I love Austin. What a great place to train. Tons of trails, great roads to ride, the hill country, bike lanes through downtown and beyond. I love it. One day I’ll find a way to have a home in Austin and Colorado.
Yet another reason why I love Austin so much is Barton Springs. It’s a spring fed ‘pool’ that stays about 68° year round. I was in Austin this last weekend and had some free time, so I went for a run on the trails followed by a swim at Barton Spring. The air temp was in the 50’s, so it was a bit chilly without a wetsuit, but not unbearable. The length was roughly 220 yards in each direction, so I think it’s a perfect training ground for open water racing. On this particular day the wind was blowing 
pretty strong to the east, so I had a great time going out, and actually had some chop on the way back. For those who have never raced in open water or feel you need the practice, this is a great place to build some confidence. You’re never more than 30 yards from the side and the length is more than you will experience between buoys in a race, so it’s a good place to see how straight you swim and how well you navigate.
I also wanted to post this up here with some photos to rub it in a little to some of those who read badig from the northern states (who are buried in snow!) and those who read this from across the pond. I know that the karma will come back around in July when I’m suffocating in heat and you guys have nice weather, but I’ll deal with that then. If you are ever in Austin, swing by Barton Springs Pool and give it a try. $3 in the su
mmer and free in the winter (because they don’t charge the insane). More info here: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/bartonsprings.htm
Happy Training.
By tjfry | February 27, 2010
I
t seems that in all sports, the previous generations accomplishments get swallowed up by the next generation eventually. Swimming is no different. Take Johnny Weissmuller or Buster Crabbe, who at the time defined the sport of swimming. Heck, Johnny was Tarzan and Buster became Flash Gordon! Weissmuller won 5 Olympic gold medals and set 67 world records. If you look at his times though (23.0 in a 50 yard free and 52.0 for a 100 yard free), what once was the gold standard is now done in a daily workout by teenagers. His records were broken by the next generation, and the next, until Mark Spitz came along. Mark was another defining figure in our sport with his 7 gold medals and 7 world records in the ‘72 Olympic games. His times now would barely even qualify him for the National Championships, let alone the final heat or the Olympics.
This evolution continues at all levels of sport as well, not just at the top. So what am I getting at? Why am I bringing this up? Well, this past weekend I watched the Texas High School State Swimming and Diving Championships, and for about the last 20 years, I have owned or co-owned two records at my old high school (200IM and 400 free relay). At the time they were set, I figured they might hang around for a few years tops. So for those records to be hanging around after all these years has been a nice surprise. That is until today. 
My IM record got slapped down by the next generation of good swimmers, and it wasn’t even close. In a way I was a little sad to see it go, but I was also really happy to see that swimming in our area was still really strong and growing. Congratulations Tripp. I guess it’s just time to accept the fact that I’m old and these guys have moved beyond my generation. Time to order that Hov-a-Round Scooter thing and learn how to play gin or dominos.
Well….almost. They missed the other record by .04. Ha! Maybe next year kids….
By tjfry | February 2, 2010
Ok, so just a few weeks ago I talked about how to eat an elephant. I have to admit, it has been pretty hard to take my own advice. I signed up for Ironman Cozumel a while back , so I have a pretty good sized elephant sitting on my plate. Likewise, my motivation is telling me that I need to be at Ironman training numbers in January. It also doesn’t help that people look at my training logs (open to the public by the way) and ask me why I am not killing the world. My sensible side is telling me to stay the course. Build slowly. Avoid injury. Get that durability in my legs back. Follow my heart rate. I keep telling myself that this plan will pay off dividends in late spring when the big numbers really do show up, but in the meantime, a 15 miler at sub 7 pace is what I’m itchin to do. Hopefully I can keep those thoughts at bay until it’s time. Time to awaken that sleeping bear.
Also posted in Training |
By tjfry | November 29, 2009
One of the big topics of discussion around our house is whether or not to enter the 2010 Ironman Cozumel. My wife and I both know that I am due for another challenge, but with the recent purchase of Swim Shops, I want to make sure I have enough time in my day to train for it. And then there’s the bike. In 2006 I rode a 2003 aluminum Specialized in Ironman Hawaii. It was in need of a few upgrades then, so tack 4 years onto it and we both know a new bike is needed.
Of course Cozumel itself is an easy sell to my wife. Go to a resort destination that is a non stop, 2 hour flight away? No problem. If this was a discussion about Ironman Wisconsin then it would have been decided long ago.
I will be keeping an eye on the race today and see how it goes, but have about 24 hours left to make a decision. Just a week ago, Ironman Arizona sold out in 25 minutes, so waffling on my decision will leave me on the outside looking in.
What to do..what to do….
I love Austin. What a great place to train. Tons of trails, great roads to ride, the hill country, bike lanes through downtown and beyond. I love it. One day I’ll find a way to have a home in Austin and Colorado.
pretty strong to the east, so I had a great time going out, and actually had some chop on the way back. For those who have never raced in open water or feel you need the practice, this is a great place to build some confidence. You’re never more than 30 yards from the side and the length is more than you will experience between buoys in a race, so it’s a good place to see how straight you swim and how well you navigate.
mmer and free in the winter (because they don’t charge the insane). More info here: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/bartonsprings.htm
