Growth in pursuing goals

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

 

Don’t think anyone raced last week. There are some more fun summer races coming up if you want a little supported tempo, fitness check-in, or fun community event. Locally we have: the Don’t Trip Rail Path Mile Aug 25th, Achilles 5K Aug 26th, Toronto Women’s 5K/10K Aug 26th, TrackSmith 5000 Sept 9th, Toronto Island 5K/10K Sept 10th, Yorkville 5K Sept 10th, Georgina 5k/10K/Half Sept 10th , Oasis Zoo run 5K/10K Sept 16th, These are just a few if anyone’s keen.

 

I’ve been thinking and chatting with people recently about goals. It can seem strange that we get so caught up in running goals since as we remind ourselves time and time again “NO ONE CARES HOW FAST YOU RUN!” but that’s not the point. They’re important to us because they represent challenge, growth and learning. What are we here on earth for if it’s not to grow and learn and become our best selves? And I think we are innately driven to find paths to do that. Choosing challenging running goals is a very valid path in that pursuit. So yes, the results don’t really matter. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to try our hardest to achieve them. It’s the authentic pursuit that matters. How we rise to a challenge, how we handle adversity, how we choose and express our values through training and racing, how we help others and pull them up as we go, … There are endless ways to find meaning and growth in the pursuit of our goals. The key is that, they have to be challenging, and we have to be able to strive for them with dedication and purpose, but be ok if we don’t quite get them every time. There is not a lot of growth to be had in lobbing a soft goal which you could achieve easily. But at the same time, it doesn’t always have to be a personal best or a sexy looking time or placing. It should be something that will push you towards expansion right now. I’m personally not looking for any more personal bests, but am still excited and motivated to achieve goals I set for myself. Because even if life circumstances mean we may not be objectively running as fast as ever, our journeys are just as, if not more valuable in terms of our personal development. That growth never stops as long as we keep the pursuit honest. 

 

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

 

  1. 6-8 x 800 w 1:30 rest. A few ways to approach this: if you’re just getting back into workouts and building some strength and volume, keep these at a tempo-ish pace. I’d suggest this for ppl just starting a marathon build. If you’re in the midst of a build and have some strength and miles behind you, feel free to go around 10K pace. The range is there for you to do what’s right for you on that day.
  2. If you’re working on extending how long you can hold a faster pace, suggest doing 6-8 x 600. Go out with the group, stop at the 600 mark, and pick them up when they come back through for the next one. (yes, you’ll get a bit longer break every other one).
  3. Do a mix of 800’s and 600’s. Challenge yourself to do 4-5 x 800, and then do the 600 of the 800’s for a few more.
  4. If you’re traveling and doing this by time: 6-8 x 3 min ON, 1:30 OFF. Pace between tempo and 10k.

 

That is it – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Motivation vs Discipline

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

 

First up, huge congrats to those who ran the TrackSmith 5K on Thursday eve – amidst a huge thunderstorm! We had Karen, Brianna, Jordan (PB!) and Kai Tai. It’s not easy doing something new and way out of your comfort zone – an evening track race – and this crew all gulped, closed their eyes and jumped. Way to go.

 

The other day I was listening to a podcast with a top professional business coach. The interviewer asked about discipline, and the coach replied that the top performers are there not because they are disciplined, but because they’re motivated. Top performers don’t have to convince themselves to get out of bed early to get to work. And the difference between them and their colleagues who aren’t at their level is usually just a matter of motivation and engagement with their goal or purpose. That’s not to say they aren’t disciplined. Discipline gets them through slumps or lower energy phases. But they don’t rely on discipline.

 

My brother in law said to me the other night that I must be super disciplined, based on how much he sees me run. I looked up from my glass of wine and bowl of ice cream and said – I’m not really that disciplined to be honest. I can be disciplined when I put my mind to it, but that’s not what has kept me running and challenging myself physically for over 30 years. That has been more of a pull. A carrot vs the stick. I think for most of us in this group, that is the case. We are runners because we love it. We run when we’re on vacation, we run when we’re not “training”, we run maybe when we shouldn’t always be. This is not to say it’s always easy. And when we’re reaching for new levels of fitness, we do question our motivation and have to draw a little more on discipline. But what I have found, is that if you push through the harder stages and use some discipline to smooth over the gap, the motivation quickly follows and falls back into it’s guiding place. When I have a big training block ahead I can become a little intimidated and nervous and maybe tentative, but once I get myself going and am in the middle of it, I find it’s the desire and drive that take over. I think many of us are in that stage right now, looking at what’s ahead and thinking: “Yikes, this will be hard”. But just get started. Trust that you’ll get into it and it won’t be so hard once you’re in it. Remember, you love this.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout: back to Riverdale Hills! Let’s do the old standard which I seem to have missed the last couple of times: 3 x hill followed by 4 min tempo. Repeat 3 x’s. (2 if you’re just coming back or feeling sore or tired). 1:30 between hills and tempos on each side.

 

I’ll aim to be there for 6:05 drills, 6:15 GO!

 

See you in the am 

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

Listening to our bodies

/in /by

Hi Gang!

 

Happy August! I know we’ve had some hot days, but try to savour being able to step out of your house without having the additional barrier of overcoming the cold. Seriously, that occurred to me the other day. You know when you have to psych yourself up for a run, not for the effort, but for the discomfort of the temperature? This is soooo much better. I am not taking it for granted.

 

Many of us are in the midst or about to ramp up for fall races. One thing I wanted to remind everyone as things get busier (especially when back-to-school hits in a few weeks – sorry!) is to listen to your bodies. They are way smarter than any plan. While I was away last week, I headed out for a regular run, and realized from the first step that I felt unusually tired. Strange – maybe I just needed to wake up and warm-up. But where my kilometers usually start flowing more easily, they remained very slow and lethargic. My body would not allow me to go faster than a minute slower than my usual pace, and I stopped and walked a couple of times to make it through 6K. Odd. I hadn’t been working so hard previously that I needed a huge recovery day. Then that night I came down with a cold. I had had no signs of it coming, but my body knew I needed to rally my resources and stop wasting energy running. I thought: how interesting and smart that it just doesn’t let me recklessly spend energy it knows it will need. And it’s not just when we’re about to get sick. I think we receive the same signals when we’re getting injured. I was talking to a new runner about why more experienced runners tend to get injured less, and I said I think part of it is that we’re just better at reading the signs. Some of them are very subtle and are just patterns that we have learned to intuitively recognize. It’s not something you can describe and write in a text book – it’s just a lived experience of learning to listen to your body. I also believe that motivation plays a big role in this. Motivation is latent energy. When you have a lot of it, you’re probably good to go. It’s pretty normal for motivation to wax and wane, but if it’s been waning for longer than usual, it’s probably a sign that your body doesn’t have the resources to do what you’re asking it to. Sometimes it’s a super easy fix and eating a sandwich can boost your motivation back up! But sometimes it goes deeper and your body is trying to tell you something. As a coach I try to help people interpret the signals, but we’re all best off if we can learn to be master communicators with our own bodies – they are smart and are talking to us – we just have to learn to listen.

 

Tomorrow’s workout – back to Lakeshore and Leslie! 6:05 drills, 6:15 GO. This is a classic descending ladder. A great way for those building for longer races to get in some km’s without being overly repetitive in distance or pace.

 

  1. 1600-1200-1000-800-600-400-200 (rests: 3 min, 2min, 1:45, 1:30, 1:15, 1:00). Paces: start at Half Marathon pace and work down.
  2. If newer to workouts or just getting back into it, start at 1200.
  3. If going by time: 6-5-4-3-2-1-30sec w rests as above
  4. If racing the TrackSmith 5000 on Thursday: easy 20 min shake + strides

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Perspectives

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

 

Hope you’re all having a great week. First up, huge congrats to our triathletes who competed in the Toronto Triathlon Festival on Sunday! Tanis and Carolyn both came 2nd in their age groups and qualified to go to World’s in Spain! (TBD if they go, but so cool to qualify). Shauna Carpenter came 4th in her age group, and David Steinberg and Adam Nicklin came 13th and 15th respectively. What a showing for LES!

 

I recently read a book which made me think. A lot. About a lot of things. It’s called Notes on Complexity – written by Neil Theise. It’s about … a lot of things, but one thing I’ve been thinking about particularly is perspective. There is not one reality, just our current perspective. For example, we think of ourselves as self-contained individuals walking around. However, if we zoom in, we are full of life made up of “not us” with non-human living bacteria and microorganisms, comprising up to 70% of our cells (not our mass – they are 1-2% of our mass because they are so tiny). If we zoom in even further, we see we are made up of cells, with their own living functions at work. Even further, and we see that the cells are comprised of proteins which have organized around fluid, and there is no real barrier between ‘inside’ and ‘outside’. We see that the outer boundaries of what we consider ourselves is not solid, but constantly in flux with the environment around it, discarding and picking up new organisms all the time. Zoom in even further, and everything is made of tiny little subatomic particles floating around each other, which are identical to all other particles in the universe – just in different formations. Zoom back out to where we are contained individuals roaming around, then zoom further out to where we are part of all life being manifested and interacting with planet earth, zoom even further out and we are simply a tiny blip of energy in the universe, here for an indescribably short period of time.

 

All of these things are true, but we have to shift our perspectives in order to see and understand each one. Of course I’m bringing this back to running and training, and the same thing is true. Remember when I said that our brains and bodies are constantly trying to become more efficient, so every footstep matters? True. Remember also that there is not one workout or week or month that will make or break or define you as a runner? Also true. Yes, all the little things matter: strength training, mobility, sleep, nutrition, strides, types of workouts you do, mileage, etc. You can get as granular as you want and make everything into a big deal. Or, you can keep those things in mind, while zooming out, and seeing where it all fits in to making you into a whole, complete runner who has time for relationships, family, work and other dimensions of your life which makes you full. There is no one correct view and two opposing approaches can both be right. It’s all about perspective. The little things matter and the big things matter. Shifting back and forth to being able to see both is a good practice.

 

On to Wednesday’s workout! I am away, so will let you self-organize and do this as a social or by time. People who raced TTF, feel free to come out and do the social. Same time and meeting place – 6:05 drills/warm-ups, 6:15 GO. Then head down to the spit.

 

The workout – keeping it simple: up to 15 x 1 min on, 1 min off. These build on you! This is a good one for marathoners as if you keep your “off’s” not too easy you end up with a solid amount of work. If training for shorter races, really lean into the “on’s” and take it pretty easy on the “off’s”. 15 might be a lot. See how you go.

 

I’ll see you back next week – have a great one!

 

Xo

 

Seanna

Recharging

/in /by

Hi Gang!

 

No race results from this past weekend, but good luck to all those competing at TTF this weekend! Go get it!

 

Many people are ramping it up and starting to work hard now in preparation for fall goals. I’m loving the energy. What I’ve been thinking about recently along these lines is the concept of recharging. This is different from recovering. There is a fairly straightforward formula for recovery: food and sleep. The better quality and quantity you get of both of those things, the better your body will be able to bounce back for the next session. But I think of recharging as being a bit different. It’s more about internal energy. How do you get yourself up for your next session. I had to consider this seriously recently as I’m training for a marathon and trying to condense things this week so that I can escape on vacation for a week without having to worry about long runs while I’m away. That meant two longer and harder sessions (for me at this point) a little uncomfortably close together. Normally when I have a bigger session coming up I can pump myself up and get myself motivated and excited for it. But how to recharge those batteries in two days? I realized that apart from eating and sleeping well, I had to be conscientious about where I was spending energy. I opted out of a few volunteer obligations, kept myself in a calm vs busy headspace, and didn’t do anything that was physically or mentally too taxing. This worked well enough and my energy and motivation felt recharged just in time. I know we can’t always opt out of things and make our lives a little easier (we are afterall, mostly the people who get shit done), but when you’re feeling extra taxed with training, see if you can lighten the load a bit elsewhere. Again, this is not about the classic “recovery”. It’s about being kind to yourself and making yourself feel like you have energy to give. Maybe this involves a glass of wine on the weekday. Maybe it’s staying in your pj’s when working from home. Maybe it’s ordering in for dinner an extra night. Maybe it’s saying “sorry – I can’t this week” to a request you normally say yes to. Or taking a mid-day break to walk for ice cream. Or asking a neighbour to pick up the kids. It’s basically the feeling of letting yourself off the hook in some areas. That is OK. Your life won’t fall apart because you’re giving yourself space to take on a little less in some spaces as you take on more in training. Don’t worry – the pendulum will swing back. It always does. But if you don’t carve out your recharging space, it will disappear.  So figure out how you recharge and do some of that. Coach’s orders 😉

 

On to tomorrow’s workout – back to Pottery Rd Hills!

We’ll do sets of 2 long, 1 short. For ppl not at Pottery that’s 2 x 400m hill, 1 x 200m hill. The shorter one can be done with a bit more power. I think most ppl can do 2-3 sets. Just get going when you get there. I’ll aim to be there around 6:10/6:15.

 

For people racing this weekend, no hills for you. Instead, two sets of 4 x 400m w 1:15 rest. You can ease in with the first set being at 10K pace (race pace for TTF people). If feeling good you can do down to 5K pace or a little faster in the second set. 3 min between sets.

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Running Economy

/in /by

Hi Gang!

 

Huge congrats to all the triathletes in this group who crushed it in the Muskoka Half IM and the Musselman Half IM! Madalyn, Eleanor, Carolyn and Jason. Mad respect – y’all are awesome!

 

I’m reading another book about running. Funny how after being a nerd about something for over 30 years you can still learn new things. What struck me in this book is the concept that your brain and body are constantly mapping and updating your system to make you a more economical runner. Running economy refers not to how fast you run, but how much energy it costs to run a certain pace. It’s like fuel efficiency for cars. When Paula Radcliffe broke the world record for the marathon in 2003, she had been undergoing constant physical testing. Her Vo2 max, max running speed, strength and power were all tested. She ranked the same or even slightly lower on some of these tests than she had 5 years previously. What had changed? She was more economical. Although less fast and less powerful, she could maintain a certain velocity with less effort. How did she manage this? By running. A lot. Mostly easy.

 

Running is a skill. When running, the brain and body are in constant communication, mapping which patterns feel easier and creating a blueprint to encode those patterns. The signals are then sent for all muscles to synchronize and move a certain way in order to replicate the smoothest path. This learning happens over many miles and is constantly being adjusted and refined. Every single time we run, we are reinforcing the skill of learning how to run with a little less effort. There is no “one right way” to run. Every body is different and every brain figures out the most economical movements. It has been shown that as runners age, even as they lose muscle and strength, they continue to become more economical. This is probably why we see older runners generally progress to longer distances. They’ve been doing it longer and so have a higher skill level for running, even though they’re “slowing down”.

 

Anyway, I just loved this idea that even when we’re going out for a slow, tired jog, our brains and bodies are adapting and “training” and working on making us better. This is unique for running. In no other sport do our brains automatically find the most efficient and best way of doing something. They don’t care how much energy we spend swinging a golf club, and have no internal feedback on how far the ball went. In swimming our brains have to be taught how to move through the water – we aren’t figuring it out by sensation. But in running every step is mapped back to sensation and effort. If we happen upon a slightly different gait or pattern and it reduces the sensation of effort, that will be recorded and uploaded and replayed. These tiny variations over time lead to our optimal running stride. But this takes time. And lots and lots of easy miles. So enjoy them. Whether you’re training or not, your brains and bodies are always working to make you more efficient. A nifty offshoot of evolution I guess.

 

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

  1. 1 mile tempo (faster side of tempo), 2 min rest, 4 x 400 w 1:15 (thinking 5K pace here), 2 min rest, Repeat. THEN marathoners can finish with 1 mile at marathon pace.
  2. If just coming to workouts from a hiatus, just do mile – 4 x 400 – mile
  3. If going by time: 6 min tempo, 2 min easy, 4 x 1:15 On, 1:15 Off, Repeat.

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

Exploring your pain cave

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

 

Happy Summer! School’s out, and the heat is on. If you happen to enjoy a little less structure over the summer months, just remember that it’s still a good idea to get your runs in early if you want them to be quality. The heat has a real impact on your perceived effort and your real performance. Just remember that we can and do adapt to it, but it takes a few weeks, so be patient and kind to yourself as you get there. Also, remember that heat adaptation is the “poor person’s altitude training”, so it will benefit you in the long run. It’s just a little uncomfortable as you get there. Top tips: drink more fluids, protect your skin, temper the pace, take breaks.

 

Speaking of adapting, I’ve been thinking about the process of “getting in shape” again as I start a new build for a marathon. I know a number in this group are now training for fall events – whether marathons, half marathons or speedy 5K’s at the end of the summer. (I think the triathletes in this group are the only ones who are nearing peak fitness right now – enjoy that feeling!) The rest of most of us are in our “ok, let’s get going” phase. When I visualize this phase, for some reason I picture digging a tunnel in the snow. We are working to clear out the snow and create a space that is easier to move through. The work is not easy, but once we clear the path we’ll be able to use it and move with more ease. Just up to the point that we’ve cleared though. If we want more, we have to get to work and dig some more. My long-ish runs are not coming easily right now, but I imagine each one creating a bit of an easier path for the next one. You just have to punch through a bit.

 

Courtney Dauwalter is the greatest ultra runner of all time. She habitually wins races outright – often beating all the men as well, and recently set a new record in the Western States 100 mile race in a time of 15 hours and 29 minutes. Not that that time means much to any of us except for the fact that she was running pretty hard for that long! Courtney’s mental tactic in these races is to visualize herself in a pain cave – an actual cave where she is exploring and digging new tunnels. When she first started, she saw herself coming to the entrance of the pain cave, and not going in. She would see it, look in, get scared, and not enter. As she worked on her mental toughness game plan, she started visualizing herself entering the cave and sitting down in a comfy chair – just inhabiting the space. Now she pictures herself owning it and digging and making the cave bigger – it is her space to create and explore.

 

So much of what we do with training is mental. If you can find a mental space that helps to connect you to the effort and keep moving you forward, you’re well on your way to continuing to enjoy it as you improve. No one has it completely figured out and we all struggle. But each time you go out, it’s another opportunity to explore that mental space – whether you call it a tunnel, a pain cave, or whatever else makes sense for you. Enjoy the exploration!

 

On to tomorrow’s workout! Back to Lakeshore and Leslie – 6:05 drills, 6:15 Go.

 

  1. 6-8 x 800 w 1:30 rest. Option of making every 3rd one Hard or outside of your comfort zone. That means the others are not at max capacity – leave some room. I’m thinking 10K pace and down to 5K pace for the hard ones if you have the gear.
  2. If going by time, 6-8 x 3 min ON, 1:30 OFF. Option of every 3rd one harder.

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna