N o L i m i t s T r i a t h l o n

Wasa Lake Triathlon: June 9-10, 2012

Registration is now open for the Wasa Lake Triathlon in Wasa Lake Provincial Park, BC. It is located about 30k north of Cranbook. This is a very family friendly venue with a Tri Kids event on Saturday and Sprint and Olympic events on Sunday. The lake is beautiful and there is lots of sand for the kids. You can stay in the campground on site but be sure to book for this weekend as soon as it is allowed (90 days prior) as it fills very quickly.

This Olympic course has always been known as very “fast and flat”. Last year they changed the out and back bike to be on smoother pavement and included some fun rollers (I think 5). In my opinion, this was a huge improvement. I now consider the bike course “fast and fun” with a net descent on the back portion.

There is also a relay event for teams of 2 or 3. What is unique about the relay at Wasa is that a person can be on a relay AND compete solo. This comes in handy if there is a person who wants to do the event but doesn’t want to swim. My husband and I team up and he gets to use my swim time but then do the bike and run portion. I get an overall individual time and he and I also get a relay time. They allow 40 relays to compete.

See the race website for more details: http://www.rmevents.com/

Early bird registration ends March 31, 2012

No Limits was well represented last year and I think it would be fun to have a group attend again this year. If you have any questions, post as a comment here and I’ll answer.

Who’s going to join me?
Coach Mary

No Limits has just introduced a new Sprint Triathlon Training Program called Sprint 101 Training Class.

This is a brand new program designed for new triathletes who are looking for guidance along their journey to complete their 1st Sprint Triathlon.

The class is set to start on Jan 30 and the goal race will be the Strathmore women’s triathlon. We will also have another sprint target for the guys and others who are unable to compete at Strathmore.

Please follow this link for more details.

Welcome to 2012! I had hope of running in the hypothermic half marathon in Feb but when I went to the website to sign up it was already full. Ooops!

Look at that running calendar and pick the races you want to do and then sign up so you will not be left out like I was.

Here are some calgary races that are popular and will fill up:

St Pats 10 Km – March 17 https://eventsonline.ca/events/stpats_calgary/
Early bird reg ends TODAY!!!!

Icebreaker 10 Km April 1 – entry forms can be dropped off at the Glencoe Club on Jan 16 and this will fill up for sure

http://calgaryroadrunners.com/index2.php

Police Half marathon http://calgarypolicehalf.typepad.com/
Will fill up!

I plan to run in the St Pats and Icebreaker 10 Km’s.

For the St Pats 10 Km we will have an early morning bike ride at the brick class and then we will head over to race the 10 Km. Last year was lots of fun. Email me if you would like to drop in to the brick that day.

Post a comment below if you are racing any of the above races or if there are any other races we should be aware of.

Stay warm…it is cold out there today.

During the last swim session of 2012 we had a fun swim workout called the 12 days of Christmas. On the 12 day of Christmas my true love gave to me….1 x 50 sprint as fast as you can go. Click the video to watch the fun.

This would be the last showdown between Ricker and Howie. It was very hard to tell but the photo on facebook gives an idea of who one.

Nonetheless…

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to all and we at No Limits wish you all the best for 2012!!!

Coaches Todd and Mary

It’s a busy time of year for everyone and typically our nicely structured daily training schedules go out the window the first time the doorbell rings sounding the arrival of an unexpected guest.  It is important to relax a bit and enjoy time with family and friends, but, while doing so, you can still maintain the fitness you’ve worked so hard to achieve.

For many of us, our weekly spin, brick, and/or swim sessions end the week before Christmas and don’t resume until the 2^nd week in Jan.  This is 3 weeks!   If we stop our training completely while indulging a bit more than usual the result can be a significant weight gain and a painful first 4-6 weeks of the new year as we try to battle back to our former levels of fitness.  Here are some ways to sneak in some workouts over the holidays:

• Skiing / Snowboarding
• Cross country skiing
• Snow shoeing – this is great for all ages.  Costco sells snowshoes.  We have rented them from MEC.  I did this with my 65 year old parents and 5-7 year old boys.  Note: you will need to have some treats back at the car to keep the young ones motivated.
• Sledding with the kids – aka, hill repeats!  Your kids will love it that you want to quickly run their sleds back up the hill for them over and over again.
• Go to a rec. center- many options here.  Take your kids for a skate, a swim, and play basketball. Depending on the facility there might be waterslides where you will have the opportunity to repeatedly scale many flights of stairs.  Maybe you can sneak into the lap pool for a quick swim workout.
• Meet a training partner for a run, spin or swim.  It’s always more fun with company and you are less likely to skip the workout when the other person is counting on you to show up.
• Go for family walks after supper to take in the neighborhood Christmas lights.
• Wake up early to do a quick spin or run and feel content that it’s done before breakfast.

As you can see from the list, there are many ways to stay active.  Let me know your ideas so I can add them to the list for next year.

With respect to nutrition, chocolate is good for you, eating an entire Bernard Callebaut log is not.  Regarding sweets, which seem to be my pitfall, I try to do some baking of my own.  When I see that a certain cookie recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter it’s a good reminder to limit my consumption.  Same thing applies to cooking a holiday meal…so help out J

Remember, it’s not the end of the world if you deviate a little from your normal path.  You just don’t want to get lost in the woods.  Moderation is the key.

Happy Holidays everyone!
Coach Mary

Coach Todd: Madi I remember one of the first times that I met you. You were at a hotel and Rose had just finished Ironman Canada. Both of you were so excited. You said that you wanted to do an Ironman one day. And I think you even said when you were 18. Now look at you. You are an up and coming future triathlon star.

Coach Todd: Tell everyone a little about what distance of race you are focusing on right now.

Madi: I remember that meeting too. You were very tall to me back then. I have just moved up to U23 this year. It is so exciting to be going up to Olympic distance and being on the start line with the best in the world. I am going to learn so much from them. Ironman will have to wait for a little bit

Coach Todd: What does your typical week look like in terms of training? For example how many workouts do you get in and how many hours do you train?

Madi: I train 2 disciplines a day minimum. This year is much more volumes than I have ever done because double the distance but making sure not to get injured. This time of year is swim focus though (since it was never my strength). So to answer your question 4 hrs and up a day. I love it.

Coach Todd: People will often comment that you are a beautiful runner. Do you have any tips for people to improve their run?

Madi: That’s so nice to hear. I love running, especially with you, but I have really struggled the last 2 years with my run as I just kept growing and growing and not getting faster. At the end of last season I started to feel like myself again and I am finally getting stronger and everything else is catching up. It’s going to be a great season. You just need to stick with it and it will come.

Coach Todd: One tip that we talked about years ago and I still share with athletes is how you imagine that when running hills you pretend you are running on flat ground. That is a great tip. What is your favorite run workout to do?

Madi: I’m not crazy about the structured cross-country and indoor track workouts but I love it when runs have a lot of variety so I don’t get bored. I always have to stay focused and feel challenged. I do like to have a partner push me and someone I can challenge as well. And hill workouts are still my favorite because they are flat! Hehe

Coach Todd: On your Facebook page you often have your picture beside well-known athletes like Lance Armstrong etc.. Who has been the most interesting athlete you have met and why?

Madi: I have been so lucky to meet so many great people. I sometimes can’t believe how lucky I am. It’s so hard to pick because they all influence me in so many ways. I love strong women like Heather Wurtle, Janelle Morrison, Bree Wee, Gwen Jorgenson, Paul Finlay and women like Syl Corbett, Jill Kirker and Richelle. They are so stong and positive and never quit through all the ups and downs. But my most inspirational has been Mark Allen. He is one tough cookie. He has so much experience and is so so tough. I love talking to him.

Coach Todd: A big part of being successful in triathlons is being able to control what you think (self-talk) and say. Picture this…you are in the middle of a triathlon working super hard and you are just behind the leaders. What do you say or picture in your mind at this point.

Madi: My first thing that I say to myself is that “I can do all things through Christ” (Lisa Bentley’s saying as well) there are No Limits if you believe in yourself. It doesn’t always work trying to be positive and you have to have tons of practice doing it because if you stop for one second and let one negative thing in it just grows. I am still working on it hehe.

Coach Todd: One more question. What are your plans for the future? Where do you see yourself in 2 years?

Madi: I see myself being healthy and happy racing on the World Cup circuit, representing Canada and being an Olympic hopeful for 2016. I am grateful to be able to this sport and chase my dream. Oh and trying to catch you Todd

Coach Todd and Mary are both taking on new athletes starting in January.
Todd has 1 spot available and Mary has 2. Send us an email or use our contact page for more information.

The Winter Classes are now open for registration. http://nolimitstriathlon.com/classes/

Please send me an email or through Contact Page to reserve your spot in your favorite class.

Thanks,
Todd

Mary's spin class

The 2011 Ford Ironman World Championship will be broadcast on NBC Sports on December 10, 2011 from 4:30pm to 6:00pm EST.