Tuesday, January 14, 2025 – Tired

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Hey Everyone!

 

I was so impressed with how many people showed up last Wednesday with the temps in the negative teens. It will be a bit warmer tomorrow (not warm!), but now we know we can do it! Way to go all.

 

This past week I’ve been feeling tired. I’m not sure why. My training hasn’t been too intense, although I’ve added more strength than usual and took a day to go cross country skiing. My coaching has intensified a bit with travel to meets on weekends – a fair bit of driving and lots of standing, preparing, cheering, debriefing – but I find it engaging and enjoyable. I have the usual busy-ness with kids, home and family. Not nothing, but also nothing new. So as you can see, there is no one culprit or reason for fatigue. When I analyze it all, I think there’s no real reason I should be feeling tired, so I don’t honour it. I feel like if I haven’t done an objectively hard physical effort, then I don’t really deserve to feel tired and should just push on, pretending I’m not. In the past, I have been able to ‘fake it’ for a few workouts or days, still performing, but exacting a greater toll for the effort than required. And then if I keep going, usually the efforts just get harder and harder until I’m forced to recognize I need a break.

As a coach I realize how ridiculous this is. If I was trying to get the best physical response from my body, I’d rest when tired, even if there is no discernable cause and even if it means missing a workout my teammates are doing. There is no point, I would say, in pushing through when you’re not in a position to adapt to it. I know this. So why do I continually doubt myself? It’s complicated.

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but just as the Icelandic people have over 40 words for “snow”, distance athletes could use at least that many to describe “fatigue”. Saying “I’m tired” could mean so many different things and stem from so many causes. I’m familiar with the feeling of “marathon training fatigue” which is different from “track workout fatigue” which is different from “not enough sleep fatigue” which is different from “going non-stop all day fatigue” which is different from “multiple unending demands fatigue” which is different from “pushing in the last set of an interval fatigue”. See what I mean? And when I can’t pinpoint my fatigue as coming from one of these known causes, I start to doubt myself. But maybe I’m allowed to just be tired, with no reason or excuse, and indulge it and come back when I’m not. That’s the ideal. That’s what I’d tell my athletes to do. It’s ok to be tired. You don’t need a reason. You won’t always be tired. But when you are, don’t pretend you’re not. Take a day off, take a week off, run slower, do little bits, … often what you ‘feel’ like doing is a good guide for what you ‘should’ be doing. Listen to your wise body and intuition – that’s a powerful skill!  

 

On to tomorrow’s workout:

Lakeshore and Leslie – 6:05 Drills, 6:15 GO!

 

There are two options for tomorrow:

1.       Boston people are at a good point to do their baseline set of 800’s. 6-8 of them with 1:45 rest. These do not need to be super speedy. The goal is to keep them consistent. (remember: the Yasso predictor is that your average time – not pace – in minutes in an indicator of what you could run in a marathon if you’ve done your marathon training). This is the baseline and not a high bar you need to set. We will repeat these many weeks later when it’s warm and your fitness is greater and it will be nice to see where you’ve come).

 

2.       Chilly people: 1 mile tempo, 3 min rest, 6-8 x 600 w 1:45 rest. The idea here is to go a little faster than the 800 crew – the rest is the same – we’re just trying to find a little more pace. Do the quantity that is right for you – there is still time to build!

 

That is all – see you in the a.m.!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, January 7, 2025 – Loving it and having fun

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Hi Everyone!

 

Ah, hope everyone is getting settled and back into their routines. I know, it’s flippin’ freezing out, BUT the days are getting longer and sunnier every day! Small wins.

Many people are taking this time to dig in to new plans and start working towards exciting running goals. I love that. I will say though, from my vantage point both as a parent and a coach, I can’t help but notice that most people are very hard on themselves. Sometimes we think we need to kick ourselves in the pants for one reason or another. And maybe sometimes we do. But mostly, what I want for people, is for them to find a way to fall in love with what they’re doing and have it be fun. We don’t all necessarily need to “tighten up” and become more disciplined. What we need is to figure out how to enjoy what we’re doing, and bring our own personality or flair to it. All training should not look the same. I find it fascinating when I hear what others like or love about running and their training, because it’s always so different. And it changes. If you have a 2 hour long run to do in the cold, how do you figure out how to get into it? Sometimes inviting buddies for parts or all of it is the answer. Sometimes turning it into an exploration adventure run of a new area is what sounds exciting. Sometimes we can really start to look forward to these runs as solo efforts and enjoy spending that time with our thoughts. Or maybe we say “eff the run” and go cross country skiing instead. Like I said – everyone is different.

 

I’m not the best at following a strict plan because I do often tend to go rogue in the name of doing what I like. And as a coach, I don’t mind if others do that to an extent. I want you to experiment and figure out what you love. One day you might feel like running so slowly it feels like a glorified walk. And another day on an ‘easy’ run, you might find a fun flow and end up going faster than you “should”. If you have a tempo scheduled but you need to talk through a problem with your running buddy, or you haven’t quite built up to along long run yet but your mind is craving the time and rhythm on your own, be ok listening to those impulses and doing what you want to do.

I love running. I love most things about running, but not everything and not all the time. I know there are some things I have to put up with or make it through in order to get the full benefits of the parts I love. But running is never a punishment to myself, or a dose of medicine I order myself to take because I think it will make me somehow “better”. I look for and find things I love in most of my runs. And I encourage you all to do the same. Whether you’re striving for big goals or not. Just make sure the balance shows you’re loving it and having fun more than grinding and toiling. That is my hope for everyone.

 

Tomorrow we’re at Lakeshore and Leslie! 6:05 drills, 6:15 GO.

 

Bundle up it’s gonna be cold. On that note, no expectations of running fast.

 

Let’s do sets of 400’s.

4 x 400 w 60 seconds

4 x 400 w 75 seconds

4 x 400 w 90 seconds

3 mins be sets (may have to do jumping jack to stay warm)

Pacing: I think just find a rhythm that might start at tempo and then move faster as you warm up. Personally, I’m just gonna go and have fun 😉

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, December 31, 2024 – Acts of service

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Hi Everyone!

 

Belated Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to everyone, and Happy New Year!!!! Hope you are all finding the right balance of time spent with loved ones and runs to escape them! Ha. Seriously though it is weird being thrown off your routine, and hopefully you’re all finding some recharging or fresh perspectives through it.

 

Looking ahead to a new year brings the energy of “fresh starts” and lots of eager motivation for new goals and self-improvement. I’ve been thinking about this – how we’re bombarded with messages on how to “improve” ourselves: become more consistent in the gym, sleep more, drink less alcohol, eat more mindfully, read more, spend less time on our phones, meditate, drink more water, keep a decluttered house, keep a journal, be more productive, … All of these things seem to have the goal of improving our outward performances. We will look better! Run faster! Have more energy! Get more promotions and accolades in the workplace! I mean, who doesn’t want all these things, but it sometimes occurs to me that these are all messages and resolutions for self-aggrandizement. Yes, we are wired to pursue and achieve, but allow me to suggest another resolution worth taking a look at: unheralded and unrequited service. I’m not sure why this appeals to me right now. Maybe because it’s the anti-thesis of the constant messages of self-improvement and doesn’t move us towards our personal goals at all. However, service to others is a cornerstone of a well-functioning society. It is something that we do for the act itself – for what it brings to someone else instead of what it brings to us.

Service usually takes the form of volunteering in some way (there are many races which always need volunteers among other great organizations), but it could also just be giving time and attention to people in your life (elderly relatives) – who really need time and attention. It could be spending an afternoon cleaning up a public space. Or a morning making and delivering sandwiches to hungry people. The point is, these things don’t move us forward in any way, or make us faster or smarter or stronger. In fact, they’re a bit the opposite because they take time away from spending time on ourselves.And that is the idea. They are not about us at all. And yet somehow, when doing things that take us away from ourselves, can be when we actually feel the best about ourselves.

So sure – pursue running goals and health goals and work objectives– these things are all very rewarding and keep us going and flowing. But let’s not strive for everything at the expense of ever using our very valuable and precious time to serve others. People and things that can’t pay us or give back, need us a lot. I believe we can make a small difference in our own corners this year. (As usual with these notes, this is a reminder to myself – I know many in this group are constantly performing acts of love, kindness and service – you make a difference).

 

On to this week’s workout!

 

If you’re running the Hair of the Dog 9K – have fun! (I would have but it was sold out – I’ll try to run beside and cheer)

If you want a fartlek to do on your own one day this week,here is one:

8 min tempo, 4-5 min easy, 5-6 x 2 min Hard, 1 min Easy.

 

Enjoy and see you next year!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, December 17, 2024 – Minimal effective dose

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Hi Everyone!

 

No races that I know of this past weekend. Coming up there is the Boxing Day 10 miler in Hamilton, and the Hair of the Dog 9K in the beach which I know some in this group have done before. The former actually gets some competitive runners out. The latter is more of a celebration for being out there.

 

I don’t have a lot to say this week. That’s because it’s that time of year when we focus on winding down for a bit. I think this is important – whether you’ve run a key race or not. Allowing our minds and bodies and central nervous systems to come down and rest is the only way we can build back stronger. Oddly this seems to be the hardest part for some people. Just go easy on yourselves in these next two weeks. We’re encountering the shortest days of the year, lots of expectations, more social gatherings than we’re used to, … These stresses are real and if we just put our heads down and plough through, we might find ourselves on the other side even more exhausted. So for everyone who wants to kick it into gear and start training in January, I suggest taking this time to charge your batteries, get more sleep, get in some social runs, but just lay off the expectations for a second. I like the term “minimal effective dose”. That is the minimum we can do that will have a positive effect.That could be a 30 min easy jog or a few sets of weights. For me it means training intuitively, not with a plan, and actually stopping when I feel like stopping. These things will keep us in shape and not going through withdrawal, but allow us to recharge and rebuild while focusing on other areas of life for a bit. I’m guessing if we do this well, then January will feel exciting and we’ll be raring to go.

 

On that note, we still have workout this week! Lakeshore and Leslie – 6:05 drills, 6:15 GO!

 

How about a mélange of intervals:

(800-200-600)-(400-200-200-800)-(600-200-400-200-200)

Take 90 seconds after everything. I’ve put brackets around the miles so you can read it that way. This is designed so you can tap into how you feel and pick a pace that feels good on this day. If they’re all the same pace, great. If you feel like going a little speedier on some of the 200’s, have fun! This will still give us 3 miles of faster paced running.

I’ll be there jogging and cheering. I’ll also write this down and tape it somewhere like swim workouts cause I get that it will be impossible to remember!

 

See you in the am!

 

P.S. This Friday is our Kringlewood run! Meet at the Rooster coffee shop at 6:30 am for an easy paced social festive run 🙂

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, December 10, 2024 – Proud coach

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Hi Everyone!

 

Wow – what a weekend of running! In the Holiday 10K we had: Cindy (sub-40 and PB!), Chris (sub-39 and PB!), Eleanor (first in age group!), Cheryl, Laura, Erin, Carolyn and Ian! And out in California at CIM a bunch of us ran the marathon – Brianna (PB, BQ!), Steph (PB, BQ!), Amy (PB, BQ!), Shauna (BQ!), Madalyn (PB, BQ!), Carol (BQ!), Myself (BQ!) and Nir (BQ!) (also honourary mention to Madalyn’s friend Leah who joined our crew and ran her first ever marathon!) I know that’s a lot of exclamation points, but they’re all well deserved!!!

 

It’s hard not to feel proud as a coach for all of these great results. But I am reminded of why I got into and why I love coaching: I am not an artist or a musician or a doctor or an engineer. Those are not my skills or what I put out in the world in order to try to improve it or make it more beautiful in my little way. I am a coach. There are a number of nuanced roles wrapped up into what this means, but to me, it doesn’t mean I’m trying to make people run fast. To me, it means I’m trying to help to make the world a better place one runner at a time. Because I do think runners are special people, and I do think the world would be a better place if we were all runners. I truly believe that there is so much growth and meaning and community and bravery and humility and mutual support, and respect for others, and so many other great qualities that come out when we run. And if I can play a small part in someone’s running journey, even if in passing, I am always more than happy to assist where I can because I believe in the outcome.

The reason I bring this up is because there are a number of athletes who this season or in the past, have either had rough races or not even made the start line. And sometimes it is these journeys where I see the biggest growth. How does your character show up when you’re struggling publicly? Can you be there for others when your own heart is breaking into pieces for losing your own dream? Can you be happy for your friends and teammates who are doing what you want to be doing? It appears from the previously listed results that our crew had a very successful running weekend. But there are a number of our team who are struggling or have struggled this season for one reason or another. And I am almost more proud of those athletes. You know who you are. The ones who cheer and support others when things aren’t going their way. This has happened or will happen to most of us at some point. And I can speak from experience to how hard it is not to just look away and disappear and pretend you don’t care to save your own ego. But people in this group don’t do that, and we all see you. And we’re so grateful for you. These are the people and actions that help make the world a better place. And as a coach, I am so, so proud of you.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout – HILLS + Tempo!

(please take my word as I speak from immediate experience – run your hills they pay the bills!!!)

Let’s do sets of: 1 full, 1 half, 4 min tempo. I really like this combo and I think it gives just the right amount of hill stimulus before reminding your legs to turn over afterwards. 2 sets if you’re newer to hills. 3 sets for the vets. 4 sets have been done but I’d wait for later in the training cycle as that’s a lot.

I won’t be there bc even walking is a challenge! But I’ll be sending you poz vibes from home. Pottery Crew meet at the top of Potter anytime from 6:10 onwards (or earlier if you need) and Beach Crew meet at the bottom of Glen Manor when it works for you!

 

Have a great one 🙂

 

xo

 

Seanna