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:  

Your legs hurt, your lungs hurt.  But once you make the decision and start to move forward, you become a different person.  It’s not about having to hit your goal weight to start feeling good again.

Ben Davis, Founder of bendoeslife.com

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

Weekly Chirp: BIG CONGRATS to all who participated in the Around the Bay Road Race!  We had 6 x 15km relay teams, 2 x 10km relay teams and 5 30km solo runners!  A great Nik’s Chicks turnout.  I am sure there are plenty of stiff legs out there!  It was a great day and I think we should do it all again next year!  I am not sure who plans on ramping up their training to Full or Half marathon distances in time for Mississauga races May 4th.  Please send me a note with your intentions so I can post names under training groups.  I have posted two 6 week programs to get you prepped in time. Mississauga Half Marathon 2013 from 15km and Mississauga Marathon 2013 from 30k

ATB Chicks – “Two of these thing are not like the others..”

Looks like we have some ladies stepping up to triathlon this summer.  Joanne (sprint), Janet and Susan J (try-a-tri) are all getting out of their comfort zones and into a whole new fun world of triathlon.  If swimming isn’t your thing, perhaps consider a duathlon: run/bike/run.  Many of the tri race weekends have these races too.  Check out the race listings under Upcoming Races. Joanne and Susan will be heading to Glen Abbey pool after running on Thursday in case you were considering swimming as well.

A welcome goes out to my girlfriends Alma and Carolyn, who will be virtually training with us for the Learn to Run 5km from Nova Scotia!  Miss you guys!

New training programs: Alright ladies – NEW Learn to run 5km (no experience necessary) and Learn to run 10km (from 5km base) programs began last week.  The new ladies are doing really well.  Still not too late to jump in.  We run again Thursday night at 8pm and then Saturday at 8am. Both of these 8 week programs will have you prepared to run the Mississauga races on May 4th.  Remember that these programs are FREE!!  I will be there to get you started, but will not necessarily be running with you at every session.  The group is for like-minded women to have a place & time to meet and have a program to follow.  We will meet 8pm at the corner of Redwing and Blackbird Courts.  You will need to fill out a waiver and contact info form prior to running with us so arrive a little early for your first run. Nicole McLaughlin Waiver and Release #2.  The programs you will be following are Learn to Run 5km Training Program and 10 Km program from 5km base.  The more the merrier!!  I am wondering about a few of you – Janelle, Antonette, Cheryl, Leah, Karen, Lisa, Amanda B, Fofi, Diane, Jennifer P, Myriah, Tracie, Linda, Janice, Kim, Angela, Cathy, Laurie, Lynn, Kathy, Larysa, Sonja, Louise, Sue, Sarah, Valerie, Kaitlyn, Sandy, Johanne, Beverley, Sherry, Nancy, Sylvie, Carolyn, Melissa, Mirella, Muriel, Tanya, Marion, Cynthia, Chantal, Louise, Larinda, Tamara, Jessica, Angela, Janet, Helen, Olivia, Jill, Amanda W, Donna, Laura, Carole, Cecelia, Clorinda…where are you?!  Would love to have you back.

Triathlon Training:  There has been some banter about who will do triathlons in June and July.   March is 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 in June.  Any Chicks that are not already attending a gym to swim will meet at Glen Abbey Pool on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for 9:00pmish.  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 began 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.  Please note that biking won’t begin until April, but if you can get into some spinning classes before that, your legs will thank you! Tri weekly workouts have been added into group weekly workouts below. Happy Tri training!!  Tri Chicks in Training: Janet, Joanne, Niki, Jo, Susan J, Christina? Carol? Ellen? Sam? And for Duathlon: Tania?, Jennifer?, Susan H?

What to Wear for Running: After fielding some good questions about gear, I thought I could direct you to the Cold Weather Running handout from the Helpful Information drop down menu. Here are a couple of tips 1) Dress in layers avoiding cotton (it holds sweat and keeps you chilled) this includes your socks – base layer of long under wear top and bottom, running tights or yoga pants, light polar fleece or yoga jacket, shell jacket, hat, mitts or gloves, sunglasses 2) Regular running shoes are best (Let them know at the Running Company – not the Running Room – that you are with Nik’s Chicks to receive a 10% discount off your purchases)

Swim Training: The training will take place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings around 9:00pm at Glen Abbey Rec pool.  This is an open lap swimming time and not just us so be prepared to have other bodies in the lanes.  Expect to be winded and needing lots of recovery in the beginning – you are starting something new! The emphasis will be on technique and NOT volume for the first few weeks.  There will be Slow, Medium and Fast lanes.  Choose the one that suits, you can always change if it doesn’t feel right.  Here is a site about etiquette in the pool that you should review prior to getting into the pool Pool Etiquette  It will answer many questions and let you know what to expect from other swimmers.

Learning Open Water Swimming Technique:  Swimming in open water with a wetsuit on is different than competitive pool swimming.  I learned the Total Immersion technique and it made all the difference for me – from floundering to gliding through the water! You can check out a 6 part series, “Total Immersion Perpetual Motion Freestyle” and the 8 part “How to Work Less, Swim Better in Triathlon” on YouTube. The Total Immersion technique does work.  It’s worth the time and effort to learn it.  The DVD I purchased from Total Immersion “Easy Freestyle” may seem more necessary after you have been in the pool a few times! You can buy it here Easy Freestyle.  TI has a new video out called “Total Immersion Self-Coached Workshop: Perpetual Motion Freestyle in 10 Lessons”. It sounds very similar.  You can buy it (and get more info) from the Total Immersion website Total Immersion

Swim Training Checklist: Here is a list of items you will need/want to begin your swim training.

Swimsuit, goggles, swim cap, flip flops, water bottle, towel, lock, mesh bag for shampoo/conditioner/body wash to take on deck with you and save trip back to locker, print off 12 lesson plans and put one in Ziploc or have laminated, buy swim pass if not a member at Glen Abbey Rec Center ($36.28 for 10 swim sessions).  I used to pack my PJs to wear home and hoped I never got pulled over by police! One Chick suggested I add bikini wax to the list things to do to prepare for swimming!! Good idea!

Nik’s Chicks Gear:  I know it’s a bit early to promote NC clothing, but I would like to offer it to the new runners and to those who didn’t get to get theirs last summer.  Ladies, I have 2 tops available.

This Tri top is available for 40.00 (reg 52.00) – sizes 3S, 1L and 1XL in stock (They run small)

This light weight running tank (with NC logos) is avail for 20.00 -sizes 6XS, 2S, 15M,4L,1XL in stock

 Just ask me to show you the tops on your next run!

 I inquired about ordering more Nik’s Chicks Brooks jackets from Greg at the Running Company.  He suggested I get an idea of who might be interested and what size they would want, and then he can check in with Brooks to see what is available.   If you are interested, please email me at mclaughlins@cogeco.ca before April 2nd.  Last season they retailed for 149.00, Greg helped us out on the cost and sold them to us for under 85.00.  Unsure of an exact cost at this time

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A Good Source for info:  Here is a great website for information about fitness, nutrition and health American Council on Fitness

Tips from Runner’s World 2013 Daily Calendar: 1)  Not every run is going to be great.  the reality is there will be days when it feels like your legs are filled with cement.  Here’s one trick for when you can’t seem to shake the tension the first few minutes into a run:Pick a sign and increase your speed til you reach it. 2)  Yoga position for runners: Leg Prop – Prop your legs up on a wall while resting your back or pelvis on a pillow.  Or use an ottoman or chair for a bent kneed version.  Hold 5-15 minutes.  It’s OK if you fall asleep!  3)  If you are eating a light breakfast and a heavier dinner, your afternoon runs may be suffering.  It’s better to front load the calories, so you should eat a larger breakfast and lunch, run with a well-fueled body and then eat less and sleep better at night. 4) Don’t expect every running day to be better than the last. Some days will be slower than others, and some days may even hurt a bit.  But as long as you are on the road, it’s a good day.

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

Tuesday – March 26 9:00pm

Tri girls –  Swim lesson 4 (Swimming Glen Abbey pool 9pm)

Wednesday – March 27, LA Fitness 9:00am

Half Ironman – Bike 2 hr 15 min with hills, swim 45 min

Thursday –   March 28, 8:00pm

NEW Learn to Run 5km – alternate 90 sec jogging and 2 min walking for 20 minutes – turn back after 10 minutes  LAST EASY NIGHT FOR NEW LADIES TO JOIN IN – If you are brand new to running you are welcome to back track a bit and then catch up in the program!

NEW Learn to run 10km – 4km with one hill

Tri girls –  Run (run 3/walk 90/run 5/walk 2.5 TURN BACK/run 3/walk90 sec run 5), Swim lesson 4 (Swimming Glen Abbey pool 9pm)

15km girls going on to half marathon – 6km with 90 sec sprints x 2

30km girls going onto marathon – 10km

Friday –  March 29 – LA Fitness –  9:00 Spinning and Weights

Gym closed

Saturday – March 30  8:00am 

Learn to Run 5km – jog 90 sec/walk 90 sec/ jog 3min/walk 3 min – turn and repeat

Learn to run 10km – 6km Route is here: http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/5615862

Tri Girls: Run (run 5 min/walk 3/ run 5 min TURN AFTER 2.5/walk 3 min/run 5)

15km girls going on to half marathon – 17km (I need to go out around 10:15 due to hockey game in am, any takers?)

30km girls going onto marathon – 35km

Monday – April 1 LA Fitness – 9:00 Cycling, 10:45 Swim

Half Ironman – Bike 1 hr 30 minutes, swim 45 min

Running 8pm:

Learn to Run 5km – jog 90 sec/walk 90 sec/ jog 3min/walk 3 min – turn and repeat

Learn to Run 10km – 5km

Tri Girls: Run (run 3 min/walk 90 sec/ run 5 min/walk 2.5 min – turn- run 3 min/walk 90 sec/run 5 min)

15km girls going on to half marathon – 10km

30km girls going onto marathon – 10km

Tuesday – April 2

Tri girls –  Swim lesson 5 (Swimming Glen Abbey pool 9pm)

Have a wonderful week! Niki