A Real Buzzzkill

Sit back and relax… storytime!

There’s a road in the foothills of the mountains out here that I love to run on. It overlooks the valley, and on a clear day it’s a beautiful sight. I used to run on it all the time, but for some reason I realized last week that it had been a while. I set out to change that on a “lunch break” excursion, and was excited for a brief but epic run on a perfect day.

Whereas this season my goals were more centered on long-course races, with 3 Ironman 70.3’s, next year I want to focus more on fast. Therefore, even though it’s clearly the offseason, I’m pushing myself a bit more than I did at this time last year. For example, for this particular workout I targeted a 5 mile run, but getting progressively faster by 15-20 sec each mile. I would start out comfortable, then ratchet things up to finish at more of a tempo pace.

I was giddy as a schoolgirl as I set out to execute on my plan, and could see for miles on this picturesque day. This was truly one of those euphoric “runner’s high” experiences, and my legs felt great as I picked up the pace. With only a mile to go, however, I suddenly had a painful encounter with my Rocky Mountain surroundings... a mountain lion, you ask?? A rattlesnake?? Bigfoot himself??

No, think smaller… much smaller.

What I felt was a small pinch on my wrist. Looking down I saw a thorn of some kind sticking out, as though Mother Nature had shot me with a blow dart. It appeared to be from a cactus or other plant, and I thought little of it as I flicked it away in the breeze and continued on. My wrist was a little red, but no big deal. Right?

That night I woke up at 2am and thought my wrist was on fire. I soaked a sock in cold water and wrapped it around, hoping it would extinguish the flames, and crawled back in bed. It didn’t help. I rummaged around and found some type of medicinal cream that’s supposed to help with itchy rashes and the like, but it made it worse. Finally I found the solution… a bag of frozen peas laid on a towel next to me. For the next four days I regularly ran my wrist under cool water during the day, and each of those nights I slept with the frozen peas. I’d roll over in my sleep, wake up to the burning sensation, place back on the peas, and repeat. Not fun!

Over those days I did some searches on poisonous thorns/plants in the area, trying to figure out what was going on, and considered seeing a dermatologist. I couldn’t really find anything that looked like what I saw, a small thorn with what appeared to be some soft flowery stuff on top.

After a few days, however, I realized I had been duped. What I thought was a poisoned blow dart courtesy of Mother Nature was actually a nasty allergic reaction to a bee sting. Not sure what caused it, as that had never happened to me before. Must have been a species of pissed off killer bees who are tired of runners treading on their territory.

But I’ll be back… I’ll just make sure to be packin’ heat the next time around.

Triple Threat Triathlon & The Terrible Two's

Triple Threat Triathlon has officially reached the "terrible 2's." One day we were just learning to walk, and now we're splashing around in the pool, riding without training wheels, and running around the neighborhood. My how far we've come!

In the very first post I said “I hope you find a good mix of race reports, practical advice, attempts at humor, etc.” 

Well, as I did last year, looking back on the past 12 months here are a few of the more popular posts within those categories:

Practical Advice:

Don't Sign up for an Ironman
Stack & Reach
Buick to Maserati
Roka Maverick Pro Review (+ all of Nixon's Nuggets)
The Ironman Itch

Attempts at Humor:

Es Mariposa!

TTT & The Case of the Tight End

Top 10 Signs of a Triathlete Parent

Bullied on the Bike

Race Reports:

So many high traffic team ones this year, I couldn't choose... here's one that I wrote, then search by the label "race reports" at the end of the post to check out various IM, IM 70.3, and others.

Ironman Boise 70.3 Race Report 

Etc:

Go Big or Go Home (IMHO)

Search & Rescue Mission: Triathletes MIA

America's Finest: Interview with Andy Potts

Technically Cool: Interview with Rudy Project

Thanks for your support!

Lifetime Tri Oceanside Race Report - Kristen Lodge

Kristen Lodge (AZ) reports on the recently completed Lifetime Tri Series race held in beautiful Oceanside, CA. Sounds like a great destination race to me!  

Lifetime Tri puts on a great triathlon. On Saturday the pros gave a talk and 3 Race Tips from Andy Potts were used during the race:

For the swim, he said to be sure the tips of your...

Continue reading here!

Oceanside pier

Triple Threat Profile: Erin Feldhausen - Wisconsin

Whether she's crushing Ironman Wisconsin, a cyclocross race, or the local zombie/color/mud run (her specialty), one thing holds true... Erin Feldhausen is FAST. You may not know it, but Wisconsin is a great state for triathlon, and it is represented well on our national team!


What’s your background and how did you get into triathlon?

Given that my dad coached collegiate cross country for 25 years, I grew up running. My brother, sister and I have done local "fun runs" with my dad since we were about 7 years old. Naturally, I ran cross country & track through high school and college and when over-use injuries got the best of me, I turned to the bike to cross-train. My college cross country coach also did triathlons and she kind of got me motivated to try them.
 

Like camera technology, Erin's running skills have been on the rise over the past 25 yrs 

How would you sum up your 2014 season, and what was the highlight/lowlight?

My 2014 season was mostly focused on Ironman WI. In the past I have tried to fit in a marathon in the spring before an Ironman season, but this year I did the American Birkebeiner (50k cross country ski marathon) at the end of February and that cut down the amount of long runs I could do for a spring marathon. In any case, my big focuses were the Door County Half Ironman in July and Ironman Wisconsin in September. I finished the Door County Half IM as the 4th overall female in a personal best time of 5:07. My Ironman WI race came together very well on a perfect day and I finished 8th in my age group with an 11:14.17.

To what do you attribute such a stellar performance at IMWI? Did you do anything different from past years?

Mostly, I would say a combination of hard work and experience. I knew what I had to do and I knew what it was going to take to get there. I don't have a coach and I don't follow any specific training plan, but I am a very good record-keeper. I jot down notes about workouts in a running log nearly every day and have done so since I was a freshman in HS (1996). I often look back at the things I've done in training for my last IM's and look at what worked and try to push it a little more or lay off more, depending on what things are feeling like. I was not as motivated to get in the pool last year and figured that my swim time was going to be slower than it has been other years when I focused on the swim more, but I was willing to sacrifice a little bit of time there. I felt really strong on the bike all year, and while I had friends passing me in the first 15 miles on race day who I knew weren't as strong as me on training rides, I let them go, stuck to my own agenda and ended up putting significant gaps on them towards the end. I kept a steady effort on the bike and managed to get in under 6 hours (on a hilly course) and was happy with that. I felt good off the bike and while I hadn't planned out my strategy for the run, I decided in the first few miles that I was going to go as far as I could before walking, whereas in past years I told myself I'd walk at the mile 4 aid station.

I made it into 5 miles, took a brief walk on a hill and tried to minimize the amount of time at the aid stations and when there are 20+ of them in a race, just a few seconds adds up. My good friend and frequent training partner, Greg, got off the bike at the same time as me but took longer in transition. Given that there are a number of "out & backs" on the IM WI run course, I had a good gauge of where he was at and in a friendly competition sort of tried to race with him. He caught me about 16 miles in, we ran together for a few miles, then I let him go. He ended up exactly 60 seconds ahead of me at the finish. I PR'd my marathon split for an IM with a 3:47. Nutrition is obviously also a big part of the race and I practiced a lot of different things this summer and didn't have any issues with what they had on course, so I mostly "lived off the course," took my gels, salt tabs, Pringles and PB&J. :) I thought about what I was doing the moment I was doing it, and tried not to worry about what was to come. Going in, I didn't set any time expectations, but I knew that if all of the non-controllables were in place (they were), it was going to be a good day and it really was.

For people unaware of IMWI, can you give a brief summary of the course/race? What makes it sell out in 9.5 seconds every year?

The IMWI venue is totally all-around awesome! Perhaps I'm biased because it's fairly close to home, but Madison is just a beautiful city and they put on a world-class event. The swim is one loop in Lake Monona, with a stunning view of the state capitol building as well as the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Monona Terrace. The sun comes up over the lake as you get ready in the morning. The transition for IMWI is significantly longer than most IM's because you actually go inside the Monona Terrace ballrooms to get your gear and change. You run through a massive parking structure to get to/from transition and to get to your bike on the top level of the parking deck. The bike course is a "lollipop" formation (stick with two loops), largely through farm country with passes through a couple of towns where the volunteers & community go all out to cheer/spectate. When you think WI farm country, you think pancake flat, however, this is the western part of the state where the glaciers have sculpted it into a land of rolling hills and technical turns. It's a big advantage to know the course, knowing the gears to be in and where the hills and turns are. You have to concentrate hard on not burning out your legs on the climbs to save them for the run. The run course is incredible - around the state capitol, through downtown Madison, through the college football stadium, on lakefront bike paths, and up and down the city's pedestrian-only party street. It is pretty much shoulder-to-shoulder with spectators in many parts of the run course, which is very motivating. It is very spectator-friendly and helps to have a hometown crowd and lots of family/friends there to watch.

I saw something you wrote this summer about how getting up early to ride the course used to be “romantic,” but now it was a painful chore. Have you fallen out of love with the race? Are there other IMs in your future or will you continue to rekindle the fire with your old flame?

So this was my 4th Ironman. The first (2008) one was all-around excitement and nerves, the 2nd one (2009) was great because I knew I just had to build off the first and with experience could improve. The third one (2011) was fun because I had a lot of friends training and some who hadn't done it before - it was fun guiding them. Being that it was my 4th one (that I signed up for because of peer pressure with some friends over beers), it didn't seem to have as much excitement for me as the other ones had. Maybe I was just being dramatic about it, but I just knew as soon as I submitted my payment that I was going to be in for a summer of hard work and sacrifices. When I really wanted to go mountain biking or just hang out with friends, I knew I'd have to opt for the safer, more Ironman-focused workout. Again, I had a lot of friends doing it and when you can combine social time and workout time, it makes it 100 times better, so it all worked out in the end. The race was great and I had a lot of fun and I'm glad I did it, but I was just feeling a little like I wanted to try some new stuff this year. Mostly I was probably just being dramatic, although I will say there are times when I get surrounded by "type-A" crazy ironman triathletes and it just turns me off from it all. I am sure there will be at least one more IM in my future, but right now I'm interested in seeing what other fun stuff is out there. I will still be doing tri's for sure and really like the HIM distance, but would like to also try some off-road tri's. My younger brother lives in Baltimore and has been a good runner all his life and he's recently been bitten by the triathlon bug. He did his first HIM in Maryland this past fall and finished in 5-flat. Apparently he has been inspired enough and has signed up for IMWI next year...so I won't be too far away from it.

I know you race a wide variety of events… what are some of your favorites?

The good old fashioned 5k is one of my favorite events. No zombies, no monsters, no neon, no color, no frills, just a local 5k with friends. I like to say my favorite races are the ones where you sign up with paper and they hand out awards from a picnic table. There are great aspects of almost all races, but I really enjoy the authentic joy of just a basic running race. 

Aside from that, I've gotten into cyclocross racing in the past 4 or 5 years and have really come to love it. It's full-out red-lining for 45 minutes. If you're not sure what cyclocross is, think road bike with knobby tires that you ride on a course at a park somewhat like a cross country course. It's a European race and as Wikipedia explains, it “typically takes place in the autumn and winter and consists of many laps of a short (1.5–2 mile) course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and obstacles requiring the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike while navigating the obstruction and remount.” Anyway, the races are really fun and so is the race environment surrounding them. I have seen a few triathletes take to the sport and do quite well.
 

Rank the 3 disciplines from your personal strength to weakness, and what’s been key to improving in each?

1. Running - key to improving when working towards a race is incorporating speed once/week and longer distance once/week...the rest is just filler.

2. Cycling - key to improving is time in the saddle. I don't do a lot of interval training and I don't train with power. I believe riding with people who are faster than you and trying to keep up is a great way to get better. And fueling right on the ride to enable you to go longer. It's about the engine, not the machine.

3. Swimming - I just don't like to get into the pool. Especially if I'm doing a workout on my own. I'm much more of a social workout person and it's hard to be social when you're swimming. I'd much prefer open water swimming than the gym. I think quality time in the pool is key to improving for me.

What’s your strategy for winter training in Wisconsin?

During the last couple of winters, I have done cross country (skate ski) training for the "Birkie," which has consisted of getting out for long, hilly ski outings on the weekends to train. As much as I don't like the snow, it's a great way for me to get excited when we get dumped on. Good ski conditions! In addition to skiing, I do group spin classes at the Y and group computrainer workouts with friends at a local bike shop. I don't typically spend any more than 90 minutes on my bike inside, though. My attention span doesn't last that long. I do not like running on treadmills, so I'll do my running mostly outside all winter long. We are fortunate in Milwaukee to have the US National Speed Skating center and along the outside of the skate track is a nice 2-lane 440m track that is a great alternative to icy sidewalks. It's about 50-some degrees in there, too, so it's pretty comfortable for running.
 

Can you tell us a bit about your day job, and what hobbies do you have outside of work and triathlon?

I am a financial analyst at MillerCoors (formerly Miller Brewing Co). I sit at a desk 90% of the day and work on excel spreadsheets. I also get 3-4 free cases of beer each month and it's not unusual for my boss to declare at 4:30pm that we're going to the employee pub. I am the president of the local triathlon club (380+ members) - TriWisconsin. Outside of tri's, I really enjoy cross country skiing, mountain biking and cyclocross racing. I also play on an ultimate frisbee team during the spring & fall. I'm pretty much down to try most active things.

I lived in Wisconsin for several years so I know there’s a great triathlon vibe there. How would you describe it, what makes it so great?

I grew up in Green Bay and didn't really get involved in triathlons until after college. I moved to Milwaukee and eventually connected with TriWisconsin through a guy I used to run cross country with. It introduced me to a lot of great training opportunities and a lot of really, really great people. There are a number of clubs in the area and I am also friends with some folks who started a multisport club in Green Bay and the triathlon scene is really great around here. Everyone is very supportive of one another. There are a number of organizations who provide coaching and training and it seems as though all work together in some respect and do what they can to promote the sport. Every year there's even a huge "Multisport Expo" where vendors and races from all over come and there are team time trials, endless pool swim demonstrations, fastest transition competitions and other triathlon-related things. I guess it's fun and I don't really know any different but have come to love it. In TriWisconsin alone, we have ~385 members this year.

Triple Threat Triathlon - National Team interview archives:

Money Matt Kucharski - Maryland

Jackie "Big Rig" Muterspaugh - Utah

The Notorious Kristen Lodge - Arizona

Sean McLean: American Hustle - Pennsylvania

Tori "fast like Andy" Potts - Florida (now North Carolina)

Iron Gina Shand - Virginia

Jeff "dos equis" Kirkland - Oregon

Kona Local Ryan Nuckols - Hawaii (now Illinois)

Reece The Beast Robinson - Kansas

Stewart "Old School" Nixon - Colorado

Famous Dave Fisher - Connecticut

Magic Mike Espejo - Massachusetts

Emily "Shake n Bake" Blakemore - Washington DC

Hoosier Hero Amy Fletcher - Indiana

Sandy "Adventure" Altman - Ohio

David Wild: Witness the Fitness - Hawaii

Joleen "The Ice Queen" White - Alaska

David "Death Before DNF" Fernandez

Top 10 Triathlon Nightmares

I love the “kid” aspects of Halloween (my kids dressing up, kids coming to the door, etc), but I’m not exactly a big Halloween guy… I don’t watch horror flicks, I’m not interested in haunted houses, and I don’t dress up. I do, however, eat my share of candy.

That said, in the spirit of Halloween, here are the Top 10 “spookiest” triathlon-related nightmares, as provided by myself, some teammates, and a few other friends:

10) “It’s the classic ‘naked in T1’ nightmare for me. I exit the water and strip off my wetsuit, and only as I’m mounting my bike do I realize I’ve literally stripped. I guess all I really need to ride is a helmet and bike shoes though, right?”

9) “Who are these psycho, lycra-clad people chasing me?!?”

8) “I have a recurring dream in which the ‘swim course’ isn’t in water at all. Often times it’s sand and sometimes it’s just the ground. To complete the ‘swim’ I basically have to army crawl and ‘pretend swim’ my way to transition. I’m guessing this is accompanied with me making swimming motions on my mattress.”

7) My own, as described after IMSG 70.3 last year. "I was so focused on not missing my swim wave, but lo and behold I kept getting distracted. In my dream it was like the rest of my age group was pulling a prank on me. I’d turn my head for a second, then look up and they’d be sneaking down to the water, and I was like 'oh come on!!' They’d sheepishly come back to the shore, as if to say 'ok, ok you caught us, you caught us,' then I’d turn away again and they'd be back to their old tricks. At this point I was like oh hail no, and hustled out to the water. I made it in time, but then things got really weird. The lake transformed into a wide river with a really strong current, almost like I wasn’t swimming at all and just flowing down some rapids. Part of this involved being spun around in a whirlpool and then spit out down one of those curvy, waterpark slides."

6) “I often dream about being in the lead at a race, only to get utterly lost on the course. It’s not pleasant.”

5) “I have that dream where you realize that your next big race is only days away. You get the cold sweats and it’s absolutely terrifying… oh crap, that’s not a dream?”

4) “I often find myself in a race where the course is like a big obstacle course that sometimes includes running through someone’s house up and down different flights of stairs. These courses have a tendency to not be well-marked. Do I continue up to the 3rd floor or turn around at the master bath??”

no worries, baby, I got your bike right here!

3) “I had a crazy dream before a race one time of waking up late, driving like a mad woman to the race start, only to realize I forgot my bike. Desperately called my coach to explain where my bike was and asked him to bring it. He showed up in a Smart car with my bike in pieces. Lots of scambling. STRESSFUL. I woke up before I found out whether I could race or not.”  

2) “For me the worst nightmare was dreaming I won a race. As the crowd chanted my name I woke up to realize it was all a façade. I went on to have a truly terrible race.”

1) “Runnnnnnnning soooooo sloooooowww, cannnnnn’tt mooooooovvve myyyyyyyy leggggggsss!!”

Ironman 70.3 Silverman Race Report: Jeff Kirkland

I was so excited to run the 2014 Silverman. I had planned for months for what was my “A” race of the year. Earlier in the summer, I ran a 70.3 to test the distance and see what it would be like, but it wasn’t an Ironman event. I have to say running the official Ironman event, although more expensive, is just awesome. I was impressed by the organization and details that were involved. This was also my first destination race so I was in new territory with the travel.

The race was on Sunday, so I flew to Las Vegas late Thursday night. I arrived at the airport about 1:00am and was surprised to see my bike come sliding down the luggage carousel. I travel a fair amount and was thankful for the United priority tag on my bike. I got my car, checked into the hotel, and got a few hours of sleep.

On Friday morning, my buddy and I woke up and drove to the race check in to get things all set. I listened to the pre-race briefing and then went straight to Lake Mead to get in a swim. The water temperature at that point was 82 degrees and the outside air temperature was 93. From that point, it was back to the hotel to relax and enjoy the sunshine. I checked in my bike on Saturday and picked up a few last minute items before race day.

I started my Sunday morning bright and early at 4:00am. I wasn’t hungry at all and couldn’t eat anything at that point, but I did hydrate. I headed off to T2 to catch the shuttle bus out to Lake Mead for the swim start. As we got out of the car, race volunteers were announcing that somehow magically the water temperature was not 75.8 degrees and the race was wetsuit legal. I grabbed the Roka and hopped on the bus. Everything was well organized. When I arrived at the lake, I did my last minute check on my bike and headed to the swim start.

The swim start was a wave start. The pro men went first. I was in the seventh wave and as we approached the water with the music cranking, my nerves were going nuts. I knew I had worked hard for this and I was ready to go. I stepped in the water and before I knew it, the cannon went off and I was out for a nice 1.2-mile swim with 300 of my closest age-group friends.

The swim went great. It was a little crowded, but overall, not too bad. Another racer had the same pace as me, and we swam the entire thing next to each other. My swim time was right at 35 minutes, which was exactly where I thought I would be. It felt great getting out of the water and running to T1 as I ripped off my wetsuit.

I knew from reading race reports and looking at the Ironman website that the ride was tough, but I didn’t realize how crazy tough it really was. The first mile was up the boat ramp and that just got me to the main road. From that point on, there was one theme for the ride and that was UP! We had a total elevation gain of 5,200 feet and the air temperature was 96 degrees. 

I rode steady and was happy with my ride. I hydrated well and took nutrition when I had planned and had no issues. I am not a very big guy at 5’7” tall and 119 pounds, so climbing is ok with me. I do tend to lose some time on the descents because of my weight. I passed many people and got passed by a few guys who were just flying. After we hit the summit of the pass, we dropped down into Henderson. It was a great feeling to have those couple miles of downhill. From that point, it was about 8 miles of false flats. We were climbing slowly, then the last 6 miles was straight uphill to the pavilion and T2. As I started the steep climb, my chain popped off and jammed in my sprocket. I hopped off and an awesome police officer grabbed my bike for me so I could get things going. I only lost about 30 seconds in time, but the biggest loss was my momentum up the final climb. I hit T2 and was happy to hit the ground running.

Running is my thing. This year I have progressed in my running like no other year, so I was excited. I took off and quickly realized this run was going to be just like the ride, UP. There was a little over 1,200 feet of elevation gain on the run. It was a 3-loop course with aid stations every mile and people everywhere cheering. My goal was to just make it to the next aid station each time. I love the sun and the heat, but living in Oregon we don’t get either one that often. In fact, we didn’t have one day this summer that was as hot as it was on this nice fall Las Vegas day.

funny pic from race Facebook page

The heat wasn’t the hardest part for me, it was the dryness that was killing me. (To the man who brought the hose out from your back yard and was spraying us down, THANK YOU!) After each lap I knew I was closer to crossing the finish line where my wife and three year old son were waiting for me. I held my pace just fine and felt good about the run. I had no pain and I was thankful for feeling healthy at this point. I took some water at the final aid station and ran to the end with all I had.

My personal goal for this race was 6:30. I ran my first half Ironman in 5:20 but it was flat as could be and the weather was 65 degrees. I knew this ride and run would be much more difficult, so I was trying to be realistic with my time. As I crossed the finish line, I saw that my time was 6:00 and I was very pleased. I am thankful my family was waiting for me as I crossed the finish line. Maybe it is just me but these things can make you really emotional!

I felt great the next day and even went for a recovery run. I now have my eyes set on Ironman Australia in March 2015. Thanks to all my Triple Threat teammates for the encouragement and support. Also to all of our sponsors who provide us with great gear.


Related Posts:

Triple Threat Profile: Jeff Kirkland - Oregon

Nixon's Nuggets: Indoor Trainers... A Pain Cave Necessity

Stewart Nixon (repping CO on our national team) is a recurring columnist on the Triple Threat blog. He's been a triathlete for 25+ years, and has a ton of knowledge on the sport. Here he breaks down some of the different types of indoor trainers, along with pros and cons of each. No matter which you choose, put in the work this off season and you'll emerge in the spring a much stronger cyclist!

With the conclusion of the Ironman World Championships in Kona, much of the triathlon world in North America enters into the off season and indoor riding as temperatures drop and roads become snow covered. The talk of “pain caves” begins to abound as well. Today, I’m going to describe some of the many indoor bike trainers available and some of their pros and cons. I will limit this to trainers which utilize your own bike. These days, indoor trainers are often not relegated to just the off season, as some triathletes use them for key speed sessions during the race season. Riders don’t have to worry about stoplights, road rage, or environmental factors while riding inside, allowing for a more focused training session. 

Stationary bike trainers fall into one of two categories: rollers and trainers. Trainers are further categorized by the type of resistance unit on them. Rollers use both wheels while riding while trainers use only the rear wheel.

Rollers

For the uninitiated, rollers are probably the earliest form of bike trainer dating back to around the time of the bicycle as we know it in its current form. Despite their age, they still pose a great challenge to those who first try riding them. Their design is simple: a metal frame which holds three drums. Two drums at the rear which cradle the rear wheel and one drum in front on which the front wheel sits. The front drum is connected to the forward rear drum via a large rubber band which allows both wheels to turn during riding. Since the bike is not locked down, like on wind trainers and the like, the rider must balance the bike while riding. Therefore, they are excellent at developing balance and riding a straight line. The first few rides are best done in a doorway so you can use the door jamb to keep yourself upright. Out of saddle efforts are virtually unthinkable, as the rider can be quickly launched off the unit (ask me how I know) but with MUCH practice, can eventually be performed. Another benefit of rollers is developing a more balanced pedal stroke. This is done by watching the band that connects the front drum to the rear.  Ideally, there should be no bounce in the band. There is little resistance while riding classic rollers, except through changing gears. You can add extra resistance by adding a magnetic resistance unit, driven off the most rear drum, or a head wind unit, driven off the front drum. There are also rollers with smaller diameter drums which increase the basic resistance over classic rollers. Rollers are not too expensive but they are usually not very portable. While some units can fold up, by and large they are a bit bulky to transport. 

Wind Trainer

A wind trainer uses a fan to provide resistance. The rear of the bike is clamped into the frame of the trainer at the rear dropouts and the rear wheel sits on a small roller which is attached to a bladed fan which pushes the air to provide resistance. In theory, the resistance is supposed to give the rider a realistic road feeling. In reality, while the resistance is progressive, it is not nearly as close to road riding as one would expect, as overall the resistance is quite limited. Out of saddle efforts are secure (unless you haven’t clamped the bike tight enough) but wind trainers tend to be noisy due to the fan.  They are pretty inexpensive and are quite portable.

Magnetic Trainer

Magnetic trainers use the same frame as a wind trainer but instead of a fan attached to the roller, they have a magnetic flywheel resistance unit. Often, the resistance is user adjustable either at the flywheel, necessitating dismounting to increase/decrease resistance, or by means of a shifter mounted to the handlebars providing “on the fly” adjusting. Magnetic trainers are much quieter compared to fan units. The resistance is not progressive, although overall higher than a fan unit. They are also prone to breaking internally. Since they use the same frame as wind trainers, they are just as portable, making transporting them to the track for a ride/run session a snap.

Fluid Trainer

Fluid trainers use the same frame as wind and magnetic trainers, but combine a magnetic flywheel with fluid resistance chambers. Fluid trainers have a progressive resistance (the harder you pedal, the more resistance) which provide a very close to real world riding experience. They are virtually silent compared to wind and magnetic units and are just as portable. Out of saddle efforts are secure, as the bike is clamped down in the unit (yes, I have fallen out of a trainer). The repeated cycle of heat and fluid expansion and contraction can result in fluid leaks, although this is rare, and they are a bit pricier than their brothers but not prohibitively so. Some manufacturers offer an additional, heavier flywheel that can attach to the main unit to provide more resistance. 

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality, or VR, trainers are basically a trainer frame with a roller but are equipped with a computer with virtual world software. The bike is attached in pretty much the same way as other trainers, but the software controls the resistance at the roller instead of relying on wind, magnets or fluid. This enables the rider to really “feel” the road as the computer adjusts the load at the flywheel to compensate for going uphill or downhill, flats or headwinds and tailwinds. So for climbing a hill or riding into a headwind one would shift to an easier gear to compensate for the added resistance, just as they would on the road, which is the opposite of what you would do when simulating that on other trainers.  Another advantage is that some models can be linked up to allow multiple users to connect to each other and ride the same course for head-to-head riding/racing. VR units generally also display a rider’s metrics: speed, cadence, mileage, power, etc. They are not very portable, tend to be quite pricey and require a power supply in order to operate. 

LeMond Revolution

These nifty pieces connect at the rear of the bike, like others, but you don’t use your rear wheel. Instead, you place the dropouts on the unit which has a cassette already attached. Resistance is achieved by a large fan attached to the rear of the unit and driven by a belt attached to the cassette. Since the fan is much larger than the fans on a traditional wind trainer, the overall resistance curve is much greater. But since it utilizes a fan, the noise generated can be a bit loud and the price tag is up there. 

Tire wear is a concern because of heat build up from the roller for each of the trainers using a traditional rear wheel. The good news is that many tire manufacturers offer a “trainer only” tire specifically designed to withstand the heat from riding a trainer. They are only available in clincher form, so tubular riders (like me) would need to purchase an additional clincher wheel to use in the trainer. 

Keeping focused while riding inside has long been the bane of our indoor training existence. Trying to get the most bang out of riding inside can be difficult, and many sessions can turn into aimless pedaling below a beneficial level if you don’t have a plan ahead of time. VR type trainers accomplish this through the software and computer, adjusting the resistance automatically as you ride along. TVs are commonly used to keep boredom at bay. Watching a favorite movie, TV show or past race coverage are popular. However, even having those on the screen one can end up “just cruising along.”  If you want a focused training session, programs such as Triple Threat team sponsor The Sufferfest (see banner ad on this page), or others such as Spinervals and TrainerRoad are available that take you through different intervals depending on the type of workout planned. 

Finally, indoor training can take a toll on your bike. I covered steps you can take to keep your machine clean and running in tip top shape as you grind out the miles in my posts on Spring Bike Maintenance.

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