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, Nightingale or at Bloomfield Park to avoid congestion, locking beeps and car doors closing around my neighbours’ houses – especially on Saturday mornings! We run Tuesday and Thursday evenings 8pm and Saturday mornings 8am from the corner of Redwing and Blackbird Courts.  Check out Weekly Workout section for specific times and distances.

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Quotes of the Week: 

There is something about the ritual of the race – putting on the number, lining up, being timed – that brings out the best in us.

Grete Waitz

Setting goals requires gazing way out at the horizon of your life.  But once you set your course, most of the time your awareness should be on the trail under your feet.

Lauren Fleshman

I run because if I didn’t I’d be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch.  I run to breathe the fresh air.  I run to explore the ordinary.  I run…to savor the trip along the way.  Life becomes a little more vibrant, a little more intense.  I like that.

Dean Karnazes

A champion is not made when (s)he succeeds; a champion is made when (s)he looks back at the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months (s)he has spent preparing.

Eluid Kipchoge

News from the “Nest”: Sorry I didn’t get an update out last week.  This week’s will make up for it! 

I love to race! I am not fast and I would never win…it’s more about the journey and race day experience.  All the time, energy and hard work leads to a couple of hours of smiles and joy!  It’s not without some aches and pains…but these too are part of racing.  Check out my report below for the bits and pieces of our Angus Glen Half Marathon (and 10km) race day! 

Setting a goal and then achieving it is very rewarding.  Look ahead 8, 16 or 20 weeks from now and see what races could be on the horizon for you.  A 5km around New Year’s, a 10km in early March, a Half Marathon in the Spring?  Challenge yourself to a new-to-you journey and create a little joy for yourself!

My husband and four others completed in the NYC marathon last weekend and it’s hard not to get “marathon fever”! There were 50,000 runners going through the five burrows on a beautiful Fall day.  I got to run in the 5km the day before with Adele (who was racing with the elites because of her self reported pace of 5:00/mile – she thought it was in kms:) and Brenda with 10,000 other runners. So much fun!  Attending a big race weekend like this certainly gets you buzzing!

Belated congrats to Andrea and Ivonne on completing their first 5km race at the Oakville 1/2 marathon weekend!  For the life of me I can’t locate the pic you sent!!  Guess this means you need to do another race now:)

Angus Glen 2015 Race Report:  What a day! We were all up early and on the road by 6. (Tony, Martin and Jo/Derek and Christine G/Danielle and Lisa/Christine A, Daisy and myself) The weather cooperated – the sun cam up and the wind stayed down. This story is primarily about the 4 slower 1/2 marathon runners – the others all ran well with many personal bests!The first race of the day had Danielle heading to the bushes to pee pre-race because she wasn’t going to be able to make it to the washroom from sipping too much water en route:) After we got into the clubhouse, we headed to the locker room where I had purchased a locker and we managed to fit 5 bags into it!!We got ourselves settled away and walked out to the start line with 20 seconds til the gun. Had to take a pre-race selfie and our race only began when we crossed the starting mat.  We were slightly behind the masses but it enabled us to run four abreast.As we were just getting going, Lisa discovered that her headphones were not working! I decided to unplug mine and we listened to my playlist on speakerphone.  Lisa made the call – DJ Nik’s Mix!  We cruised through the first 6 km and passed only a few hardy spectators – with one crazy loud lady making us smile with her antics:) There were a couple of out-and-backs on the course so we got to see the other Oakville runners and give high 5’s along the way.  We got to also see Daisy, the only Oakville 10km runner to get into the race. After the halfway mark, we set our sites on “The Purple Lady”.  She looked to be about 60 and shuffled her way along. We knew that there was no way she could “beat” us, so we slowly started to “reel her in”. At 13km, we ran up a hill and over took her, keeping a steady pace.  We were determined not to let her catch up and cut our next walk break a little short:) Our next target, “The Big Butt Lady in the Crazy Pants”!! We passed her around 16km.  Please don’t think badly of us…sometimes distractions are needed in a long race!

At around 19.5km we entered the cart path section of the golf course where we encountered the hills – Danielle didn’t like them but I did! We were entertained by “Footloose” and “Shake it Off” and then…the DJ Nik’s Mix died!  Lisa stepped up with her tunes and after a couple of unusual songs (Harry Connick Jr. singing Winter Wonderland) we hit on Maroon 5 and a few other ones that worked. With 1 km to go I prepped the girls for good photo ops:) We let some young guy stay ahead of us so he wouldn’t infringe on our pictures!! As we entered the chute, we were all grinning ear to ear and over the final few metres we joined hands and finished with them in the air.  I teared up as we hugged after getting our medals.  I was so proud of my “Chicks”! This race was so civilized from start to finish (great race kits, indoor pre-race wait, lockers to store stuff and showers to clean up, post race lunch and indoor recovery area) Thanks to everyone who took part…including the guys! And congrats on so many PB’s:)  Thanks also go out to Tania, Chris and Olivia for making the trip to cheer us on at the finish line.Angus Glen is a “must-do” race again next year.  Remember…SIGN UP EARLY to avoid the disappointment of the race being full:)

Need Motivation to Run?:   Watch this short video of this incredible woman.  We should all aspire to be like her:) 92 Year Old Harriette Thompson

New Programs:   New Learn to Run 5km and 10km Programs will start on Saturday November 14th 8am.  Here are your programs: Learn to Run 5km Training Program (T,Th,S)   10 Km program from 5km base (T,Th,S)  Please mention this FREE program to your girlfriends.  Starting something new is more fun when you share it with others.  I do have a couple of newbies coming out to begin the Learn to Run 5km.  You would be close to being ready for any New Year’s 5km races or mid January races.

Half Marathon Spring 2016:  I know for some it’s really soon to even think about running again let alone set your sights on another half:) We took a hiatus from the Burlington Chilly Half after a messy race in 2013 but maybe it’s time to give the Chilly another chance.  The race date is March 6.  Training began on October 31st in a very gradual 18 week program from a 7km base. Here is your program Chilly Half 2016 and here is the link to more info and registration Chilly 1/2 Burlington

The other option is to choose a destination race – say Chicago? – and have a girls getaway weekend!!!!! There is the Get Lucky 1/2 on March 12 (celebrating St. Patrick’s Day) or Chi-Town 1/2 in April TBD. The benefit of having a spring race is that it’s keeps us honest and out the door running through the winter:)  The Saturday, March 12th race program will begin from 7km on this Saturday, November 14th. It goes up to 23km which gives you lots of time to get to 21km – with a cushion for travel or illness.  There are lots of recovery weeks worked into it as well.  Here is your 18 week program Get Lucky Chicago 2016  Chilly Half runners can follow this one too and we can adjust the taper as race day gets closer!

Two Cool Apps to Try:  I have just found The Christmas List app for 2.25 and love it!  I had my Christmas list on my desktop and would update and change it every year as I shopped, printing off new copies every week.  This new app let’s me divide mt list into stocking stuffers, teachers/coaches, immediate family, extended family, gifts to be ordered, gifts to be sent.  Add in your recipients , gift ideas and set budgets for each.  The countdown and progress pie chart are cool features too.  Your list can be shared, printed and archived.  Best $ I spent on an app.  Head Space  (free) is a meditation app where the  10 sessions are only 10 minutes long.  Andy’s voice (UK accent) is very relaxing.  If you love the app you can subscribe to it for a fee. An alternative is SmilingMind which has age groupings and is suitable for kids as well.  Check them out.

Do you have “Easy Freestyle DVD for Triathlon”:  I loaned this DVD to someone but I have no recollection of who!  If you have it, can you please pop it back to me so I can share with others? Many thanks!

YES I AM TALKING TO YOU!!! Have you Ordered Your Road ID?:  Spend the 20.00 on some peace of mind NOW!  If you were unconscious during a run, would EMS personnel know your details?  Unlikely!!  Order a bracelet or shoe tag at Road ID

Tips From Runner’s World Daily Calendar 2015: 1)  When icing an injury, don’t ice for more than 20 minutes or you’ll risk frostbite.  If your skin looks red, it’s a warning site you’re pushing it.  Remove the ice once you feel numbness.  2)  Running uphill takes more effort, which means it burns more calories.  Scope out routes with three or four noticeable hills, and run them once a week.  Or try hills on the treadmill: After five minutes of flat running, do a two-minute hill at three % incline.  As you increase your fitness, increase the incline or duration of the hill.  3 )  Have an adventure.  If your running is settling into too much of a routine, a monthly race will help you shake things up a bit. 4)  Runner’s knee is a common running injury marked by inflammation of the underside of the kneecap.  a common cause in new runners is building up mileage too quickly.  Being at a good running weight and having strong, flexible  quad and hip muscles helps to lessen your risk of developing runner’s knee. 5) Black toenail? Shoes that are too tight can cause this problem.  Try a half size larger or a higher toebox.  The discoloration can also be a warning that you’re running too many downhills, so keep your runs confined to flats.

This week’s workouts (Meet at 1438 Redwing Court):

Tuesday – November 10    8:00pm

Holding on 5km – 5km

Holding on 10km – 5km

Half Marathon – Rest of 5km easy run

Thursday – November 12 8:00pm    

Holding on 5km – 5km

Holding on 10km – 5km

Half Marathon – Rest of 5km easy run

Saturday – November 14 8:00am  

Holding on 5km – 5km

Holding on 10km – 10km

NEW Learn to Run 5km – Warm up walk for 5 min, alternate 60 seconds jogging and 90 seconds walking for 20 minutes (turn after 10 minutes), cool down walk for 5 minutes, stretch

NEW Learn to Run 10km – 5km

NEW Half Marathon –  7km

Tuesday – November 17    8:00pm

Holding on 5km – 5km

Holding on 10km – 10km

NEW Learn to Run 5km – Warm up walk for 5 min, alternate 60 seconds jogging and 90 seconds walking for 20 minutes (turn after 10 minutes), cool down walk for 5 minutes, stretch

NEW Learn to Run 10km – 5km

NEW Half Marathon – 6km

Have a wonderful week! Niki