Eight-Legged Beast.

Houston is the closest thing you can get to experiencing an actual, thriving, underwater metropolis. With the average summer humidity hovering somewhere around 114 gallons per-second, and the average heat lingering around elevendy-billion degrees, just trying to breathe can be difficult. Some people say that living in Houston is like living in any big city, but being slapped with a warm wet towel everywhere you go. So it's a good thing that our crew of Peak Fitness athletes are a tough bunch, ready to take on any climatic element, be it humidity, heat, or a good, hearty warm/wet towel-slapping. Their preparation paid off with a stellar Team Time Trial at the Texas State Championship.


The team consisted of the usual suspects, including:

Maurice "high threshold hummingbird heart/beast of the" East:


Ray "I have a PhD in whooping butt" Botello


Scott "this is probably the first time you've seen my face because I am so fast" McMillan


And Morris "No I don't shave my legs, I just stare at them and the hair runs away" Camp:


We arrived at the course about an hour and a half before the start time. We had one minor holdup before the race, involving a bike locked to a car rack and a key at a hotel room roughly one hour away. I scrambled to find something to help free the stead. Luckily Scott never leaves home without a good hefty pair of wire cutters.


I managed to work my way through the cable in no time at all. It was easier than I thought it would be. In totally unrelated news I recently came into possession of a bunch of gently used Pinarellos, Cervelos, and Colnagos that are now for sale.

With the bike now not attached to a Toyota, the boys headed out for a warmup and then assembled at the start area. They assumed incredibly intimidating facial expressions. They were like rattlesnakes ready to strike.


There was a storm a' brewin. Lucky for everybody else there was also a cowboy/USCF official to keep things calm.


The boys lined up and spent the last few minutes going over their strategy: go very, very fast.


They rolled up to the line, made last second adjustments, and were off!


It would be pure speculation for me to gander at what happened on the out and back course. Locals in the area reported seeing a "flaming train of lightning and fire," and hearing "the speed of sound being repeatedly broken," and catching a glimpse of "some sort of crazy eight-legged monster that had perception of neither of pain nor suffering." We caught a few shots as they zoomed across the finish line.


The race was a success and the training paid off. Total time: 58.39 for an average speed of 25.43 mph! This nabbed an impressive 5th place for the category.

There was only one thing left to do: stage a totally rememberful "GO TEAM!" picture at the finish line.


And then it was time for the cool-down.


Good work boys. Next year, Pro 1/2 for sure.

EB

Beat your friends to Corpus.

We put the T in TTT.

A squad of totally radical Peak Fitness athletes will be flexing their quads for the public's enjoyment for about an hour this coming Sunday in Pattison Texas. This event, also known as the Texas State Team Time Trial Championship (TSTTTC) will attract teams from all over the world (of Texas). Peak Fitness has been helping some of these racers reach their goals through performance testing, training plans, and team practice sessions. Read on to see just how we help our athletes train right.

This was my second week of helping coach the team's technique and things were running very smoothly. Morris is the lead man, helping get the group up to speed.


We've been putting most of our focus on developing high-speed pacelining skills. This included tweaking pull times, practicing steady accelerations, and getting a comfortable rotation.


The ever important element of communication is an oft-forgotten skill in cycling. Maurice spent a little time teaching us sign language. I'm not totally sure what this one meant, but I think it had something to do with the letter "W."


Next, Maurice instructed us in the art of "body language." This pose means "I GUESS we could watch the Tour Recap, but I'd be missing Oprah." It can also mean "Hmmph, how am I EVER going to get these Chianti stains out of this throw pillow?!?"


This was very helpful information. It made the suffering of a TTT that much more tolerable. These guys were flying.


We took a break from practicing to refuel in Leon Springs. Proper nutrition is key. Luckily, our athletes have been benefiting from the nutritional assessment services of Peak Fitness. They are all on specific diets that have been tailored to their unique metabolic needs. Morris, for example, after being assessed, has been to determined to reap the most performance advantage from eating packaged green things that he has stolen.


Maurice, on the other hand, turned out to function best on "Mrs Baird's Sweet Side of Texas Product line" comprised of honey buns and small pies.


Ray, however, is best on a liquid diet rich in Hickory.


With our energy levels replenished, we headed out for some more cruising. See you in Pattison!



Ciao,
Eric
eric@peakfitnessnow.com

Peak Fitness offers an assortment of services to help you train. Whether a new cyclist or runner looking to learn more about basic skills, or an elite Triathlete aiming complete your 26,791st Ironman we have the tools to make you go faster.