Hi Squad,
Race Weekend Highlights
Another big weekend of racing for the club, with athletes lining up across multiple events and putting down some fantastic performances.
Tri‑Cities Triathlon
Rhonnie and Jill were out in force at Tri‑Cities, taking on a fast and competitive course. Great racing from all three, strong efforts and solid results across the board.
Police Half Marathon
Christine tackled the Police Half and delivered a great run on a challenging route. A strong performance and another half marathon checked off.
Barrelman Triathlon
Jess took on the always‑popular Barrelman Triathlon, one of the most iconic late‑season races. A big day and a great effort out on course.
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Training Structure, Timeless Wisdom & How to Plan Your Season
(Summary of an article from My Pro Coach)
What to Focus On — And When
A well‑structured season follows a natural rhythm. We break training into four key phases, each with a clear purpose:
BASE — Build the Engine
This is where you develop durable aerobic fitness across all three sports. No race‑pace pressure, no complex race‑skills — just consistent endurance work and gradual progression.
BUILD — Add Specificity
Endurance stays high, but now your training starts to look more like race day. Expect bike‑to‑run bricks, race‑pace intervals, and workouts that sharpen your ability to hold steady effort.
PEAK — Rehearse the Race
Volume drops, intensity becomes more precise. Key sessions mimic race structure, helping you dial in pacing, nutrition, and execution while staying fresh.
TAPER — Arrive Ready
Training reduces so recovery can take over. The goal: maintain fitness, shed fatigue, and show up mentally and physically primed to race.
Endurance is always the foundation. Race‑intensity work is the refinement that helps you express the fitness you’ve built.
One Thought for the Week
I’ve always loved this quote from Peter Snell — not just because I enjoy watching middle‑distance running, but because it captures a timeless truth:
“The core of Lydiard training is the quantity and quality of the base training.” — Peter Snell
Snell, a New Zealand middle‑distance legend, held the mile world record twice and won three Olympic gold medals. His coach, Arthur Lydiard, championed strong aerobic base work long before modern sports science confirmed its value.
It’s a reminder that what worked in the 1960s still works today: a solid base is everything.
The History Behind This Approach
None of this training theory is new — and it’s definitely not the kind of thing that goes viral on social media. But it’s effective, proven, and has helped athletes for decades.
Our phased structure owes a lot to Joe Friel, whose Training Bible books laid out how age‑group athletes can organize an entire season. His model follows the same progression:
- A long aerobic base
- Increasing race‑specific intensity through build and peak
- A taper to sharpen for race day
Friel built on decades of coaching wisdom. At MyProCoach, that theory becomes practical — tailored for athletes balancing training with jobs, families, and real life.
So… How Should You Train?
A simple starting point: count back from your race date and map out the phases.
BASE ~12 weeks (range 8–16)
Easy aerobic endurance + short “speed‑skill” efforts.
After ~4 weeks, add muscular‑endurance work (longer efforts around one‑hour race pace).
This builds broad, general fitness.
BUILD ~8 weeks
Workouts become more race‑specific.
Include key sessions that mimic your target race.
A lower‑priority race can help sharpen execution.
PEAK ~4 weeks
Race simulations every 3–4 days.
Easy or rest days between.
Key sessions gradually shorten so you arrive sharp, not tired.
RACE / TAPER ~1 week
Volume and frequency drop, but intensity stays.
This clears fatigue and keeps you feeling fast.
TRANSITION 2 to 12 weeks
After your last big event, recover, reset, and stay healthy before the next cycle begins.
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Spin Classes
Rachelle at R&R; is offering a 1‑hour class on Thursday evenings; details are available here.
Sharon Styles; has a 1.5hr Class on Wednesday night. Please let me know if you are interested. She will set up a registration link for the club. Fall 2026 spin classes are virtual! These classes will be live and interactive coached via zoom. All athletes will receive a RPE ( rating of perceived exertion ) and FTP ( power based targets ) version of the workouts emailed to them with the option to have the workouts automatically loaded into your training peaks calendar. We will also create a Zwift meetup for the workout and you can join via zoom and zwift and download your workout right into zwift.
Link to sign up
Oct 14 – Dec 16 ( No Class Nov 11 ). 6:30pm to 8pm
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Fall Swim Clinic – Registration Is Open
The link his below
There are 8 spots lets, if your interested please sign up soon
Meet Your Coach: Kenton Wilkinson
We’re excited to have Kenton Wilkinson coaching the Fall session. Kenton is a long‑time Cochrane resident who has been racing triathlon since his teens. He recently won the WASA Triathlon and also raced Ironman Canada. Over the past few seasons, he has dedicated a lot of time to improving his swim technique and is eager to help others do the same. His experience, enthusiasm, and technical focus will be a great fit for our fall program.
Session Dates (12 Weeks)
October: 6, 13, 20, 27
November: 3, 10, 17, 24
December: 1, 8, 15, 22
Lane Booking & Capacity
We have booked four lanes for the fall session and will open registration at 16 athletes. If interest is high, we can expand capacity and may look at adding a second coach.
Cost
$150 per athlete for the full 12‑week session.
Registration Link
Once the CCN registration link goes live later this week, it will be shared through email, WhatsApp, and Facebook. Keep an eye out so you can secure your spot early.
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Up Next — Chattanooga Ironman Weekend
We’ve got another exciting weekend ahead as Sharron, Dan, and Shannon are heading down to Chattanooga for the Ironman.
This race is always a big challenge — hot, hilly, and unforgettable — but this year is extra special because…
It’s Sharron’s FIRST Ironman!
Huge congratulations already for taking on the journey to the start line. The whole club will be cheering loud for all three athletes as they tackle one of the most iconic courses on the circuit.
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Friday Night Swims Are Back!
Starting Friday, October 10th, we’ll be running our Club Swim from 7:00–8:00 PM at SLS.
Open Format Swim
We keep Friday nights as an open‑format session to ensure lane availability for CTC, especially as the pool gets busy and heavily booked through the fall and winter.
- Non‑SLS members: Cost is $8
- E‑transfer to: payments@cochranetriclub.ca
Last year we had mixed success reserving lanes. If only a small number of non‑SLS members attend, we may cancel the official lane bookings and keep this as an informal club meet‑up instead.
I’m there most Fridays and will happily write a workout on the board if you’re looking for structure or a bit of guidance.
The Best Part: Hot Tub Social
As always, the post‑swim Hot Tub Social remains a club favourite.
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Saturday Rides
If you are heading out for a ride on Saturday drop a note in WhatApp.
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Sunday Runs –
Starting at Coffee Traders
8:00 AM – Long/Faster Group
+12 km @ ~5:45–6:15 min/km pace
9:00 AM – Short Run Groups
8 min/km group
6 min/km group
Distances: 5–10 km
Everyone is welcome to join us for coffee at 10 AM, even if you don’t run.
Save the Date — Christmas Party & AGM
Mark your calendars!
Our Christmas Party and Annual General Meeting will take place on:
December 12th
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Race Calendar
Let us know what events you are doing this year!
CTC 2026 Race Calendar – Google Sheets
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WhatsApp Chat Group
We’ve started an open chat for club members to ask questions and organize training sessions.
Join the chat:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/B5wK3HzzN1xJ3ioHRlrAlX
If you have any questions to suggestions for the Club make sure to let us know by emailing president@cochranetriclub.ca
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Watts up and Spirits High,
Evan