Love Letters to My Crew

Tuesday, July 8, 2025 – Perspectives

July 29, 2025/0 Comments/in Love Letters 2025/by RWadmin

Hey Gang!

Congrats to Jason and Mike G who did the Muskoka Half IM in what sounds like very tough, hot conditions! Might take you guys a little longer to recover from this one given the heat effect. And I just wanted to say, there is a lot of exciting stuff going on in professional sports right now, so if you’re a fan, tune in! I know many of us watched Faith Kipyegon’s Breaking 4 attempt, and more recently she just broke her own 1500m World Record at the Diamond League event in Eugene. And the men’s mile in that event was extremely exciting and if you haven’t watched it I won’t give it away, but google it. Also, the Tour de France has just started, and if you’re a fan of high athletic performance (and maybe some drama), this is one to tune into. We don’t get all this stuff all winter, so let’s let the athletes who do what we do at the top levels inspire us!

This week I’ve been thinking about perspectives, and how sometimes it’s good to shift them a bit. When we have athletic goals, our perspectives can become quite narrow. That’s a good thing because it causes us to focus and prioritize and optimize. This is a path which can lead to great results and growth. When we zero in and dedicate ourselves to something, we can achieve great things. Just look at the athletic performances I was referencing by the professionals. Minutes matter. Seconds matter. And if we care about those minutes and seconds, it makes sense to keep them in mind when structuring our days and workouts. We obsess, we optimize, and we demand a lot of ourselves. The little things matter, and it can feel good to dial in to the things we can control to move us forward.

But then sometimes something happens that pulls us away from our zoomed in hyper focused perspectives. Maybe it’s a health scare for ourselves or a loved one, or maybe it’s a large-scale horrific disaster like the floods in Texas. And then we think, wow – those minutes and seconds really don’t matter that much at all. We remember the big picture, and feel gratitude if we’re lucky to be healthy and safe, and the details we were sweating don’t seem so important anymore. In fact, it can feel a little silly that we were so focused on such trivial details at all.

But life goes on, and we have to be able to zoom in and out, and change perspectives at times to keep ourselves in check. Both perspectives matter and are valid. We can’t only live zoomed out, taking on all the worries and potential problems of the world at all times. Because then why would we do anything – everything in our small lives seems meaningless in comparison. But we also do need to look up every now and then and realize that there is a bigger picture to all of this. Whichever viewpoint you’re inhabiting at the moment – it is valid. We go back and forth. Care about the minutes and seconds, and sweat the small stuff, and then realize it isn’t that big a deal. Just notice when one perspective is making you a bit nuts, and then it is time to shift it. That, I think, is what we call balance.

On to tomorrow’s workout: Fartlek on the Spit! We’ll meet at Lakeshore and Leslie as usual – 6:05 drills, 6:15 GO.

Let’s just do a simple downwards ladder: 6-5-4-3-2-1 with 2 minutes between all. Starting at tempo and working down. If training for a fall marathon and feeling good, you can finish with 6 minutes @ goal marathon pace.

That is all – see you in the a.m.!

Seanna

Tuesday, July 1, 2025: Training and studying

July 29, 2025/0 Comments/in Love Letters 2025/by RWadmin

Hey Gang!

Happy Canada Day! Hope everyone is taking a little breather somewhere at some point to just sit back and relax, enjoy, and celebrate – in whatever way works for you. It’s just good sometimes to pause and move away from your routine – even if your routine is great and works for you! And Happy Pride! Congrats to all who ran the Pride 5K this weekend – Anna Dowse, Rob Dunn and Bob Gazzle. And I believe Jeff Smith is running a Canada Day 5K today but I don’t have the results yet. Great job all!

Last week I went on a trip with some high school friends to celebrate our 50^th year. It was not a running trip. In fact, running was very difficult. I did it as much as I could, but I was forced to let go of any compulsions or goals or expectations. It was hot, hilly, and traffic was not very accommodative to runners. So I did what I could. A few days I ran 10K, then I ran shorter, and then I ran even shorter. No workouts – just running was hard enough. And it seemed to get harder and harder. Every time out my watch lowered my V02max. It was getting harder, and I was getting worse. But I just told myself – work is work. If it feels hard, it’s giving me a stimulus, and that for the most part is what training is supposed to be.

Also last week my son wrote his last high school exam. He had studied hard, and although it wouldn’t make a big difference in the whole scheme of things, he was hoping it would bring one of his marks up a bit. He dedicated hours to studying, and just as he was looking over the exam before handing it in, a bomb threat was called to the school, the classroom was cleared, and the exam was voided. Frustrating and disappointing, yes. But as I said to him, the whole point was to learn the material. The mark was just a proxy for what had been learned. He is still going into first year university with the knowledge that he needs. That was the point.

It’s the same with training. What our watches are telling us are only valuable if we can keep in mind the bigger picture of what we are actually trying to achieve. Trying to “please” our watches is not the point, and workouts, like exams, are not the point. It doesn’t matter what you “achieve” in those if they are not leading you to acquire fitness or knowledge – whatever the case may be. When I got back from my trip, my runs suddenly felt easier, and it turned out I hadn’t lost, but possibly gained fitness, despite the bigger efforts for lesser outputs, and negative watch evaluations. I had known this would happen which was why I was accepting of the many difficult “bad” runs. I try to tell people this before workouts where they might be getting anxious or keyed up: it’s just work. We are not trying to “achieve” anything here, other than to get some work in. This is the studying. If it’s hard, and you can complete it within the parameters, you’re doing it right. You know how you’re feeling, what conditions are like, what baggage you’re carrying into workouts – your watch knows none of that. So just remember that you’re always smarter than your watch, and pleasing it is not the point!!

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

Let’s do In and Out 400’s. These are continuous 400’s with the paces varying from medium hard to tempo. We have done these with 200’s before, but not with 400’s yet.

I’m thinking 6-8 of them (for a total of 12-16 400’s). 8-10K pace right into tempo and repeat. As always, this is a great strength builder that will creep up on us! Should be fun.

I am racing this evening so will be there to cheer in the a.m.

That is all – see you in the a.m.!

Seanna

Tuesday, June 24 – 2025: Team sport

July 29, 2025/0 Comments/in Love Letters 2025/by RWadmin

Hey Gang!

Congrats to all Ekiden racers!!!! I was so sad to miss it this year but was so proud of everyone who ran and cheered. Way to go team!

That’s what I’ve been thinking about this week. The concept of having and being part of a team. I’ve mentioned this before, but when I’m traveling, and I go for a run by myself, I often think of my team back home doing similar things. Because when I’m somewhere new and running, it feels even lonelier than running alone back home. But I picture my friends and teammates doing the same thing hundreds of miles away, and it feels like we’re together in a way. And then I realize, individual running really is a team sport.

I also had the thought that life is a team sport. We’re all team mates on various peoples’ teams, and we all play different roles. Some of us have a few teams, some have big teams and some have smaller teams. But everyone who we’ve chosen to be in our lives serves a role for us, and we are the same for them. And this is the key point: diversity matters. We can’t have a team full of only cheerleaders, or just people who play defence, or only star players. Sometimes we need the uncomplaining benchwarmer who is always ready to jump in whenever things get hairy and they get called up. We can’t expect anyone to be everything, but there is strength in numbers. I had this thought as I was on a trip with friends from high school, and I was reminded why I had become friends with them 35 years ago. I don’t see these friends very often – our lives have all taken us in different directions. But I definitely still consider them all to be part of my team.

I think of our running team the same way. No matter who you are or what your pace, you play a role in making the whole thing work. When I’m running on my own and thinking of “the team”, I’m not thinking of any one person in specific. I think of everyone and the strength of how we all interact together. Some are leading, (actually, many are leading because there are groups within groups), some are pulling others along, some are a beacon of consistency who you can count on showing up with a smile, some bring grit, some bring humour, some bring the chill vibe. Even those who are finishing their workout in the early hours just as the rest of us are getting there are an important part of the team. It all matters! It’s the variety of different roles that makes the team work. As always, I’m grateful for all of it and for all of you. Thanks for being on my team!

On to tomorrow’s workout!

We’re doing hills. However, I am making a heat adjustment. Working out in the heat is do-able, but it’s like adjusting to altitude: you have to do shorter work reps and take longer rests.

So let’s do sets of: 2 x half hill, WALK to tempo (or take a few minutes), 3 min tempo. Take another few minutes, repeat 3-4 times. 3 will be enough if it’s still very hot. Bring water.

We will adapt to this, we just have to be patient during the process.

I will be at Pottery around 6:15/6:20.

That is all – see you in the a.m.!

Seanna