Stretch!

For some, Fall means tailgating and football. For others it means marathon and still for others it means a time to reflection of the summer season.
I like to slow down the pace a bit and work on lengthening out my muscles with yoga.
Here's a video of Becky Jone's sister-in-law doing an ashtanga yoga medley.
If this doesn't inspire you to be a little more flexible, then I don't know what does.

Alcatraz Swim

We Did it! Dee, Joseph and I managed to successfully escape from the Rock.
The morning was overcast and warm for San Francisco
(air temp high 50's-mid 60's).
The water temp was also very warm -63 degrees.
Tides were changing when we jumped into the water, but we could definitely feel the pull towards the sea as we swam from the rock to aquatic park.
There was a slight chop but nothing compared to the week before at Music City Triathlon.
We basically has perfect swim conditions!
I was a nervous wreck before the swim. We had to load on to a ferry that took us 100 feet from the island (we were not allowed to get any closer to the island b/c of the laws that protect nesting birds on the island) . The boat carried 600 brave swimmers and I wanted to one of the first ones off the boat, so trying to guess what doors they would open was stressing me out a bit.
There were to be 2 exits off the boat which three people were allowed to exit from at a time.
Once we got on the boat, they announced they would only 1 of the doors for all the swimmers to exit the boat. Luckily the door they chose to open was the door we were standing by and this eased my mind. The tip off that they were going to open the door we were standing by was the timing mats .
The ride from pier 43 1/2 to the rock only took a few minutes but once we made it out there we had to wait for some barges to pass before the swim could start.
Swim start- once they opened the doors and the horn went off, I was the first into the water with Joseph and Dee right behind.
Swimming without a wetsuit, my first 100 strokes or so were tough adjusting the water temp but after that every stroke got easier.
I don't know about Dee, but Joseph was glad to jump in the water to cool down b/c he was sweating with his wetsuit on in the boat pack with 600 people.
The swim was one of the most beautiful swims I ever done.
I was third out the water, so I went back down to the beach were I got to watch Joseph and Dee finish.
Joseph finished 3rd in his age group in the wetsuit division
Dee finished 6th in her age group in the wetsuit division

Music City Triathlon Part II

1. Look at the wind blow!


2. Dee Daivs, Jere Pope,
Melissa Mosely, John Maple

3. Troy Dover, Javier Rodriguez, John Maple

Music City Triathlon

1. Nick Nicholson, Abby Olson and Carols


2. Karen Griffin's relay


3. Dee Davis and Shelly all smiles after the race


4. Catherine Dewberry,
Ashly Dewberry,
Lynn Moore and
Spence Smith


5. Becky Pommer- Jones
and Kimberly Van Winlkle

Spring Level I and Level II Classes

Level I and II classes will run January-April in 2009!

Level I Classes starting in January and March

January- Level I Class
Sunday, Jan 4, 1:15-2:30pm
Tuesday, Jan 6, 7:15-8:30pm
Sunday, Jan 11, 1:15-2:30pm
Tuesday, Jan 13, 7:15-8:30pm
Sunday, Jan 18, 1:15-2:30pm
Tuesday, Jan 20, 7:15-8:30pm
Sunday, Jan 25, 1:15-2:30pm
Tuesday, Jan 27, 7:15-8:30pm
Thursday, Jan 29, 7:15-8:30pm

March- Level I Class
Sunday, Mar 1, 1:15-2:30pm
Tuesday, Mar 3, 7:15-8:30pm
Sunday, Mar 8, 1:15-2:30pm
Tuesday, Mar 10, 7:15-8:30pm
Sunday, Mar 15, 1:15-2:30pm
Tuesday, Mar 17, 7:15-8:30pm
Sunday, Mar 22, 1:15-2:30pm
Tuesday, Mar 24, 7:15-8:30pm
Sunday, Mar 29, 1:15-2:30pm

*1st class is MANDATORY in LEVEL I CLASS!
* You will not be getting in the pool for the first class. It is a class room setting.
*Do bring your fins and pull buoy to the first class,
so we can make sure you got the correct ones.

We HIGHLY recommend taking Level II class after Level I class.
Think of it as two months worth of stroke work and fine-tuning, that your stroke is not complete until you are done with Level II class.

Level II Classes starting in February and April

February- Level II Class
Tuesday, Feb 3, 7:15-8:30pm
Sunday, Feb 8, 1:15-2:30pm
Tuesday, Feb 10, 7:15-8:30pm
Sunday, Feb 15, 1:15-2:30pm
Tuesday, Feb 17, 7:15-8:30pm
Tuesday, Feb 24, 7:15-8:30pm
Sunday, Feb 1- with Level III, 2:15-4:00pm

April- Level II Class
Sunday, Apr 5, 1:15-2:30pm
Tuesday, Apr 7, 7:15-8:30pm
Tuesday, Apr 14, 7:15-8:30pm
Sunday, Apr 19, 1:15-2:30pm
Tuesday, Apr 21, 7:15-8:30pm
Sunday, Apr 26, 1:15-2:30pm
Wednesday, Apr 29- with level III, 6:15-8:00pm

How do you reserve a spot for a Spring Class?
1. Email Ashley triash@gmail.com
2. Send in your check made out to Excel Aquatics for $175 (Level I class) or
$150 (Level II Class)
to Ashley Whitney 2806 Belmont Blvd. Apt 6, Nashville, TN 37212
*You may sign up for both classes at once.
4. Once your check is received, you will get a confirmation email.


What equipment do you need for class?
1. Swimsuit
* Men are NOT allowed to wear board shorts or trunks with pockets.
Jammers are your best options.
Here's what a jammer looks like:

*Men and Women- any suit made of polyester is the way to go!
Poly suits will last years!
*Women- the cutest suits in the world can be found at Splish.com
Splish offers many suits in a poly blend!
2. Goggles
Finding the right pair of goggles-
1. Take them out of the package and try them on at the store
2. Without putting the strap around your head, stick goggles to your face
3. If goggles stick to your face for a few seconds then you found a pair of keepers.
3. Cap- if your hair gets in your eyes or mouth while you swim
* we have caps for sale at the pool for $3. They say Excel on them.

4. Fins
Here's a picture of what shape they should be. Just about any brand will do. Scuba fins do NOT work for this class!

5. Pull Buoy
Here is what a pull buoy looks like.
* The TYR, Nike, or Speedo buoys are great to get.




Where can you buy your swim equipment?
All American Swim and Surf.
Check the links on the right side of the blog to find a map to the store.
Store is located in Cool Springs Shopping area.
If you prefer to buy your stuff online, swimoutlet.com is about the best place to buy it.

Where are classes held?
Indoor Sports Complex
920 Heritage Way
Brentwood, TN 37027

* You do NOT have to be a member of the Indoor Sports Complex to be part of this class.

September 6, 2008

Last weekend, five Excel Triathletes competed in the Old Hickory Triathlon.
Ashly and Catherine Dewberry volunteered their time to help run the race.
Meanwhile I got my dream volunteer job, I got to sit in a kayak and help out swimmers in the swim portion of the race.

(Picture is Charita Upkins swimming @ Old Hickory Triathlon)


Jessika Poirier F25-29, 3rd
Rob Brigance M30-34, 17th
Carla Crosby F35-39, 13th
Charita Upkins F40-44, 18th
David Turner M45-49, 2nd

The same day, Liz Rich was in Illinois competing in her second ironman a little over a month after her first ironman. She had a PR and won her age group.

Great job everyone!

Jessika Poirier and Carla Crosby post race. Jessika how do you already have make up on???



Rob Brigance, David Turner and friend








Ashly Dewberry calling out race numbers to Haylee Hall at the finish line. Catherine Dewberry was entering race numbers at the bike finish.








My Dream volunteer job- kayak support crew on the water allowed a completely different view of the race.

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend was a busy weekend for most.
We had people competing in the Colorado 24
hour triathlon, Ironman Louisville and the Frnaklin 5K/10K Classic.
Here a couple pictures from this past weekend's events.
Congrats to ALL!

Javier Rodriquez pictured on the bike @ CO 24 hour triathlon.
To see more pictures from the race and results, check out slowtwitch.com









The swim start at Louisville













Ashly Dewberry finished in 12:28.27
Catherine Dewberry finished in 13:53.06












Mike Mankin finished in 13:06.40













David Landry finished in 16:04.1
















0Richard Baker @ 24 hour Triathlon

Open Water Swimming

*******THIS IS AN URGENT NOTICE*******

PLEASE COMMUNICATE TO ANYONE TAKING PART IN THE OPEN WATER SWIMS AT HAMILTON CREEK

As the popularity of our sport has grown so too has the popularity of the training that we do. Not least of which is the open water swimming at Hamilton Creek. When this all started a few years ago there was just a small band of die hard triathletes. This has now grown into a small army.
This is very exciting to see this growth but also has implications in terms of safety and in terms of the affect we have on those we share the space with. Not least of which are the sailors at Hamilton Creek Marina who have graciously allowed us to swim up until this point.
I received a note from the Commodore of the marina that there have been a number of incidents with swimmers getting really close to yachts especially at the end of the docks. They have also complained that we occupy the centre of the channel when we swim effectively exposing ourselves to this traffic and getting in the way.
The points that were raised are valid and fair and just as we respect the rules of the road when we cycle and are courteous to all users of the road, in the same spirit we need to respect the rules of the water to avoid incident or injury and to ensure that we do not compromise our ability to use this fantastic bay area for our training.
Having said all of that I also got the distinct impression from the correspondence that the sailors would prefer that we not swim in the bay at all. It may well come to a point where we are forced to seek alternatives but for now the status quo stands – however, please strictly observe the following code whilst swimming:

1. Boats have the right of way, not swimmers. We are guests in the area and need to yield to boat traffic and always be on the lookout for yachts and motorboats.

2. Keep at least 100' from the docks at all times and never swim across the front of the docks. PLEASE PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE SWIM I HAVE INDICATED AROUND THE DOCKS

3. Stay out of the channel, I have proposed an alternative route.

a. Swim on the "north shore" side of the bay

b. Aim for far buoy as shown on the map below.

c. Stay out of the channel [shown in blue]

4. Be safe, always wear a bright swim cap and buddy up when you swim.

If everyone strictly follows this I am sure we can coexist with the sailors in the bay. But it only takes a handful of people to spoil it for everyone. Please speak up when fellow swimmers don't respect the code and help keep this swim available for everyone.

Channel Area – Stay out of this area