DZ Triathlon Clinics
Professionally-coached group training is more than a challenging, interesting, and effective way to improve. Properly done, it’s motivating, social, and fun.
Discomfort Zone offers three seasonal, fully-coached triathlon clinics, beginning in January, May, and September. Each clinic offers regular workouts and instruction for ten to twelve weeks, and takes advantage of a great group dynamic to help participants improve their fitness and training consistency.
All clinics are designed specifically for both beginning and experienced triathletes. Not only will participants improve skills, meet other triathletes, and get in-person coaching – we aim to offer everyone the opportunity to challenge their own athletic comfort zone.
Join us for a winter, spring, or fall triathlon clinic and discover your athletic potential.
Upcoming Triathlon Clinics
9 weeks of triathlon fitness, skills, and professional coaching! Sundays, 9:00am – 12:30pm, January 19 – March 22, 2020 (Excluding February 9)
Winter Triathlon & Stroke Improvement Clinic
University of Guelph Gold Pool
$299, special rates for Tri Ontario & DZM members
Athletes who train consistently during the off season can expect to improve year-over-year, and winter clinic is a great way to do just that.
Training emphasis is on swim stroke technique improvement and base fitness building. Due to space considerations, the number of athletes is limited, so register early!
24 sessions of race-ready triathlon training! Mondays & Thursdays, 6:00pm – 8:30pm, April 29 – July 18
DZ Spring Triathlon Clinic
University of Guelph & Guelph Lake
$349, special rates for Tri Ontario & DZM members
As race season approaches, training emphasis should become more specific. DZ Spring Triathlon Clinic builds on fitness and technique from previous clinics to get athletes ready for race season.
Running twice weekly on Monday and Thursday evenings, training focuses on race skills, open-water swimming, and race endurance. Swims start in the pool and move to open water as soon as weather permits, while bike and run workouts take advantage of various local outdoor venues.
Train in the off season: race faster next year! Sundays, 9:00am – 12:30pm, September 29 – December 1, 2019
DZ Fall Triathlon & Stroke Improvement Clinic
University of Guelph Gold Pool
$299, special rates for Tri Ontario & DZM members
Fall Clinic focuses on technique improvement, recovery, and off-season training. Athletes improve their swim stroke, pedal stroke, and running stride.
The emphasis is on base fitness and low-intensity training.
A fall clinic is also an excellent way to get started in the sport. By the time race season rolls around again, you’ll be a pro!
All About Triathlon Clinics
Contents:
The CoachThe Training
For Beginners
For Experienced Triathletes
Getting an Early Start
Equipment & Nutrition
Support and Gear (SAG)
Sports Nutrition Supported
Register
The Coach
Don’t let the easygoing coaching style fool you: Head Coach Mike Coughlin is not only the friendly, helpful coach of your Discomfort Zone triathlon clinic: he’s also a fierce competitor. He had to be, to win races like the Hoodoo 500 and the Ultraman World Championship.
Also a winner of the Furnace Creek 508 in the 2x team division, Coach Mike has competed at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, the ITU Age Group World Championship, too many triathlons to keep count, more trail runs and ultras than he likes to remember, and some of the toughest marathons on the planet.
Mike’s coaching philosophy is one of helping athletes to challenge themselves, discovering their own potential by going beyond their own personal comfort zone.
Coach Mike is a NCCP Certified Competition Coach and has been coaching triathlon for over 12 years, working with all triathletes from absolute beginners to Olympic development athletes.
Coach Mike takes racing seriously, but also believes that triathlon is for everyone. Having experienced every level of training and racing, Coach Mike has found triathlon key to a lifelong fitness, health, and balance. His coaching style is relaxed and helpful: there’s no one more likely to quietly offer a thoughtful suggestion to help you train and race better.
Coach Mike began running triathlon clinics in Sudbury, Ontario in 2004, and has been helping triathletes achieve their potential ever since.
The Training
Great for Beginners
Clinics are a great way for beginner triathletes to safely and effectively build fitness while learning good race skills. Our two-coach system ensures that everyone receive personal coaching attention.
Like everything else, triathlon has a learning curve. Discomfort Zone coaches are experienced working with beginners and happy to provide basic instruction. After a few clinics, our beginners are confident and really know their way around a race!
All Discomfort Zone Clinic workouts are specifically designed so that beginners can participate fully, with no one held back and no one left behind.
Challenge for Experienced Triathletes
Experienced triathletes like our clinics too. Training with a strong group of competitive athletes is a great way to improve.
For those with serious race goals or those considering full personal coaching, clinics are a way to get to know our Discomfort Zone coaches, get some regular coaching advice, and try out our training methods.
Serious triathlon training requires not only challenging workouts to build optimal fitness, speed, and endurance: the serious athlete must also train in an efficient, intelligent, and above all a sustainable way. To that end, a wide variety of technique improvement drills, flexibility development exercises, and targeted strength workouts serve to improve overall race execution.
Discomfort Zone clinic workouts are carefully designed to fit into a training year, to build on previous training, and to develop depth of experience in strong athletes.
An Early Start on Triathlon Season
DZ triathlon clinics provide a great way to get a jump on your season, and are designed to correctly fit into an Ontario-based triathlete’s training year.
Winter Triathlon Clinic starts in January and takes place in indoor comfort at the University of Guelph athletic facility. Running weekly on Sunday mornings, the focus is on building base fitness for the coming year.
Spring Triathlon Clinic transitions from indoor training to outdoor workouts and open water swimming, and provide the opportunity to get race-specific triathlon training before the first races of the season.
Fall Triathlon Clinic takes advantage of long pool slots and great running weather to offer a strong swim stroke improvement component on top of both indoor and outdoor bike and run training. Recovery and technique improvement are emphasized at an appropriate time of year.
Clinic schedules accommodate Discomfort Zone destination training camps, so athletes can get targeted, big-week training and recovery without missing regular clinic workouts.
Equipment & Nutrition
The gear needed to get through a DZ triathlon clinic is pretty basic and need not be fancy or expensive.
All you need to participate is basic triathlon gear: swimsuit, goggles, bicycle, helmet, and running shoes. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the gear: we can generally provide any gear you don’t have and clinic is a great place to learn about the equipment.
For outdoor clinics, a wetsuit is strongly recommended for spring but optional for summer, and just a swimsuit is all you need for fall & winter. Wetsuits are available to rent locally if you don’t have one.
While a road bicycle is recommended, a cyclocross, mountain, or hybrid bicycle is perfectly usable at all DZ clinics. Athletes often borrow a bicycle for the first part of clinic while they get some advice and shop for a new bike. For indoor clinics, you’ll need a stationary trainer: if you don’t have one, they’re available to rent.
Clinics are designed to alternate workouts so that it’s not necessary for athletes to bring a bicycle to every clinic. Spring and fall clinics generally move between indoors and outdoors based on the weather.
For running, all you need is indoor run clothing for winter clinic, and clothing appropriate for the weather for spring and fall when we run outdoors. Plus a pair of running shoes, of course.
Coaches (and other athletes) are always happy to help with gear choices.
For specifics, athletes should check our Gear List.
You can also check out the Clinics FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for more info, or Contact us and we’ll be happy to answer any questions!
Support and Gear (SAG)
Just like at a Discomfort Zone destination camp, for outdoor rides and runs at DZ clinics we have a SAG (Support And Gear) vehicle on hand.
We always have water, tools, tubes, tires, bike rack, nutrition, and first aid wherever we go.
Athletes can stash extra kit or nutrition in the vehicle or catch a lift if needed.
Sports Nutrition Supported
Thanks to our longtime partnership with Infinit Nutrition Canada, Discomfort Zone triathlon clinics include Infinit fueling and recovery products for athletes’ use during clinic training.
Athletes can try Infinit DZ CLINIC FORMULA, a professional-level sports drink formulated specifically for DZ clinic training.
For recovery, Infinit REPAIR supplies needed nutrition after a challenging clinic workout.
How to Register
It’s easy to register! Simply click the appropriate link below to register online.
We use the same online registration system as Triathlon Ontario and the Ontario Cycling Association.
More Information & Questions
For more information or questions about clinics, Contact us and we’ll be happy to answer any questions.
You can also find lots of answers in our Clinics FAQ.
Check out our Clinics Gear List for detailed info about equipment.
Connect with us on social media:
Discomfort Zone Triathlon Clinics Group on Facebook
