TT Update! Cross Training and Compression Gear

The Top Dog Time Trial heated up "Kelley Acres" Speed Shop this week.  All I can say is WOW!!!  We had a serious throwdown by Ray T!  Toping the podium in the Men's Overall and 40+ competition knocking nearly  a minute off his best time from last season.  And yet another throwdown came in the Men's 50+ with Greg L. taking a minute out of his best time from last season and he's just getting started!  In the ladies overall, Rosalind H.  is sitting at the top of the Women's overall podium with Tsahai T. only 20 sec. back.  New to the Speed Shop this year, Teresa D. is leading the Women's 40+ .  Seasoned CT'er Donna PT is looking strong at the top of the Women's 50+. Full results are on the website.

Thanks to our sponsors WheelBase Bikes , Raw Revolution and Justin's Nut Butter for all their generous support.  Top Dog's will receive a free basic bike maintainance overhaul from WheelBase , and lots of great products from Raw Revolution and Justin's Nut Butter.
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 Heading into the Fall and Winter months as we start to lose daylight the outdoor riding season becomes abbreviated.  With holidays just around the corner finding ways to maintain fitness is important.  For me it is a subtle pressure to find other ways to keep moving.  All spring and summer, in addition to riding my bike I am filling my days with all kinds of activities.  When the time changes, I start to get claustrophobic as the sun sets. 

 The last 10 years I added the Concept2 Holiday Rowing Challenge to my off season training program.  The challenge of rowing 200,000 meters from Thanksgiving Day until Christmas Eve is the perfect addition to the holiday season.  Talk about taking your mind off your troubles.  Why would anyone do this? 

Check out the muscles you are working in each phase of rowing.  Perfect for a cyclist. Not to mention the intense cardio workout.  It really is alot of fun. A few of my training buddies got  together and set up a free account on Concept2's website so we could keep track of everyones progress.  Not only could we see what each other were doing it was a great support system to get through the Challenge.   Another great feature Concept2 offers is specific workouts for cyclists. Of course whenever you are adding a different type of training to your program it is important to take some time to let your body adjust by taking it easy the first few sessions.  Then adding a few workouts for cycling into the mix and it really helps keep you focused on reaching your Challenge goal. 

Even though Concept2 has selected three charites(you pick one) and they will donate $.02 for every 1k you row, the biggest motivator for me is "the pin".  After logging your 200k Concept2 will send you a wonderful little holiday pin for your efforts. 

Here are a few from my collection!

There you have it. A great way to cross train this fall and holiday season.  Now go to your local fitness center and get started. 

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After all that rowing you have to recover.  I highly recommend compressions performance gear to aid in recovery after workouts.  Sometimes I find myself wearing my gear just because it really does feel good. 

SKINS are the brand I prefer however you can get a  reasonably priced pair of socks at your local medical supply store. Read about it. Try it. You will not be disappointed! 

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