Coach Sandra

Endurance Coach

Sandra has always had a passion for helping others achieve their goals. She has a unique ability in getting people to recognize their potential. Success in endurance sport is centered around consistency, gradual adaptation to intensity and volume, patience and hard work.

Sandra’s coaching philosophy has been developed through course work, ongoing curiosity and learning, mentorship with other high performance coaches, and years of being a competitive athlete. She has been coaching endurance athletes for 20+ years and spent 7 years coaching team sports, She treats each client as an athlete, regardless of their ability. She begins by assessing structural issues before building out a plan. Training has to be fun but it also requires an understanding of the process required to make improvements.

The coach / athlete relationship is based on trust and believing in the training process. Sandra's ambition is to inspire knowledge and confidence in her athletes. Strong communication and an individualized plan rooted in science is part of the process.

Her personal vision is to raise the standard of elite running by training a range of athletes, and provide an opportunity for developing athletes to perform their best.

Performance Coach

Sandra is an enthusiastic leader, change agent, and coach with an entrepreneurial drive and passion for excellence. She has always been ignited by fast-paced environments, creative thinking, and new ideas. Her career focused on operational excellence and management, new product development, innovation in both process and technology, and program execution. She leverages this background in her coaching business.

Sandra has a proven background leading and influencing change, solving problems, building strong teams, and implementing practices for realization of business benefits and facilitation of growth. She has supported organizations to define their technology and business vision, and implement a broad range of initiatives to achieve competitive advantage, operational excellence, and transformation. She understands what the pursuit of excellence is and the building blocks required to achieve excellence in all aspects of life and in organizations.

Credentials

Professional

  • Bachelor of Business Administration, Finance / Economics. Advanced Accounting.

  • Awarded the 1999 YWCA Woman of Distinction Award – Business and Management, Edmonton.

  • Awarded above and beyond financial awards for driving cost efficiency/productivity initiatives and providing leadership in turbulent times.

Coaching

  • NCCP Competition Development Modules - ongoing.

  • Continuing Education - Endurance and Sprint running seminars and workshops.

  • NCCP Level 2 Track & Field Distance.

  • NCCP Introduction to Competition Part A & B - Cycling.

Community

  • Chair, Board of Directors, Two Wheel View, 2017-2019.

  • Vice-President - Women's Cycling, Alberta Bicycle Association, 2011 to 2013.

  • Vice-President, Alberta Ball Hockey Association, 1988 to 1994.

  • Women's Director for Ball Hockey - Regional, Provincial, and National Levels. 1988 to 1994.

Past Coaching Roles

  • Middle / Long Distance Running at Calgary Spartans Track & Field Club, 2013.

  • 2010 Alberta Junior Provincial Cycling Team, Junior Nationals.

  • National Cycling Centre. Canadian Sport Centre. Calgary, 2010/11.

  • Coach and Athlete Development Director. Kronos Triathlon Club, 2005 to 2010.

    • Kids of Steel, Teens of Steel, Juniors, Adults, High Performance.

    • Sprint to Iron Distances.

  • Ball Hockey, Ice Hockey, and Ringette. Female Adult, Midget and Tween Levels, 1987 to 1994.

Athletic Background

  • Sandra competed at the national level in many different sports and has been an athlete all her life. Her pursuit of athletics began at a young age with involvement in hockey, freestyle skiing, and softball where she completed at an elite level.

  • Sandra started running competitively when she was in her 30s. Building upon her previous athletic experience she soon recognized, that with hard work and determination, she could develop to become a strong endurance athlete.

  • Sandra has competed in more than 20 marathons, two of which she placed second female. She was a consistent sub 3 hour marathon runner throughout her career. In addition, she has numerous top three podium finishes in races ranging from 3 km to 30km. Sandra also has two silver medals from the 2005 World Master Games where she competed in the half marathon and 5000 meters.

  • Sandra also has competed in multi-sport where she competed at the elite level in duathlon winning a silver medal at the World Duathlon Championships as an age grouper. Her pursuits also include triathlon and she placed fifth at the 2005 World Masters Games. Sandra has completed two Ironmans in sub 11:30 hours and has numerous podium finishes in the half Ironman distance. As an avid cyclist, Sandra also competed in both road and cyclocross cycling.

  • Sandra is an adventure seeker. She has raced in the Haute Route Dolomites / Swiss Alps cycling stage race. This consisted of 900 km and 23,500+ meters of climbing. As well, she competed in the Alps Open Tour cycling stage race in France. This was a six day, 700 km race through the French Alps. Sandra has also completed the TransRockies Trail Run through the Colorado Rockies. This was 120 miles in six days with 20,000 feet of elevation gain. Her team placed 5th in 80+ division.

 

Endurance and Performance Coaching