MelRad Coaching

07/10/2026

I am not one thing.

Neither is my sport.

I am a lifelong athlete. A coach. A dog mom.

A believer in what is possible and the daily work that makes it reality.

Triathlon has held all of those facets of me, through finish lines, solo training days, epic adventures, and the people I have met along the way.

Triathlon introduced me to equal prize money for the female pros. To a viable professional career. To some of my current best friends.

Triathlon allowed me to become a 50 year old rookie in Kona 🤓

Triathlon is one way in which I help athletes become the best versions of themselves.

That is what I love about this sport. We are not here to become one version of ourselves. We are here to keep becoming our personal best.

What will the Woven community help you become?

06/10/2026

The Woven community🧡

Proud to be chosen as an inaugural IRONMAN Triathlon Woven Expert, alongside outstanding coaches and athletes helping women train with more clarity, strength, and longevity.

You can find some of my contributions in Resources: My piece Women in Triathlon: Training for Longevity, Recovery, and Strength is featured here:

https://www.ironman.com/woven/ambassadors/melanie-mcquaid

The goal is to maximize performance, experience, connection and joy in triathlon. It is to build a body, habits, and lifestyle that support both athletic performance and a long, vibrant, healthy and FULL life. Everyone's is unique.

Join us at Woven and fire away with any questions you might have for me about racing triathlon - and maybe about getting faster after 40 💥

05/10/2026

It is taper time 💫

A week out from race day, the work is done.

Whatever you are tapering for (we have Kona and Worlds on the MelRad radar next week) this weekend is about sharpening what you already built. Depending on how long your race is, your taper may have started even a week or two ago. The important thing is to trust your preparation.

Keep the last "long" sessions purposeful, not heroic. They shouldn't be your biggest session.
Touch race pace if it is in your plan. It is a rehearsal, not a test, so planned race pace not dream race pace.
Practice your fueling. It is rehearsal and improves recovery.
Finish feeling like you could have done a bit more and ideally the last few workouts you feel better than before you started.

You do not need one more fitness miracle. You need to allow the magic to marinate.

Protect the fitness you earned, recover well, and arrive ready to race.

My rule for this weekend:

Finish the session confident. Not depleted.

Who is racing in the next 10 days?

02/10/2026

RAD FRIDAY: Meet Trent from the MelRad 1:1 squad.
niemeyer is preparing for XTERRA Worlds in New Mexico next week, on his home turf in the high alpine. The goal is a podium.

When he moved from San Diego to Denver in 2008, he needed something to replace his main passion: surfing. He found triathlon. A 10:30 at Coeur d’Alene in 2009 made him think Kona might be possible. He went on to race five more Ironmans, plus plenty of half-distance races, before burning out in 2014 while travelling as a TrainingPeaks exec and chasing that Kona qualification.

He came back to racing in 2020 with one focus: racing.

Every year since has brought steady improvement as a result of intense focus on movement quality. Unraveling some issues that has prevented consistency and force generation has allowed him to go to Worlds as National Champion in his Age Group.

His persistence and focus are real strengths. He can chip away at one goal for a long time. As he would describe it: "My wife might call that stubborn." 😂

Trent is detail-oriented and driven and as his coach it inspires me to bring my best. His progression in power and speed since his Ironman days has been exciting to watch. Now it is about trusting the work and seeing what he can do at Worlds.

Excited for it!

Train for a rad life

30/09/2026

Woven: a community of strong women

Proud to be part of building this new community. Looking forward to sharing my experience as a coach and former professional in pursuing peak performance at any age, and in all contexts.

I'm committed to helping athletes build performance, athleticism and world class longevity and will be sharing this philosophy with the Woven community.

Let's build something in that makes everything better for those following in our footsteps 👣.

Let's inspire 💫

Join on community here: https://www.ironman.com/woven/join

Connect with us on IG/FB/Strava and help us bring the Woven community to life!

29/09/2026

Something is coming 👀

28/09/2026

MONDAY MOTIVATION: who's in your top 5?

Surround yourself with driven people.

People who demonstrate habits you want to adopt.

People who respect your training time. Who understand an early night so you can get up and train. Who celebrate the small wins, the long build, and the decision to keep going.

The people who make you laugh!

Your circle cannot do the work for you. But it can shape what you believe is possible.

Choose your people with care. You unconsciously pick up the standards, excuses and beliefs of the people you surround yourself with. Driven people push you up, negative people drag you down.

Positive mentors and peers make all the difference.

Train for a rad life.

Performance | Athleticism | Longevity

27/09/2026

Yay what a way to close out the season Marty!!! 🙌💥

12th in the world. 🔥 Martin Sobey capped a breakthrough 2026 season with a gutsy 12th-place finish at the World Triathlon Championship Series Grand Final in Pontevedra, Spain. The Charlottetown, P.E.I. product continues to build momentum on the world stage. 🇨🇦 Triathlon PEI

Full Story: https://www.triathloncanada.com/martin-sobey-caps-breakthrough-season-with-12th-place-finish-at-world-triathlon-grand-final-in-spain/

12e au classement mondial. 🔥 Martin Sobey a couronné une saison 2026 exceptionnelle en décrochant une 12e place méritoire lors de la Grande Finale de la Série des Championnats du monde de triathlon à Pontevedra, en Espagne. Originaire de Charlottetown, à l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard, il continue de s’imposer sur la scène internationale. 🇨🇦

25/09/2026

RAD FRIDAY: Meet Fred from the MelRad 1:1 squad.

Fred is heading to the XTERRA World Championships on October 10. He is also about to turn 50, has a wife, three teenagers, three dogs, two soccer teams to coach, a Scout patrol to lead, and leads a team of roughly 100 insurance brokers and service colleagues.

Life is full.

His XTERRA story started around 2007, when a Tennessee guy who knew nothing about triathlon got peer-pressured into a race in Virginia—and got hooked on the challenge and race vibe. He was part of the inaugural MelRad squad. We worked together from finishing races all the way to an overall amateur world title at the 2012 ITU Cross Tri World Championships.

Then a back injury and surgery put triathlon on hold.

The intervening years were full of adventure: mountain biking, backcountry skiing and touring, climbing, mountaineering, and getting outside with family and friends. When the XTERRA itch came back in 2025, Fred tried running again after 14 years away. His back held. The spark was there. So we got back to work to show that you really can be faster after 40.

The version of Fred I coach now is fast and exceptionally well-rounded. The mountain biking years made him a more complete athlete. Time is the obvious constraint, which makes swim mileage challenging, but he manages the time he has extremely well. He shows up, does the work with intention, and can suffer when it matters.

I love Fred’s description of our communication:

“I had missed that brutal honesty and scrappy eat nails attitude she brings.”

It has been so fun helping him climb the podium this year. 2026 National Champion. Now it’s time to see what is possible at Worlds.

Let’s go.

Stronger today. Faster tomorrow. Train for a rad life.

23/09/2026

MELRAD MIDWEEK MEAL PREP: Curried Tuna Meatballs

An easy dinner to throw together in minutes! Add steamed broccoli and you’re set. Also makes an excellent protein-packed snack and is versatile, you can choose salmon if you prefer.

This recipe makes enough for two. Double it if you want quick, grab-from-the-fridge leftovers for the next few days.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees or use the airfryer and save even more time!
2. Steam or boil the potatoes until tender.
3. Place the potatoes in a large bowl and mash. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
4. Form the mixture into balls slightly smaller than a golf ball.
5. Arrange on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes (10-15 in arifryer), until darkened and crispy on the outside.
7. Store in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Use the curry powder listed or substitute another spice blend you enjoy.

Save this one for your next midweek meal prep.

Train for a rad life

Performance | Athleticism | Longevity