Reid Coolsaet goes beast mode in a workout capping off 107K in 3 days
Reid Coolsaet, Canada's second fastest marathoner ever, smashed a workout on Monday to cap off a three-day, 107-kilometre stretch.
Reid Coolsaet has been a busy man of late. The 36-year-old married his long-time girlfriend Marie in a small wedding ceremony in Hamilton, Ont. two weekends ago, raced a 10K this past Saturday and ran the equivalent of a marathon in training on Monday.
RELATED: Newlyweds Reid Coolsaet and his wife make big Father’s Day announcement.
The Olympian and Canada’s second fastest marathoner ever is ramping up training for the Olympics. The men’s marathon is eight weeks out as of June 26, which called for one of Coolsaet’s signature workouts on Monday.
“This workout is something that I do every marathon buildup,” says Coolsaet. “It’s usually anywhere from 40-45K with 10-12K at about marathon effort. Today I planned on doing at least 40K and figured I would make it to 42.2K for my head in terms of confidence.”
RELATED: Olympian Eric Gillis wins two 10Ks, in different cities, on the same day.
Coolsaet has been battling a nagging injury, a nerve impingement which affected his hamstrings and glutes, for much of 2016. Lately, he’s been opening things up in preparation for Rio. He has run 107 kilometres since Saturday morning, which included a 29:24 clocking at the Waterfront 10K in Toronto.
“I’m still feeling the injury a bit but it’s more just the muscles getting used to running again,” says Coolsaet. “It’s an annoyance more than anything when I’m trying to execute.”
Speed River teammate Eric Gillis tagged along for much of the workout, fresh off a huge day at the office on Saturday including two wins at two races in two different cities. Coolsaet, who has long been based in Guelph, Ont., is in Hamilton on Monday (post-workout) to finalize home purchase documents.
“Once we are moved in, I’ll be able to settle down a bit,” says Coolsaet, referring to his busier-than-usual schedule as of late. The couple move into their newly-purchased home in Hamilton on Thursday.
Because he ran his Olympic qualifying standard in 2015, he must prove that he is fit to be named to the Canadian team. He has yet to speak to Athletics Canada head coach Peter Eriksson since Saturday’s race. Still, he’s confident that his recent performances speak for themselves. He won the Canadian 10K championships at the end of May.
Fun times this morning at #Waterfront10! Still seeing progress in my running/recovery every week. (2nd place 29:25) pic.twitter.com/04IOAhUmVy
— Reid Coolsaet (@ReidCoolsaet) June 25, 2016
The official team announcement for Canada’s Olympic marathon roster is July 11.
Next for Coolsaet is the Boilermaker 15K in Utica, N.Y. on July 10. Between now and Rio, he says that he will be commuting, on average, twice per week to Guelph, a 50-minute drive from Hamilton, for workouts.
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When asked about Lanni Marchant and her attempt to double in the 10,000m and marathon in Rio, which she may be prevented from doing, Coolsaet says that because she has hit all the necessary criteria, it would be “unfair to throw it [stopping her from running both] at an athlete now.”
Coolsaet and Marie are expecting their first child in October.
Details of the workout
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