Nik’s Chicks is a FREE ladies only running/triathlon group. It is only a time and place to meet & a program to follow.  I cannot join you on every run/workout.  If you are new to exercising, it is advisable to have a doctor’s OK prior to beginning. Any information or products represented on this site are for educational purposes only and are not a substitute for any advice given to you by a medical, nutritional or fitness professional. Please sign my waiver (in “About”) and fill out my contact info sheet when you arrive for your first run.  Please park on West Oak Trails Blvd or Nightingale to avoid the locking beeps and car doors closing around my neighbors’ houses – especially on Saturday mornings! We run Monday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings.  Check out Weekly Workout section for specific times.

Quote of the Week:

I love the feeling you get after a workout. You know that you’ve done something great for yourself, with a little effort. There’s no cost, but the payoff—feeling good about the way I look—is huge.

Colby Phillips, U.S. Army Officer

Hello ladies, here is the latest news from the “nest”!

Weekly Chirp: Gotta love (or hate) technology!  We just bought a new computer and had data transferred from the old one.  It has taken me a few days to “find” my stuff – hence a delay in getting my update out to you!  My contacts and saved emails are remaining elusive though!!  If any of you are techies, I might hire you for an hour to get things straightened away.  

Kudos to the ladies who got their runs in yesterday during the record setting weather – did you survive your solo 24km Suzanne?!  The rest of us will be bundling up today!!

An anonymous source has informed me that a Chick – who will remain unnamed – fessed up to doctoring her Gatorage with a “touch” of vodka to avoid freezing of fuel bottles.  Hmm…does it really work or does it explain why she seems to want to run faster than the rest of us?! Brings new meaning to the expression Happy Running!  Please note that:  Any information or products represented on this site are for educational purposes only and are not a substitute for any advice given to you by a medical, nutritional or fitness professional.  

Feb 4th is the launch of Jo’s Half Ironman Journey!  I will be training alongside her and will report back to you if there are any earth shattering developments! Only 20 weeks til race day, my friend!

New training programs:  I will launch new Learn to Run 5km and 10km programs just after March Break.  Spread the word to your friends and co-workers.  Programs can be found under Training Programs header above.  I will firm up the start date as it gets closer.

Triathlon Training:  There has been some banter about who will do triathlons in June and July.  If you are thinking about this, February is a good time to hit the pool at least once a week.  In March, you can add in a second swim to be comfortably ready for either a Try-a-tri or Sprint Tri.  If a group swim is of interest to you, email me your preferred days/times based on Town of Oakville Aquatic swim schedule  which can be found here  Public Swimming.  I can then try to co-ordinate a time that best fits everyone’s schedules.  In the past we met at Glen Abbey Pool 9:00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays following our run. The Tri program you will be following is Sprint Triathlon June 2013 (16 week pgm)  which will begin March 2nd.  Swim training programs can be found here Swimming Lesson Plans 1-12 (1100m – 1600m).

Chicago Marathon registration:  “Registration for the 2013 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will open on Tuesday, February 19, at 12 p.m. (Central Standard Time). The registration fee is $175 for U.S. participants and $200 for participants outside of the U.S. Registration will close when the participant capacity of 45,000 is reached.”  Mark your calendars!! Race day is October 13th, 2013.  I will be joining you as part of a support crew…and for the shopping!

Tips from Runner’s World 2013 Daily Calendar: 1) To get the optimum stride rate of 180 per minute, turn to tunes.  Bring your iPod to run and run to songs with 180 beats per minute  A quick internet search reveals enough fast music to stock a high octane playlist. 2) Over pronators frequently find calluses on their big toes or at the ends of their toes.  Severe overpronators are susceptible to Achilles tendonitis, runner’s knee and shin splints. 3)  A neuroma is an enlarged nerve, which most frequently occurs in the interspace between the third and fourth toes.  Though neuromas aren’t visible, you can definitely feel them.  They can cause toe cramps or a more general pain in the ball of the foot.  Your shoes might be too tight in the toe box.  Remove the insert, stand on it and take a close look. If any portion of your foot is hanging over the insert, your shoes are too small.

This week’s workouts – (Meet at corner of Blackbird and Redwing Court)

Thursday –   Jan 31, 8:00pm

Holding on 5 km – 5km with 5 min tempo

15km ATB relay – 7km with 7 min tempo

Around the Bay 30km – 8km with 8 min tempo

Friday – LA Fitness – PA Day! 9:00 Spinning, 10:15 Weights,

Saturday – Feb. 2  8:00am

Holding on 5km – 5km

15km ATB relay – 10km (I am away and will run there or Sunday afternoon if anyone else is interested.)

Around the Bay 30 km – 24km

Monday – Feb. 4 LA Fitness – 9:00 Cycling, 10:15 Weights, 10:45 Swim (I will miss cycling, going Tuesday)

Running 8pm:

Holding on 5km – 5km

15km ATB relay – 6km

Around the Bay 30 km – 10km

Half Ironman – Bike 60min, swim 45:00

Tuesday – Feb 5

Half Ironman – Run 30 min or current running program

Have a wonderful week! Niki