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:  

Somehow we’ve come to believe that greatness is only for the chosen few, for the superstars.  The truth is, greatness is for us all.  This is not about lowering expectations; it’s about raising them for every last one of us.  Greatness is not in one special place, and it’s not in one special person.  Greatness is wherever somebody is trying to find it.

Nike

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

Weekly Chirp: It’s that time of the week when I try to think of something profound to share with you….and nothing comes to mind!  So here is this weeks 2 cents!! I was asked recently by one of the new Chicks why I have the running group and how come it’s free?  I started the group as a way of getting friends/ladies to be “selfish” and carve out a little time for themselves to be active (and I really didn’t want to run alone!).  If we take good care of ourselves, we can take care of others around us.  We also become excellent role models for our children!  The answer to the second question is simple.  A job, at this point, would complicate our family’s balance!  The group allows me an opportunity to help ladies begin and travel on their own running journeys, yet I am not required to find a sub when I can’t be out or am on vacation.  Nik’s Chicks is also my social outlet, where I get to interact with grown ups & vent and laugh with friends.  Running (even though I don’t love to do it) is a great stress relief and let’s me go back to being a mom/wife with a clearer head.  I hope you find that the group provides you with a similar purpose.

New training program: We are almost in Week 4 of the Learn to Run 5km program and things are going well.  At last count we have 11 ladies starting out.  The weather has been somewhat challenging on occasion, but the ladies have been troopers and are heading out in anything. If you missed out on the launch of this program, you have a few options: 1) Come out with us and start the program from week 1, 2) come out with us and jump into week 3 or 3) wait four more weeks and join in when I launch another Learn to Run 5km (and 10km) program.  Now who has signed up to run in the Mississauga 5km? You can do it here: Mississauga 5km

Nik’s Chicks Jackets:  Here is the current list I have for ladies who are interested in getting a Nik’s Chicks Jacket.  I will forward these sizes to Greg at the Running Company and he can let me know what sizes Brooks has available and what the pricing will be.  Please email me asap if you want to add your name to this list or make any changes!  Unfortunately, there are no more Infinity II jackets!  They were a 2011 model.  The closest jacket available is the Nightlife 2.  It is a brighter pink, retails for around 85.00.  I will enquire to see if I can get my hands on some jackets for sizing.

Small – Maria

Large – Amy, Susan J, Stacey, Jenn, Lidia B, Tina

XL – Fiona, Karen?

New Product:  My husband (who is training for an ultra marathon and gets sore legs) was asked to try out LivRelief – a topical pain relief cream.  Both he and I thought it worked quite well, just like Traumeel!  It’s endorsed by Bobby Orr… LivRelief

Triathlon Training: 

The tri ladies have hit the water.  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 mid-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?

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.

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!

Tips from Runner’s World 2013 Daily Calendar: 1)  You want to be present in your run, not still stuck at your desk in your mind.  Choose a new route or find a scenic trail to help you get into the moment. 2)  If the idea of going on your regular 6km run just sinks you further into your recliner, remember that there are other ways to put in some miles – like a pickup game of soccer, flag football or ultimate frisbee.  A soccer midfielder runs up to six miles in a regulation 90-minute game. 3)  On upholl routes, hunching over doesn’t help.  stay upright, lead with your chest, keep the steps short and quick.  If it is a short, steep hill, swinging your arms can help.  4) If your mind is completely zapped, don’t force a demanding workout.  Instead, go out for and easy 5km and reschedule the long run. 5) Every mile (1.6km) you run, burns roughly 100 calories.  Think of that next 10km run as two slices of pizza.  6) Speedwork is an great calorie burner, because you can cover more distance in the same period of time.  Run for 10 minutes at a comfortable pace.  then alternate running hard for one minute and easy for one minute, five times (or 10 minutes total).  Over time add more hard minutes, or increase the hard running to two minutes with one minute jogs in between. 7) To combat running pains, try active recovery, which is 20-30 minutes of low impact exercise.  This type of workout increases blood flow to muscles to reduce trauma and re-establish the body’s pH level.  Cross training the day after an intense workout can help you recover from a race, speed session or long run.

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

Tuesday – April 2 9:00pm

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

Wednesday – April 3, LA Fitness 9:00am

Half Ironman – Bike 2 hr  with hills and 10 min brick, swim 45 min

Thursday –   April 4, 8:00pm

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

Learn to run 10km – 5km with 5 min tempo run

Tri girls –  Run (run 20 continuous minutes – turn after 10), Swim lesson 5 (Swimming Glen Abbey pool 9pm)

Half marathon – 6km with hills x 3

30km girls going onto marathon – 10km

Half Ironman – Run 45 minutes

Friday –  April 5 – LA Fitness –  9:00 Spinning and Weights

LA Fitness 9:00am  Half Ironman – Bike 2 hr 45 min with hills and

Saturday – April 6  8:00am 

Learn to Run 5km – jog 3/walk 90/jog 5/walk 2.5 min (turn)/jog 3 min/walk 90 sec/jog 5

Learn to run 10km – 7km

Half Ironman – Run 1 hr 20 min with hills, swim 50 low intensity

Tri Girls: Bike 30 minutes, Run (run 5 min/walk 3/ run 8 min TURN AFTER 4/walk 3 min/run 5)

Half marathon – 17km (do 12km if you did 17km last weekend)

Toronto marathon – 20km

Monday – April 8 LA Fitness – 9:00 Cycling, 10:45 Swim

Half Ironman – Bike 1 hr 30 minutes, swim 50 min

Running 8pm:

Learn to Run 5km – jog 3/walk 90/jog 5/walk 2.5 min (turn)/jog 3 min/walk 90 sec/jog 5

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)

Half marathon – 10km

Toronto Marathon – 10km

Tuesday – April 9

Half Ironman – Run 60 minutes

Tri girls –  Swim lesson 6 (Swimming Glen Abbey pool 9pm)

Have a wonderful week! Niki