April 2009
Table of Contents
Message from Bill and Wendy: 2009 FIRM
Grand Prix Race Series
Vasa and FIRM Racing Sweepstakes: Grand Prize--Vasa Swim Ergometer
Tri Living: Racing for a Robyn
Message from Bill and
Wendy: 2009 FIRM Grand Prix Race Series
Each year FIRM hosts the Northeast’s only multisport
team competition—the FIRM Grand Prix Series. Now in its fifteenth year,
this series continues to be an exciting way for members of multisport
teams to compete for cash awards and really cool age group prizes.
The FIRM Grand Prix series consists of 10 FIRM
multisport events. The races in this year’s series are: Wrentham
Duathlon on April 19, U. S. Coast Guard Duathlon on May 23, Ludlow Boys
& Girls Club Triathlon on May 31, FirmMan Massachusetts Triathlon on
June 7, Webster Lake Triathlon on June 21, Old Colony YMCA Triathlon on
July 12, Lowell Triathlon & Wildcat Triathlon on August 9, Bayside YMCA
Triathlon on August 15, TDD Triathlon on September 19, and FirmMan Rhode
Island on September 13.
Individuals earn points for themselves and their
teams by placing in the top five in their category at these grand prix
events. First place earns eight points, second place earns five points,
third place earns three points, fourth place earns two points, and fifth
place earns one point. At least three members of a team must compete in
at least five of the 2009 Grand Prix events for the team to be eligible
for cash awards. Individuals from teams that do not meet this minimum
requirement are still eligible for FIRM Grand Prix age group awards.
The amount of money for the cash awards depends upon
the number of overall participants and the number of participants from
the multisport teams that compete in these ten events. FIRM places money
from entry fees from the ten events into the grand prix fund--the more
participants that register for the events, the more money goes into the
fund. At the end of the season, money from the grand prix fund is
awarded to the top three teams based upon the number of points earned
during the season. Typically the cash award for the first place team is
about fifteen hundred dollars. The 2009 Grand Prix team winners of
cash awards were Cyclonauts in first place, Comprehensive Racing in
second place, and Blackstone Valley in third place.
Teams that are interested in competing in the 2009
Grand Prix Series must register with FIRM by April 15, 2009. Once
registered, all team members must use RacesOnline.com to add their name
to their team roster for the Grand Prix Series. There is no charge for a
person to add his or her name to a team roster on RacesOnline.com.
Click here to add your name to your team’s roster.
If you are not on a team, you may want to consider
joining one this year so that you can compete for grand prix awards.
Below is a list of teams that are registered to participate in the FIRM
Grand Prix Series. They offer members benefits such as camaraderie,
training assistance, and sponsor discounts. Contact a team directly to
learn more about becoming a member of that team.
·
Bay State Triathlon Club
http://www.baystatetriteam.com/
·
Boston Triathlon Team
http://www.bostontriathlonteam.com/
·
Comprehensive Racing
Team
http://www.comprehensive-racing.com/
·
AIMTRITEAM
http://www.aimtriteam.org/
·
Blackstone Valley
http://bvhponline.com/home/
·
Boston Triathlon Team
http://www.bostontriathlonteam.com/
·
Cyclonauts
http://www.cyclonautmultisport.org/
·
Force 5
·
Heat
http://www.ctheat.org
·
Landry’s
http://www.landrys.com/cyclingclub/LandrysTriathlonClub/default.aspx
·
MRC
http://www.minutemanroadclub.com/
·
NCC
http://www.nohobikeclub.org/
·
New England Track and
Trail
·
North Medford Triathlon
Club
http://www.northmedfordclub.org/
·
North Shore Triathlon
Club
http://www.bnsfitness.com/adventures_NSTriathlon.htm
·
Tri Fury
http://www.trifury.com/
·
Westboro Triathlon and
Swim Club
·
Wheelworks
http://www.wheelworks.com/tri_team.htm
The
2009 Grand Prix Series is sure to offer great racing, team camaraderie,
and plenty of fun. Make sure you are a part of it.
Click here to check out
the 2009 FIRM race schedule. Contact us at
billf@firm-racing.com with
any questions.
Vasa and FIRM Racing Sweepstakes: Grand Prize--Vasa Swim Ergometer
Vasa and
FIRM Racing are pleased to announce the
Vasa and FIRM Racing Sweepstakes
with the grand prize - a Vasa Swim
Ergometer (Retail value $1899).
Earning entries for this sweepstakes is fun. You earn entries by
competing in FIRM’s multisport races in 2009. The more you race, the
better your chance of winning.
-
Earn one entry each time you participate in a FIRM multisport race.
-
Earn additional entries by placing in the top five of your race
category in FIRM multisport races. Categories include: elite,
age-grouper, Clydesdale, Athena, and relay team. First place earns
eight entries, second place earns five entries, third place earns
three entries, fourth place earns two entries, and fifth place earns
one entry.
-
Earn double entries for Grand Prix events and triple entries for
FirmMan MA and FirmMan RI
The winner’s name will be drawn at the FIRM Grand Prix awards banquet at
the end of the race season. The person whose name is drawn must be
present at the awards banquet to win the bicycle frame. No exceptions.
The date and location of the awards banquet will be announced next
month. So update your race calendar and start earning entries to win a
Vasa Swim Ergometer.
Tri Living: Racing for a
Robyn
Like many triathletes, Heidi Hack competes in triathlons because she
loves the challenge of the sport, and the variety of the three
disciplines. Well actually, those were her motivators for her first four
years in the sport. This
year is different. This
year, Heidi is racing for Robyn.
Robyn
Nelson was the daughter of a close friend. She was an amazing young girl
who made everyone smile--a member of the field hockey team at Dedham
Middle school, and a talented photographer and artist. She even made her
own jewelry. In July 2007, Robyn was diagnosed with an inoperable brain
tumor. She died one year later, a month shy of her thirteenth birthday.
Watching young Robyn
face such a dire situation with strength and dignity changed many
people’s lives including Heidi. And Heidi knew she had to do something
in return. This year Heidi
chose to pay tribute to Robyn by fundraising for the Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Massachusetts, an organization that brought joy to Robyn
and her family during her illness by sending them on a much needed
vacation to Florida.
On August 30, 2009, Heidi will compete in Ironman Louisville in Kentucky as part of the Janus Charity Challenge. Janus will donate
$10,000 to the Make-A-Wish-Foundation of Massachusetts if Heidi is the
top fundraiser in the
Janus Charity Challenge this year.
Heidi is determined to be the top fundraiser in the Janus Charity
Challenge. Her biggest
fundraising effort is a concert called, “Rocking for Robyn”. The
concert, with a fun line up of bands, is scheduled for April 19 at Fat
Boys Bar and Grill in Milford, MA—on the same date and not far from the
Wrentham Duathlon. The
concert is from 2:00 PM to midnight. Festivities will include raffles
for fun prizes such as signed swag from pro-triathletes Hillary Biscay,
Michelle Jones and Jessie Stensland, a free tune-up from Milford
Bicycles, a doggie gift basket filled with organic dog treats from
Ironpups, a Dropkick Murphy's signed CD, and paintings and photographs
from local artists.
If you want to have some extra fun after the Wrentham Duathlon and
support an important cause, join Heidi and her supporters at the
“Rocking for Robyn” concert in Milford. The proceeds will allow the
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts to bring lots more smiles to
children like Robyn and their families. Contact
Heidi Hack for additional
information.
Vescio MPS Open Water
Swim Clinic
Improve Your
Triathlon Swim
2009 Swim Clinic Dates:
Friday June 5 from 6:00 AM to 7:30 AM
Friday August 14 from 6:00 AM to 7:30 AM
The swim clinic is held at Lake Chauncey in Westborough, MA. The fee is
$30 for one session or $50 for both. Click here for
more information or to register. Class size is limited.
Coach’s Corner—Power
Meters, Part Two
By Don Vescio, Vescio Multisport Performance Services
So you have a power
meter and have begun collecting data--now, you wonder what you are
supposed to do with it. In
a lot of ways, power data is not the same as data collected by a cycling
speedometer, or even a heart rate monitor; while you can track power
data as you race (many riders will do so to help with their pacing), the
real value of power data is tracking changes over time.
A power meter will help you determine whether you are getting
stronger and fitter as a result of your training.
It also will help you optimize your aerodynamics, though this is
a bit more complicated.
The
very first step for anyone interested in power-based cycling training is
to purchase a copy of Hunter and Coggan's Training with
Power (I tend to discount their views on HR/PE) and pay
close attention on what normalized power is all about.
Normalize power is related to, but not the same, as average
power. For instance, in
events that have little variability like coasting and drafting (such as
a time trial), then normalize power and average power are pretty much
the same. In events in
which there is a good amount of variability (such as in a criterium), it
is not unusual to see huge, but short in duration, spikes in power as
riders jump out of corners or sprint for primes.
Apart from these bursts, a clever rider might spend much of the
race pedaling lightly in the draft of other riders (I know about this!).
While the average power of a sprinter in such races might be
relatively low, it does not accurately reflect the actual load placed on
the rider during the course of the event.
Normalized power attempts to equate all efforts as a comparison to a one
hour, full time trial effort.
There are lots of algorithms that enable a ride to calculate
actual work load, the easiest method is to purchase a copy of Cycling
Peaks software that automatically calculates normalized power.
The normalized power value, then, can be used to compare efforts
of very different types of events, independent of the variability of
average power.
A power meter really is an investment in time.
What I generally recommend is that you track normalized power for
lots of training sessions, paying special attention to HR/PE and how it
correlates to the normalized power data.
Once you get a sense of your normalized power for events of
different durations, you can use these values to help you pace during
the course of a specific race.
For instance, you will use your power meter to track efforts on
the climb and monitor output on the down hills, so you don't go too hard
downhill, or too easy up.
On top of all of this, you'll be paying very careful attention to your
HR/PE as your final determiner of effort.
What's interesting is how you can use a power meter to manage your
efforts on courses of different terrains.
For instance, if the course is fairly flat, then you can ride at
your normalized power value (which in this case will be similar average
power) and be assured that that you should finish the big leg relatively
strong; if the course is really hilly, then you would use your power
data in a very different way.
Here why: when riding downhill, the biggest factor that you face
is aerodynamic drag. Drag
increases as a cube of speed; what this means is that pushing 30-40 more
watts going downhill will get you only a slight advantage over your
competition, because drag at speed is so high.
If you are climbing, a 30-40 watt increase makes significant gain
over your competition, as aero drag is minimal.
Example: If
you're doing an Ironman on a hilly course and you calculate that
your normalized power for
this distance is approximately 175 watts,
consider going a little harder when riding uphill, and a little
easier down hills. Because everyone pretty much goes fast downhill, use
the uphills (within reason) to put time on your competitors, while
recovering on the downhills.
Power-based training can be incredibly complex, but the time invested in
tracking data over time can yield significant results. Training by power
is not necessarily for everyone, and it is possible to get extremely
positive results by tracking heart rate, too--in fact, I still tend to
do this for most of my workouts, using my power meter for testing and to
track long-term changes in performance.
For more information on power-based training, check out Hunter
and Coggan's Power 411:
http://home.trainingpeaks.com/power411.aspx
Don Vescio, a cycling
coach with
Vescio Multisport Performance
Services, has set
numerous cycling course records in the United States and Canada, and is
currently training for a Masters World hour record. You can reach Don at
dvescio@mpstraining.com.
This
year, FIRM is working with Athletes for a Fit Planet to make all our
races a little bit greener. One aspect of this endeavor is encouraging
athletes to consider ride sharing to reduce the carbon footprint of our
races. (See the Tri This article in this issue of FIRM Racing).
Every mile you drive produces about 1 pound of CO2. Ride sharing cuts
that in half or more – that’s huge, especially for the larger races. If
you must travel solo, though, please consider buying a race-day Green
Tag sticker from FitPlanet. For $2.50 you can offset 300 lbs of CO2.
That’s the equivalent of about 300 miles of driving.
Click here to purchase your
Green Tags. We’ll have your Green Tags waiting for you at the
registration table!
Tri This: PickupPal
Interested
in ride sharing to FIRM’s races?
Sign up here for
a PickupPal account and become a member of a growing and dynamic
community. It is free to join and to use. PickupPals can track the
number of rides they have given or taken and the number of miles they
have traveled via ride sharing and FIRM can keep track of the amount of
carbon emissions we have collectively reduced as a result!
Danskin is looking for enthusiastic women who have completed at least two triathlons to provide ongoing support and encouragement to participants in the Danskin New England Triathlon. Becoming a Danskin mentor is fun way to give back to the sport and help more women experience the thrill and satisfaction of competing in triathlons. For more information, contact Elaine Vescio at: evescio@mpstraining.com
Gee Whiz: Matching Aero
Wheel Design to Wind Conditions
It used to be that a rider would simply purchase a set
of wheels with a relatively low spoke count for time trials and
triathlons. Today, wheel technology has advanced significantly, and it's
possible to match an aero wheel design to the wind conditions on the
course to achieve optimal performance.
There are two terms that you need to know: wind
direction; and apparent wind direction, which also is known as yaw.
Wind direction is pretty simple: it's the direction from which the wind
originates, which also is the same direction that the wind is felt by a
rider when standing still. When a rider is in motion, however, the
direction from which the wind appears to originate will vary, depending
on his or her speed. In simplest terms, faster riders experience
smaller yaw angles than slower riders.
You don't have to be a meteorologist of expert in
mathematics to determine the likely apparent wind angle for race day,
which can factor into your wheel selection. Steve Hed, one of the
pioneers of bicycle aerodynamics, has an easy to use online calculator
that you can use to make sure that you've taken into account
environmental variables as you prepare for your important race.
Just visit:
http://www.hedcycling.com/aerodynamics_technology/yaw_calculator.asp
Examples:
Let's take an average, middle of the pack rider who
anticipates that he will ride at an average speed of 15 miles per hour.
Looking carefully at the weather records of the race venue, the rider
anticipates that the likely wind during race day will be from the west
at 15 miles per hour--it's a very windy course. Plugging these
values into Hed's apparent wind calculator yields the following results:
Now, take a second rider who tends to win her age
group on a regular basis; she anticipates that her average speed
will be 30 miles per hour. Entering her values yields the
following results:
What's important is that the anticipated
apparent wind angle can be used to help each rider select the best
wheels for the event. For the rider in example one, a wheel that
performs in high apparent wind angles would be a good choice; for the
second rider, a wheel that performs better in low yaw angles might be a
better choice.
What wheel, then, should each rider use? Steve
Hed also makes this determination easy through the use of his wheel drag
calculator:
http://www.hedcycling.com/aerodynamics_technology/
The wheel drag calculator enables a direct comparison
of wheels in varying yaw angles. In the example below, three
wheels are compared: a traditional spoked wheel; a Hed trispoke wheel;
and a Zipp disk wheel.
The green line represents a Zipp disk; at an apparent
wind angle of 5 degrees, there is no difference between it and the Hed
trispoke in terms of aerodynamic drag; the same holds true for a yaw
angle of approximately 17 degreed. In between 5 and 17 degrees, a
Zipp disk will out perform a Hed wheel. But in yaw angles greater
than 17 degrees, the performance of the Hed trispoke continues to
improves, and even surpassed that of the Zipp disk. Similarly, at
very low yaw angles (0 to 5 degrees--that experienced by extremely fast
riders) a Hed Trispoke might proved to be the best choice.
What does all of this mean? Slower
riders most often experience high apparent wind angles, which means that
they should select a wheel that performs well in high yaw angles, such
as a Hed trispoke; very fast riders tend to experience very low yaw
angles, which means that pretty much any modern aerodynamic wheel will
yield excellent performance. Using Steve Hed's two simple tools
enables riders of any ability to select wheels that will be the best
match for them and the wind conditions that they face.
Tri-2-Excel Sports
Videography
Personalized Tri Video
The Personalized Tri Video (PTV) is a video of just your triathlon/duathlon experience. Sure you've seen other video coverage of sporting events but this one is tailored specifically to you! You will see yourself as you come through the swim transition, biking out on the course, and running through the finish. The PTV helps you remember your race experience forever.
Click here for sample videos and a
list of other available merchandise.
Upcoming FIRM
Events—Half Iron Distance Events
Are you a sprint or Olympic distance triathlete that is thinking about
doing a longer race this season?
Or maybe, you have an ironman on your race calendar and are
looking for a nice half iron distance event to top off your training.
Then check out FirmMan Massachusetts and FirmMan Rhode Island. These two
half iron distance events are challenging, competitive, and local.
Unlike many other events in this category, the entry fee for these
events won’t break the bank. And participants in each of the FirmMan
half iron distance events earn triple entries into the
Vasa and FIRM Racing Sweepstakes
with the grand prize of a Vasa Swim Ergometer.
FirmMan Massachusetts
on June 7, 2009
Set
in pretty Camp Lowe in scenic Lancaster, MA, FirmMan MA offers a swim in
placid Fort Pond, a bicycle ride through Lancaster and surrounding towns
that include a few decent climbs, and a run on rolling terrain. It’s a
nice challenging course for any triathlete and is a good match
course-wise and timing-wise for those who have Ironman Lake Placid on
their schedule this year.
Click here to register for FirmMan Massachusetts.
FirmMan Rhode Island on
September 13, 2009
A
perennial favorite, FirmMan Rhode Island, starts with a swim in
Narragansett Bay, moves on to a surprisingly hilly bicycle ride mainly
on highways, and finishes with a run over a rolling course with a final
“dash” along the sandy beach to the giant FIRM finish line.
Click here to register for FirmMan Rhode Island.
Remember to check out all twenty-five multisport events on the 2009 FIRM
Race Calendar. We offer a variety of fun and competitive events to keep
you racing from April through October.
Click here for
the complete listing of 2009 FIRM events.
Special Offers from Our Sponsors
Vescio Multisport Performance Services
Vescio Multisport Performance Services is thrilled to once again be the
official coaching organization for the FIRM Race Series, and we look
forward to helping FIRM athletes achieve their athletic goals in 2009.
Sign up for any Vescio MPS Platinum or Gold Level Program by May 31,
2009 and get 20% off the first month’s coaching fee. To receive the
discount, enter “FIRM20” in the appropriate space on the client sign-up
form. This offer may not be combined with other offers.
Bring the following coupon to
Quadmultisport by May 31, 2009 and receive a 20% discount on any
Quintana Roo bicycle and/or Quintana Roo wetsuit. This coupon is
good for in-shop purchases only and is not applicable for online
purchases.
Tri-Sports.com
