Trail Running

Oakville, Milton and Hamilton are a few of the best places to trail run. I have a few different routes I usually do to stay away from wind, cars and to be totally honest people seeing me. I always get asked when I run and I tell them hit the trails and you will find me! My shoes get a bit muddy but I stay injury free and field with energy. A study I read one time in Runners World explained that running on the road around cars and inhaling C02 decreases performances by 10% on the given day. After that article I always hit the trails.

As Runners World Puts it..My RAVE TRAILS

NEYAGAWA TRAIL: Take Dundas and head south on Neyagawa Road in Oakville. Park at the baseball diamond and head across the street into the trail. It is a 8.5 KM loop taking the East to West bank trail. There are 2 major downhills and uphills and rollers all along the run. It gets a bit confusing so focus on the signs when you are doing this loop. If I have a hilly run to do or focusing on strength this is the way to go. I also can leave bottles on the side of trail so I don't have to carry them.

DOG PARK Oakville: Take Dundas to Eighth Line and head South until you see the Dog Park on your left hand side across from the church. It is a 9.5km loop, which is my run I use to train for Boston. It is 5km downhill then 4.5km slightly uphill with usually a headwind the whole way back! I usually do 3 and a bit laps when I got to my peak training. Route: Head from Dog Park across street to church. Take trail left across Glenashton and start heading south. Cross over Upper Middle Rd and head down the big hill. Once you come out along the flood line head East over Eighth Line and follow the pipe line until you enter a trail on your right. Take it up until you shoot across Upper Middle Again and head up Grand Blvd. Keep heading North on Grand, which becomes North Ridge and make a left onto another pipe line, which will take you back to the dog park!

16 MILE CREEK TRAIL: Take Dundas, West just before you cross over the bridge and see Appleby Line you want to park next to the School Bus Depot. The entrance looks like a driveway but when you get in you make a hard left and the run is amazing. Not the best footing but so much fun to run in the mood. I usually do an out and back 12km run.

HILTON FALLS: Little Trick is to enter from the road up Sixth Line Hill...you didn't hear that from me;) Once in the loop is a 9.5km Loop along the Beaver Dam Trail. It is good to do once but I find doing 2 loops puts a lot of strain on my ankles and last thing I need is to roll and ankle. Also during the summer there is a lot of walkers and bugs!!

DUNDAS VALLEY: Located off Roaussex Rd up the Mountain. Take the 403 through Hamilton on your way to Ancaster. This is a great trail for MTB and running. You can find many Kenyan runners and McMaster cross country runners out in these trails. Very Similar to Neyagawa so think twice before making the drive out!

Enjoy the season!

Saucony Kinvara

Today I got word that I will be receiving the new Saucony Kinvara shoes. I am super excited to get them on my feet and ready to go fast at the Boston Marathon this Monday!

Here is what Jessica said about the shoe!

All my athletes but one are trying them out and likely racing in them. They're a lightweight trainer, but absolutely great for race day still. To give you a good example, I've had one of the athletes who's competing at Boston, wear them at the U.S. national 1/2 marathon a few weeks ago, and he loved them. He used to be in the Type A3 for race day, but they were just too minimal for him at these distances. The Kinvara was perfect balance of lightweight, cushioning and speed. The men's Kinvara weighs in at 7.7oz, a training shoe typically weighs around 11.5oz, and our lightest racing flat (Type A3) is 6.7oz. You can do the math, but you're looking at a lot of extra cush for the Kinvara.

We've coined the phrase "minimalism meets maximum performance"

Just over a week to go!

Around the Bay Pics

Krista makes the pictures look good..haha Saucony What!

2010 Race Schedule

I have finally figured out my 2010 race schedule. For most of you who don't know the WTC came out with a plan to increase the drug testing in the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 races all over the world. I will have to admit going to a race and watching some of these athletes drop a 1:11 half marathon off the bike is very impressive, but we will never know if it was them or something helping them. These tests will put all the comments to rest because each athlete will be tested when getting their Professional Membership to the WTC. The upside to the card is you can race any Ironman or 70.3 around the world with no hassles at all. Just give them a call and you are in. The downside is it costs 750 US. This being said, I decided to focus on the great events in Canada and within driving distance in the states.

The races in Canada, to be honest are the best around. There a few race directors who really care about athletes and the safety of the sport and are not just looking for a fast buck. If you are a beginner or advance triathlete I would look to 1) Trisport Canada 2) Multisport Canada and 3) Esprit Triathlon in Montreal. If you are looking to go abroad then there is a great series called Rev3tri, where Heather has put out some pretty cool prizes for pros and age groupers!

Also if you would like to race and help out against cancer then check out 1) Joe's Team and 2) Half full tri in MD, which helps fights against Cancer in Teenagers. Both are great event that I am excited to help out with.

So after all said and done here is my 2010 race schedule:

APRIL 19th - Boston Marathon

MAY 24th - Victoria Duathlon (Trisport)

JUNE 6th - Rev 3 Tri 70.3 in CT
JUNE 27th - Welland 70.3 (Multisport)

JULY 10th - Joe's Team Sprint in Muskoka
JULY 25th - Muskoka Chase (Trisport)

AUG 8th - Bracebridge 70.3 (Multisport)

SEPT 11th - Esprit 70.3 (Montreal)

OCT 3rd - Half Full Tri 70.3 in MD