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Book Release: Control Your Success

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Control Your Success shares the experiences of a veteran triathlete and coach

Order Stephan Schwarze's new book, Control Your Success, today!

Schwarze (far right) on his 60th birthday ride. Photo from Schwarze’s Facebook page.

With his new book, Control Your Success, Stephan Schwarze shares some of his experiences from many years of racing and coaching athletes. He presents a framework of habits and strategies performing as an athlete while being successful at work and having a family. It is a practical guide with many tips and examples for triathletes, runners, and other athletes.

Stephan grew up in Germany. After living in New Zealand and Switzerland, he moved to Austin (TX) in 1996. He is married to Illiana. They have two boys, Pablo and Philip. Stephan graduated with a Doctorate in Technical Sciences in Zurich in 1996. He has worked in leadership roles for innovative software and technology companies since then.

For more than 30 years, Stephan has been passionate about triathlons – especially about Ironman distance races. He has competed in 60 full-distance Ironman races. 12 of those were World Championship races in Kona (Hawaii). He has placed in the top 5 of his age group in more than half of his Ironman races. Stephan has placed twice as an age group athlete on the podium in Kona. He has also won two USAT National Amateur titles (sprint triathlon in 2005 and long-course duathlon in 2006). In addition to his own racing endeavors, he also has coached many multisport athletes over the past 20 years and led them to successful race results.

Stephan is giving away two signed copies of Control Your Success. Visit this post on the Jack’s Generic Tri Facebook page and comment why you want to add Stephan’s book to your library. Contest ends on Friday, October 12, 2018. Winners will be selected at random and contacted about further details.

Control Your Success is also available in paperback and on Kindle on Amazon. Please visit Stephan’s coaching website to learn more about him and his coaching.

16th Annual Jack’s Generic Triathlon Memorable

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1,000+ people showed up to celebrate 16th annual JGT, including a 2x Olympic gold medalist

On Sunday, August 26th, nearly 700 triathletes participated in the 16th Annual Jack’s Generic Triathlon (JGT) at Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park in northeast Austin. Spectators came from around Central Texas to cheer on friends and loved ones. The Drunk Athlete Podcast Relay Team featuring Ricky Berens, 2x Olympic gold medalist, Andrew Willis, national champion ultra cyclist, and Cate Barrett, 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials hopeful, lived up to the hype with a scorching time of 56:11.16th annual Jack's Generic Tri featured a unicorn!

“This was fun, even better because I didn’t have to bike or run!” said Berens, who finished the 600m open water swim in a blazing seven minutes and 58 seconds. “Thanks to High Five Events for a great event and to the Drunk Athlete Podcast for assembling an awesome relay team with Andrew and Cate.”

Peter Murray took the overall victory with the time of 57:15. Second and third place overall featured a sprint to the finish. Pablo Gomez (58:27) narrowly edged out Adrian Cameron (58:28). Haley Koop (1:06:14) was the first female to cross the finish line . Second place finisher Brandi Swicegood (1:08:51) and third place finisher Brandi Ruthven (1:10:51) rounded out the women’s field. All participants cooled off from the Texas heat underneath a 6-foot tall inflatable unicorn that sprayed water.

“As always, JGT was a great race and the 16th anniversary was well-organized by High Five Events,” said Gomez. “I look forward to this race every year because of the excitement, energy, and competition. I especially loved the Sweet 16 cake!”

16th annual JGT can now legally drive

Participants received commemorative 16th annual shirts, water bottles, ROKA swim caps, beer, finisher’s medal, post-race food, Sweet 16 cake, and the signature swag toss. Professional timing, a wonderful volunteer crew, hundreds of supportive spectators, and an electric finish line festival made the 16th annual of Jack’s Generic Triathlon one to remember. Jack’s Generic Tri was created with the participant in mind and is well-known as one of the more participant-friendly triathlons.

Jack’s Generic Tri would like to thank all of the volunteers for coming out because they made yesterday’s event memorable. Their willingness to arrive extra early, lend their time and energy, and cheer on every participant truly made the 16th anniversary unforgettable. JGT would also like to thank sponsors City of Austin, Travis County EMS, Austin Police Department, Travis County Sheriff’s Department, City Limit Cycles, Medicine in Motion, Clif Bar, nuun hydration, RunLab Austin, Dynamic Sports Medicine, Oskar Blues Austin, and Ben Phillips, Real Estate Advisor for Engel and Volkers Austin. Jack’s Generic Triathlon participants can see their times here.

Jack’s Generic Triathlon Celebrates Sweet 16 this Sunday

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Sweet 16 to feature super relay team consisting of an Olympic gold medalist, ultra cycling champion, Olympic Marathon Trials hopeful

The 2018 triathlon season continues with Jack’s Generic Triathlon’s Sweet 16. The event will take place this Sunday, August 26th, at Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park in northwest Austin. More than 800 participants will participate in the 16th edition of this beloved Central Texas race, including Ricky Berens, 2x Olympic gold medalist, former University of Texas swimmer, and world record holder in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay.

Andrew Willis is the bike leg for JGT's Sweet 16.

Andrew Willis is the bike leg for JGT’s Sweet 16. Image credit – Joni Tooke

“I’m very excited to be competing, honestly pretty nervous!” said Berens, swim member of Drunk Athlete Relay Team. “This will be my first time ‘competing’ in five years and in a much different environment. I have swum in open water before, but never in an actual race. I’m just going to do my best to not let my teammates down and see how fast I can go!”

Berens’ Drunk Athlete teammates for JGT’s sweet 16 include: Andrew Willis, owner of Holland Racing, national champion ultra cyclist, 2018 24 hours in the Canyon champion (pedaled 448 miles at the World Ultra Cycling Association’s National Championship), and Cate Barrett, former Baylor University runner, current coach and runner for Rogue Running, 2017 Orange Leaf Half Marathon female champion (1:25:18), training for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. All athletes have been featured on the Austin-based Drunk Athlete podcast.

Sweet 16

Jack’s Generic Triathlon’s sweet 16 will begin at 7:30 a.m. The new distance for Jack’s Generic Tri, which was first held in 2003, will feature a 600m swim, 11.2-mile bike ride, and a 5K. The aquabike will consist of a 600m swim and 11.2-mile bike ride. Relay teams of two or three can complete all three disciplines. The venue move from Lake Pflugerville, just north of Austin, will mark the first venue change for Jack’s Generic Tri in five years.

Cate Barrett is the run leg for JGT's Sweet 16.

Cate Barrett is the run leg for JGT’s Sweet 16.

Participants will receive commemorative 16th Anniversary shirts, water bottles, and ROKA swim caps. They’ll also receive post-race food, beer, finisher’s medal, and the signature swag toss. Professional timing, a wonderful volunteer crew, hundreds of supportive spectators, and an electric finish line festival will ensure the 16th Anniversary of Jack’s Generic Triathlon is one to remember.

Jack’s Generic Tri was created 16 years ago with the participant in mind and is well-known as one of the more participant-friendly triathlons. Registration is still open for Jack’s Generic Triathlon. Volunteer positions are available as well. Packet pickup will take place at Mellow Johnny’s.

How to Plan for a Smooth Transition

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We’re here to help you plan out a smooth transition for this triathlon with five easy steps for race morning.

1) Once you have arrived to race site (preferably early) and before entering transition, be sure to get body marked (your age and race number written on your arms and legs by volunteers). You should already have your bike number on your bike, helmet number on your helmet and wristband on your wrist. Only participants and certain volunteers can enter transition, so make sure you can carry all your gear on your own.

2) After locating your assigned bike rack and after racking your bike, be sure that your cycling shoes and running shoes are open with loose laces for easy on/off. If you want some water on the bike course make sure and have a water bottle filled on your bike.

Put your sunglasses in your helmet so that you grab them before putting on the helmet and don’t accidentally try and leave transition without either. Click To Tweet

3) As you leave transition count how many bike racks away from the entrance you are. When it is all filled with bikes it can sometimes be like finding a needle in a haystack. Take your goggles and your swim cap with you if you are going to walk around.

4) Familiarize yourself with the flow of the race site. Visit swim start and finish and make sure understand how to get from swim exit to transition.

5) After the swim you will enter transition at one end and leave at the other. This process is reversed for the second transition when you return from the bike. That is, the bike starts and finishes at the same side and the run goes out where the swim came in.

When in doubt, watch what others are doing or simply ask another triathlete. Most are more than willing to help answer your questions.

Give Aqua Running a Try

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What is aqua running?

Aqua running is a deep water form of running. Running in water is great for those who are looking to up their cardiovascular capacity without wear and tear on their muscles from running on pavement.

Aqua running is sometimes associated with injury but it is also a great addition to any training routine. It is also a great way to escape the heat during the summer months.

What you need to give aqua running a try

How to get started

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Strap the belt around your waist. You want to make sure the belt stays around your waist and does not ride up too high your ribcage. Once you have your belt on and are in the pool simply get into the running position as you would on land.

Aquajogging is much slower so it is best to base your workouts on time, hence the waterproof watch.

To keep from getting bored run laps up and down the lane. But if you are limited on space you can stay in one spot or jog in small circles. You can increase the difficulty of the workout by increasing your cadence.

Some advice from experience

Stay conscious of your form, make sure your arms don’t turn into a doggy paddle.

Don’t lean forward. you need to keep your body as upright as possible. So remember to check in on yourself.

Bring your knees up higher than you would on land.

Don’t overdo it on your first session. 20 – 30 minutes is a good Aqua jogging session to start out with.

Remember, this is not just treading water.

Aqua running is as hard as you want to make it. If you find yourself slacking, do interval workouts.

Highlight on Volunteers: Karen Underwood

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Karen Underwood races and volunteers, sometimes in the same day

The next winner of the High Five Events’ “Nomination Contest” is Karen Underwood. She has a sweet gift headed her way as a token of our appreciation.

Karen Underwood is an outstanding volunteer!

Karen high fiving kids as they return to the Kerrville Tri finish line.

Karen Underwood’s friend, Nancy Edmonds, nominated her and told us that Karen not only volunteers at most of the Texas Tri Series races, but she also races. That’s why you will usually see Karen at the end of events, such as Jack’s Generic Tri, helping the High Five Events crew break down the race sites. She’s even the bike lead for the Kids Fun Run at the Kerrville Triathlon Festival. What a commitment! That’s taking triathlon to the next level!

We had the chance to ask Karen some questions about her volunteerism. Even though she describes herself as a “behind-the-scenes” person, she is honored to receive this nomination. Volunteering really means a lot to her. In her words, it makes her “feel so good, inside and out!” Karen volunteers at races because it allows her to give back to triathlons, which have taught her that “there are no boundaries to potential.” She also likes helping other people achieve dreams and goals that they never thought were possible.

The High Five Events’ “Nomination Contest” features volunteers who go above and beyond at one of our events. These phenomenal volunteers help us produce successful, safe, and fun events for athletes, volunteers, and staff. Know an outstanding volunteer? Fill out this short form and nominate them today!

Integrating a Brick into Your Triathlon Training

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Make sure a brick is in your triathlon training plans

Integrating a brick workout into your training prepares you for racing by combining two aspects of triathlon into a single, continuous workout. The two most common examples are a swim to bike and a bike to run.

The term brick has a few meanings.

1) It is foundational to triathlon training just like a brick is foundational to a structure.

2) Another is that after a bike/run workout your legs feel as heavy as bricks.

jacks generic triathlon brick workout Setting Up for a Brick Workout

There are several ways to integrate a brick workout into your plan, however, set up is always key. The reason for this is to minimize transition time between disciplines in the same manner as a race. At T3Multisports, we utilize a transition bike rack that allows athletes to set their transition area up in the same fashion as they would on race day.

We build a transition rack similar to what you see at races. We place this near our open water swim practice area or in a side parking lot near a pool. The athletes swim the prescribed distance in their race suit. They then run to the transition area (complete with bike mount line) and transition onto the bike.

The duration and intensity of both the swim and bike will depend on where you are in your training or what you are targeting as an area of improvement. If you don’t have the luxury of a rack, setting your bike up poolside (check with the lifeguards first) or securing it a public bike rack might be an option. Brick training along with the transition practice will help you transition to the next level!

By: Andrew Sidwell

Andrew Sidwell is the Adult and High-Performance Coach at T3Multisports. T3Multisport is Round Rock’s premier year-round, group triathlon training program for adults. It doesn’t matter if you are new to the sport or an experienced veteran; we will help you achieve your goals and Transition You to the Next Level.

If you would like to be a guest blogger please contact us at [email protected]

Importance of Saddle Height

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