Tri Zones Training

Tri Hard, Live Easy Newsletter -- March 6

Tri Zones Training would like to welcome you to the Tri Hard, Live Easy Newsletter! You will receive this newsletter every week during the spring triathlon season, between now and Danskin (June 8). Here you will find news and information about training, details about upcoming events and workshops, and a Training Tip of the Week. Through this newsletter, we hope to inform you of the many resources available to you while you train for spring triathlons including Danskin, Skeese Greets Women’s Tri, The Rookie, and CapTexTri. For more information about training resources, visit our web site at www.trizones.com. And feel free to forward this newsletter to any of your friends who are training for triathlons this spring!

This Week:

1. Spokes ‘n Spurs bike ride this weekend
2. Ignoring hike and bike barricades could cost you
3. Triathlon apparel 50% off at Lane Four Swim Shop
4. Multi-sport info sessions at 24-Hour Fitness on William Cannon
5. Question of the Week - "How can I do a tri if I wear eyeglasses?"
6. Upcoming Training Events and Workshops
7. Training Tip of the Week – Make it a habit!

1. Spokes ‘n Spurs bike ride this weekend
Spokes 'n Spurs is a great Hill Country ride benefiting Spirit Reins. Riders will start at the entrance to the ranch and enjoy a great route with beautiful views, gently rolling hills and the wildlife of the Texas Hill Country. All ages and skill levels welcome. Course distances include a 6 mile family ride plus 14, 28, 44, and 62.5 miles. Full SAG, Rest Stop and Mechanical support will be provided.

Spirit Reins is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization powered by a passion to provide hope and healing to children who need it most through creative, hands-on therapeutic programs in which horses are used as a tool for emotional growth and learning. With our commitment to accept any child in need regardless of their ability to pay for services, and over twenty therapy horses to feed and care for, the expense of providing these programs is extensive. We truly appreciate your contribution and support of our horses, programs and the Spokes 'n Spurs Bike Ride. www.spiritreins.org/sns_08/index.html

2. Ignoring hike and bike barricades could cost you
From the City of Austin Public Works Department:
The City of Austin’s Public Works Department urges pedestrians and cyclists who use the hike-n-bike trail along the south side of Cesar Chavez and near the S. First St. Bridge to follow posted pedestrian detours.

The temporary detours are necessary due to work on the Cesar Chavez Two-Way Conversion Project and associated sidewalk and trail improvements which are due to be completed in May of this year. Barricades have been set up throughout the project directing pedestrians to use an alternate route.

While these detours are a temporary inconvenience, they are necessary to ensure public safety. There is no safe route for a pedestrian through a construction zone of this magnitude, which is in an area with heavy vehicular traffic. City officials encourage trail users to pay close attention to detour signage to avoid putting themselves in harms way.

The hike-n-bike trail along the south side of Cesar Chavez is closed from just east of Congress Ave. to Shoal Creek. Pedestrians are directed to use the sidewalk on the north side of Cesar Chavez from Congress to Guadalupe. The pedestrian bridge on the west side of South First is closed and pedestrians are directed to use the pedestrian bridge on the east side of South First.

According to News 8 Austin: The Parks and Recreation Department said many people have ignored, dismantled, and even removed the barricades. They're reminding pedestrians that doing so is a Class C misdemeanor, so you could pay a $1,500 fine.

3. Triathlon apparel 50% off at Lane Four Swim Shop
All triathlon apparel is marked down 50% at Lane Four Swim Shop. Lane Four also carries a terrific inventory of swimsuits, goggles, and other swim gear. www.lane4swim.com

4. Multi-sport info sessions at 24-Hour Fitness on William Cannon
Triathlete Chris Summers will be hosting seminars on multi-sport training and racing every other Saturday throughout the spring. The series begins on Saturday, March 15 at 1pm for members of 24-Hour Fitness. All subsequent seminars are free and open to the public. The first session will be an overview of the multi-sport world and will cover the basics. Other session topics include: core training and flexibility, nutrition and eating for performance, travel racing, training cycles and peaking, and more. All seminars include time for Q&A.

5. Question of the Week - " How can I do a tri if I wear eyeglasses?"
There are lots of triathletes who wear glasses, and they have several options:
- Those who wear contact lenses can usually wear them throughout the race. They wear goggles during the swim, and the contacts work just fine with the goggles.

Those who wear eyeglasses have several options as well --
- Some can swim (with goggles) and see well enough while in the water. As soon as they finish the swim, they have a friend or family member meet them and hand them their eyeglasses (check with the race director, though – in some races, it’s against the rules to accept help from spectators). Some races even have a table just for glasses. Then they can wear their glasses up to transition and then for the bike and run.
- Some have troubles seeing while in the water, so they wear prescription goggles. These can be found at Lane Four Swim Shop for about $20 (very reasonable!). They may even be able to wear the goggles all the way up to transition and then have their eyeglasses waiting for them with their other gear.
- Many triathletes who wear glasses will wear prescription sunglasses in lieu of their eyeglasses for the bike and run, or they may have some prescription clip-on's that they can wear over their eyeglasses (already clipped on, before they start the race).

6. Upcoming training events and workshops
You Can TRI Seminar series – It takes what to TRI?
March 8, 9:30 – 10:30am, Jack and Adam’s, FREE!
Tri Zones Training coaches will tell you about the gear you really need before getting started, and will help differentiate between the must-haves and the nice-to-haves. You don't have to be a gearhead, but you can be if you want to! We'll show you your options! www.trizones.com

Spokes ‘n Spurs bike ride
March 8, 8:30am, Spirit Reins Ranch in Liberty Hill
Course distances include a 6 mile family ride plus 14, 28, 44, and 62.5 miles. Riders enjoy beautiful views, gently rolling hills & wildlife of the Texas Hill Country. All ages and skill levels welcome.

TriFacts.com Triathlon Camp
March 7 – 9
Learn about injury prevention, strength training, speed/perceived exertion, swim and cycling skills. www.trifacts.com/tricamp

Bike Maintenance 101
March 10, 6:30pm, REI Gateway
Topics include: tire-changing, bike cleaning, lubrication, and more. Cost is $15-20. Visit their web site for details and registration information.

You Can TRI Seminar series – Get off the couch and TRI!
March 15, 9:30 – 10:30am, Jack and Adam’s, FREE!
Tri Zones Training coaches will present motivating tips to get off the couch and out the door -- how to ease into training and stick with those New Year's resolutions. We'll present some tools, strategies, and mindsets that can make all the difference in the world! www.trizones.com

ARC Daisy 5K
March 15, 8:00am, E. 5th St.
The oldest 5K event in Austin, this race honors women's running with a special women's only start ahead of the rest of the field. Timed male runners get to start just 3 minutes back, though. The first person across the finish line receives the Daisy Challenge Award. Daisy also offers a Stroller Division for both men and women. daisy.austinrunners.org/

Austin Cycling Association Tour de Austin, including beginner bike ride
March 16, 9:00 am, Fullmore Middle School
**PLUS BEGINNER RIDE -- [In addition to the ride described below there will be a Beginner's Ride of 10 - 12 miles with delayed start and a separate ride leader.] Come join us for a ride entirely within Austin, following established city bicycle routes at a leisurely pace. Cue sheets will be provided. austincycling.org/rides.html

7. Training Tip of the Week – Make it a habit!
Now that you’ve been getting outdoors a bit, it’s time to try to work out more frequently. Even if you do a very short workout each time you go, a little bit of something is better than nothing at all.

When most people begin a training plan, they find it very difficult to squeeze one more thing into their busy day. “I can do it this evening” too often becomes “I will do it tomorrow,” which turns into “I can do it this evening” again. It is surprisingly easy to put off a workout until four or five days have gone by and then you’re kicking yourself for being a couch potato. (does this sound all too familiar?)

They say that it takes three weeks to develop a habit. So set your goal to go outside and get moving (see last week’s newsletter) every other day for the next three weeks.

By the beginning of April, you’ll find that it is much easier to find the time to work out. In fact, you may enjoy it so much that you’ll feel incomplete if you go too many days without movement!

We all know that training is physical – we’re teaching our muscles, heart, and lungs to become more fit. But training is also mental – we must train our mind to accept the new challenges that our body is enduring.

Creating a habit of fitness is the first step towards training your mind to help you on your training journey!

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If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, please visit us at www.trizones.com, or you can send email to newsletter-subscribe@lists.trizones.com.

If you have questions about triathlons, submit them on the discussion forum at www.trizones.com. Happy training!