BOX Evanston - 739 Main Street, Evanston, IL

 

 

 

My friend, Fernando Rivera has a gym in Evanston where he provides boxing instruction as well as other fitness classes like Pilates and Yoga. 

 

He invited me to try a class and so this morning I met him for a one hour "light" workout.

 

Fernando's clients range from the very young to the not so very young and from beginners to advanced, although if you looked at his website photos - BOX Evanston  - you might think that all he trains are young, very fit women. 

 

I discovered that some of the same form challenges which I encounter in triathlon training such as staying balanced and maintaining a tight core are also critical for proper boxing technique.

 

It was a challenging cardio workout but the time went by very fast.  Fernando's an excellent trainer. He was able to demonstrate and encourage with good humor so that all of the sessions were fun. He enjoys what he is doing and that makes a huge difference when you are trying to learn something new. 

 

If you live in the Evanston area and are interested in a different kind of workout give him a call at 224-999-0288

 

 

Dangerous Lefty

 

 

Elkhart Lake Triathlon Results - June 8, 2013

Woody's maxim proved true for my goal of qualifying for USAT Nationals.  This was my third attempt and all I had to do was finish 5th in my age group.  It turned out there were only 7 competitors in the 60-64 age cohort and one of them dropped out during the bike segment, so I just had to finish ahead of someone. Which I did.  I finished 5th, a couple minutes ahead of Sam Hill, who finished sixth. I could probably find another pithy maxim referencing Sam Hill.

It was a perfect day for a race - partly cloudy, cool and no wind. The water, while a little coolish at 63 degrees was like a mirror and the bike course, while not exactly flat, had mostly rolling hills and again no wind.  The best part of the race though was that the final two miles of the run were downhill.

I had a good race. The bike course was 2.4 miles longer than I anticipated so my actual time is hard to compare, but I averaged 19.4 mph, which was close to my goal of 19.7 mph.

It was a very well organized race in a spectator-friendly venue. I would race here again.

Here are my race results this year:

Year	Total	Swim	/100	T1	Bike	MPH	T2	Run	Min/ Mile
Havasu	2:56:13	0:29:40	1:48	3:25	1:17:50	19.3	2:09	50:51	8:12
Tempe	2:47:26	0:29:12	1:47	2:48	1:15:22	19.9	1:36	58:25	9:24
Goal - Elkhart	2:40:30	0:31:00	1:53	2:30	1:16:00	19.7	2:00	49:00	7:53
Act - Elkhart	2:56:51	0:31:37	1:55	4:14	1:26:44	19.3	2:52	51:24	8:16

 Note:  The Elkhart bike course was 2.4 miles longer than the other races and the run from swim to transition was twice as long. 

Year  Goal

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin - Olympic Triathlon - June 8, 2013

Tomorrow I am competing in the Elkhart Lake Olympic Triathlon in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.  This race is the Midwest qualifier for the USAT National Championships which will be held in Milwaukee this year.

I failed to qualify at my first two races this year, but since this is a designated qualifying race I only have to finish in the top 5 or top 33% of my age group to qualify. Last year there were only six men in my age group in this race, but now that it is a qualifying race, there will probably be more.

I am optimistic. My Spinergy race wheel broke on the shipment back from Tempe so I had to buy new wheels. I thought $1,200 was a lot for a couple of rims but then the bike shop showed me a pair for $2,400 and the $1,200 didn't look so bad. It's only $60 a year if I can ride for the next twenty years.

So with all that high-priced technology I'll have to be faster on the bike. The water will be about 15 degrees colder than Tempe so I won't have to worry about my goggles fogging up. I'm afraid there is nothing I can buy to make me run faster, but at least it won't be 90 degrees when I start the run like it was in Tempe.  That will help. 

Here are my predictions:

Year	Total	Swim	/100	T1	Bike	MPH	T2	Run	Min/ Mile
Goal	2:40:30	0:31:00	1:53	2:30	1:16:00	19.7	2:00	0:49:00	7:53