Well I truly was having a fantastic race. In my swim warm up I saw a huge manta ray gliding through the water. It gave me a sense of calm and wonder.  I positioned myself well in the 1000 person mens wave. I set out strong but kept telling myself to relax and be smooth (Franky Goes to Hollywood Song running through my brain) . The first 600m was in the shallow part of the ocean so I felt comfortable.  Then the course headed out to deep sea and choppier waters. The day brought unique and strong winds down from the massive volcano. Most locals said it was the hardest conditions in the last 5 years. 

Thanks to all those CSR athletes who came out to support your teammates yesterday at the Police Half Marathon!  Was so cool to see many of you on the race course.

Here are some fantastic results from the race! As a team, we did very well with many of your hitting a personal best! All that hard work is paying off! Well done. Goodness after going through the list of racers, I know I have missed someone in this list.

My current morning routine usually incorporates a quick body mass check on the bathroom scale. Most often it indicates my level of hydration but it also serves as my wake up call. To run fast and minimize impact trauma, the lighter you are the better. Of course that makes sense, but you also need to understand that there is an acceptable weight gain in the off-season, an ideal training weight and a target body weight for your peak race.

In a simulated triathlon when approaching the wall for a turn, try to swim a quick and short diagonal approach when coming into the wall for a turn. This results in a straight forward push off, and you will be on the side that you will swim back. This allows the swimmer, who is likely drafting you, to do the same, and keeps the lane organized for optimal flow without head on collisions. This really applies to swimming at any time. The exception is when experienced swimmers tumble turn and push off deep enough to actually go under the approaching swimmer... yikes.

Hi XTERRA Athletes,

2013 brings much change for off road racing.  Unfortunately, the XTERRA series no longer exists under the XERRA brand.  Many of you have already entered the World XTERRA Championships through the "at large" option.  If you did not do this or did not get accepted, I suggest racing the Regional Championships in the USA to earn a slot for Worlds 2013.  Most Western Canadian will head down to Las Vegas for their April 13th event.

Huge congrats to Shannon Winslade for smashing her marathon personal best at the Arizona Rock and Roll Marathon on Sunday.

Online Distance Coaching

CoachCal only accepts 10 online distance clients per year. Most online distance coached athletes will either travel to Calgary once or twice a year or participate in many camp options to further connect with CoachCal.  Phone call or skype contact is once per month for program design and evaluation. Frequent email reporting is expect. Training diaries are not necessary but are helpful in assessing training stress. Often a phone conversation with the outlined program onhand is more effective to assess how the athlete is absorbing the training load and assess mental motivation and possible fatigue. Programs are emailed to the athlete once every 3-4 weeks. Exact details of BRICK sessions, BIKE sessions, TRACK workouts, SWIM Sessions and even Self Test Protocols are sent.

After attending the TrainingPEAKs University, I have decided NOT to use their platform. For triathlon, it just does not work. For cycling it is amazing. But there is NO integration of swim, bike, run and other training modalities and the massive assumptions of accurate data collection for THREE disciplines clouds the important decisions. To discuss, feel free to contact coachcal@criticalspeed.com

Features

Detailed Customized Training Sent By Email
Monthly Phone Conversation to Assess Past Training and Outline Future Limitation (Athletes Cost)
Unlimited Email Interaction
Priority Camp Placement
Discount on CSR Team Gear and Product
Purchasing Discounts

COST: 200.00 plus gst per month or 200.00 USD per month

Contact CoachCal for Availability at coachcal@criticalspeed.com

2019 CSR Computrainer Enduro Time Trials for IRONMAN Racing!

Launched in 2013, these EPIC Time Trials were critical in the success of many Ironman performances.  I personally used these training sessions to race fast at 70.3 Utah (May 2) and 70.3 Honu (June 6) in 2015!  There is NO better way to get fit then suffering with others while watching a motivating sporting event. Starting in January, only 10 positions will be offered in 2018! Reserve your spot early and have your best season ever!

These cycling sessions are designed specifically for riding long and strong for 3.0-4.0 hours at a designated IRONMAN power and cadence. Set the computrainer at your dream Ironman Power and ride away while watching an inspiration event on the big screen. Or the entire group will ride one of the many Ironman or Ironman 70.3 courses after a good warm up. After the Computrainer Ride, athletes are encouraged to run 15-60'. If weather is too cold to run outside, a short drive to Mount Royal University can provide a track or treadmill for the EPIC BRICK (drop in fees apply).  After all 5 sessions, you will have the exact heart rate, power, hydration and fueling strategy tried and tested. Maximum Capacity is 10 Riders! Planet Foods will provide Ultima and Honey Stinger Gels and Waffles.  As a bonus to help acclimate to hot races, the studio temperature can be elevated up to 25 degree with high humidity. For those athletes interested in a HUGE weekend, 3-5hr BRICK sessions are scheduled on Sunday and can be attended (Drop In Fees Apply).

In Preparation for IRONMAN Events in MAY/JUNE/JULY, 2019

Dates: All Saturdays
January 5th,  9:00am - 12:00pm (3.0 hours) + 1hr Running Outside or MRU at 4pm
February 2nd, 9:00am - 12:15pm (3.15 hours) + 1hr Running Outside or MRU at 4pm
March 2nd, 9:00am - 12:30pm (3:30 hours) + 1hr Running Outside or MRU at 4pm
April 6th, 9:00am - 12:45pm (3.45 hours) + 1hr Running Outside or MRU at 4pm
May 4th, 9:00pm - 1:00pm (4 hours) + 1hr Running Outside or MRU at 4pm

COST: 275.00 (includes access to MRU at 4:00pm)

Contact CoachCal for Availability at coachcal@criticalspeed.com

CSR 2018 - 2019 Sunday Aerobic Power and Endurance BRICKs

SPACE is LIMITED TO 30 Athletes for 2018-2019  (Full Time CSR Athletes with Priority Placement). If you want to secure a spot in these EPIC BRICK sessions, you should consider joining the team (Either Personal Program with CoachCal, BRONZE Program, Daytime Program or Cycling Program).

These sessions are critical when developing endurance in preparation for a break through season in Triathlon, Cycling, UltraRunning and Adventure Racing. Even ultra runners will benefit from these long sessions. Building in duration and difficulty, from 3-5 hours, these BRICKS are done at Mount Royal University on their indoor track. All BRICK sessions start at 9am unless there are facility conflicts. There are a few BRICK sessions that will push into 5 hours.  BRICK session begin in November and end May. After participating in the majority of these training session, you will be able to ride long and strong in early Spring. The BRICK sessions incorporate 90% cycling with small amount of running and conditioning intervals.

Cost

CSR Full Time Evening Triathletes: FREE
CSR DayTime and Private Coached Athletes: 20.00 flat rate
CSR Cycle Program Athletes: 20.00 flat rate

Equipment: Bike and Trainer, Swim gear, Run Gear and Personal Nutrition. Water and Ultima (electrolyte powder) provided.

Fees:  Are to be paid at time of session. This includes access to the facility.

Actual Heart Rate Trace of a 4 Hour Brick Session

Well it is the week of Ironman for most of you. Many of you are Ironman rookies, venturing into your first ultra endurance event.

Please consider the event as a personal challenge of execution and inner strength and even patience, rather than a race.