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:  

The pain of training is nothing compared to the pain of not reaching your potential. 

Josh Cox, US 50k Record Holder

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

Weekly Chirp: Having a little dose of sunshine in the middle of February was certainly a nice perk!   It seemed to recharge my batteries a bit.  The hard part now is bundling back up for those night time runs.  The cold and the dark can be deterrents to getting those weekday runs in.  Here is a tip to get you rolling.  Before you begin supper prep, change into sports bra, long underwear and pull on your running tights.  Put your running shoes, jacket, mitts, hat and Garmin by the front door.  After you finish eating, tidying and homework…you are less likely to call it a day! You are already halfway to being out the door for that 8pm run!!

Looking for a runner:  Due to illness and a personal loss, Susan will be unable to participate in the 15km ATB relay with me.  We are looking for a substitute runner to fill in her spot – – free bib. Please contact me directly if you are interested. You would be able to do the 15km if you are sitting on 10km today!

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.   March is almost here and it’s time to get into the water! Starting your swimming 2 x week now will have you ready for either a Try-a-tri or Sprint Tri.  Any Chicks that are not already attending a gym to swim will meet at Glen abbey Pool on tuesday and Thursday evenings for 9:00-9:15pm.  Town of Oakville Aquatic swim schedule can be found here  Public Swimming in the event these times don’t work for you.  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).  The purpose of the programs are to build recovery periods into the sets so you don’t get too fatigued and messy!  You will not work on continuous swimming until May!  If you are “in”, send me a note so I can add your name to list of triathletes.  Happy Tri training!!

Chicago Marathon registration: Did any of you get into the marathon?  Let me know so I can add you to the race list.

Tour de Halton:  A friend of mine, Christine Hardy, is on the organizing committee for the 2013 Tour de Halton.  This year’s date has been confirmed for June 15th.  There are three distances: 25km, 50km and 100km rides.  This is not a race – it is more a community ride to raise funds for the new Oakville Hospital.  The link to register or for more info is here: Tour de Halton.  I know a few Chicks have already shown some interest.  25km would take approx. 1.5 hrs at a leisurely pace.  Perhaps this could be an event for our families as well!

A non-running tip:  For those of you living in Halton, this one is for you!  You can sign up for a weekly email from the municipality to tell you what you need to put at the curb for waste collection day.  Sign up for this at Waste Collection Reminder.

Tips from Runner’s World 2013 Daily Calendar: 1)  Uphill running is by far the easiest on the body.  There is almost no impact and the cadence is low.   2) Runner’s toe is frequently caused by not keeping toenails closely clipped.  If the end of the toenail jams into the shoe, the base of the nail wiggles enough to cause bleeding just below the surface.  (Consider going up 1/2 size in your shoe – N) 3) Take ‘er easy.  Seventy percent of your weekly mileage should be easy miles.  Depending on your age and fitness level, your muscles need 30-60 hours to recover from a hard effort.  Long, slow runs lasting 1.5 to 2.5 times longer than your average weekday run count as hard efforts due to their duration.   4)  Try some purple carrots for helping to reduce swelling.  They are sweeter than orange and supply inflammation reducing compounds.  5) A pair of stability shoes are the first treatment for over pronation; cushioned shoes will support a supinators high arch.  More extreme cases may need an orthotic to correct the foot’s motion.

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

Wednesday – Feb. 27, LA Fitness 9:00am

Half Ironman – Bike 1 hr 45 minutes, swim 45 min

Thursday –   Feb 28, 8:00pm

Holding on 5 km – 5km with 90 sec sprints x 3

15km ATB relay – 9km with 90 sec sprints x 5

Around the Bay 30km – 9km

Friday –  March 1 – LA Fitness –  9:00 Spinning and Weights

Half Ironman – Bike 2 hrs with hills

Saturday – March 2  8:00am 

Holding on 5km – 5km

15km ATB relay – 15km (Brogan and I will do 13km and then 15km the following week in case anyone needs to drop back a bit)

Around the Bay 30 km – 21km

Monday – March 4 LA Fitness – 9:00 Cycling, 10:45 Swim

Half Ironman – Bike 1 hr 15 minutes, swim 45 min

Running 8pm:

Holding on 5km – 5km

15km ATB relay – 7km

Around the Bay 30 km – 10km

Have a wonderful week! Niki