Good ol’ days

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

 

Shout out to everyone who came out to cheer and run the Longest Day Ekiden last Tuesday! And I believe we had a bunch who ran/celebrated the Pride 5K. I won’t call out names bc it’s too many, but way to get out there everyone!

 

I’ve been thinking about this. How sometimes as we get older, it feels like life is passing us by. As our devices serve up “memories” there is an increasing sense of nostalgia for all the events we’ve done and experiences we’ve created. And it’s true. As we get older we DO develop an increasing bank of memories and experiences behind us. I remember a line by Andy in The Office, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days, before you’ve actually left them”.  But my point is, they’re ALWAYS the good old days if we keep doing the things and creating the experiences. It’s true that one day we will run our last marathon, and we probably won’t know at the time that it is our last. At one point we’ll just keep saying “no thanks” and will never do one again. It won’t be sad in the moment – but one day we’ll look back and think “I used to do that”. Maybe. Or we’ll keep going. 15 years ago marked my last track race until this year. I don’t recall the last race I ran before I hung up my spikes – I didn’t plan not to run one for 15 years. It wasn’t momentous. I just stopped saying yes to them. And after this season it’s very possible I’ll never run another one. Sometimes we just change directions and don’t really notice until we look back. But if we want to remain engaged and want to continue creating these types of experiences, we need to remember to say yes to things that matter to us. Many of us are past our PB days (many aren’t though and go you guys!) But most of us are not in it for the glory or the accolades or the medals. We do it because this is our expression of living and experiencing our lives, and sharing it with others. I think this is why I love seeing people sign up for races and do the hard things. You’re not on your couch looking at memories – you’re out there creating them. We are in the “good old days” right now! Let’s enjoy them 

 

On to tomorrow’s workout – back to Riverdale (short) hills! + Tempo!

Let’s do this one again – it was a toughie but goodie:

Up to 3 sets of 3 x Riverdale Hill (hard up, easy down), 2 min rest, 4 min tempo. 1-2 min rest, repeat.

I’ll be at the hill at 6:05 for drills, 6:15 GO. (am racing tonight so TBD if I do the workout or cheer)

Beach Crew meet at Glen Manor and Queen at 6:00 am.

 

See you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

Fun times!

/in /by

Hi Gang!

 

Congrats to everyone who raced the Waterfront 10K on Saturday! We had Colette, Miguel and Jason racing it. I wasn’t running but was volunteering and even so was once again reminded: man, 10K’s are hard. Great job crew!

 

Happy Solstice everyone!!!! Longest day of the year. Enjoy having so much daylight to give you energy and more time to do the things you love. Seriously – it makes a difference for those of us who do our activities outside. What I’ve been thinking about lately is having fun. It’s an interesting concept because often we don’t realize until after we’ve done something that it was a ton of fun. Most of us in this group are wired to find fun with effort. This is a tricky balance because more effort doesn’t always equal more fun, but we can be tricked into thinking that and chasing it once we’ve experienced it. But also, no effort doesn’t often lead to a ton of fun. There’s a weird sweet spot. I’ve been running some shorter track races, and I can’t believe how much fun I’m having with them. I entered for curiosity reasons, but am sticking around for the fun. But there have been times when I’ve thought something would be fun, but found it simply hard without the light element (my last x-country race comes to mind). I’m not sure what the secret sauce is for keeping the fun alive in our efforts – I think it probably has to do with mindset, surrounding yourself with the right people, and being able to embrace the effort without attaching too strongly to the result. And there’s also trial and error – go out and see if it’s fun. If it’s not, you don’t have to do it again! I’m so grateful for everyone in this crew and others who train with me, sign up for races and crazy events, and bring the same mindset of hard work =’s fun. It really is the secret to longevity and success.

 

Speaking of fun events! We have 4 LES teams running the Ekiden tonight at the spit! 7:00 pm start time. I have the bibs – let’s show up around 6:30 and I’ll distribute them. (if you’re a second leg you can show up at 7:00 plus 5K – so 7:2-something if you’re running late).

 

If you’re not part of a team, come out and cheer! Because of this, we will have a social tomorrow am on the spit. Workout: repeats of 1 min Hard, 1 min Easy. If you raced, take it off or do a few. If you didn’t race, up to 12 (they build on you). We’ll still meet at Lakeshore and Leslie at 6:05 for drills, 6:15 GO.

 

See you all soon!!!!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Be a fan!

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

 

‘Tis the season for racing. Karen raced the Toronto Women’s 5K placing 3rd in her age group and 11th overall! And on the tri scene, in the Gravenhurst Olympic Tri, Carolyn came 4th overall and 1st in her age group, and Madalyn came 3rd in her age category! Inspiring results, particularly because two of these athletes have been struggling with injuries and have been very patient over some tough times over the past few months. Way to go all!

 

Speaking of inspiration, I just wanted to talk about how now is a great time to really get into being a fan of the sport of running. There is so much exciting stuff going on on the track right now. In the past two weeks alone 4 world records have been broken! Faith Kipyegon (should be noted, not a newcomer but a mother who has returned to competition with force) started the roll with a 3:49 world record in the 1500m. She then ran the 5000m a week later in a stunning world record of 14:05.

 

Jakob Ingerbrigsten took on Daniel Komen’s 26 year old 2 Mile record, and smashed it in 7:54. Consider that. Remember when breaking 4 minutes for the mile was a big deal? He just ran two consecutively in well under that.

 

And in the 3000m Steeplechase Lamecha Girma ran 7:52 to set the new world mark.

 

The NCAA track finals are currently underway and are very exciting to watch, and there are many more track races to come as this is just the beginning of the season and since this is the lead in to an Olympic year, everyone is trying to set a mark. There is so much good coverage now with superb announcing that it’s easy to get into and become a fan even if you’re starting from scratch. Just go to youtube and search “Diamond League” to get started. The algorithm should keep you well stocked from there.

 

Anyway, I suggest this because these athletes are all doing the same thing that we are. In pretty much the same equipment. There is a direct line from the times they are running, the way they are training, the shoes they are wearing, which is drawn directly to us. These athletes for the most part are not super wealthy, do not have equipment advantages that we don’t have, they are parents, or students, some even have outside jobs. So if you need a lil jot of inspiration and are sick of following sports with balls and nets, become a track fan. It’s the most exciting and then you can nerd out and talk results with me 😉

 

On to tomorrow’s workout: Lakeshore and Leslie – 6:05 drills 6:15 GO!

 

  1. 5 x 800 w 1:30 rest. 4 min rest. 4 x 400 w 1:15. If training for faster races this summer and getting into 5K shape, aim for 5K pace for the 800’s. If building base for fall marathon training, do the first 3 800’s at 10K pace and see if you can pick it up for the last 2. If marathon training, keep the 400’s at the same pace. If working towards 5K fitness, pick em up a bit.
  2. If going by time, 5 x 3 min w 1:30 rest. 4 min rest. 4 x 1:15 on w 1:15 rest.

 

Remember: you do you. If just getting back into it, don’t race these. Ppl who want to lean in know who they are. This is a great fitness building OR base building opportunity. Know your intention.

 

That is all – I will be there but cheering as I’m racing tomorrow eve on the track.

 

See you in the am!

 

Xo

 

Seanna

First law of thermodynamics

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

 

Big congrats to Fran who ran the San Diego half marathon with minimal training and had a fantastic run! And to Anna who ran an ultra this past weekend. I can’t recall the distance (sorry!) because after a certain distance it doesn’t even compute in my head. Way to go!

 

Last week I spoke about group energy and how we can share it with each other for free. This is true. However, I’ve been thinking lately about individual daily energy. The kind that follows the First Law of Thermodynamics: “energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be converted from one form to another.” As this applies to our daily lives, our energy can be converted into running long, running fast, lifting weights, biking, swimming, etc… That all comes out of the same pool, so we can’t do it all at once. It can also be converted into thinking, being present in relationships, showing up for our jobs, volunteering, doing chores, … This all comes from the same pool of energy as our athletic output. I think about this a lot as well. We can (and should) choose where to spend our energy, so it’s not a first-come-first-served scenario. Everyone wants a piece of your energy. People will rarely say “you’ve given enough”. But it is actually a finite resource.

 

This dawned on me recently as one of my athletes (who I won’t call out but is on this list) noted that she didn’t do her long run because she was volunteering doing physical labour at a camp for the weekend and wanted to show up fresh. It struck me what a generous and intentional application of the first law of thermodynamics that was. It occurred to me that I would have probably done my long run and shown up diminished, with less to give in an attempt to “fit it all in”. But when we do this, we are spreading it out. That is ok and for most of us, these are the choices we have to make. Just know that you can decide and be intentional about it. You can shift it one way or the other, but don’t expect to be able to give 100% in every domain.

 

Everyone here lives a very full life with endless demands on their energy. That is to be celebrated for sure – we are valuable, needed and important! I do think that the nice thing about when we commit to training, whether it’s for marathons, triathlons, or other, is that we are saying “I am dedicating this amount of energy to me”. We are taking it back, whether others want it or not (they do). Is it selfish? Sure. But as long as it’s premeditated and intentional, I think we owe it to ourselves to devote a parcel of it to us.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout – back to hills! I’m liking Pottery these days – just such a good way to boost fitness without as much mechanical pounding as the speed. Let’s do reps of 1 x Full/ 1 x Half so we can get good efforts out of each.

I think we can aim for a range of 4-6 reps of that sequence (6 might be a lot – if you’re noticeably losing power and form, call it)

 

I’ll aim to be at Pottery around 6:05-6:10. Beach ppl, that is 1 x 400m/1 x 200m. Meet at Queen and Glen Manor at 6:00 am.

 

See you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna