cm drop from my seat to my pads.

2) The Build is something I have always had a lot of fun with.

a) I am a firm believer in the Bontrager XXX Lite Aerobars with the S-Bend Team extensions. They have a ton of adjustability and fit me absolutely perfectly. Also, they weigh a mere 630 grams, which makes them as light as some of the best bars of the market!

b) I have found that for me, the Fizik Arione Tri 2 (the most popular tri saddle on the market) just doesn't fit me well. I ride way up up on the nose and have found the Specialized Tri-Tip with the 50mm nose, fits me best. That was one of the few things I kept from my P3, just because I like it so much. It adds a bit of weight, but it is so comfortable, it is well worth it.

c) For this specific bike, I am trying something new when it comes to the cable housing and chain. The P4 has some real extreme bends for the cables. Therefore, I am running Nokon Cable housing for their aluminum links that make the housing bend really well. It also is known for preventing cable stretch. For the chain, the KMC X10SL is about 50 grams lighter than traditional 10 seed chains

d) Hydration on the Cervelo tri bikes is always an issue. The P4 has an integrated waterbottle above the bottom bracket this is a real long reach. The only benefit of it is the aerodynamics it adds. Therefore I have always run the XLab Sonic Wing with a pair of Specialized Rib Cage Pro cages. This is the best way I have found to hold bottles behind the saddle without launching them. This year, I will be running a different front end hydration system. In the past, I have used the Profile Design Aerodrink set up. This year, I will be using the X-Lab Torpedo Mount, which holds a standard waterbottle on the aerobars. Should be pretty cool and very versatile

c) Other parts of the bike that will be used. It comes stock as a Sram Red bike...which is killer. The few adjustments I made is to use a 54-tooth TT chainring as well as the killer Sram R2C Shifters (they always face one direction, hence Return 2 Center).

d) I will continue to use Shimano Dura Ace Pedals...because they are GREAT! As for wheels, I will use the stock Easton Wheelset that comes with the bike, then as race season nears, I will decide on what type of aero wheels will be appropriate.

Right now, the bike is in a box waiting for a few parts to show up. I hope to have it built within the next 2 weeks and I will post pictures, weight and all the various info about it.

See you at the races (with my bike)!

Cheers,

Coach Jared

Re-Evaluating the Off-Season: Pedal Stroke Efficiency

As the winter rolls in and the idea of taking time off to recover and recuperate from a long race season, athletes are already beginning to plan 2010 and beyond. Whether it shooting for your first sprint to your 10th Ironman, the off-season is the time to begin building the base for next year.

The problem with just focusing on those long slow miles, metabolic efficiency and core & strength work is there is one major hole that athletes ignore. That is taking the time to truly learn how to pedal the bike properly.

One of the great voices in Triathlon, Bob Babbitt, said “if you have ever had floaties, had a paper route, or played capture the flag, you have our skill set..” This is true to a point, but your wouldn’t see a pro cyclist ever having the choppy stroke that most triathletes ride a bike with.

There are several major muscle and tendon groups that push make up the pedal stroke. Glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, hip flexors and even the core muscles. When one group fires at a certain point in the pedal stroke the other groups rest and recover. If you are engaging only one or two of these groups, they will fatigue faster and be fresher by the time the run comes along.

With the weather turning cold and wet, the bicycle trainer is the perfect time to smooth out the stroke. Here is a simple test to see how fluid your stroke is:

Pedal at a slow cadence attempting to keep the sound of the trainer exactly the same all the way around the stroke. If you hear a “woosh” at any point, then there isn’t equal pressure all the way around.

To help train yourself to pedal smoother, there are a couple of ways to do it. The first is to find a Pedal Stroke Efficiency class, similar to the one run by Harvard Cycling Coach, Ed Sassler at Belmont Wheelworks. This is by far the best and most effective way to learn to pedal your bike properly.

Doing a simple 30 minute trainer workout a couple days of week on a trainer for the duration of the winter will do wonders. You will be able to ride faster and farther with less energy if you learn pedal efficiency. For example:

5 minute warmup

4 x 5 minute intervals

(1 minute: single leg drill w/ left leg unclipped)

(1 minute: single leg drill w. right leg unclipped)

(1 minute: both legs high cadence spin until start bouncing on the saddle, then back off 5 rpms)

(2 minutes recovery)

5 minute cool down

The goal is to keep even pressure all the way around and prevent that “woosh” sound. The “single leg drill” should ideally be done at a very low cadence and you will be able to feel each muscle and tendon group firing at each point.

This should also be done at a very low tension. To high, to fast, can very quickly result in hip flexor issues. So be careful and start in slowly.

See you at the Races (being more efficient)!

Prepare, Perform, Analyze and Move On

Right smack in the middle of my off-season, I am sitting on a plane heading south to visit my grandparents. Doris & Leon are 88 and 90 years old and still consider this little triathlon-life I have carved out a little silly. They still ask if I am going to win and then always say it is okay when I don’t. I will always be their little “Fally Wally,” for being clumsy when I was 4.

2009 was my worst season I have ever had. I was constantly battling illness, was spread very thin between work, life & training and never had that big breakthrough I have consistently had over the years. On top of all this, I was ready to race in Mid-July at the Amica Providence 70.3, then had to cancel my race plans to attend a funeral of a close friend’s mother. Missing an “A” race is always hard, but going was the only choice I had, and I would do it again the situation came up.

Finally, I did get to my first race in Late-July. First, I made a bad equipment choice, going with an unvented aero-helmet. Next, I lost my nutrition bottle in the first few miles of the bike and decided to keep going. Finally, I cramped up quite bad on the run and lost about 3 minutes until a fellow racer gave me a few salt tablets. Then, I re-focused for a late-September Half-Iron race. Again, I was stretched thin and got sick multiple times. By the time the race came around, I just wanted the season to be over, which happened about 3 miles into the run. My first DNF...

Fast forward to sitting on this flight about an hour from my Ft. Lauderdale destination, I am finally excited to begin training again next week. After the DNF, I thought a lot about the season. I realized I had viewed that Half-Iron as the single race that could make up for the bad season. When I got sick, I still had high expectations and then when I failed, I began to question why I want to put myself through such misery.

Immediately after the race, I sold my Cervelo P3, I buried my wetsuit in the closet and avoided the running shoes. A few weeks later, I built my cyclocross bike and started riding on some fire trails. After about 30 days of riding, I was beginning to get my fire back. I fell in love with being in the woods an being on my bike again. Although, I am in the off-season, I felt re-invigorated and started riding the ‘cross bike about 10 hours a week. Nothing hard, just a lot of fun.

After a couple of days visiting my Grandparents in Florida and hearing how “great and wonderful” I am and how they are looking forward to seeing me win every race I enter next year. After that, how can I not be motivated to get into the pool on Monday!

Welcome to the CI Multisport Family

Hello and welcome to my house!

There, now that we have gotten formalities out of the way, lets get down to the stuff that matters. Competitive Instinct Multisport began in a spiral-bound notebook in January and now, ten months later, it is open to the public.

"Why did it take so long?" is probably what you are thinking.

Well, I have a great answer for that. CI Multisport was built to have the best infrastructure, programs and practices in the industry. I wasn't about to throw out some half-finished product to athletes and potentially put their performance and training at risk. Instead, we built this company from the ground up, with a significant amount of time put into what we ask of our coaches, as athletes.

1) Communication: Many other companies have different levels of coach availability and pricing. CIM athletes all have the same level of coach dedication. Kind of like socialism. No athlete is a "lower priority" because they pay less. Instead, CIM athletes have unlimited contact with their coach. For example, it can be 17 emails and 2 phone calls a day, or it can be 1 phone call every 2 weeks. Communication is whatever the coach/athlete relationship requires. The coach will never go a day without viewing workout results, so there will never be this "out of touch" feeling when talking with an athlete.

2) Dedication: CIM coaches only work with a limited number of clients. We dedicate ourselves to each athlete fully. We are an athletes biggest fan, supporter, friend, mentor. Yes, we are each athletes "Coach," but there is so much more to the relationship than just sending workouts. CIM coaches will always go above and beyond and will do whatever we can to make an athlete succeed, even if it means traveling to a race to cheer on the sideline!

3) Infrastructure: This is an interesting topic that was very important to the building of CI Multisport. We use "THE BEST" coaching software in the industry. CIM also pays extra to the software company to upgrade all of our clients. We firmly believe that anything that can help our athletes is worth it, even if it costs CIM a little bit more. Also, we have partnered with industry leaders to give CIM athlete access to the best equipment at a less expensive price. We understand coaching is not cheap and want to help anyway we can to help lower the cost of other expenses. If you haven't been to the CI Multisport website yet, please check it out. It has constantly updated content, videos, articles and everyones favorite, Twitter. As athletes, these are things we wanted in our coaches and that is why we took the time to build our house.

On that note, you have a little insight as to how we put together Competitive Instinct Multisport. Please feel free to contact us (info@cimultisport.com) with any questions and we hope you spend some time hanging out in our little corner of the "inter-webs!"

Coach Jared

jared@cimultisport.com

P.S. - Oh yeah, we have a dog. His name is George and he loves people!

5 Keys To Off-Season Training

With the 2009 season coming to an end in the northern part of the country, the only way to continue racing is to find a few crazy friends or travel south. All of the hard work put in for this past year should not be wasted by ignoring the pool or using your bike as a coat rack.

Instead, now is the time to recover, evaluate and plan. Now that the mandatory few weeks has been taken, its time to start preparing for a fast 2010.

1. Bike Fit

After logging a ton of miles on that saddle and ignoring family obligations, it may seem ridiculous to get your bike fit now. However, the vast majority of triathletes, from the most novice to the guy with the $15k race bike, are uncomfortable and unable to ride efficiently, let alone run afterwards. Working with an experienced fitter to create a conservative position for the off-season will give you the opportunity to built the strength to ride that aero bike in that aero position. Optimizing your position early will give you the opportunity to improve aerodynamics in the spring, well before race season gets underway.

1. Learn to Pedal Properly

Don’t laugh, in the bicycle industry, triathletes have a reputation for being bad cyclists. Getting off the road on onto a trainer can pay significant benefits for next season. Harvard University cycling coach, Ed Sassler, preaches the importance of firing off the correct leg muscles during specific parts of the pedal stroke. For example, using the large glute muscles on the downstroke instead of focusing on the quadriceps will help efficiency and reduce muscle fatigue.

Performing drills on a trainer will not only teach muscle memory it will build power and endurance.

Using this time to spin at a high cadence will allow you to build aerobic capacity. One-leg drills, spin-ups and muscle isolation are essential to creating a smooth, fluid pedal stroke.

1. Core Strength & Flexibility

There is no secret here at all. Core strength will give you the ability to explode off the beach to get a good set of feet in the swim. Ride longer in the aero position and maintain form running form deeper into the race. Improving flexibility creates one significant advantage that goes back to tip #1: Bike Fit. Increasing hip flexion and loosening the hamstrings will allow you to ride in a much steeper position. Being able to turn the body angle (degrees of the angle created by the bottom bracket, hip and shoulder) from a conservative 105 degrees to 102 or 101 creates less frontal area and drag. This in turn is free speed.

1. Don’t be Afraid to Gain Weight

Losing weight for the race season can significantly improve performance. Weight loss is a great feeling and result of hard work and a disciplined diet. Getting to “race weight” is great for the season but peak fitness is purely for that, peaking! During the

off-season, adding a little bit of weight allows the body to recover and gives a little extra fuel for when the base training period begins. Don’t be afraid to have a little ice cream or a burger, just keep in mind you will be training less and not burning calories at the same rate as during the season. More than anything, this little break from energy bars and counting calories will go miles for mental health

1. Base, Base & More Base

This will never end! No matter what! Dust off that heart rate monitor and begin the zone 1 and 2 workouts. Teach that body again to burn fat instead of glycogen. It will let you race longer and faster in 2010. And, that is what it is all about.

Competitive Instinct Multisport & Carmichael Training Systems

CIM's Coach Jared Gell and CTS's Coach Chris Carmichael (Lance Armstrong's Coach)

Call For Photos

Hi Everybody,

CI Multisport is looking for some killer photos for the website (launches on Nov. 1). If you have any, please send them to Info@CIMultisport.com

Anyone who sends a photo that I use will receive a CI Multisport T-Shirt. Let me tell you, THEY ARE AWESOME.

Cheers,

Coach Jared

Bike Bling

Big Workout Day

The BIG WORKOUT DAY is a staple of all Competitive Instinct Multisport athletes and is ideal for simulating race day conditions. Every race distance, from sprint to ironman, has various aspects that can dramatically increase race-day performance and execution.

The one thing to understand about racing is that there are no miracles on race day. If you train to ride your bicycle at 18 miles per hour, then don’t race at 20 mph. That can lead to disaster on the crux or any triathlon, the run. CI Athletes use this as an opportunity to put the multiple pieces of a race day together.

Triathlon is much more than the swim, bike and run. There is the adrenaline at the beginning of the swim, T-1, getting the biking legs underneath you, holding the aero position, T-2, loosening up in the opening miles of the run, then finishing strong. Those are just the “day of” aspects. Then throw in bike fit and an understanding of caloric intake and that is a lot to think about when entering a big race without preparation.

The Big Workout Day consists of all of these factors away from the stress of having to “be on.” Beginning the day with a swim really contributes to day in one way, testing the bike fit. The swim, more than anything will fatigue your arms, shoulders and core. If your bike fit is not dialed in or to aggressive, holding yourself for a duration will be of great difficulty. If you have that Uber-Fast, Blinged-Out ride, sitting up in the wind will defeat the purpose of it.

After a quick change and drive if needed, head out for a bike or a distance relatively in the neighborhood of what you will be racing (see race specific Big Day tips below). This is a great time to focus on pacing and nutrition. Going out to fast will cause you to slow near the end and leave you quite sluggish for the run, so starting out slower and building as you go is a great way to view any workout. Unlike the swim to bike, the transition to the run should be immediate (i.e.-no dilly dally’ing).

Once the bike is dropped off and you begin the run, the immediate focus should be on running form. If you are tight take the first few miles to loosen up at a pace that is slower than what you know you can run. For example, if you have trained to run at 9 minute mile pace and can do that all day, go out about 30 seconds slower until you build a rhythm. Once up to speed, put in a few short hard efforts to bring your heart rate up. This will train your body to have the strength to finish strong and pass people in the back end as others are fading.

More important than going out as hard as you can on the Big Day, is learning how your body will react to your pacing and your nutrition strategy. View this as your dress rehearsal for trying out your race day gear, pacing and nutrition strategy.