We are athletes and we love a good challenge! A good challenge is why we race and that's also what motivates us to train. With no live races going on, it continues to impress me how so many of you in Team Triumph are being creative in finding your own ways to challenge yourselves and or trying one of our challenges.
Read below to discover what challenges are going on!
What is going to challenge you in November??
FRED CARLE RUNS HIS FIRST HALF MARATHON....IN THE WOODS!!
Running a half marathon for the first time is a challenge in itself but Fred lives in Gatineau and loves to escape into the woods for his runs. He decided to train up to the half marathon distance and complete it on the beautiful, very hilly trails in Gatineau Park with his wife.
Congrats on completing your first half, Fred!!!
Here is his inspiring story!
After not doing any kind of serious training for the last couple of years, the isolation brought by the COVID-19 pandemic got me to find ways to stay mentally sane. I started running and cycling on a regular basis in June and by July I made the decision to start training for a triathlon.
One month in, I started looking into triathlon clubs in the region and that's when I found out about Team Triumph and got to meet Julia (virtually of course). Julia set me up on Training Peaks with an awesome training program and at some point in September, I traced this 21 km trail run that I really wanted to do before the snow arrived.
Before August my longest run ever was 11 km so we slowly increased the run distance to the point where this past weekend would be the big 21 km run.
My wife Emilie, being the amazing person that she is, decided to join in on this challenge. With all the rocky ups and downs, the mud and the multiple water streams, it took us just under 3h to complete the run. As I'm writing this, our legs are completely dead but we're already looking forward to the next challenge!
Way to challenge yourself, Fred and Emilie!!
OTHER CHALLENGES:
Indoor 70.3 TriathlonBruno Baril made a fantastic attempt today to complete an indoor 70.3. duathlon but unfortunately his hip had other ideas. He completed the 5km run, 90km ride, and then at the 8km mark on the 2nd run, his hip said that was enough. So smart to shut it down Bruno! Congrats on a fine attempt!
Dan Begin completed a speedy half marathon on Saturday on his own! Congrats Dan, great work coming back from that calf injury in August!
TOP 3 GOES TO:
1) Steve Swanwick - 38 Rides (he commutes to work a minimum of 30 mins and he has been riding on Zwift with us!)
2) Julia Vlaming - 24
3) Francois Menard - 22
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR FINISHERS!
Debi Zaret - 16
Julie Deimling - 16
Gary Maxwell - 16
Anita Taylor - 14
Brad Vlaming - 14
France Girard - 15
Fred Carle - 14
Randy Graham - 16
Erik Shantz - 14
Darius Skusevicius - 14
Heather Dunn - 16
Renee Robert - 14
France St Denis - 14
November we are challenging our members to strength train at least 20minutes 3 x a week. For this crew it should be no problem.
I love the accountability and the structure of the Virtual 70.3 Half Ironman training program. I don't think I would have gotten this far without the program. The accountability is huge for me!
Deborah Jackman
My coach Kevin Willis is amazing. His swim practices have been a real game-changer for me. A great communicator regardless of your swim level. The whole club is supportive of everything you do. You don't need to be an Ironman to benefit from their programs. 5 stars all around!!! - Denise Pittuck
I just wanted to thank you and your team (Gabi! Brenda! Maggie! Dawn!) for making last weekend's event so amazing. I had tried to do a try-a-tri on my own last summer, and the experience was night and day.
Even though I didn't make every virtual session, I felt so prepared... I knew where to go for information, and I knew I had a team of people (coaches and our beginner tri group!) who were all there to support me.
It was interesting to watch Eric train on his own (without access to the TrainingPeaks workouts and without the weekly meetings to ask questions and learn more about proper form and race-day stuff). When we left on Sunday, he looked at me and was like "we're DEFINITELY doing the training with Julia if we decide to go for the olympic distance, right?".
So glad to have found this club and looking forward to many more triathlons in the near future!!! Tai Teleso
Julia is incredible, I once had a coach who told me to get good at biking and running as he couldn't do anything with my swim technique. Then I was introduced to Julia who is so patient and has an amazing ability to translate it all into a way I could understand. I knocked a minute per 100m off my open water swim times after only a handful of sessions with her. The team is also really welcoming, inclusive and most of all FUN!
Triumph is a warm and fun place for every level of triathlete. Whether you’re just getting started and learning all about triathlon or have been at it for decades, like some of us, you will find camaraderie and expertise in this group with Julia Aimers’ support and caring. She keeps up-to-date in so many areas of training, especially for women and including women’s issues whether it be nutrition or menopause. I highly recommend Team Triumph for swimming, biking, running or putting it all together in one package. There is no other place or group, I would rather be training with. So many of my close friends were met in this group.
A huge thank you to my Triathlon coach, Julia Cooper-Aimers. She took the time last week to drop off (from a distance because of COVID19 restrictions) some tri shorts I ordered along with a well-appreciated note to remind me that there will be ups and downs and that things will get better. She has gone above and beyond to support all of her athletes and our Team Triumph club, by providing almost daily strength, yoga, and spinning videos that have been uploaded to Youtube for anyone who needs a little motivation during these challenging times as well as many words of encouragement. I am grateful for her support and encouragement. ❤️
Anita Lacelle Taylor
Training with Team Triumph for 7 months (so far) made me faster and stronger while building nourishing connections with like-minded fitness nuts and shattering the expectations I had of myself. TT is a crew of inspiring people pursuing epic individual goals and encouraging each other along the way. Julia and her team have expert knowledge and provide a thoughtful evidence-based group program that works. I am privileged and thankful to have Team Triumph in my neighborhood and can't wait to get back to the pool!
Alex Bourne
I want to thank you for always putting our well-being at the forefront of your business model. You suspended face-to-face programs in a timely manner, leading the way in a fitness business world that took much too long to respond and put their members’ health and the community at risk. You « triumphed « in quickly acting to flatten the curve.
Your caring nature resulted in a series of innovative and fun virtual sessions and opened them to the community. I am missing the live interaction now that I am working for a few months but I appreciate that I can access the videos according to my schedule. Yin/yang session tonight, just what I needed.
Not to mention the check-ins, the home deliveries, the charitable events. Priceless.
Simone Rose-Oliver
