The battle continues. Lots of sparring will take place in 2009. Just ask Tom Omstead--the warrior atop the steed and behind the mask. Onwards and upwards to 2009 we go...
The first Training Day of the winter was held yesterday at Loaring Physio. A solid group of 30 biked for 90', ran outside in crazy wind for 20' to 45', and performed 'prehab' and core exercises for 30'. We all worked up an appetite and were rewarded with a wonderful feast from Koolini Restaurant that arrived just as we were finishing up the exercises. It was a wonderful morning of positive energy and social camaraderie. Everyone left with a smile, inspiration, and a full belly.
There will be two Training Days in January: Sunday January 11th and 25th. There is no charge to participate in these Training Days and athletes of all ages and ability are welcome. It will be a pot-luck theme where everyone brings a healthy appetizer. It is the perfect way to spend a Sunday morning: 3h of inspiration and educational group exercise, followed by replenishing with a dozen healthy appetizers :-)
Annika had a wonderful Christmas and was spoiled by Santa. After two full days of entertainment at the Sharratt's, Annika is now cozy at 'the cottage'. 
At the Sharratt's just before a BIG Feast. 
Santa gave this to Bre. A wonderful assortment of captured moments. It will look nice in our living room. 
Annika with Grandpa Sharratt. Grandpa & Grandma Sharratt were amazing and treated Annika to a truly special Christmas.
Annika being held by Martha Stewart.
Grandpa Loaring with Martha and daddy.
This slide show features a few captured moments of Loaring Personal Coaching (LPC) athletes, coaches, and support crew from 2008. Cheers to the many great moments in 2008, and to many more great moments in 2009 and beyond...
Click the image below to view the Loaring Physiotherapy & Health Centre December e-Newsletter.
The final triathlon for Team LPC takes place this weekend on the other side of the world in Perth, Australia. Pat Hayes will end the 2008 triathlon racing season for LPC when he participates in Ironman Western Australia on Sunday. Pictured below is a very white Pat shortly after arriving Down Under. We can all count on two things:
1. Pat will not be as white when he returns home.
2. We are all jealous that he is where he is.
In the background of the pic (taken from Manly Beach) is the skyline of Sydney, host city of the 2000 Olympic Games, where another very white Canadian put triathlon on the global map.
While we are trying to stay warm in our homes, sipping away on our Tim Hortons coffee mug, Pat will be playing in the Aussie heat, and finish what has been a very successful year for LPC athletes.
While the triathlon season is about to come to end for a couple of months, there are still several swimming and running events on the near horizon. I suppose there really is no off-season. While many of us are taking some well deserved time off, or ez active recovery unstructured training, others are in a "base/strength/skill development" phase, while others are prepping for upcoming races.
What am I doing? Well I am a busy bee these days and loving every minute of my sleep deprived state. Sleep has been sacrificed to long hours in front of the computer, and long hours 'playing' with my precious Annika. Training is going well at the PTC, nothing crazy, just rolling along like we should be in the month of December. I have not been able to make all of the sessions, but I have been plugging away with just over 10h training per week the past month, and keeping as consistent as possible. While that is by no means a grueling training load, given the time of the year, and my current priorities of being a daddy and coach, I am pleased with the fact that my fitness is ok and I have not become a 300 pound Beast like some had predicated. Stay tuned for an LPC season wrap-up and 2008 slide show of LPC athletes in action and at ease.
Loaring Physiotherapy & Health Centre is nicely settled into its brand new, beautiful facility, in Tecumseh, Ontario. The Open House was this past Thursday and many popped in to have a look around, meet the staff, and enjoy a wonderful spread of food.
It was a fantastic couple of days in Windsor. The Loaring Physio Open House was wonderful. I was going to post pics but I am simply too exhausted. The pic below was taken today. Maverick missed me just as much as Annika, and always has to bud in. Stay tuned for pics of the Open House...
I briefly posted about the 2008 Ironman 70.3 Muskoka triathlon a couple months ago here. These two videos help capture the magic of why we participate in this wonderful sport.
LPC's Margaret Wojtowicz received some nice coverage beginning at 1:12 of this inspirational highlight video (put together by the organizers of 2008 Ironman 70.3 Muskoka).
The below video showcases Brian Sharratt successfully completing his first half-ironman.
The 2009 edition is already penciled in for several LPC athletes. After watching from the sidelines this year, I think I will join the party and play in the hills.
Open House - Thursday, November 20, 6:00 - 9:00pm
We invite you to to tour the new 5400 sq ft facility, including items from one of the world's largest collections of Olympic Memorabilia. All staff will be on-hand to answer questions and give demonstrations. Food and refreshments will be provided.
Directions to the new Loaring Physiotherapy & Health Centre can be found here.
EDIT: Full details on the March 15th to 21st, 2009 Florida Triathlon Training Camp is located here.
LPC will host its first triathlon training camp, March 15-21, 2009. The camp will take place in beautiful Clermont, Florida. It almost snowed in Guelph today, which caused me to reminisce of the great times I have had training in Clermont over the past 5 years. Bre, Annika, and I, are considering spending the entire month of March in Clermont. It will be wonderful to swim at the NTC, bike at Lake Louisa State Park and up Sugarloaf, and run over the Orange Trails.
The video below shows this wonderful terrain, which is a mecca for triathletes. The footage was taken by during a 2005 training camp with the Canadian Cross Training Club.
Video production by Dave and Megan Derry of the The Wentworth Whitehouse Group. Re-editing by LPC.
Props to Dave Sharratt for winning the 2008 OCAA Cross Country Champs. Annika went on her first half-day road trip and enjoyed watching her Uncle David win provincials two years in a row.
Good article. The bottom line: plan with a blunt pencil that is equipped with an eraser and extra lead. And the writing never stops...
Bye Bye Bompa, Bompa Bye Bye….the death of periodisation.
By Wayne Goldsmith In Coaching Tips
First let me say I have total, 100% complete admiration and respect for Bompa himself - a true pioneer of the sports coaching and the sports performance industry. This article is in no way a criticism of him personally but rather a proclamation that PERIODISATION as a concept is now officially dead and buried.
Periodization - that is, the traditional sports training planning model involving long blocks (cycles or phases) of training which emphasise specific aspects of training is 20 years past the use by date and it’s time we all moved on to something more relevant and more effective for the training and preparation of athletes in this century.
The popular version of periodisation was developed in the Eastern block, 40 years ago, for senior athletes: another time, another system, another world - and totally inappropriate for today’s athletes.
Today’s athletes - the Generation Y athletes - demand programs which are:
So what’s the alternative to periodisation?
Full article here
Lake Erie was the backdrop of our wedding ceremony. Fortunately, my Numero Uno, Miro Tot, is not clumsy. Fortunately, Miro, was in fact, a very good Best Man. The Best Man in this video might not get the same praise. Very unfortunate. But very funny!
Fortunately, I did not trip!
The CIBC Run for the Cure is a magical event. The Windsor Star captured Rob Tranter during yesterday's Run for the Cure 5k in Windsor. 
As everyone knows, October is breast cancer awareness month. Click on the image below to read an article about the Loaring Triathlon, in this month's Breast Cancer Issue of Body Magazine
By Lauren O'Neil, Windsor Body Magazine, October 2008
Can the Haka be inspiration for a similar pre-race LPC cheer :-)
Forget about maintaining composure and conserving energy before the gun goes off. Perhaps we should adorn war paint on exposed skin that is not covered by spandex. A dozen spandex clad tri-geeks are surely more intimidating than the legendary All Blacks? Thoughts and ideas for a pre-race cheer are welcome :-)
Below is cut and pasted from the PTC blog. Click here for more info.
We're kicking off the 2008-2009 Season in style, with a visit from two-time Olympic medallist Simon Whitfield. Simon will be visiting the PTC on Sunday October 19th, for our Training Day. The registration limit for the training day is 40 athletes, but Simon will be doing a Q&A session for the athletes, which we can open up to a larger group. Stay tuned for registration details for the Q&A for those who aren't registering for the training day. To register your athlete (age 10-20) for the Training Day, visit this link.
This past weekend was very busy with much on the 'to do' list. But the most important item on this list to put a check by, was to help big sis relocate Loaring Physio into a brand new 5400 square foot property in Tecumseh, Ontario. 30 friends helped out for a portion of the weekend. I can't believe how much we accomplished in 48 hours. The new facility is amazing, and so are all of our friends! 
The large open concept workout area will be able to accommodate mega training days over the winter. The right side of the room (not visible in pic) is where the physio beds are located.
Bre's due date is Oct 21st, so if we hit it bang on, that means yesterday marked t-minus 4 weeks. It is anybodies guess as to when Baby Loaring will decide to come into this world. Bre and I can hardly wait. This is an extremely exciting time for us.
Pregnancy has been treating Bre very well. She has been an inspiration. She has also been a machine in prepping the nursery for our little one. We have been acquiring lots of goodies, including an HD camcorder that I just ordered to capture many priceless moments.
The guest bedroom has been converted to our baby room. Now our guests have to sleep in the basement. Sorry.
Breannika chilling on the couch after a full day in the office. Maverick is on the other couch reading "I'm Pregnant: A week-by-week guide". He can't wait to protect his little sis.
Uncle David testing out the stroller, to the delight of Maverick and Max. 
Our backyard overlooks beautiful Preservation Forest--a place where I proposed, and a place where Bre and I (and Maverick) play with friendly deer. We look forward to nice walks and sunsets in PF for years to come...as a happy family.
Beautiful Bre is 8 months pregnant and was a machine cheering on Brian and the rest of the crew. I think she covered a half-marathon of power walking to the various vantage points.
