Southern Ontario Winter Triathlon Clinic: Jan 31 - Mar 3, 2012

2012 Southern Ontario Winter Triathlon Clinic, Guelph, Ontario

Dear Fellow Triathletes and Multi-sport Enthusiasts:

Building on eight years of successful triathlon clinics in Northern Ontario, Discomfort Zone Performance Coaching is proud to announce the Discomfort Zone 2012 Southern Ontario Winter Triathlon Clinic. Running from January 31st - March 3rd, the clinic is being held in the emerging endurance sports hotbed of Guelph, Ontario.

Discomfort Zone Founder and Head Coach Mike Coughlin, fresh off his second place overall finish at the 2011 Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii, has designed this five-week series of triathlon-specific workouts to challenge all levels and abilities.  Coach Mike will provide personal instruction and training in swimming, cycling and running.

Both beginner and experienced athletes are welcome and encouraged to participate.  The combination of a social group training environment, and progressively challenging workouts delivered by an experienced, certified coach is sure to motivate all participants to reach new levels of fitness in 2012 and to have fun doing it!

More details are listed below.  For more information or to register, please contact Head Coach Mike Coughlin at dzmike@gmail.com.

Live Your Dreams!

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About the Clinic:

The clinic runs from January 31st - March 3rd, 2012. It is offered at a cost of $195 (plus membership with the Ontario Association of Triathletes), and includes:

• Tuesday evening Swim and Core Strength workouts 8:30pm-10:00pm at the Victoria Road Recreation Centre (Victor Davis Pool) in Guelph, Ontario
• Saturday morning Bike and Run workouts 9:00am-12:00pm at the Royal Distributing Athletic Performance Centre (Indoor Track /Sports Field), in Marden, Ontario (just 5 minutes North of Guelph)
• Discussion on multi-sport topics including training strategies, nutrition, effective transitions, racing tactics and more!
  
Bicycles and indoor trainers required for Saturday workouts

About the Coach:

Mike Coughlin embraced the sport of triathlon in 2001 as a new athlete looking to improve his fitness.  Since that time, he has completed over 150 endurance races from 5k road races and sprint distance triathlons to IRONMAN triathlons and beyond.  Most recently, Mike has focused on the ULTRAMAN, a 3 day, 515km stage race triathlon that consists of 10km of swimming, 421km of cycling, and a final day 84.4km double marathon run.  In November 2011, Mike competed in the ULTRAMAN World Championships on the Big Island of Hawaii, where he finished a close second overall to 5-time world champion Alexandre Ribeiro of Brazil.

Mike began coaching early in his triathlon career in Sudbury, Ontario as a YMCA triathlon coach in 2002 before founding Discomfort Zone Performance Coaching in 2004.  Mike has helped inspire and empower hundreds of athletes of all ability levels to live their dreams in sport through triathlon clinics, destination camps and personal coaching.  Coach Mike is a certified Competition Coach in Triathlon through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) in Canada.  He is currently a mentoring coach with Triathlon Canada's Regional Training Centre (RTC) in Guelph, Ontario.

Northern Ontario Winter Triathlon Clinic: Jan 29 - Mar 30, 2012

Subject:  2012 Northern Ontario Winter Triathlon Clinic, Sudbury Ontario

Dear Fellow Triathletes and Multi-sport Enthusiasts:

Following the incredible popularity of our 2010 and 2011 programs, Discomfort Zone Performance Coaching is proud to offer the Discomfort Zone 2012 Sudbury Winter Triathlon Clinic running from January 29th - March 30th under Discomfort Zone Coach Brad Walker, and held in Sudbury, Ontario.

Designed by 2011 Ultraman World Championship runner-up and Discomfort Zone Head Coach Mike Coughlin, the clinic provides hands on instruction and training in swimming, cycling and running.  It is open to beginner and experienced athletes alike.  The combination of a social group training environment, and progressively challenging workouts delivered by experienced, certified coaches is sure to motivate all participants to reach new levels of fitness in 2012 and to have fun doing it!

The clinic is offered at a cost of $195 (plus membership with the Ontario Association of Triathletes), and includes:

Clinic Kick-Off Brick Workout on Sunday, January 29th from 9:00am-12:00pm, featuring Discomfort Zone Head Coach Mike Coughlin
Monday Swim and Core Strength workouts 6:30pm-8:00pm
• Friday Bike and Run workouts 6:30pm-8:00pm (workouts alternate weekly between bike and run)
Sunday Brick workouts 9:00am-12:00pm (January 29, February 26 and March 25 only)
• All sessions will be held at Laurentian University Athletic Building in Sudbury, Ontario
Bicycles and indoor trainers required for Friday and Sunday workouts

For more information or to register, please contact Head Coach Mike Coughlin at dzmike@gmail.com.

Live Your Dreams!

Lessons the Mountains Taught Me

 
(originally published at endurancecorner.com)

Earlier this month I had the privilege of attending the EC Colorado Climbing Camp. In addition to the big training, camaraderie, lack of non-training stressors, and other well-known benefits of a training camp, we had the opportunity to train in the Rocky Mountains.
I have always felt a special connection to mountainous terrain, even though I have rarely lived close to it. My first experiences in the mountains were as a teenage downhill skier, and I quickly learned to respect them. More recently I have discovered that endurance training in this environment offers unique challenges, and that rugged terrain can be a great teacher. Here are some of the lessons the mountains taught me:

• Pace yourself. This is a common lesson in endurance training, but nowhere is it more evident than when faced with a long climb over a big mountain pass. It also became clear over the course of the week that there is great value in pacing the camp as a whole.
  
  
• Altitude magnifies mistakes. Not all mountain ranges are at high altitude, but the Rockies certainly are. Most of the camp took place between 8,000ft and 12,000ft, with a climb over 14,000ft on the final day. At those altitudes, factors like hydration, pacing and nutrition become critical and you learn to develop keen body awareness that is valuable when training and racing at any altitude.
  
  
• Beauty is powerful. I had some rough days during this camp. However, even when things were tough, I was looking at some of the most stunning scenery in the world. This really helped me see beyond myself and how I was feeling, and take a big picture view.
  
  
• We achieve more together than apart. The mountains are such a challenging environment that even the strongest athletes are humbled. The most successful climbs were those where we worked together for at least part of the time.
  
  
• Descending quickly and safely is a skill. What goes up must come down, and we spent a long time going downhill during this camp. Long, fast descents offer an opportunity to practice skills in a way that isn’t possible in flat to rolling terrain. Knowing to put your weight on the outside pedal and look through the corner is one thing. Practicing it again and again as you fly down endless switchbacks is quite another.
  
  
• We are connected to nature. With training speeds and distances nowhere near my typical range, I found myself ignoring most of my training gadgets and focusing on the environment around me. Summiting a climb on foot or two wheels carries its own satisfaction and reward, and swimming in an outdoor pool watching the sun come up over a mountain defies description. You can feel connected to nature anywhere you train, but in the mountains you can’t help but feel that way.

Endurance athletes have been using mountainous locations to train for a long time, and the camp has taught me why. If you don’t have local access to such a location, I recommend scheduling a training vacation in the mountains.
Embrace the challenge!

Interview with Endurance Corner

I had the great fortune to be interviewed for an article at Endurance Corner recently, which you can find at the link below.  They did a great job of capturing what I love about triathlon and coaching.

http://www.endurancecorner.com/team_interviews/mike_coughlin 

Thanks guys!

Congratulations Ultraman Canada Finishers!

Today marked the finish of another running of Ultraman Canada - an event near and dear to my heart.  While I was not able to be there in person, I was definitely keeping track and sending good vibes to the courageous souls testing their body mind and spirit against one of the most challenging and beautiful endurance sport courses anywhere.

Happily, I saw that 27 of 29 starters became official finishers.  Notably, the 2 that could not finish officially due to problems on days 1 and 2 took to the double marathon course on day 3 anyway and finished it - a noble feat.

I was especially pleased to see that the two-time champion and indomitable Aussie Nick Mallett (pictured during last year's race above - courtesy of Rick Kent), was able to bounce back from a DNF on the run in 2010 to finish his 5th Ultraman Canada (with a smile and a joke, no doubt).

Well done to all.  Hope you enjoy your lazy float down the Penticton channel tomorrow!

Hello from the Rockies!

The first step for many paths to self-discovery is inspiration.  It is easy for me to find inspiration in the mountains, and since I'm currently training in the Rocky Mountains around Boulder Colorado, I need only look around me.

What inspires you?