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Cool upcoming fitness events!
A few cool upcoming events of note — a bike ride to benefit refugees and survivors of human trafficking, a launch party for a swimming and running race you can do with your dog, and a short social run on Valentine’s Day to show your love for the trail around Lady Bird Lake.
Read on …
- Ride for Refuge — Cyclists can pedal 10 or 38 miles (to Buda and back!) in the Ride for Refuge, a pledge-based bicycle ride to benefit local refugees, asylees and survivors of human trafficking. Rider check-in starts at 10 a.m. Saturday at Fiesta Gardens, 2101 Jesse E. Segovia Street. Ride starts at 11:15 a.m. Lunch, music and a celebration featuring the Austin Bike Zoo will follow. Proceeds benefit Refugee Services of Texas-Austin, which assists people from a number of countries, including Bhutan, Burma, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Guatemala. Donations will help provide housing, assist in job placement, and other social services that enable independence for refugees. For more information go here http://www.rideforrefuge.org.
- Doggie Du launch party— Come learn more about the 2012 Doggie Duathlon Dash, a 200-meter swim followed by a 1-mile run that dogs get to race with their people, at this registration party from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, 221 South Lamar Boulevard. The fourth annual Doggie Du is scheduled for 8 a.m. Sunday, May 27 at Auditorium Shores. Dogs race in one of four divisions, depending on their weight — Underdog, Snoopy, Scooby or Marmaduke. This year’s event includes a 1-mile charity Doggie Dash. For more information go to www.DoggieDuDash.com, find the Doggie Du Dash page on FaceBook or email race director Chris Summers at triguy@wwdb.org.
- The World’s Shortest Long Distance Run — Runners, walkers and supporters of the trail around Lady Bird Lake are invited to join in a 1- or 3-mile social run that starts at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall Plaza. Gilbert Tuhabonye, head of Gilbert’s Gazelles running program, will lead the run, which will be followed by food and music. No registration is required. The run is free, but participants are encouraged to make a donation to The Trail Foundation, which helps maintain the trail and is raising money to complete the loop with the Riverside Boardwalk. A membership to The Trail Foundation costs $45 ($25 for students/starving artists.) The event is hosted by Snoball.com, an online platform for social giving, as a part of Love Austin Week.
- Share the Love Fundraiser — Have you dreamed of a date with 2011 Austin Marathon winner and professional triathlete Desiree Ficker? Check out the Share the Love fund-raiser sponsored by Mauro Pilates, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2 at Bar 96 on Rainey Street. Admission is $20 and includes food from Carmelo’s Italian Restaurant, music and a silent auction featuring University of Texas basketball tickets, spa gift certificates, art and that date with Des. Proceeds benefit the Texas Advocacy Project, a non-profit organization that provides free legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault. For more information go here.
- Color Run — Is your life too black and white? Color it up at the Color Run ATX, scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at Mueller Beach Park. Participants will line up at the start wearing fresh white T-shirts. They’ll dash through “color zones,” where volunteers will slosh them with non-toxic colored powder, also known as elf pixie dust. A post-5K party, featuring more color, live music and local vendors, will follow. Proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity. For more information, go here.
- Canine Center for Training and Behavior Open House — Is your dog a natural athlete? Ever wanted to do yoga with your pooch? Drop by the Saturday open house from 1-6 p.m. Saturday at The Canine Center for Training and Behavior, 6901 Old Bee Caves Road. Admission is $5 and includes food, drink, two raffle tickets, facility tours, a little dog yoga, Canine Good Citizen testing, agility training, air scenting and canine massage. Well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome. Proceeds benefit Austin Pets Alive. For more information go here.
- Run for the Green 5K — Save Muny presents a 5K competitive run through Lions Municipal Golf Course, 2901 Enfield Road, at 8 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 5. Runners will weave through the course’s oak trees, down fairways and around the course’s water features, greens and bunkers. Ben Crenshaw will serve as the official race starter. Entry fee is $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger. (A fun run is also planned.) The University of Texas, which owns the property, is considering closing the course in 2019 and replacing it with retail and apartment development. Proceeds will benefit the effort to stop the closure. Register here.
- ”What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Heart Disease,” by Mark C. Houston.
- ”Working Out Sucks! (And Why It Doesn’t Have To),” by Chuck Runyon.
- ”Yoga for Cancer Recovery,” a DVD.
- ”Jari Love’s Get Extremely Ripped!” a DVD. (I’ve got two copies)
- ”ChiWalking: The Five Mindful Steps for Livelong Health and Energy,” a DVD.
- ”ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running,” a DVD.
- 1. Yay for no dilly dallying at the start line. We got off right on time.
- 2. Burnet Road definitely doesn’t rank among the most scenic stretches of roadway in Austin. And that U-turn underneath U.S. Highway 183 was plain funky. This was a lot more industrial than the old cut through Northwest Hills. I miss Mesa Drive!
- 3. My husband dropped me off at the start line. We approached via Loop 360, and had no problems getting in at all. Plenty of parking. Ditto with the finish, which shifted this year to the Texas State History Museum.
- 4. Did you see all the discarded jackets and gloves and old T-shirts along the first half of the course? I hope someone collected those and donated them to charity.
- 5. I loved the two mariachi guys jamming on San Jacinto Boulevard. And thumbs up to the bag piper playing “Chariots of Fire” as we crossed MoPac Boulevard, too. Music is such a motivator.
- 6. You’ve got to love a downhill course. Fast and furious.
- 7. I wish volunteers wouldn’t fill the cups of Gatorade and water at the aid stations quite so full. I just want a couple of sips, not a full cup. So much waste!
- 8. Perfect weather, don’t you think? Start temp in the low 40s, finish not a whole lot warmer. I love running when it’s chilly.
- 9. I’m pretty sure a man wearing a full banana costume finished ahead of me.
- 10. I wish I hadn’t stopped to pee so many times. My finish time was 2:01:13. I might have broken the 2 hour mark! Still, I ran faster than I usually do, so I’m happy.
- 11. Those finishers medals were huge. Seriously. You could warm a tortilla on one.
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Free app lets you track runners at LiveStrong Austin Marathon
If you’re planning to cheer on a runner at this year’s LiveStrong Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, listen up.
A free mobile application will let you track runners in real time, read the event’s Twitter feed for the latest race news, view interactive course maps, search race results and share them via FaceBook.
You can also see the race expo schedule, check a finish line food trailer guide, view a visitor’s guide from austin360.com and stay up to date with the weekend event schedule.
The best part? Runners don’t have to carry a smart phone for someone to track them because the system isn’t GPS based.
Instead, the app uses timing data to show the runner’s approximate location and estimated arrival times at recommended spectator areas along the course.
Fans can also view their runner’s current pace and split times, as well as find themselves on the map to see where they are relative to the runner’s current location.
The mobile app, created by Austin-based Brilliant Solutions Inc. and sponsored by RadioShack, is available as a free download from the Apple App Store and the Android Marketplace.
To see a demo of the tracking system, go here.
(Photo above by Ashley Landis)
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Mutt Marathon teams shelter dogs, runners for race
The only thing better than running a marathon? Running a marathon with a team of dogs, of course!
On Sunday, teams of runners can provide some much needed exercise for shelter dogs at the same time they knock off their weekend miles during the Austin Pets Alive! Mutt Marathon and Half-Marathon Relay.
Teams of two to five runners will partner with APA! shelter dogs and set off on relay legs adding up to approximately 26.2 miles. The legs will vary in distance from 3 to 5 miles, all on the Lady Bird Lake Trail. Pooch teammates will be selected by lottery, and runners will swap dogs on each loop.
Teams will be timed, but can toodle at Basset Hound pace or move at Greyhound speed, limited only by trail safety, the dogs’ and runners’ ability, and the dogs’ (and runners’) need to sniff things or pee, says organizer Rob Hill, head of Team Spiridon, which is sponsoring the event along with Hill Country Running Co.
Pre-race orientation is at 9 a.m. The marathon and half marathon relays will start at 9:30. (Starts may be staggered if there’s a large turnout.) Entry fee is a donation to Austin Pets Alive! Because of a limited pool of dogs, interested teams should contact Rob Hill at rob@teamspiridon.org to register.
Meanwhile, Hill will run his second annual solo marathon with four APA! dogs, as part of his own fund-raising for Team Spiridon. Those wanting to put in more distance can grab a dog and run a six-legged-leg with him.
To donate to Rob’s Double Dog Dare Ya, go here.
The Mutt Marathon grew out of Austin Pets Alive!’s Jog-A-Dog program, which allows people to check out shelters dog for a jog or run.
“APA!’s really great about getting dogs out several times a day and they have play time, but they really need exercise,” says Rob Hill, head of the Team Spiridon running group and an APA volunteer. “That’s what Jog-a-Dog is set up for.”
To participate in Jog-A-Dog, volunteers attend a 30-minute orientation session at the new APA! facility, formerly the Town Lake Animal Shelter. After completing the orientation, they can take a dog for a run or walk around Lady Bird Lake. Participants get discounts at Hill Country Running Co. and Bettysport.
“What we’re trying to do is get a range of people from walkers to runners, so the dogs are getting exercise on a consistent basis,” Hill says. You can even check out a recumbent tricycle donated by Fire Cracker Dog, attach a dog to it and go for a cruise.
The Jog-A-Dog orientation schedule is posted on the Jog-A-Dog and Austin Pets Alive! pages on Facebook.
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Time for a Dreamslide
If bikes roll, Dreamslides sashay.
I jumped aboard one of the two-wheeled contraptions, imported from France, yesterday when Miguel Ferguson dropped by the newspaper offices, proud as a papa to show it off.
Ferguson, a 46-year-old professor of public policy in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas, ordered a pair of the ‘Slides last year. Now he zips around town on the scooter-like vehicle, garnering admiring glances — and looks of confusion — from onlookers.
Ferguson bought his Dreamslides because he was tired of pumping gas into a car. “I realized I was part of the problem,” he says.
He considered getting a bike and riding it to work, but says his knees bother him when he pedals. Not so with the Dreamslide, he says, which generates power not by a circular pedal stroke but through short, no-impact running steps.
“I think they’re great. A real alternative to a car,” he says.
He showed me how the neck and handlebars fold down into a compact size, so he can roll or even carry his Dreamslide onto a bus. “It’s Cap Metro friendly,” he says.
Three days a week, he rides from his South Austin home to the UT campus about 7 miles away. He stands, doesn’t sit, as he cruises along. Besides saving him gas money, it’s helped get him in better shape.
I had to try it, so I climbed aboard, placing my feet on the shoe-shaped plates, stepping down and engaging the independent cranks and variable lever arms.
It seemed awkward at first. I kept wanting to sit down, but the Dreamslide has no seat. It felt a little unstable at first, too. That feeling passed as I figured out how to sway with the Dreamslide, shifting my body weight as I slid along.
There are no gears, although Ferguson jokes that it’s got two — the left leg and the right leg. And Ferguson says he avoids big hills when he’s on his Dreamslide.
Unfortunately, that’s not an option for me, so I can’t see this as a daily commuter. Another issue? No place to install a rack, so I could haul all the stuff I need to shuttle back and forth from home to work to pool every day. You’d have to wear a backpack. That’s uncomfortable in the summer heat.
Still, I like the ingenuity of the thing, and I like the commitment to taking another car off the streets.
Ferguson is so enthusiastic about his Dreamslide that he helped persuade Bill Kasson Yamaha on South Congress to start carrying them. They sell for about $1,600.
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Riding the rock at Reveille Peak Ranch
Turns out you don’t have to travel all the way to Utah to ride slick rock.
I finally made it out to Reveille Peak Ranch over the weekend, to check out the Hill Country’s version of mountain biking on wide open rock.
In a nutshell? Great terrain. Lots of trails to ride. And tons of stuff to challenge expert riders.
Definitely take the trek up to Decision Point, where you can see Lake Buchanan in the distance. Some of the higher trails include stretches across a big open slab of granite. It’s not quite Enchanted Rock, but it’s close.
The rock is grippy, almost like sandpaper. The view is spectacular in all directions.
My mountain bike skills aren’t up to par for a lot of the advanced trails at the ranch, where cyclists and runners can pay a $10 gate fee and roam 62 miles of trail, including 16 miles of hand-cut single track. So when we accidentally wound up on a trail called Upper Loop, I spent as much time getting off and walking my bike up rocks and ledges and between Volkswagen-sized boulders as I did actually planted on my bike seat.
Still, we found plenty to ride. We zipped across wooden bridges, splashed through a few creek crossings and swooshed among oak trees and prickly pears on the twisty, easier trails down below.
It takes about an hour and 15 minutes to get to Reveille Peak Ranch from Austin. For more information go here.
Look for my article about Reveille Peak Ranch on Sunday in the Venture Out section of the paper inside Life & Arts.
The photo at the top shows me (in the center) with my friends Mike and Marcy Stellfox in the photos, who joined me for a chilly but fun day at the park.
Here I am among the boulder-strewn trails!
This last shot? That’s the reward we found at El Rancho mexican restaurant in Burnet. Perfect way to finish the day.
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Beyond Bike Lanes meeting scheduled
Like the idea of cycling but worried about putting foot to pedal?
I love the sound of the Austin Cycling Association’s Beyond Bike Lanes program.
The series of neighborhood gatherings is designed to spur discussion about personal barriers to cycling and intimidation factors, and provide practical advice on everything from route planning to basic safety practices. (Light up! Ride in a predictable way! Obey traffic laws!)
Hopefully, the meetings will ease the worries of new or potential cyclists, and encourage some to make biking a part of their daily life. (I love riding my bike to work most days.)
The next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15 at The Peddler Bike Shop, 5015 Duval Street.
City of Austin Bicycle Maps, educational information, refreshments and free rides on a Fat cruiser will be provided.
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RAAM qualifier coming to Central Texas
The crazy folks who put on the Race Across America, that coast-to-coast biking jaunt otherwise known as RAAM, have announced a new series of (shorter!) races, and it includes a stop near Austin.
A March 17 Gran Fondo race in Marble Falls will kick off the 2012 RAAM Cycling Challenge. It’s one of nine races slated for across the country. Other stops are Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, Northern California, Ohio, Southern California and Florida.
The event will feature a 120-mile race as the main attraction, plus 30-mile and 60-mile recreational rides and 200-mile and 400-mile races. The 400-mile race is an official qualifying race for the solo category of the annual 3,000-mile Race Across America in June.
“Locations for our Gran Fondo events were chosen for their strong cycling community as well as the opportunity for beautiful views from the bike,” says Rick Boethling, executive director of the RAAM Cycling Challenge.
For more information and to register, go here.
In related news, the award-winning documentary about RAAM, “Bicycle Dreams,” will be shown at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. The screening is a benefit for the Austin Cycling Association.
I’ve seen the film, an excruciating look at the sleep deprivation, pain and emotion that the cyclists goe through during the ride.
Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Tickets are available online here.
RAAM president Fred Boethling will attend the showing, and local RAAM veteran Susan Farago will speak at the event.
For more information about the film, go here.
Read a story I wrote about Farago and her team of Austin women who finished RAAM last year here.
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Upcoming fitness events: Dog yoga, 5K runs and more
It’s shaping up to be a busy week, fitness friends. Here are some highlights:
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Free fitness DVDs, books
I’ve got a few things to give away. Let me know what you’d like, and why you deserve it. Best answers win.
I’ll pick winners in a week or so.
Up for grabs:
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Reveling in the post 3M Half Marathon high
I’m reveling in a little post-half marathon muscle soreness today, but it’s nothing compared with how my legs felt after that 25K trail race at Big Bend National Park two weeks ago.
So. Thoughts on the 3M Half Marathon & Relay, which did some tinkering with its route this year?
What did you think of the race — and the new course? Other thoughts? Who did the relay? Did the exchange site along Great Northern Boulevard work for you?
Congratulations on your finish, runners!
Results are posted here.
(That’s me and my neighbor, Chris Bell, after finishing the race. Below is long-time Austin runner Keith Boone making his way along Shoal Creek. And that’s me with my gigantic finisher’s medal, suitable for cooking.)
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I am a swimmer
If you had to describe yourself in a handful of words, which ones would you choose? I’d include “swimmer” in my list.
Even though I run a few times a week and ride my bike to work, when it gets down to it, swimming is how I define myself. It doesn’t mean I’m particularly fast. It’s just that it’s that big a part of my life.
I love the water. I love the way it presses in all around me, offering up a full-body hug the whole time I work out. Something about that cool resistance brings me alive in a way nothing else does.
And I love the way I feel when I’m done with a hard workout — a delicious sense of fatigue soaking my body and a clear mind.
The water’s forgiving. It doesn’t jolt your knees or give you road rash when you fall. It sparkles when you dip your hand into it; it muffles the sound of the outside world.
Swimming makes you look inside, too. I can sort through problems or flesh out a story I’m working on all in my head, while I’m knocking off laps. And what other workout can you do while fully reclined?
That’s why I swim at least four times a week. I show up at practice before the sun rises, eager for a coach to holler instructions at me. Coaches can push me to swim faster and stronger than I ever thought I could.
Many of my favorite memories involve swimming: Plunging into an ice-cold lake at the top of a mountain in New Zealand, leaping off a dock into Echo Lake near Lake Tahoe, skinny dipping in Lake Austin, chugging up and down the shoreline during camping trips in Michigan, swimming clear around Manhattan Island with a relay team last summer.
Swimming makes me happy.
What words do you use to describe yourself?
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FrankenBike is taking over the world! (Plus canoe races and swim clinics)
Six thousand runners, including me, have registered for Sunday’s 3M Half Marathon & Marathon Relay on Sunday, but three other cool outdoorsy events are planned for this weekend.
Prefer biking?
Check out the FrankenBabe and FrankenBike event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at The Parlor, 4301 Guadalupe Street. The event, created by Michelle Moore as a tribute to the lovely ladies of the Austin cycling scene (hey, that includes me!), includes free tune-ups for women, a “drag race” and live music by The Dela Rosas, Sailor’s Wife, Jason Ramsey, IPD and The Lucas Cook Band. For more information go here.
FrankenBike, by the way, is taking over the world. Or at least the state. The monthly free bike swap meets have spread to San Antonio, Corpus Christi, College Station, Houston and more. They’ve even picked up a sponsor — Independence Brewery!
Prefer paddling?
The Texas Winter 100K (also known as TWO), pushes off from the banks of Lady Bird Lake, underneath the Interstate 35 bridge, early Saturday morning and finishes at Fisherman’s Park in Bastrop that evening.
Packet pickup and gear check is from 3-8 p.m. Friday at the Holiday Inn Town Lake. A mandatory pre-race briefing is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at the hotel. Races begin at 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. Saturday, with an awards ceremony planned for 7 p.m. Saturday at Fisherman’s Park. For more information go here.
Prefer swimming?
Colin’s Hope is hosting a swim clinic from 1-5 p.m. Saturday at Nitro Swimming, 15506 West Highway 71 in Bee Cave. Olympic athletes Brendan Hansen, Kathleen Hersey and Garrett Weber-Gale will provide instruction and share their stories. The clinic is designed for children ages 7 and up. Cost is $35. Proceeds benefit Colin’s Hope, which works to prevent drownings. For more information go here.
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I’d like to have the Yoga for Cancer Recovery, to give to my friend who has and is recovering from cancer. Thank You!
... read the full comment by Maria | Comment on Free fitness DVDs, books Read Free fitness DVDs, books
Rule #0: Obey the laws of physics to avoid injury.
All other rules, regulations and expectations are secondary. Use your brain and don’t expect other’s actions and motivations to be in your best interest, as they are likely not.
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I tried the Dreamslide when I was in Austin. A friend of mine has one and loves it. I wish I could buy one where I live. Many people have called me “Little Guy” all my life, but on the Dreamslide I feel big and strong. Try it and you’ll
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Cool bike! I did a couple of laps around a parking lot with it and wanted to take it home with me. The full foot pedal feels a little different than a conventional bike.
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