Love Letters to My Crew

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 – Sediment

June 18, 2025/0 Comments/in Love Letters 2025/by RWadmin

Hi Gang!

Congrats to Jeff and Miguel who ran the UnderArmour 10K, and to Chris who ran the Buttertart Half Marathon! All very solid races and I think the conditions were a little rough with the wind. Way to go All! Tonight we have the Ekiden! 7 pm start at the spit. If you’re not racing, come out and cheer! (and be prepared to sub-in just in case … what are teammates for). If you’re racing/running, HAVE FUN!!! That is the whole point of this one. Sadly I won’t be there so please take pictures.

This week I’ve been thinking about all the training and work that we do, which adds up layer upon layer to become part of us. We have all put in many seasons of training for various goals, sometimes with the effect of expressing all that training in a goal achieved, sometimes not. And then we always come down and lose fitness again at the end as our bodies recover and get back to a different level of health and homeostasis. So what happens to all of that training we did?

What happens is that it becomes part of our mental and body knowledge (cellular, muscular and neurological), and is laid down like a layer of sediment upon which the next layer will be built. Sometimes training leads to visible gain after visible gain, and this is a fun train to ride. But sometimes it just has to quietly settle and accumulate before the next jump in results is seen. And this requires patience, consistency, and faith. Sometimes the next leap requires a few months of accumulation. Sometimes it requires a few years. Just because we aren’t seeing the results right away does not mean that the work is going nowhere. This is how training works.

I had the same thought about myself when it comes to knowledge I acquire or art I enjoy. I can read a book or a poem or see a piece of art or listen to music which really moves me. When I’m in that moment, I feel changed. But then a few weeks or sometimes months, sometimes days (!) later, if you asked me to describe what I read or saw, I might be unable to call it up. I have forgotten entire books I’ve read – I remember that I really enjoyed them, but I couldn’t tell you one thing about them. Does that mean the experience was wasted? I don’t think so. I think what I’ve read or seen or heard has become a layer and a part of who I am, and subsequent experiences have been laid down with those ones as reference, whether conscious or not.

It’s the same with training. We can’t always currently express all the training we’ve done, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t propping up what comes next. No experience is wasted. No training goes in the garbage. We are an accumulation of all that we’ve done, and it is all always worth doing.

On to tomorrow’s workout! Spit social or fartlek! Meet at Lakeshore and Leslie at 6:05 for drills, 6:15 GO!

If you ran Ekiden, just come out for a social and jog.

If you’re ready for a workout: 8-10 x 1 min on, 1 min off (regroup/stand/easy shuffle – whatever works), 3 min easy jog, 4-5 x 1 min on, 2 min off

That is all – have a great one and I’ll see you next week!

Seanna

Tuesday, June 10, 2025 – Leading

June 18, 2025/0 Comments/in Love Letters 2025/by RWadmin

Hi Gang!

Huge congrats to our intrepid trail racers – Shauna and Laura who ran a 12-ish K trail race and both came 4^th in their age categories! In I think their first ever trail races? Way to explore and dive head first into new things!

This week I’ve been thinking about the concept of leadership. I’ve been hearing a lot of young people talking about how they want to become “leaders”. Now, I’ve never attended a leadership course and I am no expert, but I do have a sense of who I am inspired to follow. I am a great follower. And what I notice about many of these kids saying they want to be leaders, is that they don’t look back at who’s supposed to be following them.They are just chasing those ahead and think that the first there will obviously become the leader. When they say “I want to be a leader” what they are thinking is “I want to be the best”. But that’s not how I think you lead. You may have an easier more natural platform to lead if you’re at the front, because people are looking at you, but I have seen great leaders who were not necessarily the “best” in their field, and I think we’ve all seen some pretty uninspiring first place finishers.

One of the best qualities which I like in a leader, is a “come with me” attitude. They are not saying, “I am going to win this”, they are saying “let’s do this together”. They are able to set the tone and the expectations and they can inspire people to do their best. Simply being the best does not necessarily inspire others. I was coaching a track workout the other morning with some of my varsity athletes, and I decided to jump in with them. It was a true speed workout, so those who know me know that I wasn’t leading from the front. But I was still able to set the tone, keep the environment fun but serious, and encourage people ahead of and behind me. I did actually yell from behind an athlete at different times “slow it down” or “ok,let’s go!” while trailing her significantly. But I was ready to do what I’d asked them to do, and I don’t think anyone cared who crossed which line first.

Leading is about reaching back, beside and forward and saying “let’s do this”. It’s bringing others along and helping them to achieve their best. This is the element I see missing from many of these young aspiring leaders. They are more focused on their own achievements than on bringing others along. I think this is probably natural when you’re young because you are desperate to prove yourself at that stage. And this is what I love about being *ahem, more ‘mature’. In our group, we are all pulling each other along. We’re reaching back, we’re running side by side or we’re cheering from behind. Crossing the line first doesn’t inspire others. Saying “we’re in this together and you can do it” is what inspires them. Let’s keep doing that.

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

(some of us had talked about moving our workouts to the south side while there is construction. We could do this, but the workout for this week doesn’t require it. I’m thinking we do shorter stuff on the week we do the path, and longer when we do the spit)

1. sets of 600 (200 shuffle) – 400 (1:15 rest) – 200
3-4 sets, 3 min bw sets

600’s at 5K pace, 400’s faster, 200’s faster – this is a great summer 5K or sharpening workout.

I will be there but won’t be running the workout.

That is all – see you in the am!

Seanna

Tuesday, June 3, 2025 – Thinking young

June 9, 2025/in Love Letters 2025/by RWadmin

Hi Everyone!

No races this past weekend that I know of. Don’t forget to let me know when you’ve raced so we can all acknowledge you!

I might have to give this newsletter a new heading called “Wise words from my friends”. Last week as I met my friend Amanda for an early morning run, she asked how I was. I said, “my legs are very tired from my workout last night,” and she replied with “isn’t that the point of training?” Well, there it is. YES! Why am I overthinking fatigue and how my body is responding to training? This has always been the process. But for some reason as I close in on 50, I’ve started to think of myself as a bit more frail and the pain and soreness of training as not a good thing. But in reality, it’s the same as it always was. It’s how you perceive it that matters.

In 1979 Ellen Langer designed and performed the “Counterclockwise Study”. She took eight older men (in their mid to late ‘70’s), and had them live in a house where their environment was shifted to reflect the 1950’s – when they would have been 20 years younger. The photos, t.v. shows and newspapers all represented 20 years earlier, and they weren’t allowed mirrors to see their current selves or to communicate with the outside world. They were told to live as if they were themselves in 1959. After five days, the men had aged backwards. They showed significant improvement in health including strength, flexibility, cognition, hearing, memory and dexterity. They had struggled in carrying their luggage in, and bounced out with it all with no problem. And outside observers said they looked much younger than when they entered.

So yes, we’re getting older. And yes, there are some physical and training changes which can’t be ignored, but 50 and 60 today is not our parents’ 50 and 60. So let’s not go too easy on ourselves or lean into the “old age” narrative. Our bodies will respond to what we expect of them. So as much as I kind of love saying “I’m 50!” to people I’m running with, as a way to sort of lower expectations, I’m going to stop doing that. Who cares? I’m going to lean in and embrace the suck and the pain and the fatigue and the soreness with the same relish as I did in my 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. Because isn’t that the point? Thanks Amanda!

On to tomorrow’s workout! Back to Pottery Rd for hills (or a 400/200m hill in the Beach)

2-4 sets of: 1 full hill, 1 half hill, 4 min tempo

I’ll aim to be there around 6:15.

That is all, see you in the a.m.!

Seanna