Love Letters to My Crew

Routines

February 8, 2022/in Love Letters 2022/by RWadmin

Hi Everyone!

Happy February! Check it out – the days are getting noticeably longer. Wohoo!!!

I’ve been thinking recently about routines and how valuable they are in keeping us consistent (# 1 ingredient for success). Once you have your routine down, you don’t have to use willpower or debating with yourself what you will do when – you just do the things you’ve always done. I love my routines. They keep me feeling grounded and in control.

But lately I’ve been thinking about how great it feels to break free of our routines every now and then. I sometimes panic or get stressed that if I miss my usual window, I’ve messed something up or done it incorrectly. It’s at those times that I realize my routine is controlling me, not vice versa, and I remember to question it and even want to rebel against it. Sure there is stability and comfort in doing what is familiar, but it’s funny how the slightest tweak can open your eyes to a new experience.

When I go skiing on the weekends with my kids, I like to be out the door early so they can be the first on the hill and I can get my xcountry ski in in the morning. But recently it has been so cold, we’ve decided to have more relaxed mornings and head up later in the day. For the first time I’ve xcountry skied with an afternoon light; the sun shines differently through the trees and casts different shadows. The whole experience feels novel and fresh. Instead of having the exact same, comfortable experience as always, I’ve created a new sensation and perspective.

Last week I think we all had to deal with switching things up if we didn’t want to abandon our workouts completely. Some of us chose a different time or day to do intervals, some did them on a bike, some did them in a new location or in a different format. I like that we had to do this. It proves to ourselves that we aren’t completely dependent on our systems, and that we have resilience and flexibility and agency. And it’s amazing how a small change can make an entire experience feel fresh and new! And new experiences are how we learn and grow. So keep your routines – they’re great and they work. But don’t forget to push against them every now and then, and never ever be afraid of trying something new.

Onto workout for Tomorrow:

I’m moving hills to next week because some of us have a taper workout and this way we can all do it together. We’re at that time of year where we get the melt/freeze combo, so just a warning: it could be slippery. We’ll see what we get when we get there – hopefully they’ll salt as they usually do.

1-3 sets of (1mile, 2 min recovery, 800) – 2 mins between sets. Miles at tempo pace, 800’s at 10K (or quicker at the end). 1 set if you’re tapering, 2 sets if you’re just getting back into things, 3 sets if you’re building
If doing this fartlek style, 3 x (6 min tempo, 2 min easy, 3 min hard) 2 min jog bw sets

This is a good one for practicing HM pace with surges, and recovering back to HM pace. Re-settle in. You will go through these surges and settle phases in all longer races. Teaching your body to get back into its rhythm is good practice. Also a great strength wrkt bc a fair bit of volume. I’ll be doing the taper version, but will cheer y’all on!!!

I’ll be there at 6:05 for warm-up, 6:15 is GO TIME!

See ya in the am 

Seanna

This is what it feels like!

January 25, 2022/in Love Letters 2022/by RWadmin

Hi All!

First up I want to congratulate everyone on their resiliency and positive attitudes in training (or accepting not training) through what has been a pretty challenging week and winter with the snow, cold and lack of gyms or indoor tracks. Don’t forget that if you’re training for a marathon, one of the most important things to practice is patience! So we’re all working that muscle.

I think in my last email I mentioned I’d come back to Keira D’Amatto and her recent American Record in the marathon. So here I am again. I’m probably not done yet either. But what I’ve been thinking about this time is about a post which one of her pacers – Calum Neff – posted. He said that for most of the race, he could tell that Keira was not “flowing” and did not feel good. The pace was strained and uncomfortable. He looked at the clock at 20 miles and they were just barely hanging onto their mark and it wasn’t easy. Then he said something to Keira – “THIS is what it feels like to run an American record!” Like, d-uh. But so good! Of course! Of course it isn’t going to feel easy! But just that reminder that it’s ok for hard things to feel hard. Don’t panic. Don’t fight it. Don’t tell yourself the feeling shouldn’t be there or is signaling something is wrong. This is just what it feels like!

Sometimes running paces and times seem to come with an easier effort than others. I don’t always trust my memory in telling me how easy I recall something to have been though. When I end up with a good result, I always remember it as having been easier. I know that’s my storytelling brain though and probably wasn’t the case in the moment. So then when I’m back in the moment I could easily think “it shouldn’t feel this hard”. But it should. This is what it feels like. It’s what it feels like to get back into shape. It’s what it feels like to train through a Canadian winter for a spring marathon. It’s what it feels like to run your 5^th or 6^th repeat at a pace you’re not sure your legs can hold onto. It’s what it feels like to extend your long runs beyond what you’re used to. It’s what it feels like to run on dead legs after a bike workout. It’s what it feels like 5 minutes into a tempo pace when you’re sure you can’t hold it but have 5 minutes to go. You’re not weak or doing it wrong – it’s SUPPOSED to feel like that! The best you can do is not attach the feeling to anything else – just accept it and keep going. And as Neff said, the real feeling you’re chasing comes at the end. And that will feel soooo good.

Onto tomorrow’s Workout!

Guys, it’s supposed to be -20C with a windchill of -29C at 6 am. All feelings aside, I think this is just not safe or very effective for a good interval workout. The footing isn’t great as of this am, running hard in that cold is very tough on your body, hitting paces is near impossible, and risk of injury goes way up. So I will give you options:

If you have a treadmill or are currently somewhere warm with solid footing, here is the workout: 1600 (1:45 rest) 1200 (1:45 rest) 800 (1:30 rest) 600 (1:15 rest) 400 (1:00 rest) 2 x 200 (45 sec rest)

Start at 10K pace and get a bit faster with each one as you go.

Or do similar fartlek style by effort: 6-5-4-3-2-1-1 min Hard, 1:45-1 min easy
Do a workout on the bike trainer (actually I just read a really interesting study showing that high intensity bike workouts boosted Vo2max levels in runners which translated to faster running times with no additional running training) – Do the same efforts as above, but if you have the time, repeat 2 x (sorry – your body can just handle more intensity on the bike, so go for it!) – 3 min easy pedalling bw sets
If you want to show up at 6:15 at Leslie and Lakeshore for a social, I will plan to be there. Wearing LOTS of clothes! Then I will do option 3 later in the day.
Strength train. ALWAYS helps. (msg me if you need ideas)

That is all – have a great one – stay safe, stay upright and stay warm!

Seanna

It’s only fun if it’s fun

January 18, 2022/in Love Letters 2022/by RWadmin

Hi Everyone!

Hope you’re all getting out to play in the snow dump we got yesterday. I know that for many a huge weather event like this can cause serious disruptions, struggle and hardship. That’s not to be dismissed or taken lightly. But for many of us (especially if you’re in the under-20 crowd), it seems to have unlocked a sense of fun. I know many of us got outside yesterday and today whether on toboggans, snowshoes, skis, or even in running shoes, and the attitude I sensed was one of adventure and fun.

As many of you fans of running probably know, the American marathon record of 16 years was just broken this past weekend in Houston by Keira D’Amato in a time of 2hrs and 19 minutes. You might be saying, “Who??” D’Amato is a 37-year old mother of two and realtor. More about her story in a later newsletter, but what has struck me the most about her is her sense of “fun” in her running. From an article on her prior to her record: “D’Amato recalls two “fun-memorable” workouts that she did prior to her 5000-meter time trial. (She says “fun” a lot in conversation.)” The “fun” workout was 41 x 200 which she did to play a joke on her coach.

When reading about D’Amato I also think of Molly Seidel. Seidel was another runner who seemingly came out of “nowhere” to finish third in the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics. Seidel also exudes a sense of “fun” when she runs. She likes running with amateurs more than pros because they remind her that running part of her life – not her whole life. She had so much fun before the Olympic marathon, just enjoying herself and the moment, that the British team afterwards told her they were wondering whether she’d even finish the race because she was having too much fun in the hotel. Seidel also recently set the FKT (fastest known time) for a 10K dressed in a turkey suit (34:33 if you were wondering).

There are many athletes and people at the top of their game who I admire, but these ladies have something special. They know how to get the most out of themselves by being true to themselves and keeping it fun. I know we all know how to have fun – I’ve seen it in all of you! The trick is trying to keep that attitude going. I’m not saying absolutely every run has to be a barrel of laughs, but it is definitely possible to have fun doing hard things. It’s up to all of us to figure out how to tap into that mindset and make adjustments so that our training resembles our own sense of fun. As my friend recently reminded me, her coach used to tell her “It’s only fun if it’s fun”. Sounds simple, but say it to yourself a few times. It’s actually pretty meaningful.

Ok, onto tomorrow’s FUN workout!

(it’s actually pretty standard. You have to bring the fun 😉 )

4-8 x 800 w 1:30 rest

That is all. I’ve given a range based on where you are in your training. The key here is to keep them all a similar pace. Let’s not worry too much about pace because although the path is cleared, I’m not sure how salted vs slippery it will be. Basically this is a benchmark workout which we will revisit later on, so it’s ok if it’s not your absolute best ever – in fact better if it’s not. This is the start from which you will get faster.

I will be there at 6:05 for drills, 6:15 GO time.

Hope to see ya there!

Seanna