2012 Clinic #5 - STRENGTH & CROSS-TRAINING - September 8th

Time to start getting geared up for the last 5 Peaks race of the season in breath-taking Canmore! Join us on Saturday, September 8th at the Canmore Nordic Centre, 9:30am, for a practice run on the trails of the race course . Prior to our run, we will have a very informative clinic on strength & cross-training delivered by Tricia Kawahara, Certified Personal Training Specialist, Co-owner of Inspiration Training and Founder and CEO of  Blitz Events (which include the upcoming Blitz Duathlon in September). Trisha will help remind us of the importance of strength and cross-training in our weekly athletic schedules to help keep us strong and injury free for trail running!

Date:  Saturday, September 8th
Time: 9:30am, sharp
Location: Canmore Nordic Centre parking lot
Length of session: 90 minutes (pre-run talk & run)
Drop in Cost: $10 (cash or cheque)

Driving Directions:
From Calgary, take the Trans-Canada Hwy (#1) heading west for appox. 80 km. Upon approaching Canmore, take exit 93 toward Three Sisters Parkway /Bow River Campground and turn left at Three Sisters Pkwy.  Take your 1st right to stay on Three Sisters Pkwy, then turn right at Three Sisters Dr.  Turn left at Three Sisters Dr/Hwy 742 and continue straight onto Spray Lakes Rd/Hwy 742.  Continue to follow Hwy 742 for 1.8 km.  Turn right 210 m further and take 1st left into the Nordic Centre parking lot.
Address is: 1988 OLYMPIC WAY SUITE 100, Canmore, Alberta
Canmore Nordic Centre trail Map & Directions

What to Bring:
*Trail running shoes
*Water and a snack (bars or gels are good)
*Extra layers
*Insect Repellent & Sunscreen
*Change of clothes/towel for afterward
*money for coffee/tea afterward
*Completed waiver & registration form if this is your first time out
(will be emailed to you if you pre-register via email)

2012 Clinic #4 - JUMPINGPOUND LOOP - August 11th

Come join us for a fantastic morning run on Jumpingpound trail in the Sibbald Creek area! A beautiful 9km loop(shorter options available) of moderate gradient, with some nice views and glimpses of wild flowers; this is a trail not to be missed!  We are lucky to also have a special guest speaker, Brian Ben, coming out to talk to us about Bear Safety in the mountains prior to our run. He'll give us some insights into bear behavior, teach us about signs to look out for indicating the possible presence of bears, as well as share some tips to help keep us safe in the event of an encounter.
Looking forward to you joining us!

Date: Saturday, August 11th
Time: 9:30am
Location: Jumpingpound trail, Sibbald Creek
Length of session: 90 minutes (talk & 9km loop)
 
Directions: From Calgary, head West on the Trans-Canada Highway (Hwy 1) and take exit 68, Sibbald Creek Trail. After exiting to the right, you will then turn left crossing under to the other side of Hwy 1 to follow Sibbald Creek Trail heading South/West. Follow Sibbald Creek Trail for approx. 15km to the Pine Top day use area, which will be on your left (just after a cattle guard).

What to Bring:
*Trail running shoes
*Water and a snack (bars or gels are good)
*Bug spray
 *Change of clothes/towel for afterwards
*Completed waiver & registration form if this is your first time out
(will be emailed to you if you pre-register via email)

2012 Clijnic #3 - CLIMBING & DESCENDING TECHNIQUES - July 7th

A trail run just wouldn't be so without at least a few good climbs. In this clinic our aim is to help you work on learning to climb most efficiently and comfortably with a few simple techniques; and with a little practice, this will equate to climbing faster, as well! Of course we cannot eliminate gravity, but we most certainly can use less energy as we work towards overcoming its force.
What goes up must inevitably come down. In trail running, descents can often be on loose gravel or very technical, requiring good eyes, quick footwork and a steady focus. We will also spend time building our technique for moving downhill both quickly and safely.

Come join us as we enjoy an invigorating summer trail run out in Bragg Creek on Saturday, July 7th!

 Date: Saturday, July 7th
Time: 9:30am
Location: Station Flats, Bragg Creek
Length of session: 120 minutes (pre-run talk & 60 min run),
Drop in Cost: $10 (cash or cheque)

Driving Directions:
From Calgary, either take Trans-Canada Hwy #1, turning south at Hwy #22 and following road for 19 km into Bragg Creek. Alternatively, take Hwy #8 from Calgary heading west until it ends at Hwy #22 (Bragg Creek Road). Turn left (south) and follow road into Bragg Creek

Then, turn left at the 4-way stop by the Shell Station in Bragg Creek and follow the road until it ends shortly at a T junction. Turn right onto hwy 66 and follow it to the Station Flats parking lot, which will be on your right (after the Allen Bill Pond parking lot).

http://www.braggcreek.ca/kananaskis/westbraggmap.htm

What to Bring:
*Running shoes (road shoes are fine, however, as time goes on, you may want to try a shoe specifically designed for trail running)
*Water and a snack (bars or gels are good)
*Extra layers (for before and after)
*Insect Repellant
*Change of clothes/towel for afterward
*Completed waiver & registration form if this is your first time out
(will be emailed to you if you pre-register via email)

2012 Clinic #2 - FUELING & NUTRITION - June 1st

Come and join us for our 2nd trail running clinic on the cliffs of Bowmont Park in Silver Springs! The extremely undulating single track trails will be good training for the next 5 Peaks race at the Canmore Nordic Centre in June.  Our evening will start off with a chance to check out a variety of Salomon trail running shoes, so come early, if you can. You will even get a chance to take a pair out for a test drive during the run.  Once everyone is geared up with shoes, we'll head out on the trails.  We'll end our run with an  informative fueling and nutrition talk, specific to trail running, from Registered Holistic Nutritionist, avid trail and ultra distance runner, and Canadian Mountain Running Champion, Amy Golumbia! She's got some great tips for athletes to keep us balanced, eating well, and feeling great! http://www.amygolumbia.ca
A clinic not to be missed!

Date: Friday, June 1st, 2012

Time: 6:00pm, sharp (arrive early to check out Salomon shoes)
Location: Bowmont Park, Silver Springs (NW Calgary)
Length of session: 90 minutes (run 60 min max.)
Cost: Free

Directions: Heading north on Crowchild Trail towards Nose Hill Dr., take the Silver Spring Gate/Sarcee Trail exit (which is the exit just before the Nose Hill Dr. exit). Upon exiting, stay in your left lane and turn left at the traffic lights, taking you over the bridge crossing the hwy you just exited. Follow this road (Silver Springs Gate) into Silver Springs to your first set of lights, and turn left. Parking is along the street at this entry point to Bowmont Park.
http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Documents/Construction/bowmont-park-brochure.pdf(Map is on page 2 - meeting location is at 2nd parking lot off of Silver Springs Gate [not 1st], with larger yellow star beside)

What to Bring:
*Running shoes (road shoes are fine, however, as time goes on, you may want to try a shoe specifically designed for trail running)
*Water and a snack (bars or gels are good)
*Extra layers
*Gloves and a toque/beanie
*Change of clothes/towel for afterward
*Completed waiver if this is your first time out
(will be emailed to you if you pre-register via email)

Hope to see you all there (let us know you are coming, if you can!)

2012 Clinic #1 - NUTS & BOLTS OF TRAIL RUNNING - May 11th

Welcome to the wonderful world of trail running! In this very first clinic in a series of 6 throughout the summer, we will focus specifically on the differences between running roads vs trails.

When running off-road, we need to be more mindful of such concerns as variations in terrain, obstacles, trail conditions, wildlife, etc. It is of utmost importance to assure we are familiar with our route or course, and that we are prepared for any sudden changes in weather. This will help prevent us from getting lost and will keep us comfortable and safe throughout our runs.

The session will start with a 10-15 minute discussion introducing trail running technique; we'll go over the basics to get you out and running on trails, and will have lots of tips to help you feel comfortable and begin to build strength and efficiency off road. Then we'll hit the trails to give it a go!

We are excited to have Salomon Representative, Jilll Reid, present at our first clinic to show off some of Salomon's awesome trail runners and give participants a chance to actually try them out during our run!

Date: Friday, May 11th, 2012
Time: 6:00pm, sharp
Location: Weaselhead (North Glenmore Park, Calgary, SW)
Length of Session: 90 minutes (run time 45-60 minutes, max)
Drop in Cost: $10 (cash or cheque)

Directions:
We will meet at the north parking lot, located at the main entrance to North Glenmore Park at the corner of 37 St SW and 66 Ave SW.
http://blog.talkaboutwildlife.ca/park/where-is-weaselhead

What to Bring:
*Running shoes (road shoes are fine, however, as time goes on, you may want to try a shoe specifically designed for trail running)
*Water and a snack (bars or gels are good)
*Extra layers
*Gloves and a toque/beanie
*Change of clothes/shoes/towel for afterward
*completed waiver/registration form (will be emailed to you if you pre-register via email)