Jen Amaral

The weekend is fast approaching and time is running out to register for the Triathlon 101 session hosted by Dr. Steve Connor and myself. The clinic will take place at Cyclepath in Oakville from 1-4pm. Please see below for the poster with all of the details about the session.

Click here to see the Triathlon 101 poster

I hope to see you there!

Join Dr. Steve Connor and myself this Sunday, January 29th at Cyclepath Oakville from 1-4pm for Triathlon 101. This clinic will be a great opportunity for triathletes of all abilities to learn more about triathlon – from those who are hoping to complete their first triathlon this summer to seasoned triathletes looking for some tips and tricks to spice up their season.
We will answer all of your questions and cover a number of topics with a focus on swim, bike and run specific sessions, triathlon rules, training and racing tips and bike maintenance – at home and on the road.
The cost of the clinic is $30 per person. Light refreshments will be served. Please contact Jen at jenamaral1@gmail.com to register.
I look forward to seeing you there!

Click here to see the Triathlon 101 poster

Summer has come and gone and fall races are complete. I love each of the seasons but autumn has a special place in my heart. It’s a time when I get to sit back and reflect on my season of racing and channel that energy to prepare for the coming year. The air is crisp and the sun is warm. The trees along my favourite trails turn all shades of yellow, orange and red and then fall to the ground so that I can run through them like I am a kid again. I love the fall! 

As I sit back and reflect on my season I see successes and areas for improvement. I had a busy summer but with less racing than I have done in previous years. 

Back in June I raced one of my favourite races – the Muskoka Long Course triathlon. I had a good swim and a strong bike. The hilly run course was a challenge as always but I was able to finish strong to take the overall win. I was so so pleased with my execution and focus during this race and felt so honoured to have had such a great race. 

After Muskoka I headed to Peterborough to race my only half ironman of the season. I had a solid swim in the warm lake and a great opening half of the bike leg. After the turn around we faced some headwinds and I was fighting to stay focussed and strong. I increased my fuel and felt my energy come back around with about 20km to go. I came into T2 feeling strong…maybe a little too strong! I ran my first kilometer out of the gate in just over 4:00, which was a little quick. I told myself to scale it back and I settled into a steady pace. Paolina and I had some great head-to-head competition until about 12-14km when the wheels started to come off (it was me that was fading…Paolina went on to finish so strong!) I was fighting dehydration (we later discovered) and shuffled between aid stations where I had to walk to get enough fluid into me. The aid stations seemed a little further apart than in previous years which was a big challenge on a hot, hot day. I focussed on the little things: getting enough fluid, taking in salt and gels and getting from one aid station to the next. I crossed that finish line completely exhausted. The race was an excellent reminder of how relentless the heat and wind can be and how important it is to make sure that I am properly fuelled and hydrated, especially in such tough conditions. 

I had originally planned more triathlons for the second half of the season but plans changed! I had an opportunity to be a part of a fantastic team at the Centurion Road Race up in Collingwood in September. It was a very well organized event and an awesome day that was highlighted by the fact that I got to enjoy 50 miles with good friends – new and old! Thanks for an awesome day Malcolm, Gord, Erik, FLY and Mike!

After Centurion I had a nice little run focus in preparation for my final races of the season. I ran the Oakville Half at the end of September in the height of my marathon training. I had a solid race in Oakville. With all of the miles on my legs it was a bit of a battle physically but I was able to stay consistent throughout the race to finish just under 1:32. I was hoping to have a faster run and match my PB for the distance but I think based on the miles under my legs 1:32 was a great day out there!  

After the half in Oakville I had 3 weeks left in my prep for the Toronto Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon. Over the final weeks I had a little work travel thrown into the schedule which meant I had to focus extra hard on my nutrition and ensure I was getting enough rest. 

The marathon experience was incredible and I will save the details for another post. Here is a little taste of the pain and relief I felt at the finish line!

Over the last few months, I have been involved with a lot of events and activities involving running. Instructing the half marathon clinic at the Running Room this winter was an absolute blast! I loved being around such a dedicated, hardworking group of runners. Throughout the winter we battled sleet, snow, wind and some 40 below days and not once did I see anyone’s spirit break. We even had one of our last long runs along the Chilly Half Marathon course (the race that the majority of the runners were aiming towards) supported by Eload. Everyone had a chance to test out their great sports drink and gels prior to race day!

Lauren & Duncan helping out at one of the Eload aid stations on our last long run on the Chilly race course

We received a nice dump of snow the night before the Chilly Half making the roads slick for race morning. Despite the tough conditions there were plenty of great performances had by all. My sister Stephanie was among the runners who completed their very first half marathon.

Stef and I...cold, tired and happy!

Once my run clinic was over I set my sights on a new goal: fundraising for my Ride to Conquer Cancer! With help from some great sponsors I hosted a 5K fun run at the Oakville Running Room to raise money for this year’s Ride to Conquer Cancer. I decided to host the run at the end of April in hopes that the weather would cooperate but unfortunately we woke up to cold, windy, snowy weather. Despite Mother Nature’s cold spell there were plenty of runners that turned out for the event.

Myself, Lauren and Christina at our fundraising table before the crowds gathered

And then the runners arrived!

Thanks to our generous sponsors we were able to provide pre and post run refreshments. I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Starbucks for a generous supply of coffee, Fortinos for the fresh fruit and to Longos for cases of water to keep everyone well hydrated!

Thank you also to those who donated prizes for the runners: Eload, Racer Sportif, Race Day Custom, Paradiso Restaurant, Chorizo Fresh Mex, and The Proactive Athlete! Your support of this run for a great cause was greatly appreciated!

After the run was complete, the refreshments enjoyed and the prizes handed out a final tally of the day’s fundraising revealed that in just a couple of short hours we were ale to raise over $1500 for The Ride to Conquer Cancer! Thank you to everyone who participated and donated!

If I had a nickel for every time I saw a blogger write “it’s been a long time since my last post…”

Let’s skip all of that and jump right on in to some of the great things that I have done over the past couple of months. Let’s start with the trip that Mike and I took down to South Carolina for the OCA’s annual spring endurance camp.

This is a trip that Mike has made for a number of years now and this year I had the amazing opportunity to join him. The OCA puts on this fantastic annual camp in the heart of the North and South Carolina mountains for Ontario’s promising young cyclists. It was motivating and inspiring to see so many talented young athletes in one place. We had great weather while we were down south. In 10 days we only experienced one day of rain (and boy did it rain). The remaining 9 days were beautiful, with temperatures in the 20s on multiple occasions.  I was blown away by the great people, the amazing scenery, challenging climbs and the number of hours I managed to spend on my bike in just 10 days! Some of the highlights of my trip included:

- 29 hours of riding over 10 days (and one day was a rest day)

- Climbs that last for 40 minutes or more

- 2x Caesar’s Head climb…with the second one being a race

- Great climb up the Blue Ridge Parkway, spectacular views from the top and a fast, winding descent down into the Pisgah National Forest

- Fast, technical descents (I will work on my descending for next year)

- Good food and great people to spend a week and a half with

It was an amazing trip! South Carolina will definitely be on my list of top training destinations to return to!

All smiles the first time up Caesar's Head

Well spring is just around the corner according to the furry weather forecaster, Wiarton Willie. When the sleepy groundhog awoke from his nap on February 2^nd he didn’t see his shadow (let’s discount the fact that this year’s Groundhog Day festivities were moved into a tent due to bad weather) which means that winter is almost over! Although it didn’t feel like spring on Tuesday morning this week when I was running intervals at 6am in twenty below, I am going to stay positive because tomorrow we will be hitting eight degrees here in the GTA! Maybe Willie was right after all!

Regardless of the weather, as February draws to a close, it is time to begin thinking about the upcoming race season. I usually sit down about this time and plan out my race season – swim, bike and run. This year I have some exciting events planned, which I will be sharing with you soon.

In addition to planning races, I have been working on ironing out my support team for 2011. I have an amazing opportunity this season to be a part of the Eload team!  I am very exciting to be using the Eload brand of products while training and racing. I will be posting stories and reviews on my blog as the season progresses so stay tuned for lots of great information to come!

Well, Mother Nature definitely fulfilled my wishes of a real winter…and then some! After a balmy November and December, I found myself falling asleep each night, wishing for a snow fall and some winter weather. Now, as we approach the end of January I find myself wishing for spring: birds singing in the morning, green lawns and most importantly weather warm enough to comfortably run in shorts (or at least less than 2 pairs of tights)!

 Mother Nature finally answered my wintery wishes. We have boatloads of snow, a permanent layer of ice down the driveway and as far as I’m concerned, we’ve had our annual requirement of cold days. Last Sunday we experienced an “extreme cold alert” which usually happens anytime the mercury drops below -15 or so. Usually it means you add an extra layer and pull out the mittens in lieu of the gloves but this time it was more serious. The temperature last Sunday morning was -23, but it doesn’t stop there. Here in Ontario we have humidity and wind which causes the weatherman to declare what the temperature “feels like”. On this particular morning, all factors considered, it felt like -33 out there. Brrrrrr!

 When I awoke on that morning and saw the morning forecast on my Blackberry app I was terrified! I still have vivid memories of long run I did one January morning while I was in University. It was -25 degrees as I headed out the door that morning. I was probably not dressed properly for the weather that day and about 45 minutes into my run I began to get very cold. I was so cold that I was counting lamp posts, just trying to make my way back to my dorm room. I finally made it, chilled to the bone. After that run, I promised myself that I wouldn’t put my mind and body through that experience again…colder than -20 = treadmill!  

 So, back to last Sunday morning. I coach a half marathon run clinic out of the Oakville Running Room and we do our long runs every Sunday morning.  As the coach, I am there each week, despite the weather, so as I’m sure you can appreciate, this nasty cold weather had me in a bit of a panic. I contemplated my running attire and finally decided on 2 pairs of pants (long underwear and a windproof top layer), wool socks, a thermal top and my trusty Nike windproof jacket. I grabbed my mittens, a warm, windproof toque and a face mask and off I went.

 When I arrived at the Running Room I was amazed and so proud to see a huge group of runners out for their weekly long run! Everyone was bundled up and ready to hit the roads! Despite the frost-bite inducing weather, everyone came out to show their dedication and hit the snow covered roads with their weekly running buddies.

 We set out on the roads and I had the opportunity to run with a gentleman from Edmonton who was in town visiting some family. Now, I’m pretty sure he thought we were all crazy to be commiserating about the cold because in Edmonton this weather is very common. It was a good reality check to chat with him and understand how lucky we are here in Ontario to have “mild” winters (relative to those on the prairies) and to have the opportunity to pound the pavement with 100 like-minded individuals every Sunday morning! Although at times I thought my toes were going to detach themselves from my feet and I was worried about frost bite on the small triangle of exposed skin on my face, I enjoyed every minute of my run! I can’t think of a better way to have spent my wintery Sunday morning…good friends, good company and icicles on my eyelashes!

Ride to Conquer Cancer 2009

Well, we are halfway through the month of January and the snow has finally fallen! I was a little worried that we wouldn’t be getting much winter this year but that is clearly not the case anymore! We have had a few good snowfalls throughout the last week and any hopes of riding outdoors are long gone (unless I can swing a quick trip to somewhere sunny and warm)!

I am in the process of nailing down my race schedule for this coming season and will be sharing it shortly. One event that I do have inked in for 2011 is the Ride to Conquer Cancer. This event is a 200 mile charity ride from Toronto to Niagara Falls which raises money for Toronto’s premier cancer centre, The Princess Margaret. This charity is one that is very dear to my heart as I lost my dad to cancer less than one year ago. You can find more information about the ride and my personal commitment here: My Ride to Conquer Cancer Page.

Stay tuned for more RTCC updates and 2011 season schedule!

Stef, Mike and I pre-ride in 2009

This past year has been an interesting one. I started out with some early season run races, posting personal bests in the 5km, 10 mile and half marathon distances! After a winter and spring of great run training and racing, I started a new job in June and spent 5 weeks out-of-town for training. I finally started my triathlon season at the Muskoka Long Course race in Huntsville. I had a solid finish in Muskoka, followed by wins at two local Subaru Triathlon Series races: Niagara and Orillia. My final triathlon of the season was the Muskoka 70.3.

I love the challenging course out in Huntsville and was really looking forward to this race! In the weeks leading up to the race I had been focussing on getting my bike and run mileage up and was preparing for a great race. I had some challenges with the shifting on my Blue Triad in the days leading up to the race, however, the team at Blue Competition Cycles was amazing and were able to pinpoint the issue and take care of everything on very short notice. It turned out that I had just worn through the shifter cables and they needed to be replaced. Luckily for me I had some great support from Blue and from a good friend of mine who was able to change out the cables for me on very short notice!

I arrived up in Huntsville on Saturday morning and got all checked in at the hotel. I performed some last minute tune-ups on my bike and made sure everything was ready to go for Sunday morning! Race morning came quickly and before I knew I was lined up with the other pros on the start line. I had a good start and after the initial flailing of arms and kicking of legs, I settled into a steady pace. Before I knew it I found myself in the mix with a number of pro men. The rest of the swim went smoothly and I was the first woman to exit the water and run up the steep hill to the transition zone. I hopped onto my bike and settled into a good strong pace, gauging my speed and effort off of the power meter that I had borrowed from a friend of mine! Having a power meter on the bike kept me focussed, especially on the long, flat sections of the course. I was a little under-dressed for the bike and spent the last 90 minutes shivering and attempting to stay warm. As I was coming back along South Portage Road I was having trouble shifting gears because my hands were so cold and numb. As I approached transition I began to think about the run that was ahead of me. I was really looking forward to putting on my hot pink Nike Lunaracers and warming up my body temperature on the run. The first few kilometers of the run were great, I felt strong and quite relaxed. As I was running my way out to Hwy 60 I began to shiver again. My body was so cold I felt like I was running in the middle of winter. I tried to warm myself up as best I could, but I wasn’t having any success. I was cold and shivering and it felt like the energy was being sucked right out of me by the cold air. I tried to stay positive and happy throughout the run, but it was a big challenge! I maintained focus on the small things that were going to get me to the finish line. I have honestly never been so happy to run across a finish line. Unfortunately, I spent the next little while in the medical tent while the great medical team tried to raise my body temperature.

All in all, I was pleased with my last race of the season. I had a great swim and the strongest bike that I have had all year. I was disappointed in my run that day, but my runs had been strong all season so it really only makes me hungrier to put it all together in 2011!

This season wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support from my 2010 sponsors! To the team at Blue…thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to ride one of the best bikes out there! I am constantly impressed by my Triad’s speed and responsiveness! Thank you to the Nike team for keeping me injury free and outfitted with the greatest running gear! Thank you to The Proactive Athlete for keeping me injury free all season! And, last but not least, thank you to 2XU for putting me in the fastest wetsuit out there!

I’m looking forward to a great 2011, full of lots of new and exciting adventures! Stay tuned for 2011 details coming soon!

I can’t believe how fast this summer is flying by!! I started a new job at the beginning of the season, so my first few races were delayed due to some work related travel. I enjoyed my time in Montreal and was able to get some good training in (riding in the Laurentians, Saturday morning hill repeats in the middle of Montreal) but it was great to finally get my season rolling at this year’s Muskoka Long Course triathlon! Luckily for me, Trisport held this race in July this year because the G8 summit took over Huntsville during the race’s usual time slot.

Race morning started well before sunrise as we had a little bit of a drive to get to Huntsville for the race. Since it was my first race of the season, there were a lot of friends that I was seeing for the first time this year, making for a great social time in transition. This cut down a little on my warm up time, but my theme for the day was to have fun and enjoy every moment of the race and catching up with friends was an important part of this! 8am came quickly and before I knew it I was lining up in the water, ready for the race start.

The swim was a challenge for me in this race. I had a great first 100m and found myself out front with a few others, but this quickly caught up with me and about 2 minutes into the race I found myself fighting for air and trying to keep my arms turning over. It took me another 400m or so to find a rhythm and begin to make up some of the time I had lost near the start. After what seemed like forever, I finally made the turn down the river towards the swim exit! Whew, I felt like it couldn’t come soon enough!

I exited the water, a little disappointed with my swim, which Mike was able to notice right away. “Smile babe, smile!” he yelled at me as I ran by. That little reminder was all I needed to get my head back in the game. It’s sometimes difficult to refocus after a “disappointing” segment of the race, but it is critical to remind yourself that it is a long day out there and you can always turn it around. I arrived at my bike refocussed and excited to finally get a chance to race my new Blue Triad. I had a great ride – strong, focussed and fun. I even had some “nice bike!” comments about my new ride!

I arrived in T2 in 3rd place and I knew I had my work cut out for me on the run. I tossed on my hot pink Nike Lunaracers and set out. The 2010 Muskoka Long Course run course was completely different than in previous years. It had changed from an out and back through town into a 2 loop, spectator friendly route around the transition zone. The new run course was very hilly, with a long, steep climb about 2/3 of the way through each loop…thank goodness for all of the volunteers and spectators cheering us on! I settled into a great rhythm out of transition and was able to run my way into 2nd place, resulting in my best finish ever at the Muskoka Long Course!

My second Ontario racing adventure of the season was last weekend at the Niagara Tri in Grimsby (another great Trisport race). After a couple of hard weeks of training post Muskoka, I was came into the race a little fatigued with only one day of rest. Coming into Niagara I had a few goals: 1) Have a stronger swim start than I did in Muskoka (no fading 100m in), 2) Stay focussed on the bike, maintain my effort and pace and 3) Settle into my goal run pace during the first km and hold it through to the finish.

I’m pleased to report that my race went very well, from start to finish. My swim was much more consistent, I rode well (and really put my Blue Triad to the test) and I hit my goal run pace for the entire run!! To top it all off, I took my first win as a pro.

I want to thank my support crew and sponsors who have helped me be successful in these races: Mike (my husband and biggest fan), Duncan the border collie (the team mascot), Blue Competition Cycles, Nike, 2XU and The Proactive Athlete (a fantastic Chiropractic/Sports Massage facility in Burlington, ON).

Stay tuned for info on upcoming races and training adventures!