Most people don’t realize what it takes to put on a race.  The amount of planning involved leading up to the race is only a small portion of what it really takes to make a race a success.  It is the army of volunteers on race day that truly help to ensure every racer has a […]

In the last month after making a decision to correct a 4 year old bad decision. I began researching into a more useful frame for road riding. Sure I loved my old Centurion Ironman but the problem is that the fork is dead and it’s hard to replace.
After consideration I have decided on a Cyclocross […]

In the last few weeks on MTBr.com a forum I peruse. There have been discussions about pedal types, smoothing of trails, and so on all leading to the usual internet sniping.
Yet when you put aside all the physical arguments for all these sides it really boils down to one simple issue. […]

Since I had to clean out the tool section of my larger hydration pack. I thought now was a time to share what old dirt bag type riders carry in their packs on the trail to do trailside repairs.
One has to understand that having grown up in BC and especially […]

BOOK REVIEW
Title: Outliers
Author: Malcolm Gladwell, Journalist, The New Yorker
The mystery why some people perform exceptionally well has become my interest. Just because you are clever and hard-working, or athletically gifted and train ferociously, does not necessarily mean you are going to reach the top. Look around and you will likely find many individuals who are […]

Perhaps, if you were a pro, you would train like one.

You would wake up early from a 10-hour sleep and eat an extremely well-balanced first meal of the day (probably advised by a dietician who specializes in nutrient intake for athletes).  

You would do this before beginning your first of several daily training sessions under […]

On Sunday August 7th was the Big dirty Pickering Ride organized by Nick. Another free event put on by buddies for buddies. All bikes and all pedals where accepted. After gathering at Nick’s in Pickering and the usual taking forever to get organized it was off for the ride. Especially when one […]

This morning’s ride ended pretty suddenly… About 20 km short of the intended finish, and as one could assume, equally far from home.
Luckily, I could make a phone call and arrange a ride (straight to work!)
As prepared as you can be with tools, air, spare tubes, patches and the like… there is always the possibility….
This […]

On Sunday May 1 a few “new to running” members from Ajax RF did their first race – The Sporting Life 10K. Two, were paired with more experienced runners from Team RF. This buddy system is of great benefit for several reasons. First, the buddy can share their pre-race knowledge and experiences […]

People come to Running Free group runs with different athletic goals, abilities and expectations. For many runners, the phrase “Who’s doing 20?” means a mere 20 km jaunt. For the new or novice runner and power walkers, this language and goal is pretty intimidating - for this group, “doing 20” means running […]

When Running Free Ajax opened, I began power walking and have progressed to running/jogging over the course of a year to improve the health of my aging body. Most recently, I have been having trouble getting motivated to keep up my running regime and have started to say “I hate running”. I’ve been […]

And the first event chosen for 2011 was the Tour du Butter Tart. Planned by the same crew that brought us the Dundas Monstercross ride last fall.
The overlord of financing met with the Sith of Training to decide that attendance was mandatory in the 2011 training scheme. Specifically as thie little ride met the most […]

How Medical Acupuncture Can Speed Your Recovery and Improve Your Performance
As seen in  ”SPRING 2008 TRIATHLON BC MAGAZINE By: Lisa Regan”
Medical acupuncture is a combination of traditional acupuncture, scientific knowledge, and clinical assessment and treatment skills.  In order to be effective the practitioner must conduct a thorough assessment and have a good understanding of exercise physiology, […]

ART - ACTIVE RELEASE TECHNIQUES -  WHAT is it and WHY it can help you
Last weekend I participated in my second ART course.  I wanted to share this article on what ART is and some pictures of the course where I was sporting my running free gear.
ART or Active Release Technique is a technique that […]

 Courtesy of 7Systems Athlete Jasper Blake
Vitamin D, H2O and Ginseng

For most summer athletes the winter months are a time for base building and cross training.  In Canada we are lucky to have winter because it provides a venue for some of the most fun sporting activities on the planet.  Winter is by and […]

It’s the last day of the year and it’s that time to look at the best of 2010. Well the stuff that stands out that I used this year or events I took part in.
Best Components:
Hope Stainless BB: What can one not say about this bottom bracket. It has stood up to the dust of […]

I’ve been active my whole life but only really began running three years ago.  My previous activities focused on hockey, skiing and golf which all meant a lot of pressure on my feet and very tight fitting footwear.  Over time, I developed an injury called Morton’s Neuroma, a fairly well-known and quite painful foot disease.  […]

In the continuing mission to ride new places and explore. Hooked up with my buddy Nick to attend his Duffins Creek Pizza Ride on the last weekend of October. So again on a over cast day headed out to the meeting loction. Both bike and pizza fixings in tow. At least this drive was short […]

The New Year will be here in 10 days.  

Most of you (whether or not you label them as such) have some form of resolution.

If you are not a New Year’s resolution person, and a consistent training routine has long-since been a part of your lifestyle, excellent.  Give yourself a pat on the back.  And […]

If you’ve done a triathlon before, you have probably considered finding a triathlon coach….Whether this desire for a coach comes from the necessity for time management (best bang for your buck - getting in the proper workouts to make the greatest improvements in your overall time), structure (knowing when to do a particular workout), or […]