Reid Coolsaet qualified for London 2012 Olympics 

In the Toronto Marathon, Oct 16, 2011 Reid Coolsaet battled 35 mph winds and  finished with an

Watch Race at 2:40

amazing time of 2:10:55, securing himself an Olympic spot for 2012. Overall, he came third behind Shami Abdulahi Dawit

Ray Zahab, one of the world's most celebrated ultramarathoners has just completed yet another first. Ray and

Watch The Adventure

his friend, Will Laughlin were the first people to ever cross 180 miles of rugged terrain in Death Valley doing it in 4.5 days. Death Valley is a national park in Calfiornia and Nevada that has a very diverse environment containing sand dunes, salt-flats, badlands, valley's, canyons and mountains.  The men endured 127F degree heat and rough terrain with no trails. This was not an easy run but as Ray pointed out to us, it was just training for his upcoming attempt planned for January to run the 2000 km across Saudi Arabia.

Recipe: Quinoa Salad with Dried Apricots and Baby Spinach

1. Toast quinoa in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until it becomes aromatic and begins to crackle, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly.
2. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Add apricots and the quinoa; continue cooking, stirring often, until the quinoa has dried out and turned light golden, 3-4 minutes. Add water and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer uncovered, until the quinoa is tender and the liquid is absorbed, 15-18 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make Moroccan-Spiced Lemon Dressing. Transfer the quinoa to a medium bowl and toss with 2/3 cup of the dressing. Let cool for 10 minutes. 
4. Just before serving, add tomatoes and onion to the quinoa; toss to coat. Toss spinach with the remaining 1/3 cup dressing in a large bowl. Divide the spinach among 4 plates. Mound the quinoa salad on the spinach and sprinkle with almond.

For the full recipe including the Moroccan-Spiced Lemon Dressing, click here. 

Fall usually means one of two types of training cycles for multisport athletes in North America.  Some will continue to compete and focus on running or cycle cross. The second group may take time off and eventually start rebuilding their sport specific fitness.

Both groups should be using water workouts as part of their training and recovery.

For triathletes it is incredibly important to swim 12 months of the year.  Many elite swimmers never take time off out of the water. Losing your 'feel' (or proprioception) in the water happens more quickly in swimming than other sports so it is imperative that triathletes swim on a weekly basis.  I recommend that my athletes swim at least twice a week.  Swim workouts do not need to be hard or long during the fall season.  In fact, I would recommend quite the opposite.  The fall season is a great time to make technical changes to your stroke that you put off during the heavy training months. Investing time to get videotaped, either by a friend or coach, could ensure that you are putting your focus in the areas that will give you the biggest speed payback. If you train in a group setting, this is the time of year to drop down to a slower lane to reduce the pressure to swim fast.  This way you can concentrate on proper technique.  It is also the time of year to be the squeaky wheel and to ask your coach for help with your stroke.

For the athlete that chooses to do leg based races in the fall the pool should also be incorporated into their training plan as part of their recovery strategy.  Recovery is accelerated when it is active.  Blood is returned to the heart with the help of muscle contractions and by the chest's 'pumping' action when breathing. Your veins are squeezed between your muscles when...  

   Click here to read the rest of THIS ARTICLE at our Coaches Corner BLOG  

Linnea Humphrey finishes 2nd in Age Group in Ironman Hawaii

After more than a decade of focused training, Linnea did it!  An amazing race in Hawaii earned her a spot on the podium.  An amazing accomplishment in fast time of 10:29:34.  Congrats Linnea 

  
Team 7SYSTEMS places 5th in competitive Collingwood Centurion   

With over 1,000 riders in the 100 mile Centurion, a 7SYSTEMS-Bearing Capital-Running Free sponsored team raced to a 5th place overall ranking out of 35 teams.  Jasper Blake lead the team with a 9th place overall finish.  Even better, the team helped raise over $1,000 towards Team Fox in support of Parkinson's Research.  Watch the event on TSN on Thursday November 3 from 2-3pm EST.

Click here to read the full story and see the pictures. 

Hardcore Hands Quiz

Pro Teamers Jasper Blake and Mike Neill retire from Triathlon 

Aspire Nutrition Inc. co-founder Jasper Blake recently announced his retirement from Ironman and triathlon.  After seventeen years competing as a professional around the world Jasper is leaving the sport to focus more time on family, coaching and his business.  "Obviously it wasn't an easy decision to make" said Blake "but it's the right thing at the right time.  I want to have more energy for my kids and I'm excited about tackling some new goals".  Jasper is not done competing entirely, he is making a commitment to the world of trail and mountain running and will continue to be an ambassador for 7SYSTEMS.

Click Here to check out Jasper's website 

7SYSTEMS Proteamer Mike Neill also retired after Kona, Hawaii this year. This was Mike's fourth triathlon in 6 months. Mike has been competing for 13 years and completed 26 Ironmans many with amazing top overall finishes. He will continue to coach his team, Human Powered Racing.   

Click Here to check out Mike Neill's Blog 

The 7SYSTEMS Team