Featured Event: Protest Du

The Austin Duathletes present the Protest Duathlon. Here is what their website says about this fun event:

LOCATION: East Metro Park, Manor, TX
Distance: 2-10-2

APRIL 11, 2009

contact • race info • registration
course • faq • other info

The Protest Duathlon is back, so get ready to protest something. What, you ask? ANYTHING! But, make it creative because we will be awarding the best protest!

To give you an idea of what to protest, the Austin Duathletes are protesting swimming: why else would we be duathletes?

How do I protest?
When you pick up your timing chip, a volunteer will record what you are protesting. A judge will review the protests and will determine the winner. The best protest will be announced during the awards ceremony.

Must I protest?
Of course you do not have to protest, you are more than welcome to just race! You can always say you are protesting the protest (but that would be lame!)

JOIN US FOR THE ADULT EASTER EGG HUNT!
We will be 'hiding' eggs along the course during the second run. Eggs will contain fun prizes and goodies!

Online Registration:
Online registration is available here.

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For more info on the Austin Duathletes click HERE. Follow this FREE CLUB on Twitter @austinduathlete

Featured Event: Protest Du

Austin Marathon Bike Leads

Rick Kent Photo

A lot goes into producing an athletic event. A huge marathon like Austin's takes many people working throughout the year to make it happen. All kinds of crazy, behind-the-scenes activities take place, some so weird, you wouldn't even believe.

We wanted to give you a sneak peak into this little unknown world of race production. Our role in the marathon is very small, but we've been doing it for the past 6 years. We're bike leads. We make sure the lead runners don't go off course. We do this on our bikes with GPS.

This year we had 8 bike leads: 2 for the women's half marathon, 2 for the men's half marathon, 2 for the women's marathon & 2 for the men's marathon.

Here we've asked each of the 8 bike leads what position they were assigned & what their favorite part was:

Drew Wolff
Assigned to: Men's Marathon Lead Bike
Leading the athletes on your bike is a cool way to see some exciting racing up close. Volunteering for a great Austin race and giving back is definitely as good as racing sometimes. For the 2009 edition Thomas and I were assigned the male marathon lead. Fast and fit athletes for sure. Helping them navigate the course, avoid road hazards and enjoy their tour of Austin is the general plan. The weather was good. The crowds, especially downtown near city hall, were amazing.

Favorite Part: My favorite part of the race had to be when I rode up to the marathon lead male at approximately the two mile mark. At that time the half marathon leaders had pulled away along with the press truck and timing vehicle. They would soon return, but I wanted to take the opportunity to identify Thomas and I as volunteers and let the lone leader know we would be his lead as long as he lead the race. Our exchange went something like this:

Me "Hi, my name is Drew. Thomas and I are volunteers. We'll be helping you navigate the course today. If you have any doubts as to where the course goes, always follow Thomas and I."

Jeremy Borling "Okay. But why?"

Me "You're leading the marathon, and as long as you do, we'll stay with you."

Jeremy "REALLY?!"

His suprise and excitement at learning this was evident in his voice. He had clearly thought the race had left him behind and you could see an immediate change in his running. It was fun to be a part of that. Jeremy would go on to lead the race start to finish and win in a time of just over 2hrs 30min.

Thomas Miller
Assigned to: Men's marathon, GPS Backup
The day was fairly uneventful, in that the eventual winner held the lead the entire race, so there was not much for us to do. We simply made sure the runner stayed on course and informed him of upcoming water stops.

Favorite Part: One of the highlights of the day for me was the dude at around 46th and Ave. F who had moved his entire home stereo onto his lawn so that he could play the theme from "Chariots of Fire," as the lead runner came by. Goosebumps... I can only aspire to having someone play that for me someday.



John Lewis
Assigned to: Women’s Marathon, Lead Bike

Favorite part: My favorite part about leading Elle was when she was turning on to San Jacinto in mile 25; I told her “today was her day to win” and she asked “How close is the next girl” I told her “I have not seen anyone since the half & she could just about walk it in.” I told her to draw energy from the crowd and enjoy this time. It was cool to see her win.

Ashton Prejean
Assigned to: Women's Marathon, GPS Backup

Favorite Part: Besides the buffet, I like being a positive influence (I think it was legal for us to give her encouragement) for the runner. I tried to tell her all the things that work for me when I am running and she said they were helping her also. I did think the"hey you're on a bike....that's not fair" and "cheater" jokes got a little old. Did I mention that I liked the buffet.


Jack Murray
Assigned To: Men's Half Marathon, Lead Bike

I was in charge of organizing and assigning the team of bike leads for the marathon. I have been doing this for 6 years now. The 1st few years it was hard finding people to ride. Now it is easy and people are lined up to do it.

Favorite Part: I love watching the event unfold from the front. It is the ultimate front row seat.

Cynthia Henges
Assigned to: Men's Half Marathon, GPS Backup

If Jack's bike broke down, I was supposed to swap out the GPS device by removing his seat post and swapping seats with him. Luckily this didn't happen. I was also there to lead the chase pack since Bernard (half champion) had such a large lead on the 2nd place finisher. I was there to check out the hot runner dudes and make sure they stayed on course :) I've always had a soft spot for runners. The 4th place finisher gets my vote for hottest runner ;) Oh, the post race VIP food setup is always a crowd pleaser.

Favorite Part: My favorite part about leading the runners is simply that you get to be in the mix and see the drama of the race unfold. Simply priceless...I'll be volunteering for this duty for years and decades to come. Thanks J&A!


Brad Miller
Assigned to: Women's Half Marathon, Bike Lead
Favorite Part: Brad could not be reached for comment & he's a man of few words. He just thinks it's cool.


Michelle LaPuente
Assigned to: Women's Half Marathon, GPS Backup

Favorite Part: At the Austin Marathon I had the opportunity to ride alongside some truly remarkable athletes. Since there is no way I can run with them, I make the most of what I can get. For those of you who are like me and somewhere in the middle, we often time don't realize that the leaders get bike escorts. Or if we do, we just never see them! Anyhow, I was fortunate enough to get to participate as the backup escort for the women's half marathon. There are so many details of the day that I could go on and on and on...etc. But I will keep focused here on the observations I want to share: 1. Having fun - when I saw Gilbert in the early miles of the race, he seemed to be having fun; even making a little small talk with me as I rode alongside 2. Focused - the level of focus that these runners have is incredible 3. Relentless - despite the physical pain and what surely must also be mental pain, they do not back down, give up or give in...even if there's no chance to win. 4. Technique - one of the main reasons I love this job is that I get to watch their running styles and forms. Since I have such a problem with my foot strike, this is a great way to watch and learn. As I stated earlier, I could go on...but I wanted to point out the things that struck a chord with me. I just love to watch them run!!

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We're looking forward to the Austin Marathon 2010 - The Real Rock N Roll of Texas!

Austin Marathon Bike Leads

Rainy Day Riding

As most of you probably know it has been pouring rain for a good portion of the morning. We have already had several customers come in rethinking their training today and switching to Plan B.

All of us here at Jack & Adam's want to help you get your training in with your Plan B. One great idea is our new Indoor Trainer Wheel Special. You can now purchase a complete trainer wheel equipped with a Shimano 9/10 speed wheel, Shimano 105 cassette, Tacx trainer specific tire, tube and rim strip, and a trainer specific skewer all for $195 ($35 savings)

Many athletes are forced to ride their bikes on the trainer due to life schedules. It is a good idea to have a trainer wheel to minimize wear and tear on your bicycle's actual outdoor riding wheel.

It looks like the rest of the weekend should be pretty nice. It should be easy to get it in some nice swims, rides, and runs! Have a great weekend!

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Angie

Rainy Day Riding

Concert Series @ J&A's

Bring a blanket or chair over to Jack & Adam's Bicycles on the 5th of every month for a new concert series by Woode Wood! This local musician will strum his guitar & sing some tunes for you & the kiddos.




If you're a regular on Town Lake Trail you've probably heard Woode sing to you as you run past him. Now you can hear the full song and not just a snippet like out on the trail.

The concerts start at 7pm and are free (but a tip jar will be in place.) The first one is on Sunday, April 5th, with rain out dates set for the 15th of the month (if needed.)

Woode is one of the people featured in the book, "Every Town Needs a Trail" available at the shop. We also carry one of Woode Wood's albums. Be sure to check out the book & CD next time you come in!



For more info on Woode Wood & to hear some of his music, visit Woode's website HERE.

Concert Series @ J&A's

Tuesday Run Workouts

Last Tuesday was the first day of the J&A track workouts. Being the first session, plus Spring Break, St. Patrick's Day, & SXSW, there weren't too many takers. About 13 people showed up. We started at Jack & Adam's Bicycles and jogged over to the Austin High Track. Coach Mixon lead us through drills, strides and then the main workout.

The drills included high knees, skipping, backwards skipping, cross-overs, and butt kicks. We then did 6 strides of approximately 80 meters each. The main workout consisted of 1600 meters at 5k pace with a 400 "rest" then an 800 at a faster pace with a 200 rest and then a 400 even faster. He wanted us to do 2-3 sets of this. Let's just say he had high expectations for this group who hadn't done a track workout in quite some time.

There was no timing involved and we ran in the third lane of the track. Mixon wanted us to concentrate on form and he gave us advice each time we passed him. We did six more strides at the end of the workout and then ran back to the shop. The whole time I was thinking, "I can't believe I used to do similar workouts (with timing) 4 days a week, plus a track meet on Saturdays!"

It was a hard workout, but I'm looking forward to today's. It's one of those things where you have to suck it up and just go. You're going to hurt a lot and be really tired the next day. But in the end, it will make you a better runner. It will also help you lose weight and give you hot legs, if that's what you're after.

What: Free run workouts with Coach Mixon
When: Tuesdays at 5:30PM
Where: Jack & Adam's Bicycles, 1210 Barton Springs RD & heading to a track or hill

Click HERE for other FREE TRAINING from Jack & Adam's.

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Stacy

Tuesday Run Workouts

Fundraiser With Elite Local Athletes

Click on image for larger version.

On April 2, Seton Hospital is hosting a fundraiser with many local elite athletes including Olympic Trials qualifiers in the marathon, Cassandra Heinkel & Chris Kimbrough; former Olympic swimmer and 3 time medalist, Whitney Hedgepeth; Olympic gold medal swimmer, Brendan Hansen; RunTex owner, Paul Carrozza; author & running champ, Gilbert Tuhaboyne; and National running masters champ, Carmen Troncoso.

It's an evening of food, wine, music, Texas Hold 'em and a silent auction. Tickets are $50 and proceeds benefit Seton Southwest Hospital. Take some time out of your training schedule & save the date for what sounds like a fun event!

Fundraiser With Elite Local Athletes

Tri Zones Info Session

Tomorrow at 9AM, Tri Zones Training will hold an info session at Jack & Adam's Bicycles. Here's some info on it:


Give it a TRI!

Is that a triathlete you see in the mirror? Have you heard that the Danskin Women's Triathlon is a life-changing experience and you wonder if you can do it? Learn about what it's like to train for a tri and what to expect at your first triathlon. Gain the confidence that YOU CAN DO IT whether your goal is Danskin, Skeese Greets Women's Tri, Trek, or The Rookie! We'll have fun as we show you the basics of what to expect as you train for and participate in your first tri. For more information, visit www.trizones.com

Tri Zones Info Session