Every May, 400+ teams compete in what we fondly call the Bellingham Olympics. The 7-leg Ski to Sea Relay draws over 3200 athletes, racing in 7 different legs: cross-country ski, downhill ski, run, road ride, canoe, mountain bike, and kayak.

Brandon and I have done it every year since we moved to Bellingham, and we love it! I have captained a Women’s Whatcom County Team for the past 4 years sponsored by Kulshan Cycles. It is amazing to search the local talent pool and put together a strong, local group of women. Bellingham is not short on talented female athletes! But, when you bring together a killer team – you don’t want to just hang out on race day. In the past we have had potlucks and ladies’ nights throughout the year. Since we all specialize in different sports, it isn’t easy for us to run or paddle or ride together. But this year, our mountain biker, Nicola Mann, offered weekly personal fitness training sessions for the team at Trailhead Athletics, the new gym her and her partner Derek Shiers just opened steps away from Whatcom Falls Park.

This has been a great chance for us to hang out doing what we love, training, but on equal ground. And, its been awesome. Thanks Nicola and Derek!

Check out the Q & A with Nicola and a few pictures from a training session at Trailhead Athletics below…..

1. Describe Trailhead Athletics?

Training at the Trailhead is highly personal. We have a small studio on the edge of a great network of trails near Whatcom Falls Park. Both our personal training and group fitness training has a competitive dynamic that is designed to improve sport performance and general fitness. By bringing together aspects of multiple disciplines such as athletic training, speed & agility, functional fitness and yoga, we have created a well-rounded program that produces amazing results. The environment is both challenging and supportive and feels nothing like a regular gym!

We train competitive, recreational and aspiring athletes. Our programs are highly social which is great for those of us that often train solo and for people who are looking for something different than a typical gym. We encourage each athlete to really reach for that next level of fitness and embrace the challenge that comes with that kind of effort.

2. Describe a day in the life of Nicola Mann and, your partner in both business and life, Derek Shiers.



Training starts at 6am so it’s an early start for us but it gets the blood flowing and I feel ready to attack the day afterwards. Sometimes one of us will jump into a class and do a workout too. After our morning sessions it’s time for second breakfast (I love that) and a walk in the woods with our two dogs. I try to complete office work and admin stuff before lunch so I can get outside for my cardio training in the early afternoon. Right now that’s running and cycling but when the weather improves, it will include paddling on my SUP board. (I don’t have a wetsuit right now or even booties so cold weather paddling is not an option!). We run a second set of classes and PT in the early evening and then it’s time for dinner, planning and a little relaxation before we start the cycle again!

Nicola and Derek… a summer evening paddle on Bellingham Bay

3. What is it about the personal fitness industry that drew you in and gave you the confidence to dive in and create your own business?

I first became a personal trainer in 1994 as a direct result of what I had experienced myself in regular gyms. I really felt there was a lack of support for people looking to improve their fitness and increase their knowledge. It became clear that people needed something more than most gyms provided when I began teaching group exercise classes. I offered to answer general fitness questions to my participants after class and the line-ups would sometimes take 30 minutes to work through. I started a personal training studio called Body & Soul Health and Fitness in Vancouver,BC shortly thereafter. We grew very quickly and with 20 trainers, 2 massage therapists and 2 locations, I sold the business in 2002. Starting Trailhead Athletics here in Bellingham is really just me getting back to what I love – motivating and educating people through fitness to become their best selves.



4. You cater to athletes. My main sport is surfskiing and kayaking. How would a workout you give me differ from say, a competitive runner?

Out of synch, but decent rotation.

Paddlers have some specific training requirements that differ from other endurance athletes. Training for specific sports often results in muscle imbalances and paddlers are no exception. While many paddlers understand the importance of upper body strength, they fail to understand how much of a total body sport paddling really is and that strength and flexibility through the entire kinetic chain (head to toe) will actually result in more power on the water. For many paddlers, the disproportion between pulling and pushing combined with the prolonged sitting position creates several areas of imbalance. The sustained compressive forces acting on the rib cage, the intercostals and the diaphragm reduce flexibility in the torso, create shortened hip flexors; and often shortened pectoral muscles (chest), anterior deltoid and internal rotators of the shoulder in the upper body. We work to restore dynamic joint stability by re-establishing muscle balance through full body, multi-plane exercises and specific stretches.

Runners have an entirely different set of muscular requirements and different imbalances that if not addressed can have a negative impact on performance. One quick thing that comes to mind is core strength. Paddlers develop great core stability (especially on those race surf skis!) but runners can run without that core training. What they gain from increased core strength, however, is a huge boost in power, improved stability and balance which translates directly into improved performance.

5. Your website says, “Give us 11 weeks and we will change your life.” Why 11 weeks? And, what does an 11 week cycle with a client look like?

11 weeks allows us to create an effective cycle of periodized training for most athletes. By using different shorter periods within an 11 week timeframe we can change the level of challenge so the body has to keep adapting, something which results in better overall results. We begin with adaptation and move through strength, power and endurance phases. As with any program, commitment, time and effort will bring results and our multi-week sessions allow our athletes to really experience the benefits of a sustained program, rather than just joining in for a few classes here and there.





6. You have been working with an athlete for an entire season. Tomorrow is the BIG DAY, their personal Mt Everest. What last piece of advice or profound guidance do you share?

The BIG DAY is just one day. Measuring success or failure with one day is really limiting, especially given the multitude of successes and challenges we face on our journey to that day. I would remind them that they’ve done all the work. They’ve gutted it out mentally and physically by making it through their training program and overcome more obstacles than they often count (work, family, injury, fatigue). Success comes from,



1. Being prepared to excel

2. By embracing the challenges their event will throw at them (expected and not!),

3. Having the confidence to face those challenges head on

4. By celebrating their effort and looking forward to the next day.



7. If you had the chance to choose one celebrity or professional athlete to train, who would it be? Why them?

That’s such a hard question! Having trained a couple of professional NHL hockey players, I can certainly say that it is a treat to train someone who will work as hard as they can and as hard as I make them but I get just as much enjoyment from watching a novice exerciser learn and conquer a new movement pattern. It’s all in the connection you make with the individual and the amount they commit to the process. Elite athletes are already committed to the process so in some ways, there is actually less challenge for me as a trainer and less of an opportunity to share an “A-ha” moment with them. The improvements are often more subtle in a highly trained athlete. I guess since I consider myself primarily to be a cyclist, I would love the opportunity to improve the performance of someone like Emily Batty, an up and coming pro mountain biker who has tremendous potential in the next few years. I think her longevity and success in the sport could be improved with some effective off the bike training and core strength!



8. Describe your favorite exercise in your gym?

Another hard question! How can I pick just one? It may have an official name but I call it a T-pose deadlift. The exercise combines a Romanian deadlift with a T-pose from yoga. It is a great combination of balance, strength and flexibility. Essentially, is a one legged lift where the body creates a T shape by hinging at the hip and lengthening the entire spine. Adding weight by holding a kettlebell, bar or dumbbell creates an additional level of challenge. Done right, it is extremely elegant and works the body in a multitude of ways.