Iron Girl Triathlon Training Class, July 6

Sunday, July 6

Meet at Lake Andrea Beach at 7am. Workout will be open water swim drills and swimming practice.

Drop-in Fee: $10 RecPlex member, $15 Non-member. Pay at the beach.

Coach Ken

Danskin Triathlon last minute details

No earth-shattering new news, but there may be one or two new things to know. 

Race course map

Packet Pickup

THURSDAY August 23rd	Dick Pond Athletics 29 S Prospect Ave Park Ridge, IL 60068	4:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
SATURDAY, August 25th	RecPlex 9900 Terwall Terrace Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158	10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
SUNDAY, August 26th	RACE VENUE, RecPlex, Pleasant Prairie, WI	5:00 a.m. - 6:30 a.m.
Photo ID required at Pickup. All Relay team members must pick up packet together.
New for this year: You will get your t-shirt and goodie bag at the finish line after the race, not on Saturday.

Bike Racking

Either Saturday (10am-3pm) or Sunday (4:30am until 6:45am). You must have your race number on your bike to enter transition. Only athletes with race numbers are allowed in transition.  This means (1) you have to pick up your packet first, and (2) if you bring your kids, you need to bring someone to watch them while you go into transition.

Transition Area

• Will be at the south end of the RecPlex parking lot, close to the Baby U building (opposite side of the parking lot from the RecPlex itself).
• Transition is open 10am – 3pm on Saturday.
• Transition opens at 4:30am on Sunday, and closes at 6:45am. If you are in a team you will still have to exit transition at 6:45, and will be allowed back in once the race is underway.
• Typically transition will re-open for you to remove your bike & gear when everyone is off the bike course.

Bike In/Out and Run In/Out

Will be from the south parking lot entrance – the one with the gates. You won’t be using the main entrance by the RecPlex.

Getting here (Sunday)

• Hwy 165 will be closed on Sunday morning between 4:00-4:30am. Terwall Terrace will be blocked off at Hwy 165 Saturday night.
• You will have to enter the park from the north, from Hwy H (88^th Ave.) or 95^th St.
• If coming via I-94:

1.   Exit Hwy C / Wilmot Rd.

2.   Go east, then veer right on Bain Station Rd. (If you miss this turn, just continue and turn on Hwy H.)

3.   Go down Bain Station Rd. to the stop sign, and turn right on Hwy H / 88^th Ave.

4.   Proceed south to Terwall Terrace (95^th St.), and turn right into Prairie Springs Park.

Parking on Sunday

• Parking on-site – South Ballfields, RecPlex Parking Lot, Ice Arena parking lot, 4:30am until full (or 6:15am, whichever comes first).
• Parking attendants will direct you.
• Enter from Hwy H / 88^th Ave. and 95^th St. as noted above.
• Parking on-site will be closed at 6:15am sharp.

Offsite / Overflow Parking

• At Premium Outlets, Hwy 165 and I-94.
• Exit at Hwy 165, go east to the frontage road (120^th Ave.), and turn right by the BP Station – you’ll have to turn because you can’t go straight.
• Follow the road past the hotel to the south end of the outlet stores, and park in the south lot.
• Do not park in the north lot (where the Nike Store is) or in the east lot (where UnderArmour and Restoration Hardware are), or you may be ticketed.
• Shuttle buses will take you to the RecPlex; shuttles will run 4:30am until Noon.
• You cannot take your bike on the shuttle. If you are racking your bike on Sunday, ride it down Hwy 165 and into the park.
• Athletes have priority on the shuttles. If you should arrive late, make sure to speak up and let the shuttle bus drivers know you’re racing.

Swim Course

• UPDATE: Despite what we heard earlier, it is likely that you are going to enter the water on the north side of the marked swim course. This means that the buoys will always be on your left side.
• Since the transition area is at the south end of the parking lot, you will likely exit on the south side of the beach – otherwise the people entering and exiting the water would have to cross somehow.
• But, pay attention to where you line up Sunday morning, and listen to the announcer. This could change back.
• There will be several large buoys initially going out from the beach, which will make it easier to sight when swimming back.
• There also will be two large buoys near the beach marking the “edges” of the swim course – to get you going straight.
• There will also be large buoys at the two turn points – the first is the SuperSprint turn, and the second (last buoy) is for the Sprint distance.
• Water temperature was 74 degrees Tuesday night.

Race Start

• SuperSprint athletes start first, at 7am.
• Sprint athletes will follow, after all the SuperSprint athletes are out of the water and on the bike course.
• This means that if you are doing the Sprint distance, you will have some waiting around to do before you can start. Remember, transition closes at 6:45am so you have to be out. Find a patch of grass and sit down and relax. But pay attention to the announcer, especially if you are in an early wave.

Bike Course

• One lane of Hwy C / Wilmot road will be marked off for the race; my guess is that it will be the south most lane.
• Pay attention to volunteers / police / bike marshals so you make the turns correctly.
• Hwy 165 and both Frontage Roads will be closed to traffic, meaning that the vast majority of the bike course should have no cars.

Run Course

• Remember that the finish line is now on the southwest side of the lake, near where the end of the beach and the playground are.
• After leaving transition, you’ll run on the road around the lake, then be directed onto the running path to complete your run.
• The bike and run will be sharing Terwall Terrace, so make sure you run on the right side of the road inside the cones. That’s the run course.
• Don’t forget your t-shirt and goodie bag before you head back over to pick up your bike & gear!!

Additional Swims

Thursday, 8/23, 6pm. Out-and-back 1/4 and 1/2 mile loops, from the beach.

Saturday, 8/25, 7am. UPDATE: Out-and-back 1/4 and 1/2 mile loops, from the beach. Important note about parking:

• The Pleasant Prairie Junior Triathlon is being held Saturday morning. The road from Terwall Terrace over to the beach will be closed to traffic.
• If you want to park at the beach, enter Park Ave. (93^rd Pl) from Hwy H (88^th Ave), and park in the gravel area north of the beach pavilion.
• However, ALL of Park Ave. will close at 8:15am sharp. If you park at the beach you will need to move your car by 8:15 or you will be stuck until the Junior Triathlon is completed!
• It is highly recommended that you park in the south Ballfields parking lot, then walk over to the lake for the swim. Be sure to allow time for this; the swim will start as close to 7am as possible! We have to be out of the water by 8:00.

Saturday, 8/25, 11am. UPDATE: Out-and-back 1/4 and 1/2 mile loops, from the beach.

Good Luck to everyone!

Coach Ken

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Last Week for Lake Andrea Swims

This is the final week for the swims across Lake Andrea:

• Tuesday, Aug 30, @ 6pm
• Thursday, Sep 1, @6pm

$10 register at RecPlex; $15 drop-in payment at Beach. If you pay at the RecPlex the day of the swim, please bring your receipt to the beach.

Lake Andrea closes for the season on Sunday.

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Lake Andrea swims continue tonight

Swims across Lake Andrea in Pleasant Prairie continue tonight at 6pm.  $10 register in advance at the RecPlex, $15 drop-in pay at the lake.  We swim from the beach to the RecPlex, following the Trek & Danskin swim courses (1/2 mile), and those interested can swim back, for a total of approximately one mile.

Final swims of the season are next week:

• Tuesday, Aug 30, 6pm
• Thursday, Sep 1, 6pm

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Additional Lake Swims added!

Additional Cross-Lake Swims Added:

• Thursday, Aug 25, 6pm
• Tuesday, Aug 30, 6pm
• Thursday, Sep 1, 6pm 

Because of the unexpected closure of the Aqua Arena through Labor Day, we've added three additional lake swims for those who want to swim longer distances or who are preparing for later triathlons like Lake Geneva, Ironman Wisconsin, or Devil's Challenge.

$10 pre-registration at RecPlex Guest Services Desk
$15 drop-in, pay at the lake

Details

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Lake Andrea cross-lake swim tonight, 6pm

The penultimate Thursday cross-lake swim tonight, 6pm, at the Lake Andrea beach. 

$10 register at the RecPlex Guest Services Desk (please bring your receipt to the beach), $15 pay at the beach.

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UPDATE: Danskin Tri Training Class for Saturday, July 23

No class at 10am.  Plan to attend the 7am lake swim and/or the 8:30am 5K run.

See you tomorrow.

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Lake Andrea Swim on Saturday, July 23

You will need to get to the beach via Hwy H. The entrance to Prairie Springs Park will be closed at Hwy 165 at 6am due to the Prairie Family Days events.

Also, be advised that Park Drive from the Beach Pavilion to Hwy H will be closed at 10am to prepare for the fireworks. If you're doing the lake swim or Prairie Family Days 5K, and park in the gravel area by the beach, you'll have to move your car by 10am.

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Saturday, July 23 Lake Andrea Swim

This swim wasn't originally in the RecPlex registration system, but is now.  We are swimming across the lake this Saturday, at 7am.

Need a bit more to your workout? Don't forget the Prairie Family Days 5K at 8:30am.

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Important Note About Saturday July 8 Lake Swim

If you’re going to attend the swim(s) tomorrow:

·         You need to park at the softball fields for the 7am swim; you will not be able to drive down to the beach because the road will be closed for the Junior Triathlon. This means you’ll have to walk over to the beach, so take this into account when deciding when to arrive.  If you pull into the Park at 6:55, you’re not going to be able to get to the beach by the time we start the swim.  The road should be reopened by about 10am, so you will be able to park at the beach for the 11am swim.

·         The beach is officially closed until 1pm, so the main entrance gate will be closed.  Enter the beach by the gate by Froggy’s Landing, the “shack” closer to the parking area (where the gear is for canoe and boat rentals).

See you tomorrow.

Coach Ken

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Lake Andrea cross-lake swims tonight, July 7, and July 9

Lake Swims tonight and next Thursday night at 6pm. Register at the RecPlex for $10; if you register today, just bring your receipt over to the beach. If you pay at the beach it’s $15.

NO LAKE SWIM THIS SATURDAY! The next Saturday swims on July 9 @ 7am and 11am.

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Prepare for the Trek and Danskin triathlons with swim course swims

Lake Andrea Thursday night cross-lake swims begin June 16!

Chicagoland triathletes preparing for the Trek Women’s Triathlon on July 10 and the Danskin Women’s Triathlon on August 21 may want to take advantage of a series of swims following the race courses in Pleasant Prairie. The RecPlex will be offering cross-lake swims of Lake Andrea on Thursday nights and alternate Saturdays throughout the summer.

Prepare for the Trek and Danskin triathlons with swim course swims - Chicago wellness | Examiner.com

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PP Open Water Swim Workout - June 14

The Lake Andrea beach closed early, but staff is coming back  to open up for our class. So if you get there early and the gate is closed, please just wait a bit.

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Lake Andrea Swim Changes!

Big, big change in Lake Andrea swimming this year. This change is good for triathletes, but at the same time, if people abuse it, we’ll be back to a very tiny swim lane.

Here are the changes:

• There is no separate swim lane at the beach.
•  From 7am to 10am daily there are no lifeguards officially on duty.  You swim at your own risk.
•  This means you can swim outside the swim area ropes, again, at your own risk.
• BUT, you need to say in the general area of the beach – in other words, swim just outside the buoys/ropes, and a bit further out coming back (basically is a triangle). You cannot go way out into the lake or across the lake.
• At 10am, lifeguards come “officially” on duty, at which time you must swim inside the buoys/ropes.

Now, here’s the bad news. If people start swimming outside the general beach area, like across the lake or way out into the lake, then they’ll be forced to prohibit the free/own-risk swimming and everyone will have to swim within the beach buoys/ropes, and it will be a very, very short course.

Right now, if you enter the water at the usual place and swim down just outside the buoys (with them on your right), then turn around at the last buoy and swim straight back to the first buoy, the lap distance is about 138 yards.  This makes a bit less than 6-1/2 laps = Half mile.

So please keep towards the beach, and if you see other swimmers going out too far, try to let them know that doing that might ruin swimming for everyone, and they should stay around the buoys. There were a number of people out this morning swimming, and everyone seemed to do a good job staying fairly close.

Note: my Tuesday evening Open Water Swim Workouts classes will be going outside the buoys.

Water temperature was 68 degrees this morning.

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Lake Andrea Lap Lane is back!

The lap lane at Lake Andrea is back to the June distance - 6 laps to a half mile!

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Danskin Open Water Swim Workouts begin Tonight

Practice your open water swim skills on the three Tuesdays before the Danskin Triathlon.

Tuesdays, August 3 to 17
6:30-7:30pm
Lake Andrea Beach
Code: 22359-23
$25 RecPlex members / $35 non-members

Register online at http://www.recplexonline.com/, or at the Guest Services Desk at the RecPlex. If you register today (Tuesday, Aug 3), please bring your receipt to the class.

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Lake Andrea Lap Lane being shortened

I found out today that the lap lane at Lake Andrea is going to be shortened again. This is required by the insurance/risk management company, and unfortunately the RecPlex doesn’t have any choice in the matter.

I don’t know the new distance, because it’s probably going to be shortened today or tomorrow. When it is done, I’ll re-GPS it and give everyone the new lap length.

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Open Water Swim Workouts this week

Tuesday, 6:30-7:30pm:

1. Last regularly scheduled session for the Pleasant Prairie and Pleasant Prairie to Danskin OW Swim Workout sessions.
2. First Trek Triathlon Open Water Swim Workout class

Thursday, 6:30-7:30pm - 6/15 make-up session for Pleasant Prairie and Pleasant Prairie to Danskin OW Swim Workout classes.

Please check this blog on the afternoon before your class for any last minute weather updates.  If the Lake Andrea beach is closed, we cannot hold class.

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Open Water Swim Workout tonight - make-up from 6/8

Yeah!  It's not raining!  Pleasant Prairie Tri Open Water Swim Workout and Pleasant Prairie to Danskin Triathlon Open Water Swim Workout make-up session is tonight, 6:30-7:30pm. This is the make-up from the June 8 rainout. We'll schedule a make-up for this last Tuesday's rainout in the class tonight -- either next Wednesday or Thursday.

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6/15 Open Water Swim Workout cancelled - beach is closed

Unfortunately, here we go again. The beach at Lake Andrea is closed because of the weather. So there is no Open Water Swim Workout tonight.

We had already rescheduled last week’s rain-out for this Thursday night, 6:30-7:30pm. We’ll look at rescheduling tonight’s session at that time. Please think about your availability next week.

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