Even if you're not doing the Austin Tri on Labor Day, you can still come experience part of the excitement at the Austin Tri Health & Fitness Expo on Sunday, September 4th at the Hyatt downtown. This free expo offers plenty of samples, sales, demos and prizes through numerous vendors. Plus there will be seminars where you can learn how to change a flat or learn more about the sport of triathlon. There's even free stretching and yoga.
Below is the schedule of events:
9:00 AM
Pre-Race Stretching & Yoga Class (at Expo)
10:00 AM
AVIA Austin Triathlon Expo Opens
10:00 AM
Pre-Race Stretching & Yoga Class (at Expo)
11:00 AM
Race Director Course Talk & USAT Rules Review
12:00 AM
Grease Monkey Wipes Flat Tire Clinic
1:00 PM
Jack & Adam’s Bicycles Tri-Newbie Clinic
2:00 PM
Grease Monkey Wipes Flat Tire Clinic
3:00 PM
Race Director Course Talk & USAT Rules Review
4:00 PM
Jack & Adam’s Bicycles Tri-Newbie Clinic
List of vendors at the Expo:
Jack & Adam's Bicycles
Clif Bar
The IceTee by Coolwear LLC
Your Eyes
ZICO
Grease Monkey Wipes
Galaxy Café
Advanced Rehab
Skeese Greets
Perfect FIT Protein Cookie by Boundless Nutrition
AVIA
One More Mile Eyewear
Addikshun Athletiks
Tri-Clips
CryoStudio of Austin
Honey Milk
The Austin 10/20
Hausman Chiropractic and Acupuncture
Spi Belt
TNT Inspiration Station
Medicine In Motion
Tri It Wear
plus several non-profits and other organizations.
We hope to see you out there on Sunday and/or on Monday at the 5th Annual AVIA Austin Triathlon!
Swim like a River: Preparing for the Austin Tri & Lady Bird Lake by: Pro Triathlete Kelly Williamson
Whether you are an Austin Triathlon veteran from 2007 or a triathlon rookie, Lady Bird Lake is a very nice swimming hole for a race. It is situated around the 'hub' of exercise in Austin, with the running trail lining its shores. Scouting this course is not too difficult, as it is essentially one large rectangle, most of which you should be able to view from shore before plunging in.
After setting up your transition area, head towards the swim start with plenty of time to spare (20-30 minutes before your wave takes off). Find out the wetsuit call. This is sometimes not made until race morning, so be sure you know if wetsuits are legal or not. In making your decision, remember a few things. While they are faster (up to 2-3 minutes over the course of a mile), they are very warm; so if you tend to get hot easily, consider how warm the day is and if you may overheat. Acknowledge what is most important to you, speed or comfort?
Scope the course. Look at the path you'll be swimming and try to see all the buoys you will pass. Note their color, location and also if there are any 'large, immobile' objects beyond these buoys. These large objects can be used to 'sight off' in case your view of the buoy is blocked from fellow swimmers, waves or sun. If you can, count the number of buoys you will 'pass' before making a turn. Try to locate the turn buoys, sometimes these are a different color or shape. Decide based on weather if you need dark or light goggles. An overcast day may call for lighter lenses, while a sunrise on the horizon may require dark lenses to eliminate glare.
This race will be a deep water start, so you'll be treading water. With about a minute to go, try to start to move to a 'horizontal' position. When many people standing in a small space go from vertical to horizontal, crowding entails. Try to 'mark your space' before the gun goes off, so you are ready to move forward. Start to the 'outside' of the crowd, so you can make a diagonal line to the first buoy or turn buoy. If you are directly in front of the buoy, you may have to fight your way 'around' it because people will converge there. Starting to the outside or to the back of the crowd may eliminate some fighting when swimming.
When the gun goes off, go hard at the start but be careful of maxing yourself out. Many people will sprint and fade quickly. If you monitor your intensity to a strong but sustainable pace, you will likely catch people as you swim and gain confidence in the process. These first few strokes focus on getting into a rhythm, and do not worry about sighting too much until you settle in and the congestion calms down. Once you feel comfortable, begin to sight often (every 6-8 strokes or as needed) and each time you look up try to get a glimpse of your guide buoys. Do not blindly trust the feet in front of you!
As you near the finish, start to think about what you will be doing next. Once you feel the ground (the swim ramp or the bottom of the lake), start to stand and get vertical. Catch your breath, and immediately begin to unzip the wetsuit (if you have one), remove the cap and goggles and get running to transition. As you run, think about the steps you'll do in preparation for the bike leg...congratulations, you are already 1/3 finished!
Kelly Handel Williamson is an accomplished triathlete and has been racing triathlons professionally for 9 years.
So we are planning to ride Sunday, although as of today the rain originally forecast for Saturday seems to have shifted to Sunday, and it's 50% for the morning. Remember, if it's raining at 8:30 the official ride is off. Also this week we will have free Chiro evals and massage by Dr. Laurie Buob from Austin Family and Sports Chiropractic.
Your intrepid ride leaders will be there and we've nothing special planned this week, but thats no reason not to come out and ride. A few people asked for some tips on dealing with the cold. Cycling is always about layers, more so in Texas because the temps can swing so wildly during a 2-3 hour ride.
In the winter thats more true than ever. You might be tempted to buy that huge pair of thick gloves that are nice and snug, don't. Buy a good pair of waterproof outer gloves that have some spare room and go to a craft store a buy a few pairs of cheap cotton based gloves for craft, glass work, jewelry etc. Wear the cotton gloves inside the outer gloves. Two layers are better than one, your fingers will also still be able to bend easier than a thicker pair. Also, since the inner gloves are replaceable and cheap you can replace as needed.
Same thing for socks, especially if you are like me. I mostly ride with no socks, heck I'm a triathlete afterall. But when it gets cold even I resort to socks. Again, don't buy one big thick pair that will fill your shoes, get a size up from normal, then get a thin pair of regular socks and wear them underneath. In both cases you have a double layer for warmth, you also have a layer of trapped air between the layers. This works just the same way as water in a wetsuit does. So, it's important to put your double layers on early, get them warmed up, don't just put the top layer on 5-mins before the ride.
That also explains why I've been riding down to the start lately.
My final winter warmth tip is sunblock. There are two reasons, the obvious one, to help protect against the suns rays; but then there is the non-obvious, protect against the cold. A layer of good sunblock will not only add to the covering on your skin, it actually gets in amongst the tiny dimples in your skin and smooths them over. When you are cycling this is a key aid since the wind is more likely to glide over rather than get caught in the dimples... Really, as Baz Luhrmann said, "wear sunscreen" - which coincidental contains the triathletes lament "The race is long, but in the end, it's only with yourself!".
First up, a big congratulations for everyone from the shop ride who raced at Austin Tri. I hope we managed to catch up with most of you and either wish you good luck before the race, or congratulate you afterwards.
Big-up for Tracy Ohargan who finished 2nd in her age group at the sprint race, Tracy has been riding with the no-drop group!
Next-up a big thanks to Tammy, Kelley from Tempo Multisport for taking care of last weeks ride with most of us helping out with the Austin tri. Good luck to Kelley who takes on the road racing scene for the next 2-weeks as a member of Velossimo racing
We have decided to change around the schedule for the rest of September based on the success of the Steiner Steak House ride and slot another ride in on the 19th. So the schedule for the rest of the month looks like this:
12th No-drop does Shoal Creek, Intermediate and Advanced will go North 19th Sunday Brunch Ride, Steiner Steakhouse Style (details here) 26th No-drop and rides go South
I'll be hosting unofficial rides of the Austin 70.3 course on Saturday 11th, 18th and 25th, leave at 7 a.m. sharp from the entrance to Walter E Long Park aka Decker Lake. For this weekends rides, and any before then I'd recommend taking extra spares, and a puncture kit. The roads will have all sorts of trash on them after the heavy rain. Be careful out there.
Finally, many of you were on the shop ride last month when Sandy Carson came along to take pictures for Bicycling Magazine. Sandy has put the pictures online here, and you can order copies. They also serve as a great summary of the general ride(s).
High Five Events is proud to announce AVIA, the leader in endurance sports training products, as the official running shoe partner and presenting sponsor of The Austin Triathlon.
2009 will mark the 3rd edition of The Austin Triathlon and the event is expected to cap at over 2000 athletes. The event is held on the front yard of Austin’s renowned Town Lake Hike and Bike trail, and the bike and run course feature challenging and very spectator friendly loops through historic and eclectic downtown Austin. The event features Olympic and Sprint distance triathlons, and has earned a reputation as an extremely well organized, fun, and athlete-centric event.
“We are thrilled about this partnership with AVIA,” says Dan Carroll of High Five Events. “AVIA brings a level of excitement, energy, and innovation to the sport of triathlon that matches our own, and their partnership will allow us to bring an even better experience to the athletes.” The event will once again host a $5000 all-comers prize purse and multiple prime prizes.
“AVIA is proud to be the presenting sponsor and join forces with The Austin Triathlon”, says Julie Vieselmeyer of AVIA. “High Five Events puts on an outstanding series of races that really draws upon Austin’s community spirit, attracting both the elite and newbie racer. We are excited to further build upon this great race in a place that has become a mecca for triathletes.”
The 2009 Austin Triathlon will be held on Labor Day, September 7th. AVIA joins Jack & Adam’s Bicycles as presenting sponsors. Visit www.theaustintriathlon.com for more information.
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