Team Triumph Triathlon Club & Store
New Staff, IMKona/Fall racing hightlights

INTRODUCING KELLY ADAMS
MENTAL PERFORMANCE COACH

A HUGE welcome to Kelly Adams, B. Music (Performance), M.Ed. (Educational Psychology), ACC (Accredited Co-Active Coach) who has joined the Team Triumph team as our new Mental Performance Coach! We all need a little help to realize and become the best version of ourself and Kelly is here to help us with just that. Read on to hear more about Kelly:


I always wanted to be an accompanist! While completing my Bachelors degree in (solo) Piano Performance I always made sure I had plenty of vocalists, strings and woodwinds to work with, and frankly this gave me more joy and feelings of being part of a community than “going it alone” ever did. I found accompanying was also challenging in many ways, because it was not all about me- it’s about the composer of the music, the historical period, and the unique interpretation of the soloist. My job is to listen closely, find connections with the music and the performer, and get to know their personality and style so well that under intense pressure I can follow them wherever they go without hesitation, even when they skip parts of the score due to extreme nervousness! So while I excelled at piano and flute performance, it was never my true home.
 
Same holds true for my ten years playing competitive tennis. I found doubles and mixed doubles incredibly fun- and felt freer there about pushing myself and stretching my limits. When others were depending on me to win, it became imperative to perform well. It took some time before it became equally important to do well for myself.

After a few years of teaching piano, flute (and tennis in the summer) I realized that working with people and discovering how they learned was of more interest to me than the actual subject matter. This prompted me to complete a Masters degree in Educational Psychology and enter the realm of therapy and counselling. Much to my delight, it turned out this was also an accompaniment journey of sorts! It required listening intently, asking key questions, and being with people as they went back in time to re-visit earlier troubling experiences. Once encountered, analyzed and placed in current context, clients were freer to make conscious choices. I found the two decades of work in this field to be meaningful, challenging and mentally strenuous.

In 2010, two worlds came together for me in terms of finding a more goal-oriented way of working: the world of sports, and the practice of co-active coaching. I embarked on a year long certification program in coaching, and at the same time, started to steer my counselling practice away from crisis intervention and more towards a short-term, very focused process. It seemed a natural way to combine my previous passion for tennis, my love of music and my excitement about the psychology of learning. It allowed me to assign homework and be firm about accountability and progress.

This style suited me because I tend to be goal-oriented and prone to move to action quickly myself. It is this more recent approach to working with athletes, coaches and teams that seems a perfect fit! I still begin with lots of listening, key questions and exploration of personal history but we quickly move to setting goals and creating ways to be both inspired and accountable. 

In October of last year (2017) I completed a bucket list item by writing my first book, Mindful Team Making: a Guide for Coaches, Athletes, and Parents, and in it I invite readers to accompany me on the last decade of my journey working in this area. If you read this book you will get a clear sense of how I work and the in-depth nature of my approach to people. It’s all about discovering who you are, what unique things inspire you, and what and how we can propel you into keeping that constant flame alive during competition and in down times.

I am feeling thrilled about starting this phase of the journey with members of Team Triumph and look forward to working with you!
Kelly Adams

SAVE THE DATE! - On Sunday, Nov 18th at 9:30am we will be holding a Fall Renewal Retreat with Kelly at the Chelsea Pub.

To book a consultation with Kelly, please email her here: insightsinc@bell.net

For more information on our newly priced introductory packages click here and go to Personal Coaching and Memberships tabs https://www.amilia.com/store/en/team-triumph-ottawa/shop/programs/34699

LINDA LAFRANCE CRUSHES HER GOAL OF BECOMING AN IRONMAN HAWAII WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINISHER!

Linda all of your team mates and coaches at Team Triumph are incredibly proud of you for completing this world class event in Hawaii last weekend. You are truly an inspiration to us all!!

What an amazing opportunity to compete and meet the world's best at Ironman, Daniela Ryf, the women's winner and Lionel Saunders, Canada's champion, just to name a few. It's no wonder that you are feeling inspired to go back!

Here is Linda's report:

Kona Race Report
What a spectacular day I had doing this world class Ironman! The swim was a water start and for a while it was like being in a washing machine. Women athletes are fierce competitors. I eventually found my space, my pace and my mantra. (Rotate, push and glide). I also managed to draft now and then. The warm water temperature and the marine life down below made this one of my favorite swims.

The bike course went through lava fields and was for the most part uphill until the turn around a little more than half way along.The legendary cross winds were unusually tame on race day helping improve times. However, I under estimated my power output somewhat and my bike time was slower than it could have been.

The run took us through the lava fields again with no shade to be had until the sun went down. The lack of wind that was helpful on the bike made it excruciating warm during the run. The volunteers were prepared for this and poured ice water containers on our head on request to help cool us down. They were so amazing! The cooling didn’t last long and at some point I felt overheated and I had to walk more than I would have wanted to. I dug deep and got through it. The last 2-3km was downhill so it helped give us a strong finish.

In the end, I managed to complete the race about 50 minutes slower than my qualifying time at Tremblant. (I had predicted 1 hr slower) IM Kona was by far the most amazing race of my life. My goal now is to make it back here in the not too distant future.

Congratulations Linda!!!
RACING NEWS


Petit Train du Nord
Scott Henry - 2:41:50 - 7th Overall - 2nd in age category - Boston Qualified!!!
Christine Demers - 1st Marathon!
Lucie Tremblay - Marathon
Kit E - Half Marathon
Lucie Villeneuve - Half Marathon
Lise Scott - Half Marathon
Steve Rathwell - Half Marathon
Louise Lewis James - Half Marathon

TARC Ghost Train 50km Trail Run
Brenda Ross and Family :)


Congratulations everyone!!
We look forward to your reports!
Lise, Lucie and Kit Finishing
Petit Train du Nord Half Marathon


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