Houston Racing Triathlon Club

Triathlon Training

Training Reality Check

Houston Racing is a LARGE organization. Houston is a HUGE city. Our membership is comprised of everyone from people who live within spitting distance of Memorial Park to residents of Missouri City and everywhere in between, North, and South. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to maintain regularly scheduled club-sponsored events. HRTC does sponsor a number of events throughout the year designed to bring club members together for a group training (and social) experience, but in general, things just don't happen on a weekly basis.

When events are planned, they will be posted on the Forums Calendar and will most likely be mentioned on the home page as well, so check them both often. In addition, the Forums are a great place to hook up with training partners and to try and organize something yourself - so take advantage of it.

Run/Ride Maps

Useful Links

Listed here are links to maps for bike rides and runs in and around the Houston area. Maps are printable JPEG files.

Montgomery Ride - 30, 40, 50, 60 miles click here Brookshire Ride - 56 miles - click here to view map
Chappell Hill Ride - From 14 to 30 mile rides - click here to view map
FM 1488 Ride - Your choice - 15, 17, or 47 miles - click here to view map
FM 518 Ride - 60 miles round trip - click here to view map
Tired of the pool ? Head for The Reef - click here to view map
River Oaks Run - 15 miles - click here to view map

It's a short list, but if we included everything this page would load forever...

Twin Lakes - Open Water Swimming
US Governing Cycling Organization
Houston Cycling Group
The Running Network
Runner's World
USA Triathlon
USA Fit - Marathon Training Program
Timely Running/Triathlon Articles
slowtwitch.com City Sports Texas

Frequently Asked Questions about training in Houston.

I am frequently questioned, usually by those who are either new to the area or just visiting, where the most common and popular training venues in and around the city are. Obviously I am not familiar with all of them, but here are a few :

SWIM
Memorial Athletic Club at Memorial and Dairy Ashford. Club sponsor with a great aquatic facility. Click the Sponsors link at the top of the page for contact information.

Dad's Club (formerly West Side YMCA). Voss Road and I-10. Indoor and outdoor 50 meter pools, Masters program.

Twin Lakes Twin Lakes is a combination RV Park and Scuba training facility that also offers open water swimming. The course is roughly 1,000 meters, it is well marked, and the park itself is clean (as is the water) with quite a few amenities (including changing areas and Porta-Potties). Price of admission (to swim) is $5, and they are open during the week as well as weekends. If you need to practice your open-water swim, I recommend it. Located at 288 and Highway 6 (check the website for a detailed map).

BIKE
As a general rule, cycling within the city limits is hazardous, if not deadly. The one safe place to ride within the city limits is the Picnic Loop at Memorial Park. It's on the south side of Memorial Drive on the east end of the park. 1.2 mile paved loop that is closed to traffic during the week.

You can usually catch some HRTC members going for a long weekend ride out at Royal Junior High and/or High School out in Pattison, TX, just a short drive from Brookshire. Groups usually depart around 7 am on Saturday and/or Sunday, and the median distance is usually 50 miles, or a round trip to Bellville and back. Take I-10 West past Katy and take the first Brookshire exit. Right at the light, left at the next light, right at the second light, over the tracks, around the curve to the left, and right at the next light. School will be on your right about a quarter mile up the road.

Hillier rides are more commonly being done out in the Montgomery area north of the city. Departure point is usually Montgomery ISD located about 1.5 miles West of the intersection of FM 149 and Highway 105. Rides typically follow 105 to 149, looping through Richards and into Anderson, then doubling back and taking 1486 back to 105 and Montgomery ISD.

Members of some of Houston's area cycling clubs also meet for early morning rides out at West Oaks Mall at Highway 6 and Westheimer. They generally park on the West side of the mall, and usually welcome newcomers.

PLEASE check the Forums as this information is in constant flux.

RUN
Memorial Park, located just East of Loop 610 on Memorial Drive, is the Mecca of the Houston Running scene. The park features a 2.9 mile coliche loop around a golf course, and is very well maintained. Water stops every mile, a tennis center, pool, rec center, stretching area, and showers make this a great venue. If you're tired of the 3 mile loop, the park is a great starting point for runs around Buffalo Bayou (which features a paved, 7 mile path that reaches towards downtown) or through River Oaks, if you want to see how the other half lives.

Terry Hershey Park runs from West Beltway 8 to Highway 6 and features roughly 8 miles of paved, shaded running paths with regular water stops, shower and bathroom facilities, exercise equipment, and park benches. Much of the trail follows the path of the bayou, which also features maintained Mountain Bike/Trail running trails if you feel like going off-road.

Rice University features a 2.9 mile loop encircling the campus, football stadium and sports facilities. The packed dirt trail is shaded by old oaks and includes a few water stops with bathroom facilities located at the tennis pavilion through entrance 8. Free parking at Rice University can be found on the west side of the football stadium at entrance 10 off of Greenbriar. This is also the location of a 1/3 mile smooth asphalt loop dedicated for bike use. If you don't get dizzy it can be an effective location for a short brick workout. Across Main Street from Rice University is Hermann Park which has a 2 mile loop trail of packed dirt and asphalt around the perimeter of the golf course.

Those are the high points, and I'm sure I've left something out, but this should be enough to get you started. If it isn't, visit our Forums and ask a more specific question.