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:   

Do not give up when it gets tough.  It gets better.  and it will be the best feeling in the world to say you are a runner.

John McNasby, Runner’s World Challenger’s advice to beginning runners 

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

Well, it’s good to be back home and getting into routines again.  As usual, the group numbers have fallen off in my absence and I need to coerce my runners to come on back! My hip injury seems to be settling down and I have resumed running, though at a slower pace and more walk breaks!  Thanks to Liz for pulling me along on Saturday morning.  I am feeling the “I haven’t run in a while” soreness – biking and swimming definitely lower intensity activities on the legs.  I welcome new or former Nik’s Chicks runners to come run with me as I start out again to build my distance back up.  Remember that new 5km and 10km Programs begin tomorrow!

Congrats go out to Sam, who was awarded the Outstanding Rookie of the Year from the Oakville Masters Swim Club!  I hear she was burning up the pool and will give us triathletes a run for our money next summer.  Well done missy!

Setting New Goals:  Are you in a rut?  Have your workouts been hit and miss with kids’ summer activities and vacations? It’s time to consider setting a goal and following a training schedule so that you have a sense of purpose and can get back to doing “something” for you!  Consider a September race date to keep you on track.  On September 22 the Oakville 10km and half marathon will take place.  Training for the 10km from a 5km base begins on Monday, July 28th.  Programs we will using are here 10 Km program from 5km base  Now, if you are interested in the Learn to Run 5km Program, the new one will launch tomorrow night as well, July 29th at 8:00pm  from the corner of Blackbird and Redwing Courts.  Your program is here: 5km run training program 2  You can be training for the Waterfront 5km Race in Burlington in early September.  Remember that all programs are FREE!  We all meet at the same time and the various distance groups split off.  I will not be able to be out with every group, every workout. Email me if you require more info  mclaughlins@cogeco.ca

Are you still interested in doing a Triathlon?  There is the Women’s only Tri in Milton on September 1st – try a tri and sprint distances for triathlon and duathlon (run/bike/run).  More info can be found here: Women’s Only Triathlon  Are you are interested in doing a Girl’s Only Nik’s Chicks Road Trip?  We can look at Wasaga Beach triathlon which has try a tri and olympic distance races on September 7 and sprint triathlon and duathlon races on September 8th.  We will need to plan this soon as the races will fill up.  Chat amongst yourselves to see if this might be an option.  It’s a fun race, not too hilly and nice swim.  We did this two summers ago.  Programs can be found here:  Try-a-tri and Sprint Triathlon September 2012  If you have your 5km running base, you will be good to go.  Swimming lesson plans can be found here: Swimming Lesson Plans 1-12 (1100m – 1600m)

Looking For Donations: My osteopath, Dave Ellis, is collecting old race shirts or Dry Fit type shirts in all sizes.  When his Dad was in palliative care he found himself struggling to maintain a consistent body temperature in his cotton clothes.  Dave gave him some of his technical clothing to wear and his Dad was much more comfortable in his final days.  Dave is collecting the clothing for the Palliative Care patients of the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital.  You can drop off your donations at my place prior to every run.  I will bring them down to Dave’s clinic, Balance Point Health Centre.  Thanks for your help!

Open Water Swimming: There is a group that meets at Kelso on Thursday evenings 6-8pm and Saturday mornings 8:30-10:30am.  They have essentially rented out the boating area and hired lifeguards to patrol the swimmers. It is 90.00 for unlimited swimming and 60.00 for a 10 pack.  You will also need Triathlon Ontario membership to swim – it’s your insurance. To register or for more info, go here Kelso Open Water Swimming.  For more info you can email KelsoOpenWaterSwimming@gmail.com.  Wetsuits are needed unless you are really tough – wear swimsuit or bra/undies/tri shorts/tanktop underneath!  Beginners can swim across lake to wall (250m) Kelso – trip to wall and back, rest and return to shore.  Repeat as necessary to get your distance.  A trip around the lake will measure approximately 1.5km.  Kelso Open Water Swim  Hope to see all budding triathletes there!   PS You can purchase a membership to Conservation Halton at Conservation Halton  so you don’t have to pay for the park each trip.  I have purchased one and am willing to bring along Chicks with me to carpool!  You will also need to print and sign this waiver: Waiver

Checklist: Triathlon Ontario membership card/number, pay for Kelso Open Water Swimming and print receipt, sign and bring waiver, Conservation Halton receipt, wetsuit, 2 caps, goggles, swim watch if you have one, 2 towels, flip flops, dry clothes.

Do you have a back yard pool?  If so, than this may be of some interest to you. I  have owned my swim tether for 5 years now and it still works great.  You attach the velcro straps around a ladder and buckle the belt around your waist.  I use a pull buoy  to keep my legs from sinking. It’s a great upper body workout and saves you from flipping and turning constantly in a smaller pool.  (In triathlon you want to limit kicking so you still have “legs” for the bike and run.)  You can order one online here: Swim Tether.  The fitness model sells for 34.95 USD.

Tips from Runner’s World 2013 Daily Calendar: 1)  In the summer, plan more intense workouts at a track or some other place where you will have access to a water fountain or can rehydrate between intervals. 2)  Develop a pre-race ritual.  Each race, eat the same main course for dinner.  Hang out with friends. Wear the same running outfit.  Such rituals provide a feeling of familiarity, which helps you relax and sleep. 3) Running injury symptoms are rarely felt in the same place where the injury is located.  Understanding the true nature and cause of an injury is paramount to rehabilitating it.  4) If the thought of running your full workout is too much to bear, just suit up to run around the block.  Chances are, once you are outside, you’ll start to feel better and put in at least a few miles.

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

Monday – July 29  8:00pm

Learn to Run 5km – warm up walk for 5 minutes, alternate 60 sec jog and 90 sec walk for 20 minutes – turn after 10 min,  cool down walk for 5 minutes

Learn to Run 10km – 5km

Holding on 10km -5km

Half Marathon – 10km

Thursday –   August 1, 8:00pm

Learn to Run 5km – warm up walk for 5 minutes, alternate 60 sec jog and 90 sec walk for 20 minutes – turn after 10 min, cool down walk for 5 minutes

Learn to Run 10km – 4km with 30 sec sprint x 5

Holding on 10km – 5 km with 30 sec sprint x 5

Half Marathon – 7km with hill repeat x 2

Friday – August 2

Bike Ride – 1.5 hrs 9:15am start

Saturday – Aug 3  8:00am

Learn to Run 5km –   warm up walk for 5 minutes, alternate 90 sec jog and 2 min walk for 20 minutes – turn after 10 min down walk for 5 minutes

Learn to Run 10km – 6km 

Holding on 10km – 10km

Half Marathon – 19km

Have a wonderful week! Niki