So you say you never want to ride in the rain. What happens if it rains on race day? What do you do if you’re out on a long ride and the weather forecast was all wrong and you get a surprise rain shower? Truth is you at some point in time, you will probably end up riding in the rain. And that’s not a bad thing. It’s good to know how your bike handles in the rain and to have confidence in it and your abilities. Here are a few tips for when you find yourself riding in the rain. 1. Back off If you are riding with other people, often their back tire will spray water and dirt behind them making making the situation even worse the people behind them. Give the people around you some room. Now is not the time to be drafting. 2. Give yourself plenty of stopping distance When they are wet, brakes don’t work as well. This is especially true of the normal rubber padded rim brakes most road bikes have. Through in a little oil from the road and I’ve had to actually look and see if my brakes where still there at all. So much like when you’re driving on the snow, apply brakes early to judge their stopping power and give yourself plenty of room to stop. Bikes with rotor brakes, like many mountain bikes and some of the newer road bikes, will be effected less by this and will be able to stop quicker, so even more reasons for the #1 tip. 3. Watch for slippery surfaces Be vigilant for upcoming surfaces that may alter your traction. Water on the road that has a rainbow look probably has oil in it. Lines painted on the road will become much more slippery. Metal surfaces like manhole covers and grates can be slick as ice so treat them as such. 4. Tires Many people will lower their tire pressure (5 to 10psi) to give them a bit more traction. Doing though will increase the chance of a pinch flat, so be a bit more careful when going over surfaces that have an edge like train tracks and bridge abutments. Speaking of flats, rain tends to wash things to the side of the road, where we often ride, and wet tires tend to pick up more junk. Be sure you have good tires and have a flat kit of course. Some tires may also be better at handling the rain than others so something to consider when shopping for that next set. 5. What to wear A waterproof outer shell is good, but I always tend to end rainy rides soaked no matter what I wear. So I tend to try and make sure I stay warm and safe. To make sure I stay warm, I usually dress as if it was a bit colder than it is to offset the cooling effect of the rain. Being able to see where you’re going is essential and I were clear eyewear treated with Rain-X to shield my eyes. You also want to be seen so wear bright colors. 6. Be visible Rain and fog lowers visibility for other riders and for the cars we often share the road with. Even during the day, it’s important to wear colors that stand out. And I can’t stress enough the importance of having working, charged, and water resistant lights both front (white) and back (red). Just as in a car, when it’s raining, you should have your lights on. 7. After the ride Give your bike some love after the ride. Wipe off the dirt and water and oil the chain and cables to keep rust away. ------------------------- About the Author - Larry is a long-time triathlete who has completed every distance of triathlon, including three Iron-distance triathlons. Larry recently qualified for the 2018 USAT Olympic-Distance Age Group National Championships in Ohio. Larry is currently serving as Austin Tri Club's Director of Training and Group Workouts. To read more about Larry and the rest of the Austin Tri Club board, check out our Club Leadership page. Triathlon training
Training for 3 sports at once requires a bit of a different mindset, but follows some of the same methodologies used in other training regimes. Most people utilize training plans, which layout out daily workouts over the course of the several weeks leading up to a race. They will normally will range from 12 to 16 weeks, and often require you to do two workouts a day at some point. This will not only work your body, but your mental toughness as well which, I believe, is an often-overlooked aspect of training. If you’ve trained for races like marathons, you are probably familiar with periodization training. Not to be confused with training periodically mind you. This is the methodology of breaking down a training plan weekly into 4 distinct periods or phases which are Base, Build, Peak, and Taper. Each has a different goal and approach with the overall goal of getting you to the peak of fitness just in time for your goal race. Note that some plans have more distinct phases and that’s fine, there is a lot of variability in training and this is meant as a general overview to get started. When training for triathlons, a common type of training you’ll probably see is referred to as the “Brick”. This is often where you’ll have a bike ride followed immediately by a short run. From what I’ve been told, these are called “Bricks” as your feet will often feel like bricks when you start to run. This kind of training I feel is important as it gets you used to moving from one sport to another. Training moving from swimming to biking would also be good, but you’ll see less of it as it is much harder to coordinate. And while we are on the subject, transition training is a good thing to work in at some point before the race. Often referred to as the 4th discipline, time spent in transition is time you aren’t biking or running. The transition between swim and bike is often referred to at T1 and the transition between bike and run is referred to at T2. For example, improving your T1 + T2 time by 45 seconds each is like running your 5k on a sprint triathlon about 30 seconds per mile faster. And you’d be surprised how long you can take in transition if not prepared. Not all transitions are done the same way, so research how your goal race does them and have a plan and practice the plan before the race. Phases of Training Base The goal of this is to have fun, build your aerobic endurance, improve technique, and build strength. As the name suggests, this lays the foundation for training. Think of it as the baseline of where you want to start from when you start building towards your peak. Like climbing steps so that when you jump, you reach higher. In general, I regard any time between specific race training, to be “base” training. This includes the “off season” as I believe consistency in training leads to an ever improving fitness and faster racing. Generally this has a lower volume of workouts, but is the best time to hit the gym, to work on that swim stroke, and enjoy a bit of cross training like yoga, that will help reduce the chance of injury when you start increasing the intensity during the next phases. Build Training during this phase/period should grow in volume, intensity, and become more specific. The workouts should also be increasingly more like the your goal race. Often, you’ll have a few build weeks followed by a “Easy” week where volume and intensity go down. You’ll be pushing your mind and body harder and harder during these weeks, so you should pay extra attention to take good care of your body. Nutrition is very important to help your body recover from the hard workouts. This is a great time to schedule massages and to foam roll. Peak Volume and intensity of training grows once again. Emphasis on aerobic endurance and a decrease on drills. Training here should be very close to the distances and intensity you’ll see and do on race day and, depending on the goals and race type, may exceed it. Mental and physical demands will be at their highest at this point and so should be your attention to recovery and nutrition. Taper/Race You’ve done your longest and hardest swims, runs, and bikes, but it’s still one to two weeks away from your race? This period is called the Taper and, for some, it’s one of the hardest parts of training. This doesn’t mean you stop training and start eating badly. Maintaining your diet and continue to train with the goal of maintaining the fitness you’ve built, along with recovering psychologically. Volume and intensity is usually dialed back so your body and mind will be fully repaired and ready for race day. Usually training will switch to short intense workouts that don’t exhaust you, but still keep your body sharp and ready for race day. Other considerations: Coaches Static plans, like the above sample plans, can be found online and in several books. Joe Friel and Matt Fitzgerald are great sources. But those plans and books don’t know you, they don’t know your strengths and weaknesses. The static plans can’t see you run nor see you swim. How do you adjust the plan if something goes wrong, like a sickness, that throws a wrench into the plan? This is where coaches come in. Having a coach helps not only be able to adjust your plan and make it more dynamic, but they can help with your form and give you advice that comes from years of training, racing, and experience. For years, I did my own training plans and they worked out well, but I decided to employ a coach when I wanted to take it to the next step. Recovery and Rest Rest Days and Sleep are just as important as Long Runs in building fitness and endurance. The importance of this increases with age. Training puts stress on your body, but it doesn’t make you stronger or faster. Your body rebuilding itself makes you stronger and faster, but it only does this during rest periods. So it’s a good idea to have in your plan the ability to get a good night's sleep and has at least one rest day. Also important is recovery after your race. Depending on the demands of the race, having a plan to take some time off and/or slowly start back into light training, building back towards your base training is a good idea. Be sure to plan for this however and stick to it as 1 or 2 weeks off can easily turn into 6 months as I can personally attest to. Injuries Nothing will impact your racing more than injuries. I used to race a friend who was much younger than me, but I would routinely beat him in races. He was much fitter and faster than me though so it frustrated him greatly. One day, I let him in on a little secret, I was wiser than him. You see, the reason I beat him was because he was always injured on race day. He would push so hard in training, that he’d hurt himself. I was older and listened to my body while training as to avoid injury as much as possible, so I was able to race at my fullest on race day. Needless to say, he listened to my advice and started training smarter and I never came close to beating him again. Moral of the story is to learn to listen to your body. This is a big part of where the mental part of triathlon comes into play. Another friend of mine was told he needed to learn to run uncomfortably, which is true. Your body will hurt when training and training, but it is up to you to learn if it’s a discomfort that can be ignored, or a pain you need to take notice of. Pay attention and listen to your body. Everyone has limits and pushing to them and not beyond them is the goal. Sample Sprint Plans http://www.triradar.com/training-advice/sprint-triathlon-training-plans/ http://www.triathlete.com/2017/09/training/12-week-super-simple-sprint-triathlon-training-plan_306300 https://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/a-12-week-triathlon-training-plan-for-beginners?clckmp=activecom_global_mostpopulararticles_pos1&page=2 http://www.lifetimetri.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Sprint-LT-Tri-Training-Plan.pdf http://ironman.timex.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/12-week-beginner-sprint-triathlon-Timex-BD.pdf?cid=TPN Other References: http://triathlon.mit.edu/documents/recovery_importance.pdf http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2017/12/sleep-part-1.html https://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/when-to-push-past-the-pain-in-triathlon-training?page=1 ***************** About the Author - Larry is a long-time triathlete who has completed every distance of triathlon, including three Iron-distance triathlons. Larry recently qualified for the 2018 USAT Olympic-Distance Age Group National Championships in Ohio. Larry is currently serving as Austin Tri Club's Director of Training and Group Workouts. To read more about Larry and the rest of the Austin Tri Club board, check out our Club Leadership page. Dear Austin Triathlon Club Members,
First of all, thank you. Thank you for making the last few months of 2017 such a fun time. Thank you for taking a chance on Austin Triathlon Club and for your enthusiasm to help build this community triathlon club. In less than two months, we are 52 members strong. Club members are signed up for all kinds of triathlons in 2018, everything from Sprints to Olympics to Ironmans to Ultramans. Nearly a dozen of you are training for your first triathlon. Almost half of you are mentoring new triathletes or have signed up to be a mentor. Your kindness, friendliness, motivation, and community-minded attitude are making this club so much fun. It's been such a joy to see Austin Tri Club members meet each other, make new friends, and support each other. You have inspired me to be a better person and triathlete. Thank you! Behind the Scenes at Austin Tri Club in 2017 As a community nonprofit, Austin Tri Club values transparency and stewardship, so I’d like to take a few words to share some of the “behind-the-scenes” work here at Austin Tri Club. The Club officially launched in June 2017, when four local athletes—Josh Rabinowitz, Laura Gilmour, Meghann Jones, and I—finalized the incorporation paperwork to register Austin Triathlon Club as an official nonprofit organization with the State of Texas. Together, we committed to serving as the Club's founding officers and volunteering our time to build this nonprofit. Between June and October, we voted on and approved bylaws, a website, a logo, and a strategic plan laying out the vision for an all-volunteer, member-run community triathlon club. We also gained a fifth board member, our Director of Training, Larry Norris. After months of spending our evenings and weekends putting the pieces together, we launched Austin Triathlon Club to the public on October 8, 2017. Four weeks later, Austin Tri Club opened membership. The Club gained its first member, and then another, and then another. As of this morning, Austin Triathlon Club has 52 members. This means that in the 8 weeks since we launched membership, the Club has gained on average one new member every day. When you joined, each one of you paid $40 in membership dues. These dues have gone to the club’s administrative and overhead costs. To date, approximately 1/2 of each members’ dues have gone toward insurance, while the other half have covered costs such as domain name registration, website hosting, logo design, USAT membership, registration with the Secretary of State, PO Box rental, and basic club gear, like water bottles and swim caps. No financial compensation goes to any of the club officers (indeed per our bylaws, officers and directors are restricted from having any financial interest in the sport of triathlon). This is truly an all-volunteer effort. The Club is led by recreational athletes who share a common desire to support one another and our community. Now that 2017 has come to an end, what is on tap for 2018?
Finally, over the last 8 weeks, it has been inspiring to meet so many warm, friendly, and fun people. I can say without a doubt that Austin Triathlon Club has the coolest, nicest members anywhere. I’m so excited and thankful to have played a part in launching this club. I cannot wait to start 2018, so we can make it the best year ever. Daniel Austin Triathlon Club President One month ago tonight, the Austin Triathlon Club was holding its kickoff happy hour. At the time, the club officers were a bit nervous. We weren't sure how many folks would show up. We knew that most people probably hadn't heard of us, and might not know what to expect. Since Austin Tri Club is entirely volunteer, word about the club was spread primarily by word of mouth and grassroots enthusiasm. Looking back a month later -- what a journey it's been! As of this morning, Austin Triathlon Club has 38 members, with more members joining every day. Our members range from beginners hoping to complete their first triathlon to coaches to professional triathletes. We are truly grateful for the support and the faith that these founding members have placed in Austin Tri Club to deliver on its promise of serving as a community triathlon club for Austin -- and for throwing themselves into Club activities right off the bat. We are so excited to know you! So, what has the Club been up to in its first month?
Thank you to everyone who has pitched in so far. The Club is not possible without your support, enthusiasm, and willingness to give back to the Austin tri community. We hope to see you at the next club happy hour on Monday, December 11th, at the Ginger Man! Let's make 2018 the best race season ever! ------------------- Austin Triathlon Club is a 100% volunteer, member-run club launched in October 2017. Austin Tri Club aims to improve the physical fitness and mental well-being of all members of the Austin community through the promotion and encouragement of the sport of triathlon. Click here to read more about our mission and values. What activity can help you greatly improve your health, eliminate stress, boost confidence, and burn fat, without having to buy a single supplement or step foot into a gym? That's right - running.
Running is perhaps one of the most approachable workouts for people looking to stay in shape, without having to learn a sport or new dance move - but that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are tons of reasons to start running.
But as with any activity or workout, there are certain safety measures that should be put into place to prevent injury down the road. The following safety tips should give you what you need to begin training (safely) for the running portion of a triathlon. Maintain Your Strength The best way to prevent injury is keeping up your strength. If you are just starting out, don’t push yourself too far or you might risk an injury. Start small, build your way up, and keep your muscles active and strong. Some exercises suggested by RunnersWorld.com are:
Working out your whole body to prepare for your runs is one of the best steps towards preventing unforeseen injuries. By following the suggested workouts, you're a lot less likely to encounter any permanent damage. If you're running for distance or speed, it might be a good idea to strengthen and improve the muscles in your legs.
Remember to Stretch One of the first things athletes, coaches and athletic professionals will tell you: "Stretch!" Always remembering to stretch in addition to strength training can help you maintain the flexibility needed to be an excellent triathlon runner. You should stretch for about ten minutes before each run, making sure not to rush yourself. For the most effective stretches, be sure to hold each of them for at least thirty seconds. The best way to incorporate this into your daily run is to permanently make it part of your routine. Make it a point to stretch before you even step foot out your front door.
Stay Hydrated Running or training for triathlons will have your body using much more water than you may be used to. For this reason, it’s especially important to not only replace the water you lose while running but the electrolytes, too. When we sweat, we're not just losing water - we're losing electrolytes, like chloride, sodium, magnesium, and potassium. Your body uses these electrolytes to regulate vital processes - like heart and brain function. While many sports drinks may contain electrolytes, be sure to watch out for the sugar content - it could be extremely high. Some other ways to infuse electrolytes and important minerals into your workout include: Making a Homemade, Sugarless Sports Drink
Eating Almonds Almonds are a great source of magnesium. In fact, just a single ounce of almonds has 78 milligrams of magnesium. Other great sources of this mineral are:
Keep Tomato Juice Handy Drinking tomato juice is a great way to get some potassium into your body - especially on-the-go. If you prefer the taste of orange juice, you can enjoy that instead. One glass of OJ provides 500mg of potassium. Here are some great hydration resources for runners:
Always Keep Personal Safety First There are a handful of important personal safety tips to keep in mind before you head out for your run. Brushing aside health and fitness, the main goal here is to stay safe. Plan Your Route When you go out for a run, make sure to plan ahead to avoid busy roads or dangerous areas, but don't think that an underpopulated road or neighborhood will be safer - in fact, it could be the opposite. Many runners love the beautiful scenery and peaceful locations, but safety experts say that in these areas you have less access to help - should you need it. Before you head out, also ensure that you tell someone your route so they can check in on you, if need be. It's also important to update them if you plan on changing it, so you have at least one person who will know where you are at all times. Bring Along Some Friends When running, there is always strength in numbers. Bringing more people offers greater visibility and helps ensure that someone is always alert. If you’re not sure who to ask to come along, consider:
Other resources include: Always Stay Alert While running itself can be safe if you take care of your body, there are outside factors which could blindside you, if you're not careful. Some of the most important clues to incoming safety risks can be found in your surroundings. Try to run during the day so you will be more visible to drivers on the road and so you can see incoming dangers well in advance, too. If you aren’t completely sure if something could be a danger to you, such as a suspicious car or person, trust your instincts and head back or contact someone immediately. Bringing something that can make noise to alert others to your situation, like a whistle, for example, can save your life. Leave Your Headphones at Home Some of the most crucial hints of impending danger are sounds. Always listen for approaching cars, animals and people. To make sure that you are the most in-tune with your surroundings, leave your headphones behind and make sure you pay full attention to what’s going on around you. Sure, listening to your favorite jams while going for a run may be a nice way to enjoy yourself, but headphones can also give a signal to dangerous individuals that you can't hear them - making you a potentially easy target. Make Sure You Have the Right Footwear Since your feet are one of the most important tools you will use while running, it's important to take good care of them. Just like you would never set off for the biking portion of a triathlon with a flat tire, you should never begin running if your footwear isn't up to the task. Shoes for triathlon running should fit snugly around your foot, but should not be tight enough to cause blisters. There should be a little room in front of your toes as well. An employee at a store that specializes in shoes for triathlon running or a podiatrist or orthopedist can help make sure your shoes are fitted well enough not to cause injuries.
Bring Identification Whether you think so or not, one of the most important components of running safety is your identification. When you set off running, always make sure you have a form of identification, like a driver’s license or state-issued ID. Additionally, it's always a good idea to have proof of your blood type, in case you need treatment at a hospital. Try to bring along an emergency contact list, if you can. Some phones have emergency contact features as well, which could make the job of a first responder a lot easier. Jen Port, Austin High School Jen wrote this blog post for Austin Triathlon Club as part of her health class project. SOURCE: Banks, Summer. Healthy and Safe Running: A Detailed Guide. Oct 25, 2017. https://www.dietspotlight.com/benefits-of-running/ When Club President Daniel first proposed starting Austin Triathlon Club the first thing that came into my head was NCC... I love NCC! NCC is the USAT National Challenge Competition: a triathlon club team competition where club members log swim, bike and run miles to collect points for their team. Triathlon clubs across the country compete to become NCC champions. Throughout the competition athletes can log miles in any discipline, but prizes are given for teams logging the most swim miles in December, bike miles in January, and run miles in February. I did my first NCC in the 2013-2014 off-season and while I was a little sluggish in swim month and bike month (DC is cold!), when run month came I decided it was mine for the taking. In my previous on-season I had done an Ironman and an ultra marathon, so my legs were capable of doing a lot of miles. And when I saw that I could help DC Tri win the competition, and that I had a teammate on my heels racking up points at the same rate as I was, that was motivation to not miss a day. In my 2014 season, I was supposed to be not taking it and just racing for fun, but even without trying very hard I got a PR in practically every distance - marathon, half marathon, 70.3, Olympic... The friendly competition of NCC had been enough to get out there and build the base for my best season ever and led me to meet some really great people - including husband Club President Daniel, who chased me around the pool as he tried to figure out how to ask me out. Since then, every year I get excited about NCC - even though I'm not in the same shape I was that first NCC year, it's great motivation to keep me training and not give in to the winter. In 2017, I'm excited about the prospect of entering an Austin Triathlon Club team. With the amazing community of triathletes and the resources we have for winter training - not least the weather - I'm convinced that Austin can be up there competing with DC Tri, Salt Lake, and San Diego. The best part of NCC is that it doesn't matter how fast you run the miles or swim the laps, it's the taking part (or the points) that count! Meghann Jones Vice President, Austin Triathlon Club When I first moved to the States in 2011, my friends back home in the UK were doing their first triathlons, and one of my closest friends was about to start training for her first Ironman. At the time I was just a runner, and I really liked being just a runner, except that I was constantly injured. I decided to buy a bike so i could keep active even when I wasn't able to run, and so that I could keep my friend company on her long training rides. It didn't take long for me to decide that I wanted to do a triathlon myself. The problem was, I couldn't swim. I mean, I had learned to swim as a child and was ok at breast stroke, but I had never learned to swim with my face in the water the way distance swimming demands, and I hadn't been near water since a near-drowning experience when I got caught in a riptide in 2004. The first time I went to the pool and tried to swim front crawl, the way I knew I would have to if I wanted to do triathlon, I managed to swim about eight strokes before I got confused and panicked and had to stop. Despite this, I signed up for my first sprint triathlon, which would take place in June 2012. It was a small event in Windsor, England, that a number of my friends were doing. I knew I was fit enough for the bike and the run, and I had been going to the pool regularly and managed a length or two of front crawl at a time. I had expected I would patch that together with paddle and breast stroke and whatever I needed to do to get to the end. I borrowed a wetsuit and a bike and when we got to the race it was apparent that it was a season starter training race for people who are really really good. I hated coming last in anything, but I resigned myself to it immediately. Like many of the triathlon swims I would do subsequently, the swim was one long panic attack. The panic literally propelled me forward in a mix of breast stroke, side-stroke, and back stroke to get to the end of it, all the while keeping my head completely out of the water (there was NO WAY I was putting my face in the water with all of these people around me - what if they didn't see me and hit me in the face, or what if I went in the wrong direction). I didn't manage to get it under control for the rest of the race either - I gasped all the way through the freezing rainy bike, and all the way through the slippery muddy run. I had completed my first triathlon but it didn't feel like a triumph. Rather I felt traumatized. I realized that I needed to get serious about swimming if I wanted to do more (which I did, of course... It isn't clear why!). So I got a coach and she taught me, firstly, how to breathe to stay calm, and secondly, how to put together an efficient swimming stroke. I went to open-water training sessions on weekends and came to love the peacefulness of swimming in open water (as well as the lack of chlorine). I also joined DC Tri Club's masters program (we were living in Washington, D.C. at the time), where I spent most of the first six months hanging on the wall gasping for air as people lapped me and lapped me again. A couple of weeks before I completed my second triathlon in September of 2012 (an Olympic distance, where I swam about a third of it with my face in the water and spent the rest of it panicking and breast-stroking), inspired by my friend's Ironman I signed up for Ironman Louisville for the following year. From my running days I was in the habit of signing up for another race to "take the edge off" the race I was about to do, but even I realized that signing up for an Ironman was a little bonkers. I knew I could bike 112 miles and run a marathon... So all I had to do was figure out how to swim for 2.4 miles without it being a very long, energy-sapping panic attack. About halfway through my Ironman training, the swim became my favorite thing. There is little more motivating than a steep learning curve as an adult - we rarely get the opportunity to go from zero to competent. I started to find swimming relaxing for my mind and body, and found a peacefulness in open water swimming that I used to only get from hiking and trail running. I still feared racing - the crowds and choppy water combined with the nerves from racing makes it the hardest part of the race for me (and I even DNF'd in a swim during one of my warm-up races). On Ironman race day I lined up for a time-trial start, sans-wetsuit (Louisville used to be in August and was HOT), and was excited. Terrified too, of course, but I had worked so hard and waited so long that I was desperate to get into the water. I don't know if I actually had a smile on my face during the swim but I had a smile in my head the whole time. As it got to the end and I could hear the noise at the swim exit, I didn't want it to be over. The swim had become my favorite thing. Here are my top tips for learning how to swim to race triathlons:
Meghann Jones, Austin Tri Club Vice President As part of the Austin Tri Club mentoring program, Meghann is hoping to mentor triathletes who are looking to overcome their fears of swimming. Austin Triathlon Club was launched on October 8, 2017. Austin Triathlon Club is an all-volunteer, member-run community welcoming triathletes of all abilities, with membership opening in November. We encourage you to learn more about the Club by checking out our Mission and Values, the Club Leadership, and how you can get involved.
We would also love to see you at our Kick-Off happy hour on November 6th at the Ginger Man in downtown Austin. For more details and to RSVP, see our facebook event page. The Ironman 70.3 Austin race is coming up on October 29th! Here’s our race preview –
Have a great race everyone! ------------------------------------------ Austin Triathlon Club was launched on October 8, 2017. Austin Triathlon Club is an all-volunteer, member-run community welcoming triathletes of all abilities. We encourage you to learn more about the Club by checking out our Mission and Values, the Club Leadership, and how you can get involved. We would also love to see you at our Kick-Off happy hour on November 6th at the Ginger Man in downtown Austin. For more details and to RSVP, see our facebook event page. My name is Daniel Riegel, and I’m one of the founding members of the Austin Triathlon Club. We created Austin Triathlon Club because we believe Austin is the best city in America for triathlon. Here are a few of our reasons why we think Austin is the perfect city for triathletes. 1) Barton Springs. The heart and soul of Austin. Barton Springs is a natural springs pool that is more than 200 meters from one end to the other. The pool is perfect open water swimming practice for beginners and experienced triathletes, alike. Water temperature is always ~ 68 degrees, meaning we can train year-around and practice in a wetsuit whenever we want. 2) Deep Eddy. Spring fed lap lanes, slightly warmer than Barton Springs. Deep Eddy overlooks the Colorado River and is #2 on our list of favorite swimming holes. Each pool length is 33 1/3 yards, so 53 lengths make a mile. Even when the pool is at its busiest, you usually only need to wait a few minutes to find a spot in a split or circle-swim lane. Deep Eddy is also the oldest swimming pool in Texas. 3) Bike Night at COTA. There is no other experience like this in the country. Every Tuesday night from April to October, cyclists can ride the Formula One race track in Southeast Austin. The world-class track is 3.4 miles with 20 turns. We love the beer garden afterwards and the general vibe. 4) Townlake (aka the Butler Hike and Bike Trail). Our favorite place to run anywhere. The 10 mile loop provides beautiful views of Lady Bird Lake and downtown Austin. The soft surface -- mostly dirt and gravel -- is forgiving, and there are plenty of water fountains and restrooms. The addition of the boardwalk a few years ago made the run even nicer. 5) Weather. The weather means that there is no off-season for triathletes in Austin. Setting aside our one week of “winter”, we can swim, bike, and run year-around, outside, every day. 6) Races. The Rookie Triathlon, Cap Tex Tri, Lake Pflugerville Tri, Marble Falls Tri, Jack's Generic, Ironman Austin 70.3, Kerrville Triathlon, all in our backyard. Not to mention, the Cap 2K, Pure Austin Open Water Race Series, Splash n Dashes, Deep Eddy Mile, Lake Travis Relay, Highland Lakes Challenge, the Driveway Series, and the Austin Distance Challenge. The list goes on and on. 7) Coaches. Austin is home to 35 USAT-certified triathlon coaches and dozens more highly qualified coaches, trainers, and instructors. Walk into your neighborhood YMCA, and your swim instructor just might be a former professional triathlete turned swim coaching savant. 8) Facilities. Austin has over twenty public lap pools, including three outdoor 50-meter pools, a bike veloway, a state-of-the-art triathlon training center, a gym with its own lake, and over 100 miles of urban trails to run, bike, and play. 9) Community. Austin has a long history of triathlon. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Austin had one of the largest and most talented triathlon clubs in the country – the Austin Triathletes. That club spawned scores of professional triathletes, coaches, trainers, and leaders in Austin’s triathlon community. Our goal is that Austin Triathlon Club can once again provide Austin with a community-based triathlon club, one that welcomes Austin area triathletes of all abilities. We encourage everyone who is a triathlete, or who is just trying to complete their first triathlon, to join the Club. 10) Austin. Austin is home. The people, the music, the food, the weather, the outdoors, the laid-back attitude. We can’t imagine a better place to live and to be a triathlete. Whether or not you agree that Austin is the best triathlon city in the country, we hope you'll agree that Austin is a pretty great place to swim, bike, and run. We love it here, and hope you do too. Daniel, Austin Triathlon Club President ------------------------------------------- Austin Triathlon Club was launched on October 8, 2017. Austin Triathlon Club is an all-volunteer, member-run community welcoming triathletes of all abilities. We encourage you to learn more about the Club by checking out our Mission and Values, the Club Leadership, and how you can get involved. We would also love to see you at our Kick-Off happy hour on November 6th at the Ginger Man in downtown Austin. For more details and to RSVP, see our facebook event page. We are excited to launch the Austin Triathlon Club website today – and so glad that you found us! Austin Triathlon Club was founded by a group of people who care about making triathlon – and sports and healthy lifestyles in general – accessible to everyone. Our goal is to create a safe and welcoming community for people who already participate in triathlon or who are wondering what it is all about. Right now our website has lots of information about the club mission, the leadership team, and resources for swimming, biking and running in the Austin area. In addition there is information about some of the activities that we are planning for the club, such as mentoring new triathletes and hosting an informal training camp at Big Bend during MLK weekend. Our goal is to launch memberships by early November. While we intend to keep the club as open and accessible as possible, having a formal membership program will enable us to participate in races and other activities as as a team, and to build partnerships that bring the immense triathlon resources that Austin offers to the club. Meanwhile, you can stay up-to-date on what is happening with the club by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or contacting us for more details. You can also join us for our launch happy hour. We are looking forward to tri-ing with you! - The Austin Triathlon Club Leadership Team |
Welcome to the Austin Triathlon Club blog! Through this blog, Austin Tri Club members can share their triathlon knowledge and experiences. If you are interested in blogging for Austin Tri Club, please contact us. Archives
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