Tuesday, Feb 27, 2024 – Clapping

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Hey All!

 

Spring is in the air, and with that the scent of spring races is noticeable. Starting off this weekend with the Chilly Half. Some are racing it, some are training through, but it’s always a great way to “wake up” from winter and decide where we want to take our training for the season.

 

What I’ve been thinking about this week is the ability to ask for support. I’ve always thought that “distance runner” is a personality type more than a chosen activity. Whether our sport has shaped us, or we’ve been drawn to it because it suits us, we do tend to exhibit some similar characteristics. Among these are independence and self-reliance. We know that when we’re out there, training or racing, it’s really us vs. us, and us with us. We show up for ourselves, learn to trust ourselves, and spend a lot of time in our own heads.

 

I’ve been at a lot of track meets lately. If you’ve been to any track meets, you’re probably familiar with the Jumper’s Clap. It’s the slow, rhythmic clap that jumpers (triple, long, high, pole vault) do above their heads before taking off. The crowd and fellow competitors immediately join in, and everyone within earshot starts clapping slowly. The jumper then prepares themselves and builds into a sprint before taking off as the clapping cadence increases all around them to help propel them forwards or up. The jumpers are basically saying “hey, help me out here” and everyone does. Now, there is a lot going on at track meets, and often I’m not even looking at the jumper or I’m continuing on with a conversation I’m having, but I always participate in the clap. When someone asks for support, you’re more than happy to support them. And jumpers are very good at asking for support.

 

I’ve always admired this about them. Sure, it’s ballsy. It’s very “look at me … here I go!” But why not? It’s so different from most distance runners. But I think we could take an example from this. We can learn to ask for support when we need it. People around us want to support us if they know how. This is why I tell people to let others know of any big goals. Bosses, colleagues, family members can all inadvertently put up barriers to you trying to get your shit done, but if they are aware of a big goal, more than likely they will want to support you. So put it out there. Tell everyone you’re training for a marathon or to run a PB in the 5K … whatever it is. Most peoples’ natural instinct will be to assist you in getting there. The trick is, you have to start clapping for yourself first. Then they’ll all join in.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout! We’re a bit divided here. People still working on strength and a solid base with some pep are doing Hills + Tempo. People racing or training through the Chilly Half this weekend will do a little more specific prep work.

 

  1. Hills: I think a lot of ppl liked the last one (myself included), so let’s repeat it. You can add a set if feeling a little stronger. 2-3 sets of 2 x Pottery rd (or 400m hill), walk to tempo spot (~ 1 min), 4 min tempo.
  2. If racing Chilly: 600 at race pace, 2 min rest, then 4 x 400 a lil quicker w 1:30 rest
  3. If training through Chilly (ie. Executing a solid training run): 2 x 800 @ half marathon pace w 1:30 rest, 2 x 600 @ 10K pace w 1:15, 4 x 400 @ 5K w 1, 1 x 800 @ half marathon pace – 2 min bw all sets. This is to set you up to find a good marathon pace rhythm in the race that you can stick to.

 

That is all – see some of you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

Tuesday, February 20, 2024 – Exploration

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Hi All,

 

Hope you all had a relaxing long Family Day weekend. It actually felt like winter! Not sure about you guys, but I’ve actually been enjoying the cold and snow – it feels novel, unlike past Februarys where it’s had me beaten down by now.

 

What I’ve been thinking about this week is running as exploration. Not exploration in the geographic sense (which I guess it often is as well), but more in the sense of how it affects and changes our bodies and ourselves. I think having this sense of curiosity is in large part what keeps us engaged. If a coach or algorithm could tell you exactly where you would end up if you followed a certain protocol, I think you’d find it would take the excitement and fun out of what you’re doing. Part of the point is the exploration into what might lie ahead.

 

This past weekend, my co-coach and I were coaching some of our university athletes in meets. It is almost the end of the season, and they are keen to keep testing themselves and trying to reach certain marks. It was a busy weekend, with two meets in two different cities in two days. Then one athlete wanted to run a third race on the third day. We both knew this was not likely to lead to a strong performance. We’ve both had enough experience to make that call. But the athlete didn’t have that experience. He is young and he was eager. So, we let him do it, and it was not a strong performance. My point is, that now, he KNOWS. We could have told him endlessly about our experience, but until he experienced it himself, he wouldn’t really know. He had to go out and explore and discover. He is now that much more informed and wiser and he will carry that understanding with him.

 

This is why, as a coach, in most cases I feel I am more of a consultant. I can tell you what I think, but I want you to go out and learn for yourselves. I will never say “I told you so”. Because telling you so doesn’t really teach you. Failure is an experience through which you learn and grow. Probably even more than success. So keep exploring. Discover what makes you grow. Be curious. This is a pretty fun journey if you can maintain that sense of open minded wonder. You’ll never find the answers in a book, podcast or from an expert. So keep going out and answering your own questions!

 

I just want to leave you all with one more message for the week: You are doing a good job. Please repeat this to yourselves if no one has told you lately. Whether it’s in running, work, caring for others, or any other area where you’re devoting your energy: you are doing great and what you are doing matters.

 

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

 

  1. Let’s do drills down to Carlaw so we can start at that end.

Then: 800 tempo, 1 min rest, 600 @ 5-10K, 1 min rest, 200 @ faster. 3 min rest.

Repeat for total of 3-4 sets.

I like the mix of paces here. Coming back to tempo after some speedier work helps to teach your body to process and use lactate as fuel. We also get to sprinkle in some faster work to work on running economy and speed. We have to keep those gears alive, even in the winter months!

 

That is all – see you in the am.

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, Feb 13, 2024 – Role models

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Hey Everyone!

 

Happy Valentine’s Day tomorrow for those who celebrate. And Happy eating chocolate day for those who celebrate that!

 

As most of you have probably heard, the marathon world record holder, Kelvin Kiptum, died tragically in a car accident the other day, alongside his coach. Kiptum had recently run the world record of 2:00:35 in the Chicago marathon, and was expected to be the first person to break 2 hours in a legitimate marathon. The news of Kiptum’s death is sad on many levels. He was young, had years of great things ahead of him, and had a close circle of family and friends who will miss him very much. But what we as runners are also collectively mourning is the loss of a model of our potential. Maybe not us personally, but what is humanly possible. When we see someone out there doing something we didn’t think was possible, it can lead to a sense of awe. It is also inspiring. These are positive feelings which are energizing and motivating and then lead us to take action. We are raised up by people who lead in this way.

 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: each one of us fills that role for someone else. You probably will never know who or how many people you inspire and raise up that way, but our actions are noticed. Obviously we’re not inspiring everyone. But there is someone in your boat who doesn’t think they can do ‘it’ (whatever ‘it’ is), and sees you doing it and it pulls them up. It might feel like there’s no way our little plod in the dark hours or our non-PB time, which doesn’t even feel like a great accomplishment to ourselves, can make anyone take notice. But people do. Maybe it’s your neighbours or a colleague or someone walking to work or someone watching the race go by. And maybe that person can identify with your particular stage or struggles in life. And for that person, you are a beacon of what is possible. I know I’ve been inspired by people in this way. People who probably think they are just ordinary and going along doing their ordinary things, but I recognize a sister in what she is challenged by, and see her reaching for goals or doing big things despite it all, and I think, “it’s possible”, so I go out and try too. There are Kelvin Kiptum’s out there raising people up in their own way every day. And most likely we are all that person for someone as well. I find that to be good motivation when I’m getting discouraged or feel like I’m climbing an uphill battle. Someone else is probably going through a similar stage, and could use a little shot of self-belief. RIP Kelvin Kiptum – you inspired us all.

 

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

 

Let’s get back to some meat n potatoes 800’s. Up to 8 of them with 1:30 rest.

Start at threshold pace (somewhere between half marathon and 10K pace). I think most of us should stay there for now. If you’re feeling great you can pick it up for the last couple. If you’re not feeling great, do 6 and keep them closer to tempo pace. There are a lot of range options in this workout and they are all solid!

 

That is all – see you in the am.

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

Tuesday, Feb 6, 2024 – Recovery

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Hey Gang!

 

Happy “feels like Spring”! The best thing about this weather is the footing. Some of my usual routes that are off-limits in winter are still available to me. I’ve been caught before in both Taylor Creek Park and the Moore Park Ravine where I’ve stubbornly maintained my route despite the ice, and pushed too far in before getting caught in a spot of no return where I couldn’t go forwards or back and just had to shuffle/slide while grabbing trees for support for a few kilometers. Things you only have to learn once, or in my case, twice. But despite my rule of never doing these routes again in winter, I might try them out mid-Feb this year. Indulgence!

 

What I’ve been thinking about this week is Recovery. I know I’ve spoken about this before, but it’s worth reminding ourselves. It’s hard when you get in the groove of a training routine, to remember that it’s not the training that is making you stronger – it’s the response to the training. If you’re not recovering, you’re just hitting yourself over the head with a hammer. And unfortunately, we internalize the hitting ourselves part as being “good” and it can sometimes in an odd way be cathartic, but without a corresponding adaptation and response, it does not move us ahead at all. The tricky thing about this is, there is no universal formula to stress and recovery. And we have to view ourselves as a global system with mental, emotional and social factors as well as the physical.

 

Training is not just as simple as stimulating a muscle and watching it get stronger. It is a complicated mix of mechanical load, neuromuscular adaptations, hormonal responses, nutrient and chemical pathways in the body, … It makes sense then that recovery doesn’t just mean resting the body. Recovery involves hormonal response, stress response, mental state, nutrient and micro nutrient availability, … When we are stressed or overwhelmed or struggling emotionally, our recovery response can be compromised. That doesn’t mean we won’t recover, it just means it might take a little more time during these phases. I think it’s important to be honest about this. We often want to continue on our usual plan to prove to ourselves we’re tough and can fight through when other areas of life are throwing us curve balls. Which might help mentally, and I do believe our ability to work hard persists and can even be enhanced during these times. But we have to be very honest and clear eyed about our recovery. Two or three hard efforts a week might have to come down to one or two in order to make the same gains.

 

Many high end college coaches have learned this. During exams they have learned that their athletes tend to have high injury rates. So they back right off the intensity during these phases. Their athletes didn’t just suddenly become weak or unfit – they just can’t recover as well as usual because of additional life stresses. And once the stress has diminished, they can roll right back into where they were without having lost any ground.

 

It’s a bit naïve to think we’ll go through life without any additional external stresses and that we’ll always be able to maintain the same level of training with the same recovery response. We all enter our own “exam phase” at different times, and the best thing we can do is acknowledge it and adapt our training instead of white knuckling it. Whatever we’re going through shall pass, I promise, but let’s keep our bodies strong in the process. Train, then recover extra. Sleep, eat, meditate, walk, socialize, laugh, read, listen to music … this is all as important to your training as the work part, and probably even more so.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout – we’re back to hills! I think we’ve got some good base hills in, so let’s progress to hills + tempo. This is particularly helpful for those with hilly races on the sched.

 

Let’s try this cycle: 2 x full Pottery, 1-2 min easy (to cross the street or get somewhere flat-ish and traffic free) – 4 min tempo. Repeat 2-3 times.

 

That’s all – see you in the am!

 

Xo

 

Seanna

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, Jan 30, 2024 – Repeatability

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Hi Everyone!

 

Anyone noticed the days getting a bit longer? I have. Or maybe I’m just waking up later – ha. Anyway, enjoy the springier-like temps while we have them and the ok footing. I’m sure we’ll vortex down again at least once more so take a breath and enjoy while you can.

 

What I’ve been thinking about this week is the concept of repeatability. It’s a concept that’s worth thinking and reminding ourselves about. It goes back to the Aristotle quote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence therefore, is not an act, but a habit”. It’s worth taking the time to pause and let this message sink in. Our culture today is one which celebrates excellence, but tends to glorify the one-off acts. Social media amplifies this. For instance, a big workout or long, hard run posted on social media for all to see garners positive feedback in the form of likes and praise. It incentivises us to “Go big or Go home”.

 

But adaptation and growth don’t happen this way. One big solid effort is inspiring and commendable, but it doesn’t prime your system to adapt. Your system might think “whoa, that was big – we got through it – let’s see if it comes again”. And then it doesn’t come again for a while. So nothing changes. Whereas, when we give smaller, continuous, less “sexy” stressors, our system thinks “ok, I guess this is life now – better respond by getting a little stronger, more resilient, more flexible” … whatever the stressor is. That is the gradual, habit based approach to training. Each session in itself is not that impressive. But it can’t be or else it can’t be built upon.

 

I admit I struggle with this, especially when building or rebuilding into fitness. I want to be at the end, not the beginning, and try to prove with one or two workouts that I am capable of doing it. But that’s not the signal my body needs in order to adapt. It might make my mind happy, but my body needs smaller, continuous nudges. I find it helps to think of my system this way: what does it need to help it get to the next level. Right now, it needs continual little prods. I’ve seen some people in our group do this really well at workouts. They do half of the workout because that is where they are right now. I’ve often heard and really like the rule of thumb: “Finish feeling like you could do one more”. You’ve got the stimulus, your body has heard the message that this is life now so it better adapt, but you’re not sending it into retreat mode. Begin as you intend to continue. You may get fewer daily kudos and thumbs up, but trust me – it is a long road and the habits and small steps all add up.

 

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

I won’t be there as I’m taking a mini ski break up north, but will appoint a few leaders so you’re all in good hands.

 

Trying something new here, and I like the sound of it. Am excited to hear how it goes:

 

  1. Continuous – 600 tempo – 600 medium – straight into the next one. Repeat 6-7 times. It shouldn’t be too intense, but it will take longer. Yes, this is up to max 8.4K, but only 4.2K of tempo. Work volume isn’t too high, but overall volume a little higher. Obviously, if it’s windy, do the tempo part with the wind at your back. Suggest finishing with 3-5 x 100m strides for a little speed pick up at the end.

 

That is all – I won’t see you in the am, but have a great one!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, Jan 23, 2024 – Harmony

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Hey Everyone!

 

Hey we survived our first big cold snap! And we had as many people out at hills as I’ve seen! Not out of the winter woods, but if we can do that, we can really get through this.

 

What I’ve been thinking about this week is the relationship between health and performance. Performance is obviously an indicator of health and vitality. I’ve often thought: if I can run fast (for me) times and perform well, everything must be chugging along smoothly in my body, so if I just focus on that I’ll be good.

 

Recently however, we’ve been reading and hearing a lot about strength and how important it is to longevity. We only hang onto a certain percentage of our muscle mass from age 30 to age 80, so if we want to have a functional amount at age 80, we’d better start bulking up after 30. And it’s not only for lifestyle – it’s also for life. Studies now show that muscle mass is a greater predictor of longevity than cardiovascular fitness. Now, some of the fastest runners in the world (Jakob Ingerbrigston for one), don’t do strength work. I’m quite sure many of the marathoners we admire don’t do much either. They are genetically blessed and they save their energy for doing one thing really well. They perform, and they perform well. We might even be fooled into thinking they represent the epitome of health. But performance and health – particularly long term health – don’t necessarily go hand in hand. And many of these top performers will leave the sport entirely once they retire and move onto other activities. We should not model our lifelong patterns off what they are doing for a moment.

 

And then there’s mobility and stretching. I have always poo-poo’d stretching. After I read a study which said that the only measurable difference in Paula Radcliffe between her 2:17 marathon to her then world record shattering 2:15 (pre-super shoes) was that her sit and reach test got worse. Meaning her hamstrings were more tight and less flexible. The common takeaway was (and still is) that efficient runners need to have tight springs in their bodies rather than loosey goosey muscles which need to be engaged all the time. A tight muscle will spring back with less effort. So I’ve always if not prided myself on, at least radically accepted my very tight hamstrings. Until recently when I threw my back out doing a strength movement because I couldn’t get into the proper position. My tight hamstrings are great for running. Not so great for every day ease in life – anyone who has trouble getting out of a car after a long ride can feel me there. So, I took a yoga class. And I noticed something. People in the class weren’t trying to get a good workout in. Can you imagine?? No, they were all trying to do good things for their bodies – unrelated to the realm of performance. There was wisdom and self-care in that room. I used to get antsy in yoga classes, thinking if I wasn’t sweating, I wasn’t achieving anything. This time I was just trying to let my body relax – possibly into a less fast but healthier version of itself. What is the point of performance if you’re in pain and/or not going to live as long?

 

As a coach this is something I have to navigate with athletes as well. There are seasons for sure where all we want is a running performance and we can narrow our focus and energy to that. When people are starting a marathon build, I don’t advise to also start heavy lifting and yoga programs. But hopefully there is a season after the performance where we can focus on bringing things, if not in balance, at least in harmony. My hamstrings and back have been the wakeup call of this for me. I’m still going to try to perform because I do still value and love a good effort and to see what my body can do, but I’m going to keep a solid eye on longterm health and functionality as well.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout – Back to Lakeshore and Leslie: 6:05 drills, 6:15 GO! (I’ll be there jogging – back on the mend but not 100%)

 

  1. 2 x (1mile – 800 – 600 – 400). 2 min bw all reps, 3 min bw sets. There is some good volume built in here, but also good rest between the shorter stuff. The miles should be at Tempo pace, and we’re introducing going a little faster afterwards but with solid recovery time. 800’s should be 10K pace, 800’s 5K and 400’s faster.
  2. If this is a lot from where you’re starting, start the second ladder at the 800. That is still a solid workout. Happy to chat in person tomorrow if you have questions about where you should be.

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, Jan 16, 2024 – Passion and acceptance

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Hi All!

 

Looks like winter has finally arrived. Good news for people who like to do things on snow – not as easy a time for people who run outside. We’ve been here before and know how to do this. Dress warm, slow down where you have to, and keep getting out.

 

This idea sort of segues into a conversation I had with a friend recently where we were talking about accepting the slowing down of race times as we age, but maintaining the fire and drive to do our best just the same. It’s a specific harmony we need to reach: acceptance PLUS drive. This is a fine balance.

 

When I look at the energy and passion of young people, I see a lot of drive, and not much acceptance. Or maybe the word I am looking for is equanimity. Equanimity is defined as “mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation. Accepting the good and the bad with the same response”. I have mentioned that I am coaching young people at a university now. In observing them it has occurred to me that this is a stage in life which does not embrace equanimity. I’ve witnessed tears (so many tears), shouts of anger, whoops of joy – all associated with race or workout results. I can remember this phase of life – you care SO much about results. You are carving out your self-identity and learning and showing others about who you are. It feels like high stakes. There is very little acceptance.

 

I think as we age, experience just smooths out some of those sharp emotions. We have learned, hopefully, that our single results don’t really matter in the long game, and that we no longer even think about experiences which once drove us to such distress. But then the question I have asked myself is this: can we still maintain the fire and drive, notwithstanding acceptance and equanimity? I don’t actually have the answer here. I do think it raises a good question about masters athletes and the performance curve. Of course there is a physical component to it, but I think a lot of it also represents a certain mental peace we’ve found. Most of us are not approaching this with the high stakes we may have once felt in our 20’s. I think that’s ok. I draw the parallel to social and political causes we care about. We have to work to find the place where we care and can engage and make a difference, without torturing and burning ourselves up in the process. That’s not easy. Accept without checking out. Accept and keep working and caring and trying. I’m going to keep trying to find that balance – in running and in life.

 

Tomorrow we’re back to hills! Boston, Around The Bay and NYC Half people need these for race specificity. The rest of us need them for good ol’ strength and fitness.

 

Let’s do Pottery – I like the mix of full and half. That’s a 400m and 200m hill for those in the Beach. More emphasis on the fulls for effort. That might mean equal number or a few more fulls. So like 6 or 7 and 4. Start where you left off last time. I will aim to be there around 6:15. Just roll into them when you get there.

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

Tuesday, Jan 9, 2024 – Choosing our hard

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Hey Gang!

 

Is it just me or did the return to “real life” after the Christmas break blast in at a pace we weren’t ready for? Wow. Well, hopefully our batteries are all recharged and it won’t take long to get back into the routine. And now we have lengthening days to look forward to. It’s all getting lighter and brighter…

 

About ten years ago I made a career change, and started a new job in a new industry. When I just started, I went in every day completely unsure of what I was supposed to be doing and what was going to come at me. I can remember very clearly one morning at 5 am on one of these days, charging up Pottery Rd hill as hard as I could, multiple times. There was something comforting about the knowledge that I would very likely encounter nothing harder than that all day. No one could give me anything harder than what I’d already given myself. It was a big confidence builder and what I needed to face the unknown.

 

There is much empowerment in knowing we can handle hard things. Athletics are a great way for us to practice doing this for our own growth and self-confidence. And it’s safe because we get to choose the “hard”. Sometimes however, life throws you “hard” that you don’t choose. And that is the real test. You have to decide: can you embrace this unwanted challenge with the same attitude and openness with which you approach Pottery Road hills? Was the point of those hills so that you could in fact be equipped to face this un-asked for ‘hard’? So you don’t quit or give up or succumb to self-pity or curl into the fetal position under a blanket in defeat? (that last one sounds so appealing sometimes). I think that is the point of all of our self-directed challenges. They are safe, controlled environments but they are training us for the unforeseen challenges that we call Life.

 

My daughter set off for swimming again this morning in the cold, dark early morning. Every morning I give her the choice: Do you want to go? I love that she is self-directed in this because it means that she is building the confidence to turn towards the hard things. I really hope she doesn’t get a lot of very hard things thrown at her, but this is life and she definitely will face her fair share. And when she does I hope she brings that confidence of turning towards them, facing them down, and moving through them. I am continuing to try to do the same.

 

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

 

  1. Start with a 2 mile tempo. Yup, that’s long. 4 back and forths. Just keep it tempo – we can build into the pace as we go. Then 2-3 min rest (regroup) and 4-5 x 600 w 1:15 rest. These can be between 10K and 5K pace depending on how you’re feeling.

 

Reasoning behind this: it’s good volume and solid work, but we don’t want to do TOO much fast stuff at this point in the season. It’s good to go into our faster stuff a little pre-fatigued so we’re not tempted to go too fast yet and so we don’t do too much. Just little sprinkles of everything.

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, Jan 2, 2024 – Hope

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Hi All!

 

Happy New Year! A few from our crew ran the Hair of the Dog 9K on New Year’s Day: congrats to Erin, Chris, Cassidy and Nir! A few more of us started the year by Polar Dipping in the lake. Not sure whether that deserves congratulations or a concerned look, but it’s become a bit of a tradition.

 

Of course a new year brings with it reflections on the year that’s passed, and thoughts about how we want to approach the next one. I’m not personally going to do any “resolutions” because I find for myself they tend to serve as more of “to do” lists. I have enough of those. But what I do want to do is to embrace an attitude or mindset this year: that of having hope.

 

Hope can sound passive and not action-oriented. “I hope this works out” or “I hope I succeed”. But it is the opposite. Hope is actually the great human motivator. Jane Goodall writes about this in her Book of Hope. Goodall continues to believe in the good of humanity and the future of the planet, despite continually encountering evidence which might point her to despair. It is her hope and belief that have allowed her to continue to fight and advocate and make a big positive difference for the animals and the earth that she loves. Viktor Frankl also spoke about hope as being the crucial flame to keep you going when nothing tells you that you should. It is an internal resource, and if you can keep it alive you will have your own battery of will and motivation. If you hold out hope that things can work out and that you can succeed, then you have a reason to work to make that happen.

 

Hope is not blind optimism. Optimism is passive belief. It believes things will work out whether or not we are part of it. Hope requires our participation. There is much in this world right now that can use our collective hope. And while we maintain this flame, we are not giving up.

 

I am beginning this running year a little bit injured. I’ve been wondering why I’m not more down about it than I could be. I realize it’s because I have a lot of hope that it will heal up. So meanwhile I’m doing what I can to remain in so-so shape, and working on strength, and signing up for races. I might be lowering my expectations on race results, but I’m holding out hope and belief that I’ll be back soon. And that mindset keeps me excited and looking forward instead of down and dejected.

 

So here’s to a hopeful 2024. We have to work to keep that little flame alive – my goal this year is to keep stoking it so it remains bright.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout! Let’s meet at Lakeshore and Leslie at 7 am. I think most people have a more relaxed schedule this week. I’ll be jogging, not joining again quite yet. (if you have to go at 6, see if you can group up – I think there will be some on that train)

 

  1. 3-4 x 1 mile tempo w 2 min rest. Just keep them tempo – building that strength. If you feel like picking it up for the last one go for it, but nothing crazy yet – we’re building volume.

 

That’s all – plain and simple.

 

See you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

 

 

 

Traditions

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Hi Everyone!

 

Happy Holidays to all! Hope you’re all enjoying some time with the people you love and, let’s be honest, a different type of hectic-ness. And also hopefully you’re finding some downtime.

 

Over the past few days I’ve been thinking about traditions. Why we have them, what they mean, whether they’re important. Today is Boxing Day. Here in Canada we celebrate that, but our neighbours to the south don’t. I looked it up – it stems from the Victorian era when servants of wealthy people had to work on Christmas, so they were given the following day off along with boxed up leftovers from the night before. Now it’s just a tradition – sort of like a day off after the excess of Christmas to just sit around in sweats and chill out with your closest family. Americans are probably all busy at work right now. It’s just a tradition for us, but we’re holding onto it.

 

Much of what we do stems from tradition. We do things we’ve always done because it feels safe and comfortable. But it’s not a bad idea to revisit traditions sometimes as we grow and change. We may need to let some go and we can always bring new ones in. I’ve had to learn to become flexible with the power and myth of traditions as I navigate things with questioning teenagers. Why does our annual family Christmas party have to be so dressy? Fine, you can wear baggy jeans and mangled running shoes! Why do we have to have a fancy meal on Christmas Eve? Fine, let’s order the Swiss Chalet Festive Special! And some new traditions have been born. We’ve started and plan to continue “extended family Christmas Eve badminton” with siblings and cousins. Then we can all walk around on Christmas clutching our butts and complaining we’re so sore. Such a fun tradition!

 

Many of our running routines stem from tradition. I love our LES Christmas day run (which I missed this year because the teenagers were just getting up), but I love knowing it’s there and still feel part of it and will rejoin in years to come. I love how many running groups have the tradition of running to Kringlewood to see the Santas. There’s nothing special about that run other than it’s a destination, it brings people together, and it marks the start of a celebratory holiday. Our Ekiden in the summer is also a tradition. People come out of hiding and limp through injuries to participate in that. Again, there’s no big draw other than it brings us together and we’ve always done it.

 

So let’s hold on to the traditions that bring us together, dump the ones we don’t have use for anymore, and build some new ones which can serve our needs of community and friendship.

To traditions!!

 

 

Tomorrow we’re on hills. I’ll let everyone decide when and where to do them. No structure, no instructions, no timing. Just find a hill, find a friend, and run up and down together a few times. Enjoy!!!

 

 

xo

 

Seanna