Monday, March 19, 2012

Website revamp

Hey there .. thanks for following us at this blog .. we had almost 1500 hits in the last year!

As you no doubt have noticed, we have revamped our website and future blog posts will be found directly on the new site

Check it out ..


Monday, March 5, 2012

Running around

FYI .. There was a half marathon this past Saturday in the town of Everson, Washington. I mention it for three reasons:

1. It was a certified course

2. $10 entry free on race morning

3. Race started at 10am!

It's about a 150km drive from here so it requires a bit of effort to get there but it was worthwhile.

How great would it be to have something similar here?

The season ahead

Excerpt from a newsletter comment by Lance Watson:
Success for all athletes starts with a belief - a dream - that you can achieve. This dream gives birth to reality.  However, before you can chase your dreams, you must know exactly what they are and where you are in relation to them.  You must also have the courage to make your own rules, and not allow yourself to be governed by perceived or imposed limitations.  Achieving a goal, whether it be winning the Gold Medal or finishing a sprint triathlon, makes us successful.

March is here and race season is drawing nearer. Most athletes are now honing in on their season goals. This is a great time to review what you want to get out of the season. Every person on the start line of a triathlon, whether it is a local sprint event or a world cup, has a goal that they are looking to achieve.  For some, it may just be to finish the race and have fun, others may want to finish feeling strong or in a certain time, and still others will be looking for a top placing.

Commitment to improving your performance is something you must establish for yourself.  No one can tell you what is important in your life - that is your decision.  It is clear that successful athletes are highly committed to excellence.  There is no way to achieve a high level of excellence in your training without a high level of commitment.

However, sometimes the commitment you want to make and the commitment that is realistic are not the same.   Many of the daily duties of life limit us from having enough time to devote a majority of our time to only training.  There is only so much time in a day and it must be shared between work, family or relationship obligations, training, and rest.  Weigh your priorities and decide where sport fits in. Find a sense of balance and peace with what you can commit, and then be determined to get the most out of the time, both mental and emotional energy you can invest.

Establishing your goals is the first step. The next step is to develop a strong strategy as to how you will achieve the goals.

First off, write down your goals.  Sit down and spend 15 minutes writing out your goals.  I recommend writing out your long-term "dream goal", your race goals this season (rank the importance of each race), and the steps you need to take in each sport in order to achieve your goals. Work on your step-by-step goals daily in practice.

Make sure you refer back to these written words to maintain your focus and commitment.

Secondly, you should share your goals.  Don't be afraid to tell the people close to you what you want to achieve.  A social support system can help you stay on track when times get tough.  Many times when an athlete is struggling with their training or racing, a coach, friend or parent can help them remain calm and maintain their training commitment.

Finally, visualize your goals.   See yourself achieving everything you have written down.  You want to visualize every detail of your racing performance being perfect.  Small technical details such as start position in the water, proper transitions, pedal cadence on the bike, and relaxed arms while running, should appear vividly.  These details will help translate visualization into reality.  This imagery engages your thoughts, emotions and feelings and more importantly, blends your daily workouts into your goals. Blending visualization and mental preparation into physical training helps encompass all aspects that affect triathlon performance and molds a holistic approach for managing the real-life training and racing scenarios faced by every athlete.

LifeSport coaches have led Olympic athletes and coached Olympic teams. This requires detailed, in depth goal setting and a clear vision on how to get the athlete there. These coaching skills are transferable to athletes of all levels. The role of the coach is to help you create an achievable structure of training, sport education and support that fits your life plan to meet your goals, and to remind you if you have gotten off track. A good coach will help you maximize the time you do have, to strive for personal excellence, and achieve more than you can on your own. Your coach puts considerable time into the sport planning, so you have more mental energy to focus on the workouts in front of you, and an efficient schedule that allows you to also be successful in your work and family life as well.

LifeSport head coach Lance Watson has coached a number of Olympians, Ironman and Age Group champions. He enjoys coaching athletes of all ages and abilities who are passionate about sport and personal excellence.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Republic spinning - FREE

Free spin at Republic Bicycles Thursday night was a good one! Just bring your bike, your trainer and you are set to spin with coach Mike McCarney and some fellow cyclists and Titans. 

Friday, February 24, 2012

Get Flippin'

Flippin' Tuesdays
Thanks to Roseline for a fantastic Flippin’ Tuesday on Feb 21st. We had excellent attendance and all participants improved their flip turn skills. Thanks also to Roseline for providing muffins for breakfast for the group. Missed the first Flippin Tuesday? Join us for the next Flippin’ Tuesday, March 20th 6:30am – 7:30am. See you flippin there!
 
5K Time Trial Run #2
This coming Tuesday (February 28th) will be 5k Run #2.  Meet the group at the Executive Inn (on Tanatlus Rd.) at 6:30pm and have a good time! For an even better time meet at the Watershed Grill at around 7:45pm (or shortly before) where we'll be refuelling and obsessing over the good times we had.

More Yoga
We are planning to have another round of yoga with Andrea once she's back from vacation.  The dates we are looking at are March 11, 18, 25 plus April 1 and 15 (not Easter Weekend).  As before we need 15 people to commit for all 5 sessions and the price will be $35 ($7 per session).    New people are always welcome, but sign up fast because it caps at 20 people.  Email me at rshirt@telus.net by Wed. Feb 29 if you're intersted. 

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Mark your LOCAL calendar

Racing isn't cheap, especially if you have to drive somewhere and book accommodation. But as you'll see from the list here (and please let me know of any additions), Squamish is home to a superb range of races this year.
May 12 - Orecrusher
May 27 - Loop the Lakes trail runs of 8k, 15k and Half marathon
$35 to $45 if you register by May 14
June 9  - 5Peaks 
$45 for individuals
June 16 - Test of Metal
June 23/24 - Tough Mudder Whistler Olympic Park 
July 15  - Bob McIntosh Triathlon 
$95 for individuals, $171 for three person teams until June 28
July 21  - Gear Jammer
Aug 5    - Loggers Days 10k   
$23 if you register before July 8
Aug 11  - Squamish 50 (50 miler, Relay or 21k options)
 entry fees rise on April 1
Aug 18  - JABR  (Just another bike race)
Sept 8   - GranFondo Whistler  55k or 122k options  $250 each 
Sept 22 - Spartan    
$80 for an individual if you register before March 30

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Off road running (5 Peaks)

For those who prefer a more 'outdoors' running challenge.

The 5 Peaks series is back this season.    www.5peaks.com

April 21 - Gold Ears
June 9 - TBD
July 21 - Cypress
July 28 - Silver Star
August 25 - Whistler
Sept 29 - Buntzen Lake

the sport distances range from 6-7km, the enduro events are 10-15k

Road running

There are two competing and yet overlapping running series to tap into.

First there is the BC Athletics' BC Road Running Serives. The first three of the 15 events on this list have already happened.

www.bcathletics.org/RRSeries

Second, there is the Lower Mainland Road Race Series. The first one of 11 events has already passed.

www.lmrrs.com

For those not looking to travel too far afield,

The Vancouver area races include:

March 3 - Dave Reed 5k
March 17 - St Patrick's 5k
April 1 - Gibson's half marathon
April 15 - Sun Run
May 13 - Mother's Day 5k (Port Moody)
May 27 - Shaughnessy 8k
June 10 - Sandcastle City 10k (White Rock)
June 15 - North Shore Credit Union Longest Day 5k
July 21 - Summerfast 10k
Aug 5 - Squamish Loggers Day's 10k
Aug 19 - Richmond Oval 10k

here's the Dave Reed Spring Classic 5k on March 3rd in Vancouver, the Sun Run on April 15, the Mother's Day 5k in Port Moody on May 13th, the Running Room Shaughnessy 8k on May 27, the Sandcastle City Classic 10k on June 10 in White Rock and the Longest Day 5k on June 15.

Sun Run details

Sun Run - Sunday April 15

early bird pricing has ended for the Sun Run .. but between now and the end of March it's $45 for an individual and then it will rise $5

First Half

Four Squamish Titans athletes competed in last weekend's "First Half" Half Marathon with some fantastic results.

Margreet Dietz and Volker Schneider both posted 1 hour 27 minute times with Margreet taking 2nd in her age category.

Zoe Dawson came in shortly afterwards in 1:32 with Tim Moore hot on her heels in 1:33.  Nice work all!! 

Overall the race was incredibly competitive with the overall winner coming in at 1:04.



Monday, February 13, 2012

English Bay Swim meet


Roseline reports that Squamish Titans posted some stellar results at the weekend's English Bay Swim meet. 

In all, the athletes brought home : 8- 1st place, 3- 2nd place, 3-3rd place, 1-4th and 1- 6th. 

Great job swimmers: Andrew Clegg, Olivia Morgan, Heather Sidsworth and Simon Crevier. Good job also to Kelly Kaye who was an honorary member and competed with us yesterday.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Czech Training Camp

Jan has sent a reminder about the training camp he has planned this spring/early summer.

You can find more details at his web site  www.janfrancke.com

He is looking for a minimum of three athletes to sign up by the end of this month.

Take care and hopefully see you soon!

Jan Francke

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Callaghan ski opportunity

he Callaghan Winter Sports Club would like to formally invite the Squamish Titans and the Squamish Rotary Club to participate in one of our fun club functions, on February 8th, Wednesday at Whistler Olympic Park.
 
The event is a Full Moon Glow Ski.   No experience is necessary.  We will be meeting at the Dog Park Overflow Parking about 6:30 we will be barbequing up a few hot dogs and hamburgers and we will have water and hot chocolate as well as a campfire on hand.  The idea is that we will ski and snowshoe around the flat doggie loop.    Members of the club will be on hand to give some simple instruction to absolute beginners but if you can walk you can ski.
 
Everyone is welcome.  Bring your pooch, your children, your friends and enjoy a Full Moon Glow Ski from 6:30 - 8:00.   Headlamps recommended for anyone venturing beyond the glow of our campfire and BBQ.
 
The special rates at WOP for this event will be $12 for pass and $26 rentals or a combo price of  Rentals & Pass for $36.  There is no charge for Season's pass holders with equipment. 
 
On behalf of the Callaghan Winter Sports Club, I thank you for your consideration of our social event.
 
Sincerely, Denise Imbeau
Denise ImbeauIBusiness Development Manager
Greg Gardner GM  Iwww.greggardnergm.com
Phone:  604.898.2277 I Cell: 604.815.2197IFax: 604.898.2281

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Oliver half iron .. fee to rise soon

  
OLIVER HALF IRON IS FILLING UP

Registration is now open and if you register before February 15th, you can take advantage of the current registration price.

In its ninth year the Oliver Half Iron has sold out each year as athletes come to Oliver, BC to race in the “Wine Capital of Canada” the first Sunday in June.  The race is highlighted by a one loop swim in the spring-few waters of Tucelnuit Lake off Rotary Beach and then a short run around the corner to transition at Tucelnuit Elementary.

The 93Km bike course consists of two loops past Oliver wineries on a scenic journey through some of the nicest riding in Canada. Off the bike, runners head out on a two loop course through quiet residential streets as they make their way out on to the Hike and Bike pathway alongside the Okanagan River and back to the finish at Rotary Beach.

The race also features the “voice of Ironman Canada” Steve King announcing, a post-race BBQ for athletes and their families and is again slated to be a qualifier for Ironman Canada 2012.  This is a great race for athletes competing at IMCDA and IMC. Past winners of the event include Tom Evans, Michellie Jones, Linsey Corbin, Scott Neyedli and Jonathon Caron.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

5k TT begin

First 5k benchmark for your fitness was tonight.

It was a bit wet but conditions overall were good. Solid turnout.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Titans yoga

itans Yoga is back for 2012!  Our instructor, Andrea, is keen to have five weekly sessions from Jan. 22through to Feb. 19th if there is enough interest.  We would be meeting from 4:45 - 5:45pm on Sundays and need a minimum of 15 people committed to make this next round happen.  

Note that in order to cover the studio rental fee in addition to paying our fantastic instructor, the price will be $6-7 per session depending on the number of people that commit.  You need to pay the full $30-35 at the first class.  This is still a massive bargain for yoga. 
If you are interested please email Roger (rshirt@telus.net) before Thursday, Jan19.

Classes are held at Shala Yoga Studio which is located in the building behind Chevron and across from Sushi Sen.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

First board meeting of year

The new board has met for the first time.

Each of the three sports - swim, bike and run - has a coordinator. This year Yi-khy will be the swim coordinator and Derek will be the bike coordinator.

We are still seeking a volunteer to be the run coordinator. Potential announcement pending.

The next board meeting in Feb 13. Meetings, in general, are held every second Monday each month. So if there's something on your mind, please bring it to our attention.

Friday, January 6, 2012