I was asked to write about my journey into endurance sports, joining Team Triumph and more specifically low carb endurance training and racing. I will start at the end and then go back to the beginning.
I limped into my first meeting with Julia in January of this year. At that point, I hadn’t been able to run for about 4 months because of a bad case of plantar fasciitis. Time was running out and I had to find a coach and get started if I was going to meet my goals for 2018. Fast forward to 8 months later, I ran my first marathon, did my first full Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour and completed my first Ironman at Mont Tremblant. |
My journey began about 3 years ago when, like many people, I read “Born To Run” by Christopher McDougall. Inspired by this book, I quit smoking, took a Chi running class with Eric Collard and began logging miles. As I’m prone to do, I went a little overboard. For most of that year, I averaged 10K a day, 7 days a week. No days off! Dumb.
In the fall of that year, I bought a bike and started commuting to work. I now enjoy riding year round and winter riding has become one of my favorite activities. Now that I was running and riding I guess it was inevitable I’d end up doing a triathlon. “Born to Run” also introduced me to Dr. Phil Maffetone who has had a huge influence on my diet and training for fitness and endurance.
Although I’ve incorporated a number of different variations of low carb training approaches including Mark Sissons’ Primal Endurance, they’re all based on Maffetone’s fundamental tenets:
As for the level of reduction of carbs, that’s the core debate that everyone loves to argue about. There are lots of scientists a lot smarter than me that have strong opinions on both sides so all I can comment on is how it affected and worked for me. I’ve done all of the ranges and find less carb is better for me but my recommendation for anyone interested in trying this approach is to go slow and do what makes you feel best with an eye to lowering carb intake gradually. I’ve been in ketosis and I felt fine but overall I think I feel better with a slightly higher carb intake than ketosis. Low carb also makes it easier for me take weight off which has obvious endurance performance benefits.
Training is polarized, characterized by large blocks of aerobic work. Anywhere from 2- 4 months or whenever you plateau, followed by a smaller speed block of usually 1-2 weeks, a recovery block, and then back to base.
In Part II of his journey, Steve will describe how his diet and training got him to the finish line of his first triathlon and then the Ironman.
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