Tuesday, May 28, 2024 – With Purpose (Carolyn Steele Gray)

Hi Everyone!

Hope everyone had a great weekend. We’re definitely entering “summer-mode” now – whatever that means for you. For most it means a transition of some sort, so give yourselves some grace while your routines, energy, people around you shift and settle into a new pattern. Congrats this weekend to Brianna who ran the Toronto Women’s 5K and Sam and her daughter Chloe who ran the Toronto Women’s Half Marathon – much of it in a torrential downpour!

Today’s post is by Carolyn-Steele Gray – thank-you!

With purpose (Carolyn Steele Gray)

I’ve been thinking lately about meaning and purpose. Maybe it’s mid-life. As we approach the halfway mark many naturally start inspecting our choices, so questions around meaning and purpose start seeping in everywhere – work, family, friends, and yes definitely running, sport and competing. I even study the concept of meaningfulness as a researcher, mostly to better understand why people do what they do and why they make certain choices. In studying it as a Scientist I have found it to become a useful exercise in self-reflection. Here I’m connecting the ideas of meaning and purpose – they’re distinct but are also connected. One way you can think of these two things is that meaning is linked to what you value and believe, and purpose is more like intention and action, what you actually do that may be guided by those values and beliefs.

Leaving big , “what does anything even mean” type meaning aside, we can ask ourselves what is the meaning that running (and other sports) bring to our lives. For some the answer might feel very easy, but for others – myself included – this might be a harder question to answer than we might expect. And even if we should find an answer it’s likely to shift and evolve as we continue on our journeys as we experience new things, new people, new challenges.

But what I’m learning in my research, as well as with my own personal experiment, is that the answer seems less important than the practice. Asking ourselves what something really means to us can help us uncover the purpose of our actions and can become a tool to help us make choices and find balance. Also, it can magically be applied at all levels.

What is the purpose of today’s workout? Building aerobic capacity? Getting stronger on hills? Healing my soul with friends?

What is the purpose of this race I’m thinking about? What does this mean to me? Maybe you want to really see what you can do. Maybe you want to reinvigorate your love with running (and we had some just beautiful examples of this with some of our Boston runners this year). Maybe you just need to reconnect with the community so you volunteer for the day.

I recently got to put this exercise into practice after having gone with many of the LES crew for a long ride a couple of weeks ago. We had a huge crew, beautiful day, and nearly 3 hours of riding and chatting and general joy. When we got home I was feeling body tired but soul replenished. Until I looked at my numbers and was reminded by my coach that this was not the work I was “supposed to do” to prepare for my season (I know more than one of you have had this exact experience). It was a totally fair point. As I moped around the house a bit, my partner Ian (who had also enjoyed that ride), asked “Well. Was that fun time with your friends on your bike worth like … 3-5 minutes of your bike split on your long race this year?” In answering this question I found myself discovering the need to balance two different meanings of sport for me, which can help me to determine the purpose of that and my next ride.

As I have some big goals, I might opt for more structure another day to get ready (connecting to my “find my edge” meaning), but that first ride out was special and connected to my “joy through connection” meaning. Meaning honoured through a purpose fulfilled, and so, yes – 100% worth it.

On to tomorrow’s workout – Hills!!!

Riverdale/Leslieville crew will do Pottery – Beach Crew Glen Manor.

For Pottery, sets of 1 full hill (400m) followed by 1 half hill (200m) followed by 4 min tempo

3-4 sets sounds about right. We shall see how it feels and shakes out!

I’ll aim to be at the hill around 6:20. As usual, just start in when you get there.

See you in the am!

xo

Seanna