Playing with Xert– Part 2

In my last post, I introduced a new tool that I have been playing with called Xert. In this post, I’ll describe why it can be the smartest coach you could have— and how to use it with Zwift. In my third (and last) post in this series, I’ll explain how I’ve been using Xert to track running in addition to cycling. Continue reading

Playing with Xert– Part 1

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been playing with Baron Biosystem’s Xert for the last few months. It’s an interested and amazing product that fits part of my 2018 training schedule. I’m breaking this post into three bite-size parts. First, I’ll talk about why Xert is such an amazing product. Next, I’ll discuss how to use the Xert ConnectIQ Player, which is the most effective (but evil) realtime coach you could ever have. Finally, I’ll share my thoughts about how to integrate running and cycling into Xert.

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A Long Time Away…

Yesterday, my cat Rudy passed away from congestive heart failure (CHF). During the ten months that we struggled with his condition, I’ve been virtually silent on The Athletic Time Machine. Every extra bit of my emotional energy that I could have spent on this site during this time was spent instead on Rudy’s care. While CHF is a terrible degenerative disease that most of us never think about, I’ve learned far too much about it in cats. In fact, I’ve started a blog for other pet owners who facing CHF. I wouldn’t wish CHF on anyone– or their pets. And while I’m posting there, I also hope to be posting a lot more content here as well.

A Better Way to Run “Over-Under” Running Workouts

10000m OlympicsAsk any elite triathlete or runner about some of their most effective workouts and it’s highly likely that so-called “over-under” workouts will come up fairly quickly because they are devastatingly effective. I’ve always performed miserably at these workouts but I’ve recently found a new way to hit them pretty precisely. This post shares what I learned. Continue reading