Can running make you happy?

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Hi Everyone!

 

Huge congrats to all of our racers on Sunday. Those were some hot and challenging conditions, and you all put your hearts and bodies on the line and went for it. I am so proud of you!

 

What I’ve been thinking about: More than once I have heard someone say to myself or someone else: “Wow. You run/bike/workout so much. I wish I could do that”. And I think Do you? Why? If you’re happy not doing all of that so much, why wish yourself into a bigger compulsion? Running doesn’t make you a better person. But then I thought … does it – can it make you happier?

 

I was listening to a podcast where the guest defined happiness as a combination of these three macro-ingredients: Pleasure, Satisfaction and Purpose. The trick is in finding the balance between all of these three. Under this lens, I would say then that running certainly can provide all of these ingredients. 

 

The pleasure principle in running might not seem obvious at first (because it takes some will and faith to get there), but there are definitely some runs I have with friends or even solo on a beautiful day when my thoughts and legs are flowing, that feel like pure pleasure. It just feels good. There is definitely a large dose of pleasure in the post-run glow of endorphins and dopamine. Again, it takes some work to get there, but it’s definitely part of the equation.

 

Satisfaction with running is an obvious one. We set a goal, work towards it, learn a lot along the way, and sometimes achieve it. Sometimes we don’t. But there are definitely satisfying milestones along the way. The key here is setting yourself up so that you can be satisfied. Never-ending goals always outside of your reach are not satisfying, and therefore not part of the happiness equation. But neither is never reaching or striving, and always sitting in your comfort zone, so there is an elusive balance there also. We have to learn how to make it satisfying to ourselves.

 

Purpose is a big one. Can you find purpose in your running? Many people can. I believe the people who have been in it the longest have found purpose. Purpose through running can be things like finding and contributing to community. It can be the relationships. It can be being a mentor or a mentee. It can be finding the growth and learning opportunities whether you succeed or fail. It can be taking what you’ve learned and using it to help others – in running or other areas of life. I see that a lot in our community. There is a big, purposeful generous spirit here.

 

So, can running make you happy? Maybe it can. Win or lose, it’s being able to find pleasure in the moments, enjoying the striving, and learning and giving back. And maybe those people who wished they ran/biked/worked out more are actually wishing they had the key to happiness.

 

Onto tomorrow’s workout – back to Lakeshore! 6:05 drills, 6:15 Go time (we’ll be sharp bc people are back in offices now)

 

  1. Cut-downs! 1600-1200-1000-800-600-400-200 – all w 2 mins. Starting at tempo and working down in pace. I leave it up to you guys how much you want to lean into these. If training for an upcoming race or trying to get your fitness up, you can start hard and finish harder. If you’re talking yourself into it one rep at a time, start easy and see how it goes. Both are fine and fit into different phases of life and training.

 

  1. If doing this fartlek style, 6-5-4-3-2-1-(30sec) min Hard w 2 mins Easy.

 

That is all – have fun and see you soon!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Just slow down

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Hi Everyone!

 

Hope you all had a great long weekend and were able to spend time outside and with family. I don’t think anyone from this crew raced anything this past weekend, but correct me if I’m wrong. Coming up we have Ottawa! Kerry in the half and Fran and Gillian in the full. Sending all our collective energy your way!

 

I’ve been thinking lately about big, long undertakings. Especially as I try to increase my time biking in preparation for this Ironman. One thing my training partners and I have repeated to ourselves is this: if it feels too hard at any point, slow down. It’s amazing how calming and reassuring this statement is to me. You can just slow down! We all know how to push hard and go fast and make it hurt. And it’s good to know we have this gear. But we don’t always have to use it. In fact, in most events until the very end, and in at least 80-85% of training, we shouldn’t be touching it. I find it funny that I need to remind myself that I have permission to slow down, but just telling myself this makes me feel relaxed and like I can complete what I set out to do.

 

I’ve even started using this in other areas. Sometimes I take a look at my to-do list and feel such a sense of overwhelm that I just start unproductively flitting back and forth between frantic things. Sure, I can try to whip through everything at hyper-speed, but just the thought of that burns me out. So I tell myself to take a deep breath, and give myself permission to move slowly and accomplish one thing. Everything doesn’t have to feel hard. I can slow down and take my time and get it done. It is amazing how just this mentality can give you breathing room and energy. For me anyway. Maybe most of you have caught on to this long ago! I am newly embracing it though. Slow is way better than “all out or nothing”. Just keep moving. It’ll get you there.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout – back to Leslie and Lakeshore – 6:05 for drills, 6:15 Go time.

 

  1. 1 mile tempo, 3 min rest, 4 x 400 w 1 min rest, 3 min rest, 4 x 400 w 1:30 rest, 3 min rest 2-4 x 200 w 1 min rest

 

This is a classic track workout. It’s pointing at 5K fitness, so not particularly slow. The key is the rest. It’s broken up so you can hit your times without over-extending too much. In a track workout like this, the rest interval will tell you a lot. When we give the workout to our competitive track crew, it is the rest that tells them how fast to go. Sometimes we even say 7 minutes rest before something. That doesn’t mean we are being super generous and nice. It means that next thing is supposed to be pretty damn hard and we want you recovered for it. Don’t worry – we’re not doing this at this point! But just letting you know that the longer rest in the second set implies that you pick it up a few seconds per 400.

 

I get that this workout doesn’t really follow the theme of my email, but in order to slow down you have to have a faster baseline which you touch sometimes. You can’t slow down from standing still.

 

  1. If racing in Ottawa, sleep in if it will serve you better! If up and want company, 1 mile at race pace, then 4 x 400 just a tad quicker but not over-extending.

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Blossoming

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Hi Everyone!

 

Hope you all managed to get some runs in in the heat this past weekend. May as well just get it over with and get some of those hotter, ego-challenging runs in now. You will adapt, but only if you do it!

 

Isn’t the greenery and full summer vibrancy of colours amazing right now? It feels like it happened overnight. I don’t even remember noticing any buds and suddenly we have full foliage straight from what looked like dead winter branches. But obviously there was a lot happening in all the plants and trees preparing to bloom. In fact, the buds we are seeing blossoming on trees now were formed last August! They were then protected and fed and sheltered until the time was right, and it appears as though they’ve just burst forth from nowhere. It looks like it’s just taken a few days for nature to transform itself, when in reality the transformation has been taking place for the past 9-10 months.

 

Sometimes I think our training feels like it follows a similar pattern. Often someone will produce a great result or we will surprise ourselves with a training session that we could never have fathomed a year or two or three ago. And we might think: “well, I guess that person is really talented” or “I must have had this in me all along”. But that’s not true. Those “out of the blue” results come from months and sometimes even years of patient work that from the outside might look like it’s not progressing. But it always is. It’s the bud that is formed in August and is protected and fed and nurtured until it is ready to bloom. There is a lot of unglamorous work and seeming day-to-day stagnation that happens in training. And this is the most important stuff. It takes faith and patience, but the truth is that months and sometimes years of patient work is the foundation of strength and development that is required for a full bloom. And then when it happens, people will say, “where did that come from?” “What did you do differently?” And they will look for the “magic workouts” and few “key runs” that made it happen. I’ve seen this pattern in athletes who jump from program to program hoping to find the one that will bring success. When in reality it is the ground-laying, non-results based work that makes the real long term difference. Consistency, consistency, consistency. It’s not glamorous, it’s not sexy, but man, it works.

 

It wasn’t that one warm, sunny week in May that we had that produced the leaves we’re enjoying now. It was the months and months of careful nurturing through the dead of winter when no one could see anything exciting happening. So keep working and keep the faith! You will blossom when you’re ready.

 

 

Onto tomorrow’s workout – Back to hills! With a twist and non-hill option for Ottawa people:

 

Riverdale Hill (by the clubhouse at Broadview across from The Rooster)

 

  1. Sets of 3 x hill (nice and powerful) then walk across the street and run tempo the block from Riverdale, to Logan, to Withrow to Broadview. The entire loop is about 1.3K. Walk back to the hill and repeat this sequence 3-4 times. http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7657121

 

  1. If doing the Ottawa Marathon or Half Marathon: Do 6 x that loop with 1:30 rest. No hills. First three at half marathon pace, next three a little faster. Option of a 7th at race pace.

 

  1. If in the beach or doing on your own, the Riverdale hills is about 200m, and you can do a 1K loop or out and back.

 

I’ll be there at 6:05 for some light warm-ups before we start!

 

See you soon 

 

xo

 

Seanna

Learning

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Hi Everyone!

 

We had some fun races this past weekend: a few people ran the Sporting Life 10K as part of their long run, some raced it (including our 75-year-old honourary member Tim Hammil), and we had a few people who ran a 14K trail run in Kelso. I hear there are some hills out that way! Way to go all!

 

This weekend I attended a coaching course put on by Athletics Canada. It was a neat course, but one of the best things about it was the opportunity to meet with other coaches and discuss different coaching theories, techniques, questions and shared experiences. What I found very interesting was that we had a mix of long-time athletes who had competed at the university level, an Olympian, a multi-sport athlete and a newer community run group based runner. But no one was the expert. We laughed about some of the “old ways” we used to do things. The Olympian struggled with some of the new drills we were introduced. There were some scenarios that we had to agree to disagree on, but we’re still rolling them over in our minds. What this led me to understand is that we never stop learning. Once you become an “expert” in something, if you think you have all the answers, you are in trouble. And sometimes you can learn the most from the new person who asks the right questions.

 

That’s why I love coaching this group. Each one of you presents a unique compilation of strengths and weaknesses and physical, emotional and intellectual make-ups. It is a puzzle to figure out how to put all of those into a pot and come out with a perfect creation. Sometimes we over or under cook it a bit, and sometimes we realize we left out an ingredient or two, or maybe added something that made the flavours not perfectly balance. All that means is that we are learning. I have experience, but I by no means have all the answers. I love it when you come to me and say “hey, I think I need this”, or “I’d like to try this”. I’ll let you know if I think it’s way off base, but for the most part, I’m totally open to learning with you. So thank-you all for continuing to experiment and teach me as we go. This lifelong learning thing really is fun.

 

Onto tomorrow’s workout: Back to Lakeshore! 6:05 drills, 6:15 GO time

 

3 sets of 3 x 600 w 1:15 rest. 3 minutes between sets. The trick: start at a pace that you’ll be able to shave 2-3 seconds off per set. So first 3 probably around 10K pace, next three a bit faster, last three a bit faster. IF you are training for an upcoming 5K or 10K: take 3 minutes and then do one last one fast. Ottawa people, depending on how you feel at the end, you can do one last one at Half or Marathon race pace.

 

Fartlek style: 3 x 2 min @ 10K pace w 1:15 easy, 3 easy, 3 x 2 min faster w 1:15 easy, 3 min easy, 3 x 2 min faster w 1:15 easy. Option of one last fast 2 min section after 3 min easy.

 

If you raced Mississauga or Sporting Life and are not training through for something else, keep the paces all at the first set pace. Just a re-entry into “speed” work without too much extending.

 

If speed work is still relatively new to you, do 3 x (2 x 600). Nail the effort before going for volume.

 

Sound fun? See you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

Averages

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Hi Everyone!

 

Wow – what a weekend of running and racing! We had 14 people running between the Full and Half in Toronto and Mississauga. Everyone who ran the marathon got a BQ, there were many PB’s and strong performances all around. It really made me so proud and happy for all of you.

 

It’s kind of amazing actually. We look around and might think: ya – this is what I should be able to do. But I read recently that only .1% of the world have run a marathon, and only 1% of Americans (no stats on Canadians). Of those, way less than half qualify for Boston. So remember, when comparing yourself, that you’re comparing yourself against a pretty accomplished group.

 

And this is not a bad thing, and in fact leads me to what I have been thinking about: the philosophy that you become the average of the 5 people you hang around with most. I feel immensely fortunate that on most days I have a pick of smart, funny, wise, compassionate, fierce, generous people to interact and run with. If I become the average of the people in this group I will feel very grateful. And everyone here is in it to share it. There are no solo performances. As inspired as I was by all of the runners out there on the weekend, I was just as moved and inspired by their teammates who drove or biked or ran out to spend their Sundays cheering them on. And those who have shared countless dark, early morning miles, strength exercises, long runs and hills. Not everyone raced this weekend, but those races were a culmination of everyone’s contribution.

 

As some of you know (because I probably talk about it ad-nauseum), I’m training for an Ironman this summer. The reason? 10 ppl from this group are doing it and it felt welcoming and fun. Ok, it’s hard and intimidating and exhausting and a tad terrifying, but I would be nowhere without my teammates. There is always a smiling pool buddy, a “no-drop” bike ride, an early morning running bud. And the very best part? All good people who raise me up in all areas. If I don’t come away from a run or a bike faster, at least I come away probably smarter and definitely happier.

 

So yes, when you choose to hang out with top-notch folk, it’s possible to get caught in the comparison trap and feel like you’re not measuring up. But flip that around and remember that we are all lifting each other up. And I love you all for that!

 

Onto tomorrow’s workout:

Back to Lakeshore. 6:05 drills, 6:15 Go

Anyone who raced on the weekend, no workout! If you ran the marathon, no running for a week and maybe ease into workouts after if you feel ok. Half marathoners can start running this week but no workouts till next week.

 

1 mile tempo. 3 min rest. 8 x 200/200 Hard/Float (edit: we took a 3 min break after the first 4)

The idea is that you go fast (but not grabbing your knees at the end fast bc you have to keep going) and then straight into 200 “float” which is somewhere around marathon race pace. So not a jog. With this workout, you can work on increasing your “float” pace vs. increasing your “fast” pace for performance benefits. Works on your ability to clear lactate, your stamina and strength (as it pertains to maintaining speed). Fun, right?

 

See you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Races!

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Hi Everyone!!

 

Ok, I’m gonna say it now … snow is behind us. At least if you’re living in Toronto. Last Monday HAD to be our last snowfall. So pack away that winter running gear! Now obviously if it snows again, you know who to blame.

 

A large contingent in our crew have races coming up – marathons or half marathons. I’ve been thinking a lot about races lately. Why we do them, what they signify. Usually they represent a goal we’ve been working towards. I say usually because sometimes we just jump in for fun and for the experience. It’s good to know what you want out of a race experience before going in. It’s also good to remind yourself that this is for you and you only. As much as we all love and support each other, nobody actually cares at all what number is attached to your race experience but you. We will all love and respect and admire each other in the same ways no matter what the clock says. The people who matter the most care the least about the time as it pertains to you.

 

Now, if you have worked hard and love reaching goals, of course you want your time or place to reflect that. And by all means, do everything in your power to make that happen. It feels good. This is an opportunity to bring all of the puzzle pieces of training together into one big final effort. It’s a fun challenge with a big question mark and only you know how to answer it. Yes, many things can happen to make things go your way or to throw curve balls, and all you can do is to show up and say “I’m ready to give my best today with whatever it brings”. That is fun. This is supposed to be fun. Trying your hardest is fun.

 

But don’t forget that this is by no means all about one race. All of the training you’ve done and are still doing is all rewarding and enjoyable (most of the time?) and has sustained you through some hard months of weather and pandemic and life. That, in itself is to be celebrated. So many of you have really impressed me with what you’ve achieved over the last few months. The determination and strength and resilience and focus-without-losing-focus-on-what-really-matters. All of that should and can be celebrated without a race at the end. For better or worse though, our brains are wired to seek and achieve, so we hang the race there as the “goal”, even though we secretly all know that the process is the goal.

 

So let’s line up knowing we’ve already “won” and allow ourselves to enter a challenge with curiosity and open mindedness and a willingness to work hard. There is zero to prove, but much to be celebrated. And just remember: It’s SUPPOSED to feel hard!

 

On that note, I’m trying to chat with everyone I’m coaching before the races this weekend. If I haven’t yet I will be reaching out with a time (or feel free to reach out to me!)

 

On to tomorrow’s workout:

 

People racing, sleep in and/or do this on your own time or in groups:

2 x 3 min @ race pace (half or marathon, depending on your race) w 2 min easy, then 3 x 2 min a little quicker w 1 min easy.

 

Thursday, Friday, Sat should be rest/easy jog/rest or reverse if you like a little shake-out the day before. Nothing over 5-6K. No weights. Don’t go on ridiculously long walks. Eat normally, and make Friday your biggest eating day.

 

Everyone else, let’s do Riverdale hills! 4-6 x hill – fast up, easy down, 2 min rest, then 8 min tempo (I like up to Danforth and back down for more hills). Repeat the whole sequence again. This is good for Lake Placid people (I hear there are a few rollers) and for ppl training for shorter distance stuff – the shorter power hills are great.

 

I will plan to be there around 6/6:05.

 

Thanks all – see you in the am!!!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

Keepin it fun :)

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Hi Everyone!!!

 

Huge congrats to everyone who ran Boston yesterday!!!! Madalyn, Andrew, Patrick, Carol. And huge hugs to those who qualified and trained for it and cheered on their teammates from home. In witnessing the stories of people I know and of elite athletes, it looks like there was the usual mix of victories, heartache, celebration, disappointment, tears of joy, tears of pain … ah, marathons. And Boston seems to bring out the highest highs and lowest lows. This is what we sign up for!

 

On that note, just a reminder to check in with yourself and make sure that while you’re learning, growing and building character, you’re also enjoying it. I love running, working out, moving my body. I love racing with others who are all out there trying their hardest. That is fun for me. I love challenging myself and doing hard physical things. And mostly I love doing all of this with people I love and whose company I enjoy. But. Every now and then I can get caught up chasing it, and then I can get a bit burned out. If something used to make me feel good, I do it more, and again, and again. And it takes me a while to realize it might not currently be fun or making me feel good. This might be when my energy or time availabilities don’t fit with what I’m trying to do. Or maybe I’ve been doing the same thing too repetitively and there’s no more novelty – I’m bored. Or maybe I’ve been hitting my head against a wall pushing in a certain direction where I’m not getting much positive feedback. I like to think I’m pretty good at noticing when this is happening, and I’m pretty good at changing course to keep it fun. I’ll race 1500m on the track, a x-country ski race, an Ironman, a 100K gravel bike ride … I do tend to come back to running, but only if it’s fun. This is the only reason I can think of why I’m still doing it after 30 plus years!!

 

I just want to give you all that little self-check reminder. We can get very serious when we’re chasing goals. That’s fine. It is extremely rewarding to set and achieve big goals that you thought were outside of yourself. But just keep a little eye on your motivation and whether you’re still excited and finding it fun. If you have one big goal that you just want to put to bed and then be done with the whole thing, fine. But I suspect most of us are here because we want to keep doing this for many years. So relax your shoulders, unclench your jaw, take a deep breath, and maybe even laugh a bit. This is fun.

 

Onto tomorrow’s workout!

Let’s go back to Lakeshore and Leslie to support our Toronto and Mississauga teammates who should be done with hills until after the race. If you’re not doing either of these, throw in 5-6 x short (15-20 sec) hill sprints at the end of a run – probably Friday.

Leslie and Lakeshore: 6:05 warm-up, 6:15 Go time!

 

  1. 1 mile tempo. 3 min rec. 4-6 x 600m (5K-8K pace) w 1:30. 3 min rec. 1 mile race pace (mara or half).
  2. If doing this fartlek style: 7 min tempo, 4-6 x 2 min Hard, 1:30 Easy, 7 min tempo

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Control

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Hi Everyone!

 

Hope you’re all taking good care of yourselves. Whether you’re sick or not, good rest and food are so so important.

 

I have to say, this is the most pivot-involved season of coaching I’ve ever experienced. Most of this has to do with people training and racing during a pandemic. We do plan for some things to go not according to plan. And to be honest, that is fine. I think a big part of what we’re learning through this is “going with the flow”.

 

Here’s what I keep thinking about: the skill of only concerning yourself with what you can control. There are some things that will just be out of your control, and you can’t waste mental energy on those. This is something many athletes who experience race anxiety work on before big events. There is a looming feeling of generalized stress because they’ve put a lot of work into it and are unsure of how things will play out. But once you realize there are certain things you can control (your internal dialogue, what you eat, your warm-up routine, your race/pacing strategy) and some things you can’t (the weather, your competition, mechanical or equipment mishaps), you can work on being confident in what you can do, and let go of what you can’t. Once you let go of worrying about the things you can’t control it takes a big load off.

 

Many of our group here have experienced hiccups of varying degrees through this training cycle. And what’s done is done. Whether you got sick or injured or experienced some other set-back, the best course of action is acceptance. Don’t stress about what is outside of your control. That is wasted energy. Just do what you can do now. And going forward, do what you can to avoid illness and injury, but once you’ve decided what you’re doing, put the rest out of your head. You can’t control everything. You can only control what you can control and many things can and will happen that are outside of that. Deal with them when you get there, but don’t stress about them beforehand. As long as you’re comfortable with your plan, just stick with that. You’re good! And now, you have a little extra energy that you’ve just freed up.

 

On to our workout for tomorrow!

I’m thinking we could use a social fartlek type workout. I like these because you can lean in or back depending on where you are in your current phase and energy cycle. It’s also a great way to work on internal pacing based on how you feel vs. what your watch is telling you. These were my bread and butter workouts through much of my university days and beyond. They can get you really fit, and they keep you in the game whether you’re having a “good one” or not. (my fave way is to use the good ol Timex watch vs. gps. Sorry Strava lovers! Guess what – it will be ok if you don’t know your paces I promise). If you have a mental compulsion to track and measure everything, see if you can force yourself to break that this once. You can guess your overall mileage like we did in the “olden days” and I guarantee you won’t be more than 1KM off up or down. NO biggie!!

 

Meet at Leslie and Lakeshore – 6:05 for drills, 6:15 Go Time.

10 min easy jog, then 3-5 sets of 3-2-1 min Hard w 1 min Easy; 3 min easy jog bw sets

(5 is a lot – not sure if we’ll get there – we used to do 3 but we were middle distance runners and ran everything at 1500m/3000m race pace – we’ll find a rhythm and see what we can do)

 

Boston racers! Do three sets and just find your wheels and your rhythm. Keep it smooth and controlled. Don’t worry about pace – this won’t make you faster for race day and it’s not a “test of where you are”. Just find that good smooth/fast feeling.

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Celebrating our strengths

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Hi Everyone!

 

Hope you’re all staying healthy and taking care of yourselves. I know many of us have gotten sick or have family members who’ve gotten sick. I heard the analogy that if you haven’t gotten it by now it feels like you’ve been hiding at the back in a Grade 6 Dodgeball game, and all the front ranks have been thinned out. Made me laugh because I think we can all relate to that feeling! (unless you’re under 30 in which case you should really try an adrenaline pumping round of Dodgeball with people bigger and stronger than you – and sometimes a little unhinged – whipping balls at you as hard as they can – it’s… an experience).

 

Anyway, what I’ve been thinking about this week is how we all have our unique, individual strengths. And how we should really pause to reflect on them and feel proud about them. We DO NOT all have the same strengths. That is for sure. And there are many different ways to get to similar results.

 

I’m thinking of the story I heard from a coach about two 800m runners who consistently ran the same times in their best races, down to the second (think I’ve mentioned this one before). One came from a strength/aerobic background, and the other from speed/speed endurance. One ran 15 mile (~22K) long runs and lots of volume. The other barely ever ran more than 5K and did lots of power and fast-twitch work. They couldn’t train together, but they raced side by side. Now the 800m is a unique event in its pure blend of these two systems, and either strength can do well, but the point is, you’ll only do well if you acknowledge your strengths and play to them.

 

As we enter our key race season, let’s think about what we’re good at. Some of us are great at being quietly confident and patient and trusting ourselves in a race. Some are great at being extremely consistent in workouts and continuing to show up. Some shine with the ability to be tough when it counts and keep pushing when it’s hard. Some have the ability to bring others with them on their journey and surround themselves with joy and mutual support. Some are good at staying relentlessly positive. Some are great closers and always find a fast finish. Some are uniquely attuned to listening and responding to their body’s cues – whether it’s to slow down, rest, push or speed up. Some are amazing at just keeping on keeping on. And even technically we have different strengths. Some thrive more in long runs, some on hills, some in short speed, some in tempos. Whatever your unique combination of mental and physical attributes are – these are a strength. And every now and then, your specific combination will be perfectly matched with the external circumstances. And you will shine the brightest. Other times they might not line up perfectly, but that doesn’t mean your unique strengths don’t matter. You won’t be your best self by trying to be someone you’re not. Instead, celebrate and lean into the strengths you have. You are all incredibly strong in your own ways. So please think about that and be proud! I love seeing them and am continually inspired by y’all.

 

Onto tomorrow’s Lakeshore workout! (6:05 warm-up/drills, 6:15 Go time)

 

  1. 4-5 x 1 mile @ 10K pace w 1:45 rest. Nothing fancy, just straight-up. You can ease into the first one.
  2. If doing this fartlek style, 4-5 x 7 mins @ 10K pace w 1:45 easy
  3. If doing the Spring Run Off: 2 x 1 mile @ 10K w 1:45, 3 mins, 4 x 400 @ 5K w 1:15, 3 mins, 4 x 200 as long strides w 1 min

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

Finding joy and gratitude

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Hi Everyone!

 

Huge congrats to everyone who ran Around The Bay – whether as race or a training run. That is a serious distance on a serious course with some serious wind! Shout out to Laura, Chris, Sean, Andrew, Zoë, Amy, Bob, Jordan, Patrick, Nir, Julia, Gillian who all put themselves out there! Way to go crew.

 

I ran the 5K. At the start line I was chatting with a friend and fellow coach. I was trying to figure out approx times so I would know where I should be relative to him. Because I did not want to look at my watch – I just wanted to race. I told him, “because you know – I’m 46.” And he said, “well, this is what I am thinking but you never know because you know – I’m 56.” We’re both slowing down. And as I ran I reflected on that and how lucky we were that we could still run hard and fast (relatively). I felt gratitude towards my body because it didn’t hurt and was doing what I was asking it. I didn’t look at my watch and I didn’t really care (too much) about my time. I was just taking nothing for granted and feeling grateful to be there, with others, doing what I love.

 

I was listening to a podcast with Karen Walrond – author of The Lightmaker’s Manifesto (which I haven’t read but is on my list!) Walrond addresses the dichotomy of seeking out and feeling joy and pleasure while also holding space for the suffering and injustices going on around us. She says it is even more important to fill yourself up with joy if you want to be able to stay open to seeing the injustices in the world and trying to make a difference. For many of us, that joy is running. And races are the peak experience of this expression. We are so so lucky, and I think that remembering that, whether it’s cold, windy, hilly, hard – is the most important thing. Doing a hard run or a race is not frivolous, but nor is it a big, stressful, important event that matters to anyone else. It is for you. So find a way to fill yourself up and find joy and gratitude in it. I only have to look at the number of our team who did not make it to the start line to remember not to take any of it for granted. And I will do my best to help you all get to your next starting line healthy and filled with joy and gratitude!

 

Tomorrow, we’re back to hills! If you ran ATB, you can come out and jog, but no hills. If you raced it, take at least a week off/easy. If you did it as a training run, your next hard effort will be this weekend. You’re still recovering, and adding another stress too close to that will put a cap on the recovery benefits you get from the effort! We’re getting close to key races for many of you and this is where you have to work smarter than harder. You’re fit – let’s get you to the start line!

 

Pottery Road as:

  1. Straight up hill for the first one.
  2. Easy halfway, fast second half (stairs/construction) for the second one
  3. Fast first half, easy second half for the third one
  4. Repeat this sequence 2-3 times
  5. 3 min rec – then 5 min tempo (it’s not cheating if you do this downhill towards Dundas 😉 )

 

I’ll aim to be there around 6:10/6:15 – happy to pick anyone up en-route!

 

xo

 

Seanna