More New Corporate Partners - Polar and Maybe Cliff Keen

Today is a good day for Apex Endurance as we have landed Polar as a new corporate partner.

Now I will be able to subsidize my athletes technology needs so that we can get the most out of their training.

I am also in talks with Cliff Keen as our custom tri uniform designer.  Just need to make the minimums to get that ball moving.

Cobb Saddle Reviews - V-Flow Plus and SCH 170

I installed and ran the V-Flow Plus on my tri bike. I was running the Adamo Road previously and was experiencing some slight chaffing issues due to the split nose design and width of the seat.

The V-Flow plus lived up to its billing as helping relieve any numbness issues as well as being narrow enough to reduce chaffing.  I had zero chaffing and zero numbness. The only downside is trying to get the tilt right which is not an issue with the seat but just getting it dialed in.  www.cobbcycling.com gives suggestions on tilt and I need to go back and follow those.

I installed the SCH 170 on my road bike.  I was running an Adamo Podium previously and was experiencing the same issues as I was on the tri bike with chaffing.

First day on the bike I took the SCH 170 out for a 3hr ride to really test it in the saddle. Got a little bit of everything that day as the wind was howling.  All in all I loved it just like I did the V-Flow Plus as there were no numbness issues and zero chaffing. If I was on the Adamo for 3hrs chaffing would have been a huge issue. Same as the Plus I need to go to the website and get the tilt dialed in and I will be set.

Thanks goes out to John Cobb and his team for making excellent saddles that are meant for racing and provide comfort for an enjoyable ride.

If you are interested in any of the Cobb Cycling saddles let me know at www.apexendurance.com or jeff@apexendurance.com and we can see what we can do for you.

New Zones from Testing

Thanks to Third Coast Training I now have my zones on target again. I retested and my zones went up on average 17% on the bike and 10% on the run in just 8 weeks.  I hope to improve these percentages next time as my training will be more consistent and I am now focusing more on top end speed/power again.

My run base improved 23% while my AT improved only 4%. My bike base improved 27% while my AT improved only 2%. Again we can see what I was focused on for the past two months. Next test I want to see the AT showing improvement similar to my base improvement from this time.

Cobb Cycling - www.cobbcycling.com

I am proud to announce Cobb Cycling as my newest corporate sponsor for Apex Endurance Sports.


John Cobb has been actively involved in the cycling industry since 1972. He first proved himself as a pioneer in the area of cycling aerodynamics when his positioning and aero knowledge were used with Greg LeMond, thus shocking the traditional European bicycle racing world. John developed a system, early on, for positioning riders in order to gain more speed and comfort. This has led riders from around the globe to search John out for cycling help.


Apex Endurance is proud to partner with Cobb Cycling. If you are interested in any of the Cobb Cycling bike seats let me know at jeff@apexendurance.com.

Kemah Triathlon 2012

The Kemah Tri was my first tri of the year and my first try as a new dad.

Things did not go off without a hitch of course. First, I forgot my Garmin on the charger at home so I had zero technology for the entire race.  This is not a bad thing if you are used to racing/training that way but I am not and have become a tech junkie.

Swim: The swim was in the bay so we did have to deal with some chop but it was not terrible. However, I could not keep water out of my goggles which really hurt my time.  I cam out of the water in 9th place.

T1: I had the fastest T1 time on my group and that definitely made up for a portion of the swim

Bike: Well on to the bike not know what my cadence, hr, speed or power was during the ride.  The only thing I had to gauge how I was biking was others on the course and perceived effort. I pretty much ignored perceived effort and just tried to stay with a few other bikers who seemed to be doing well. After the race I talked to the bikers I stayed with and we averaged right at 23mph for the bike. They combined my bike and T2 time together and I was 5th in my group.

Run: This is where I normally catch some people and it started pretty much the same but I had a hard time pushing myself because of not knowing how hard I was running. I usually really rely on the Garmin to tell me I need to go faster on the run. All for not though because as I was in 3rd place with less than a mile to go on the run I developed a massive hamstring cramp that stopped me dead in my tracks. I tried really quick to get rid of it so I could finish but I couldn't even walk for several minutes. With that I decided I would just cut through the course hobbling and turn in my chip.  My first DNF. Oh well I learned a lot from the race about my capabilities and limitations.

If I had to do it over I would follow my own directions to my athletes and hydrate better leading up to and the morning of raceday.

APEX ENDURANCE SPORTS - Update

Well, the business idea is still coming along.

I officially purchased www.ApexEndurance.com.

I am also having a log worked on and you can check out the round 1 concepts to the right. I am 90% sure I am going with number 6.  We are going to try to now define exactly how we want to make it look from that initial idea.

I have also decided to go with TrainingPeaks as my software of choice for coaching as it is by far the best software for coaches and athletes together.

So, check out the website via the link above and let me know if you have any comments or suggestions.

Austin Weekend

Image by Visualist Images via FlickrWell the weekend in Austin was too short.

The wife, son and I went to Austin for bachelor and bachelor-et parties. If you are wondering my son got to crash the girls party so lucky him.

I was able to get my training in this weekend despite all the travel and activities. Did my Sunday run on Friday and my Saturday bike at 4am. That turned out to be kind of a bad decision because that means I was up for basically 24 hours that day. Driving back to Houston yesterday (Sunday) was the hardest drive I have ever done.  It was not length of the drive but trying to stay awake during the 3hrs was next to impossible.

My wife even had to throw some cold water on my face from her water bottle halfway through the trip.

Needless to say since I am writing this we made it home safe and sound.