Motivation

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

 

Congrats to our Sprint Triathletes Shauna C and Cassidy who raced it fast in Barrie last weekend! Shauna rocking another top-5 finish and Cassidy finishing first in the U-19 category!

 

I’ve been thinking lately about motivation. What it is, how we get it, why sometimes we have it and sometimes we just don’t. I’m thinking about this as I’m waiting for mine to build up again. But I also know it’s not always a passive act – to get motivated. Sometimes motivation lands on us, but sometimes, if we want to be following a certain course of action with passion, we can help to drive our own motivation.

 

I see motivation as a form of latent energy. You can only be motivated if you have energy. When I come in from a long training ride or run, suddenly all the motivation I might have had to clean my house is gone. Sure, I want a clean house, but not that badly. If you keep yourself constantly in the withdrawal side of the energy balance, you might find you’re just not as motivated for certain things as at other times. And this might not bother you! But I have found that freeing some of that energy up can lead to the thoughts and drive and excited plans for action that were just being suppressed. When I was doing a lot of training, I didn’t have a ton of motivation for creative endeavours, planning experiences with my family and friends, diving into new projects, reading and thinking deeply about things…. I wasn’t sitting there wishing I was doing these things – I just wasn’t motivated by them.

 

On the flip side, if you’re not motivated by your training right now (and want to be), maybe take stock of how much energy you have available, and whether you want to free some of it up. Even for a period. (As in everything I believe that balance exists in cycles – it’s not a constant perfect blend of life and priorities). This includes nutrition and sleep energy. When your batteries are full on those scales, you feel more motivated to put them to use. If you are constantly tired and not eating well or enough, you won’t feel energized and excited by the thought of pushing yourself physically. There is also the emotional and mental energy to manage – and sometimes these are harder to control, but being aware of them is the first step. If you really want to be engaged and motivated by a goal, don’t treat it like a distraction from your other pursuits. You have to allow it its own space.

 

Finally, I was listening to an interesting expert speaking on anxiety. She said anxiety can get a bad rap. Really, it is also latent energy. Anxiety is the sense that the outcome can go in either direction – well or badly. If we thought it would just end badly, that would lead to a sense of defeat and serve as the opposite of motivation. But anxiety primes us for action. We have a hand in directing the outcome to “good”. I think that’s why signing up for big, scary events can bring motivation. Scary motivation leans towards anxiety, but if that’s the stimulus you need and you have the constitution to manage it, it can definitely spur you to “action” (just ask any of us first-time Ironmen about that). I would just do a real self-check to make sure you have the mental, emotional and physical space for this first, because in this case you’re forcing it vs. letting it come to you.

 

But any way you find it, you do have motivation in there if you want it. And if you don’t want it right now, that’s ok too!

 

On to tomorrow’s workout. Back to Lakeshore! 6:05 drills, 6:15 GO Time!

 

I think last Weds was a bit of a long, grindy one. Let’s try to get a little more pep in this one.

 

  1. 2 x 800 at TEMPO pace w 1:30 (really – keep these restrained). 3 min rest.

4 x 600 w 1:15 @ 5K-ish pace. 3 min rest

4 x 200 a little snappier w 1 min rest

If training for a fall marathon, finish with 1 mile @ goal Marathon Race Pace (this should not feel hard – more of a lead-in to your cool-down)

 

  1. If doing this fartlek style:

2 x 3 min tempo w 1:30 easy. 3 min easy

4 x 2 min fast w 1:15 easy. 3 min easy

4 x 30 seconds fast w 1 min easy. 3 min easy

Option of 6-7 mins @MRP.

 

That’s all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Feeling it

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

 

Holy, we’re halfway through the summer! But what a summer we’re having. The weather is great, races are on, events and camps and traveling and get-togethers are on… this is one to savour for sure.

 

I’ve been savouring my down-time post Ironman. I’m letting myself do what I want when I’m “feeling it”. Which so far isn’t a ton. And I’m thinking how strange this is, because leading up to the race, I didn’t really ever have to talk myself into any training – I was “feeling it” and “into it” the whole way through. And now I have to start back up again at some point and get excited about something. I’ve been reflecting about this. How sometimes we are excited and invigorated by our training, and sometimes it feels like a bit of a chore. I think it’s important to stay tuned into this. It’s reasonable to have some days that just don’t come easily and the odd workout where you don’t want to be there for the whole time. But if these are happening more frequently than not, and you’re dragging yourself kicking and screaming through most of your training runs, it’s important to re-evaluate your goals. Is this something you really want to do? If so, why?

 

I was very excited about my Ironman training because I had so many unanswered questions: How far removed was I from the person who did this 20 years ago? Was I still capable of doing this? Where will my mind go? How will I react? Is this the same body? Is this the same mind? These were all questions I was very curious about exploring. When it turned out I had qualified for another Ironman a few months away, I had no interest in going. I had answered all my questions. I wasn’t training for training. I was in it because I was excited about this one thing. And I knew I couldn’t force my interest beyond that. I couldn’t take someone else’s goal and make it mine.

 

Here’s the thing though: sometimes we find purpose through training. We have to start somewhere, and then the WHY pops up. What’s the old saying … “Mood Follows Action”. A big unknown challenge is one thing, but so is persistent perseverance. You start training in little steps and find a groove and think – “what am I capable of?” Sometimes you just have to start and the purpose and meaning will appear. I can’t tell you what your purpose and meaning should be. These are deeply personal and I believe they are things you “feel” rather than rationalize. Is this something you are drawn to and can find some sort of significance in? You don’t even need to be able to verbalize what it is. But something needs to be pulling you forward. You can’t train for the events that we train for because you feel you should or because someone else thinks it will be cool. It’s totally ok to keep moving forward while searching for that feeling – but if you’re weeks or months in and still haven’t landed on it, it’s ok to take a pause and wait for it to reappear. I promise it will come back. (And no, usually it doesn’t take 20 years!)

 

On to tomorrow’s workout – I think we’re due for a social/fartlek! The mid-point of summer feels like a good time. Let’s meet at Lakeshore and Leslie at 6:05 for drills, 6:15 Go time. We’ll run along the spit since there is enough light these days!

 

  1. Easy jog if you’re just coming back from a big race or illness or that’s all you have in you.
  2. 6 min tempo, 3 min easy, then 2 sets of 4 x 2 min on, 1 min off, and 1 set of 4 x 1 min on, 1 min off – 3 min easy bw sets. This should lead to 5.5-7K of work for most. Don’t forget to regroup on all the Easy sections – starting with people is what makes this one fun!

 

See y’all in the am.

 

xo

 

Seanna

Behind the scenes

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

 

Congrats to all of us who did triathlons this past weekend! Shauna, Tanis and Madalyn in the TTF sprint tri where they all seriously killed it. And at Ironman Lake Placid – Nir Meltzer, Chris Robinson, Eleanor Colledge, Carolyn Steele-Gray, Jon McRea, David Steinberg, Adam Nicklin, and I all rocked it (because there is only rocking it) and we are all IRONMEN!!!! I was so so grateful for all of my crew who convinced me to get off the fence and sign up and trained, traveled and competed with me on this journey. It would not have been the same alone! (in fact I wouldn’t have done it)

 

What I’ve been thinking about is how much our personal support crews and race volunteers play a role in our athletic endeavours. I just wanted to pause and reflect on this. From our family members and loved ones and friends who support us with emotional support and cheers and positive words and encouragement through all of the training, the teammates who train with us, whether they’re doing the race or not, the family members who accept that this is part of who we are and don’t complain that we’re tired all the time because of something we’ve imposed on ourselves, the friends and family who happily come along and help us with gear and logistics, the volunteers who point us where to go, the volunteers who feed and water us and tell us to keep going, the crowds who line the roads and cheer and cheer and cheer, even though they don’t know us, the volunteers who catch us at the finish line and make sure we’re ok, the family members and loved ones who patiently look after our post-race zombie selves. All of this is what has stood out for me in this training cycle and event. I think: “I’m just doing this little personal challenge – why do all of these generous people, friends and strangers, care so much and want to help me?” It is extremely touching and emotional to experience. So I just wanted to reflect on all that goes on behind these races, and I will continue to do my best to support and encourage others in their journeys, to cheer on random runners and they do their thing, to show up at races to help out and I will try to volunteer more at events. All of that “behind the scenes” is really where we see the selfless beautiful side of humanity. It is good for the soul to witness and experience it.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout! We’re back to Lakeshore. I will be there and will cheer you all on!!! 6:05 drills, 6:15 Go Time!

 

  1. 3-4 sets of 4 x 400 with 1 min between reps, 3 mins between sets. I would pace these closer to 8K than 5K to start, especially if doing 4 sets. This is more of a strength workout than a speed workout. Think of them as broken up miles. If you go out too fast, you won’t complete 4 sets. If you’re training for a 5K/10K, that is fine – do 3 sets faster. If you’re training for a fall marathon, you want the strength/endurance component.

 

  1. If doing these fartlek style, 4 sets of 4 x 1:30 Hard, 1 min Easy with 3 min Easy between sets.

 

Can’t wait to see you all in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

 

Curiosity

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

 

I don’t think anyone raced this past weekend. Quite a few are racing this weekend – either the TTF Triathlon or the Lake Placid Ironman. Wohoo!!! Let’s go multi-sporters!

 

I’ve been thinking about some of what draws us to big challenges and to test ourselves in areas where we are not sure of the outcome. I believe that a big part of the draw is curiosity. I was listening to a podcast talking about the trait of curiosity and how it’s in dangerous decline. Why develop curiosity when google holds every answer you ever needed at your fingertips? We are surrounded by answers and instant gratification and the comfort of predictability. These days we rarely explore anywhere or anything without being armed with reviews, google maps and photos so we know exactly what to expect. That’s comforting. But it doesn’t challenge us or make us learn or grow. And it doesn’t really excite us.

 

Having a curious mindset is something that can be developed. Many of the smartest people we know are really the ones who were the most curious and followed where their curiosity led them. We can also learn to get comfortable seeking the unknown. I do think this trait of curiosity is what many of us are displaying when we enter races. If we knew the exact formulas that would predict precise outcomes, there would be no point in going and doing it. But winners in races are never guaranteed, and what we’re able to do on race day is an open question – no coach will tell you any differently. We can prepare as best we can, but no one can tell you what will happen on race day. This is a good thing! Expectations can be stifling, but curiosity is exciting. What are you capable of? How will you deal with adverse situations as they arise? What will the outcome be? No one knows! That’s the fun of it all! So as you approach your upcoming races, try to cultivate that curious and interested mindset. You can be confident that you’re prepared, but still maintain open curiosity about the experience. Races are beautiful mysteries which you uncover in real time. What can be better than that?

 

Workout for tomorrow – back to Pottery Rd hills/tempo!

I’m liking this combo – I know it’s not easy, but it packs a punch fitness wise. Remember: it’s JUST training! Workouts are not a test – it’s just practice. I’ll mix it up a bit from last time. Let’s do:

 2 sets of 3 x hill with 4 min tempo. Take 2 minutes after the hills before launching into tempo. After the tempo, you can do directly into an easy jog back down the hill for set #2.

 

I will jog up but won’t partake in the hills. But I will cheer you on!

 

TTF people: no hills for you. For you I would suggest something like 4-5 x 3 minutes at 10K Tri Race Pace with 1:30 easy.

 

See you there at some point in the am – just get going when you get there!

(Beach crew, please coordinate amongst yourselves)

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

Older and Wiser

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

 

Huge congrats to everyone who raced the Muskoka IM 70.3! Jason, Carol, Madalyn. Looked like a hot and hilly one – way to go all!!

 

Thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes yesterday. I’ve been thinking a little bit about getting older. I have to say, I’m really enjoying it. Instead of ‘radical acceptance’ I’d say I’m in a ‘radical embracing’ phase. I know how to appreciate what I have and the community and friends I have around me. As I mentioned to someone, in training for this Ironman (which I’m training for sort of intuitively because I just know my athletic self very well), I’ve let my demons out of their cage just enough to drive me to certain points, but I know when and how to pull them back in and shut the door. They’re still there, but they work for me now.  We are all moving towards becoming wiser and learning about ourselves through trial and error and the hardships of life. But it takes living it to get there! So I’m very glad I’m still doing that.

 

I also believe many of us come into our true purpose later in life. Did you know that there is a parasitic worm they’ve discovered which has one of the shortest lifecycles ever? It is born with eggs inside of it, all female and one male. As soon as it is born, the eggs hatch, mate, the worm dies and the babies eat their way out with fertilized eggs inside. And the cycle of life continues. That creature’s existence has one purpose: to procreate and die. Evolution is so interesting. Living things have developed many traits, which we’ll call “purposes”, to assist in the success of their own kind. Did you know that there are only two mammals which have extended lifespans post-menopause? These are killer whales and humans. (interestingly, not other primates). Post-menopausal killer whales become the leaders of their pods, and decide when and where to hunt and travel to new areas. Their wisdom is required by the pod and they are more useful to the success of the species as leaders than as procreators. Like them, we have evolved to live many years beyond our ability to procreate (sorry guys, I’m talking about females here – I don’t have a strong theory yet on what you’re useful for beyond a certain point – maybe it’s to listen to and support the women 😉 ) Whether we’ve had kids or not, I think after a certain age we enter our Wise and Leadership years. If our usefulness to our species ended with our ability to procreate, then like the worm we would end there because life is expensive and it is only supported if there is a purpose. But here many of us are, and are intended to be. So what do we do? I think we need to look to and learn from many of the wise and strong women who came before us. Who fought for our rights and justices for others. We can’t lose our energy and hope at this stage. We may be a little less physically strong and peppy than we were in our 20’s, and we may take a little longer to recover from things physically, but man – we are wise and powerful. We know how to get the most out of ourselves, and we know how to work hard. And I think our society needs that wisdom and power right now. Onwards!!

 

Onto tomorrow’s workout: back to Lakeshore and I will bring singlets!! 6:05 drills, 6:15 go time.

 

  1. 4-5 x 1 mile with 2 min rest. Here’s the pacing:

People training for Fall marathons: 1st mile tempo (HM pace), 2nd mile 10K pace, 3rd mile 5K pace-ish, 4th mile 10K pace, 5th mile HM pace

People training/tapering for Ironman: alternate Half IM and IM pace. Keep it to 4 if legs are feeling tired but this shouldn’t feel too hard.

People just getting back into it or training to train: Keep them steady eddy, but choose ONE to go a little harder. And keep it to 4 total.

 

If doing these fartlek style or on your own: 4-5 x 7 min w 2 min easy. Alternate effort/pace as above.

 

Thanks all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Training your brain

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

 

I’m pretty sure there were no races last weekend. Remember – please let me know if you raced!

Our white singlets – men’s and women’s are in, so I just need to pick them up. I’m away this week so will have them for you for next week. Wohoo!

 

What I’ve been thinking about recently is the mental side of training and racing. I know we know it’s 90% mental, but wow – is it ever! I’m thinking specifically of longer sessions, as many in this group are ramping up for fall marathons and wrapping our heads around bigger workouts and future workouts. Of course there is a real and necessary physical component to training your body, but so much of what we’re training is our brain’s resistance. Remember: our brains are there to protect us – not make us champions. So they are wired to be overly cautious and sensitive to pressing the “you’re tired, you can’t do this” button. Your brain communicates to you via thoughts and emotions – feelings of overwhelm, lack of motivation, anxiety, even false fatigue. In fact I’ve come to believe – and many of the athletes who I coach know as a fact – that if you feel exhausted and dead-legged in a warm-up, you’re likely to have a great race. Happens to me every time. Your brain knows what’s coming and is doing its last-ditch effort to stop you. Don’t listen.

 

There are a few tricks that I’m learning which are helping me overcome some of this, so I’ll share them. The first is to really break your task into small chunks and only focus on one at a time. I had a 35K run recently where my brain was fighting me from the first kilometer. So I just allowed myself to focus on 5K at a time. Every new 5K segment was the start of a 5K run. Had I tried to count down to 35 from the first kilometer I would have crumbled. But I could do 5K.

 

The next thing that helps is radical acceptance. I heard that term recently and it resonated. Just accept the space you’re in, don’t fight it. When I’m in any sort of race or training effort, as soon as I think about the finish or what is to come, it becomes overwhelming because I’m thinking about where I want to get to instead of being present. If I’m at 18K of a 20K run, it starts to feel hard and I want to be done. But at the same pace and effort, that 18K mark of a 30K run is fine because I’ve accepted where I am and am not thinking about the finish – yet. You’ll get there when you get there. Don’t let you mind get ahead of your body – it’s projecting and doesn’t really know how you’ll feel. (this also holds true for runs off the bike if you’re a triathlete)

 

Finally, under the same principle of acceptance, another approach is to just accept the amount of time you’ll be out there, and stop making crossing off kilometers part of your task. I find this helps my brain tremendously. Instead of saying you’re going out for a certain kilometer effort, which is task oriented, tell yourself you’ll just be out there for an hour or two or three  – whatever it is. And then just settle in for the journey. Tell yourself, “I’m going to move forward in a way that is continually acceptable for this amount of time.”  And accept it. Radically. Your poor brain with the brake-control button will not stand a chance.

 

Onto tomorrow’s workout! We’re back to Lakeshore – 6:05 for drills (on your own) and 6:15 GO time! I won’t be there, and Tanis either. Hoping someone can get the crew started and possibly mark out 400m. If not, do your best approximation – a few meters here or there will not be noticed by your body.

 

 

Workout:

 

600-400-200 w 1 min rest – 3 min bw sets

 

4-5 x (600-400-200)

 

Treat them as broken 1200’s. Aim for 5K pace for 600’s and 400’s – you can pick it up slightly for 200’s. If you manage 5 of them that would be 6K at 5K pace, so a big wrkt. That’s if you have a solid base and have a number of workouts under your belt. If just starting out or coming back from an illness or something else, aim for 3-4 sets.

 

If doing them fartlek style:

 

4-5 x (2:00, 1:30, 30) w 1 min easy jog bw reps and 3 bw sets.

 

That’s all – I’ll miss you – have fun!!!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Making stops along the way

/in /by

Hi All!

First up, congrats to Steph who ran the Pride 5K yesterday in a PB time of 20:15!!! Way to show resilience and bounce back from a disappointing covid canceled marathon. To everyone always remember: no training is ever wasted.

And Chris and Cassidy Robinson who did the Welland triathlon – I believe Cassidy finished first in her age group and 5th woman overall!!

Also congrats to all of us who ran the Ekiden relays last Tuesday! LOVED seeing all of us and other runners out there celebrating the running communities in Toronto. Big thank-you to all who ran and all who came to cheer.

Speaking of celebrating, I hope everyone had a great weekend and celebrated Pride and/or anything else you had to celebrate. Goodness knows, we all need to celebrate when we can because there is enough news out there to get down about!  

 

That’s what I was thinking about this weekend as I took the weekend off of training during a peak phase in order to celebrate my daughter’s birthday with a group of her friends. I was thinking that although training is “serious” business and we need to be focused and disciplined, I don’t think that we need to approach it with the sense that we’re putting all the fun on hold until after. If you can’t blend fun and relaxation with serious, focused training, you’re setting yourself up for an all-or-nothing scenario. You risk becoming resentful of your training and looking forward to it being done or possibly getting burned out. Instead, we should be enjoying the process and living our lives in the moment. I know that certain patterns do shift when we’re training seriously – we may have fewer late nights out and might not spend quite as much “quality time” with family. But I think it’s important to keep these things in the picture, even when you’re in “beast mode”. We don’t have to be binary – fun person or training athlete. As much as possible we should blend those two into one authentic self.  I’ve had the odd ride or run where I haven’t been my best because I’d gone out with friends the night before. And I’ve cut some training short and definitely not maximized recovery because I’ve wanted to spend time with my kids doing activities they want to do. I’m not waiting until the end to do all my relaxing and celebrating in one big gigantic party. I’m pausing and celebrating in little stops along the way. So I’m not actually looking forward to when this is done. Hopefully my life won’t change too drastically one way or the other. Sure, the pendulum will shift a little more in another direction, but it won’t be like walking through a door and closing it shut behind me.

 

For those of you setting out on a training program now, see if you can approach it the same way. Celebrate as you go. Take pauses when you need or want them. Keep the non-training you beside you the whole time, and listen to that person’s needs as well. That way, once you’re done, you might just find that instead, you keep going.

 

Tomorrow, we’re back to hills! I have a new twist on them:

 

Pottery Rd. After every 2 hills, take 1-1.5 mins and do 3 mins tempo. Repeat that sequence 2-4 times (4 sounds insane – I just put that there but I think 3 will prob be most of our numbers)

 

Just teaching our bodies to keep going after the hills. As happens in most hilly races. And since some of us have a hilly one coming up, the rest of you get to join us in this 😉

 

I’ll aim to be there around 6:05/6:10.

 

See ya in the am!!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

Getting Groovy

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

 

We had one racer this past weekend – Andrew Higgs who nailed his sub-3 marathon in Duluth with a 2:58! Huge congrats. And Ingrid who raced the Toronto Waterfront 10K in very tough conditions and nailed a solid pace in that wind. Way to go! As always I hope I don’t miss anyone and please message me if you’ve raced anywhere. We all want to celebrate it!

 

Speaking of celebration, we are celebrating the Summer Solstice this eve with the Ekiden Relays! I believe we have three LES teams. Huge thank-you to Madalyn for picking up all the race kits. I believe the races start at 7 pm at the entrance to the spit, so I’ll plan to be down there around 6:30 pm. If you’re not on a team but want to come to cheer, please do! It’s the best way to kick off summer. Or at least it’s a tradition… 😉

 

What I’ve been thinking about lately is grooves. As in finding your groove. Many people are just getting into fall marathon training, and the biggest advice I can give is just start by creating the space and patterns that you will build on. You don’t need to be killing it now, but you need to create the space that you’ll be able to lean into later. Set up your routine so that getting out the door is never a negotiation. What you do once out there will change, but you just flow and show up where you need to be. For example, if you have a workout day, a tempo day and a long run day, make sure you start now with even little bits of those. You might not be in your best tempo shape, and your long runs aren’t super long yet, but get in the groove of showing up. You don’t have to worry about what you’re doing when you show up yet. Just get something done. And you’ll be amazed how much easier it is to do things when you don’t have to negotiate whether you’re doing it or not. There will likely be a time where the effort and enormity of the task will present a barrier. But you’ll go and do it because you’ve created that riverbed which makes it all flow more easily. So start with a trickle. This is where you need to be.

 

Some of us who are training for a summer Ironman are in a groove. It’s kind of cool. I never would have thought I could do as much as I’m doing, but that’s the thing – I’m not thinking about it. I’m following the patterns I set up months ago and just adding a bit more and leaning a bit more in each time. I’m not starting from scratch with each big effort. My goal used to be “just get in the water” or “join the bike ride and see what happens”. And now it really isn’t that hard! I get up, and do what I’ve been doing for a few months. I’m in a groove.

 

So start slow, get your body there and see what happens, and make the routine the goal for now. Don’t think about what’s to come. You’re just getting groovy!!!

 

I’ll see many of you tonight at the spit. For those doing the Ekiden, just a social on Weds am. For those not doing the Ekiden, we can start out together and you can do a fartlek (I think we can run into the beach and back).

 

Workout: 6 min tempo, 2 min easy, 2 x 3 min Fast with 1:30 easy, 2 min easy, 2 x 2 min Fast with 1:30 easy, 2 min easy, 5-6 x 1 min Fast w 1 min easy

 

Or if it’s easier to read this way: 6-3-3-2-2-1-1-1-1-1-1 w 1:30 bw reps, 2 mins bw sets (except 1 min bw all the 1’s)

 

See you tonight at 6:30/7 and tomorrow at 6:05!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

Perfectly imperfect

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

 

Huge congrats to all who raced in the Gravenhurst Tri this past weekend! Of the people I coach I had a 16 yr old and 60 yr old athlete who competed and crushed it! I love sport for bringing everyone together like that. And I’m still feeling the joy of celebrating sport being back!!!

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about training lately, and the principles and techniques to apply to get the most out of ourselves. And then I’ve been reminded about the coaching course I took a few months ago. It was led by experts who study and analyze the best training methodologies. The idea was to learn how to take elite athlete training principles and apply them to community running groups. What was interesting to me was that, although there were a few new ideas and theories, in general, it’s not rocket science. It’s “apply a new stimulus and allow for adaptation”. Fine. But what I found so funny was that when they’d go into specific principles like whether we should prescribe weights before or after a running workout, or how many drills to do before a workout, or how much mileage and how much supplementary cross-training is best – we all realized that the theories didn’t matter when it came to applying them to our groups. We just had people doing the best they could. After the instructor covered the “perfect” way to do something I’d look around and say “ya – that’s not gonna work for my crew” and we all agreed. It made me laugh. If you can fit strength into your program at any point, you’re doing great. If you can get a few drills in before your workout, that’s fantastic. If you can make it to the pool or onto the bike for some supplementary training you are killing it. We all just have to accept that we’re doing everything perfectly imperfectly. Basically every thing we covered was “in an ideal world this, but for most folks, whatever works will work”.

 

I’m embracing the perfectly imperfect philosophy as I train for multi-sport. It feels like everything I do is somewhat compromised by something else. I’m not obsessing over that. I’m just doing what I can. I think we can all do well to accept this. Nobody is training “perfectly”. It’s impossible. We’re all making compromises all the time and fitting in what we can. And anything is better than nothing. I asked my swimming instructor how many days a week I should be swimming to train for my event. He said 5. I laughed. I said there’s no way that’s happening! I’ll aim for 2-3. Most weeks it’s been 2.

 

The biggest learning from that course was that theory is just theory. Real life is messy and imperfect. And if we don’t embrace that messy imperfection we’ll drive ourselves crazy and lose the enjoyment. So onwards with our messy imperfect training – we’re getting somewhere!

 

Workout tomorrow – we’re back to Lakeshore! 6:05 drills, 6:15 GO.

 

  1. 800’s. Let’s aim for 5-7 w 1:30 rest.

If you’re training for a fall marathon this is a good starting point from which to take your average time of 800’s. We will do another benchmark one later in the season. Just keep them nice and consistent.

If you’re training for 5K’s or 10K’s this summer, do every third one HARD (outside your comfort zone) – max 6 total. You can take 2 mins after the HARD ones.

 

  1. If doing these by time, 5-7 x 3 min On, 1:30 Off.

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

I love my body

/in /by

Hi All!

 

Happy June! We have the longest days of the year coming up now – enjoy the light! Speaking of longest days, there are a few LES teams registered for the Longest Day Ekiden relay at the spit on the 21st. It’s a fun community event that brings running clubs together. Check out our fbook page for details or if you’re not on fbook email me and I’ll send you detes.

 

Recently I’ve been thinking about how grateful I am for my body. Training is so cool because you can actually see in real time the adaptations that your body has made. I’ll admit I am only noticing this in swimming and biking because after 30+ years of running, I might be at the diminishing visible returns end of work/adaptation. But I just think it’s so neat to see yourself be able to do something that a year or even months go you could never fathom doing. Just by introducing the gradual stress to your body! Your good old body says “ok – if this is what you’re up to, I’ll help you out”. And it gets to work in building more mitochondria, more nerve pathways to your muscles, thicker muscle fibres, more capillaries to help you to go further …

 

I like thinking of my body as my friend. Sure, sometimes I’m disappointed when she doesn’t perform as I’d planned, but she’s trying! There is no little muscle fibre or nerve pathway that isn’t firing and doing their job to keep me alive. Our systems don’t know the difference between running a race for fun and running from a bear – once you have adrenaline and start to run, millions of coordinated cells go into action and give their lives in doing the best job they can. I have so much gratitude for that. Our bodies’ only goal is our survival and success in life.

 

And yet we abuse them. We sometimes ingest things we shouldn’t. We often don’t feed them what we should. We don’t give them enough rest. We push on when they’re sending signals that they’re faltering. We have high demands and are not always kind in return. Even when we get sick, our bodies go into over-drive, fighting for our lives. And we get frustrated that meanwhile, they aren’t letting us run and workout.

 

I love my body. I really truly am grateful for all the work she does for me. I know I ask a lot. But I’m going to try to remember to treat her as a close friend and ally – she really is doing the best she can.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout – back to Pottery Rd Hills!

 

It’s been a while since we’ve done these ones. Let’s just go steady up, steady down.

If you’re training for a longer event, aim for consistent effort and nudge up the volume.

If you’re training for 5K/10K’s, do a lower quantity and aim for every other one HARD.

If you’ve recently completed a marathon or half marathon, just steady and keep the volume on the low end as you get back into things.

 

I’ll aim to be there at around 6:15. Just start going once you get there – we’ll meet somewhere on the hill!

 

xo

 

Seanna