Hi Everyone!

Massive congrats to our marathoners this weekend at Mississauga!!! Lori and Colette both braved the heat and ran very respectable marathons with Lori qualifying for Boston! In the Bum Run 5K we had Sean, Zoë and Jeff running very fast times on what I believe is not a “fast” course. Way to go everyone – feeling inspired! Coming up this weekend in the Toronto Marathon we have Shauna and Cindy (and maybe Roz S? tbd…)  running the full and Lyndsay running the half! We are welcome to join the Culture Cheer station at Underpass Park again – let’s rally with our LES gear!

This week’s guest post is by Steph Bannan. Thank-you Steph!!!

What if I try?

Omg. A chance to write a Seanna-esque email?! I both jump and cower at the chance. She does them so well. How could I hold a candle to such thought-provoking wisdom, and her seemingly psychic ability to put her finger on exactly what many of us are feeling at any given moment. I wouldn’t dare. I couldn’t.

But then again…what if I just tried?

Once upon a time I said “I couldn’t do that” to the idea of racing. Years prior, I even said it about “running outside.” It just wasn’t a thing I thought I could do. A marathon? No way.

Enter the Lower East Siders.

In an “as fate would have it” moment, a predestined friend of a friend introduction, I found this group. It was an amazing workout, a fun group of people, and the perfect time slot for a new mom.

But it was more than that. It was inspiration, teamwork, camaraderie. It was connection on a deeper, more intrinsic level. It was incredible people who didn’t know my last name or anything about me, but who seemed to care as much about my progress as they did their own. It was the thing that got me thinking, “maybe I could try that too?”

And so, just like all of you, I gave it a try. And over time, I became a member of the club. I became “a runner.”

This identity has brought me the highest highs. It’s taught me more about hard work (and grunt work) than I ever thought I’d learn. It has convinced me that the body should be nourished, cared for, and celebrated. It’s made me feel truly proud of myself, and deeply invested in the success of others. It’s brought some lows, too, but nothing pulls you out with more force than a team of people who get it, and who want to see you back out there.  

We’ve all had these experiences – where running has helped us, encouraged us, kept us going, or even saved us. And I’m sure we all have theories as to how and why this sport has gripped us in the way it has. For me, I believe it is because the whole of the group is greater than the sum of its parts. Together, we can see what is possible, and the magic that can happen if you just give it a try.

On to tomorrow’s workout – Riverdale Hills! (or a beach option – tbd) – let’s meet at the clubhouse at the top of the hill at 6:05 for drills, 6:15 GO.

1. If coming back from Boston or London, or just wanna jog, come out and jog and have a Rooster coffee and tell us your stories.
2. If you ran Mississauga, come for the coffee – can walk if feeling ok. (or sleep in – you deserve it)
3. Toronto Marathoners and half marathoners: 2 laps of Riverdale track @ race pace. 2-4 x 1 lap a lil faster (marathoners 2, half marathoners up to 4). 2 min bw all.
4. Everyone else: 2 x Riverdale hill followed by 2 laps of the track. Rest = slow jog/shuffle between each. I think the range here is 3-5 sets.
5. If doing hills in the Beach, coordinate w Tanis!

That is all – see you in the am!

xo

Seanna

Hi Everyone!

Huge congrats to all our Boston Marathoners yesterday! It was a sudden hot day which took a lot of adjusting and cost a fair bit of time for most. That’s how it is. So proud of everyone who persevered! Boston is one to celebrate being in the top percent of people who grow through doing hard things – it is not a PB course. Congrats to Jason Jacobs, Amy Hayes, Roz Salter, Carol McFarlane, Carolyn Steele Gray, Jordan Stewart. Y’all are incredible.

Guest post this week by Adam Nicklin: (thank-you and others please follow suit!)

What I’ve been thinking about recently is aspiring to average; a concept that used to feel alien to me but is becoming, if not entirely comfortable, somewhat inevitable.

I can recall times in my own life where I had the luxury to ‘lean in’ on a particular passion, usually vocational, artistic, or both. When I was younger, many hours were dedicated to work with little regard for matters not central to my own specific goals. We’ve all been there I’m sure. This was of little consequence – I mean, no-one cared except me or those that stood to benefit – and I really didn’t need to be that accountable to anyone else. Into my late thirties this ramped up as I took on the challenge of starting my own firm from scratch. The accompanying uncertainty had me focusing intensely on the success of the studio, with the alternative – failure – looking like a long, long way to fall. So this increasingly narrow focus was justified as a survival tactic, as an increasingly shaky balance was struck with life’s other responsibilities and commitments.

I started running in my late forties, enjoying the expanded sense of community it offered, all sharing a humble, common purpose. In time, I started to consider being able to tackle an occasional triathlon. Not being a triathlete you understand – but doing a triathlon. One morning during a Wednesday run, I was opining to a fellow LES’er that while I was a decent runner, I was also a pretty so-so biker, and a pretty bad swimmer, and therefore potentially a pretty crappy triathlete. Not so, he said. If you can be an average runner, mediocre biker and so-so swimmer then you are an awesome triathlete. The trick is just not failing too badly at any one thing, and resisting the temptation to get too concerned about any one of them. Armed with his new insight, I set out with the goal of being average! No huge problem with running, but biking took some work. And swimming – wow! Average took some serious effort. And along the way, I think I had more fun training to be average than in anything in life I may have felt I could truly excel in. In fact, the most rewarding time I can recall of any activity I have pursued has been that steep learning curve, reaching for the ‘anonymity of average’, finding that everyone will genuinely want to help you along the way. Something I must remember to reciprocate whenever I can…

So, this truism in sport comes back to haunt us in life. Fast forward, and here we all are with multiple things to balance and never enough bandwidth to cope. Suddenly, average across all of life’s ‘disciplines’ seems like the crest of a hill you will never reach, with the sleep you lose worrying you will never attain it making your chances ever more diminished. Therefore, instead of training to achieve average, we train ourselves to accept it. To be clear, this doesn’t mean submission – quite the opposite. Rather, a distinct and thoughtful process of editing your life to only those things that can support your goal of being (at least) average in everything that counts, and for everyone that needs you to be. And, as Seanna will remind us, keeping something in there for our own peace of mind, which will ultimately benefit those around us. Besides, I’d say these days we’re harder on ourselves than we ever were, and frankly average to us is likely more than adequate to those around us. And maybe that is success or, at least, a comfortable margin above failure we should all feel at peace with.

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

1. 6 x 600 w 1 min rest. Starting tempo-ish – the 1 min rest should keep these not too hot. We did 10 of these in early Dec, so reference the pace you did there. 2-3 min set rest, then 2-4 x 600 faster w 2 min. These can get close to 5K pace. Learning to find that extra gear with some volume already on our legs.

2. London Marathoners: GOOD LUCK!!! (Amanda, Annick, Meagan, Fran) And taper workout: 1 mile @ MP, 2 min rest, 2 x 600m a lil quicker w 2 min.

That is all – see you in the am!

xo

Seanna

Hey Gang!

Hope everyone had a great long Easter Weekend and enjoyed the great weather and hopefully some time with family and friends. And maybe a tiny bit of chocolate.

 Many people on this list are ramping up for Spring marathons along with getting in shape for races of other distances. When training for individual events, there is an element of specificity in terms of what people need with regards to pacing and support. What I am loving about the people who have found themselves within the gravitational sphere of the Lower East Siders, is that we are able to understand our needs and ask for support from those around us, and offer it back up when and where we can. I’ve noticed different groups of people banding up for parts or all of their long runs. I’ve noticed teammates driving to races to cheer others on or even run parts of the race with them. I’ve seen friends making plans to travel and stay with their teammates to support them on race day. I hear many conversations between people sharing their tips and strategies for various things (nutrition, injury management, favourite gear, …) I see people sharing their expertise and energy to help others improve (looking at you Kerry K!) I see sub-groups popping up with people who are like-minded in their non-running sports and want to support each other in that (Triathletes!!!) I am definitely not a part of many or even most of these little support bubbles. That would be impossible. But just being part of the web of support means we’re all contributing to everyone’s success. This community we’ve created together makes me so happy.

On that note, I want to share this space with people. Starting next week, I’m taking submissions for the newsletter from anyone on this list. Topics can be anything. Bring us into your experience and perspective. Does not have to be all sunshine and rainbows! I’d love to hear other voices on here. Just submit to me by Monday and I’ll send it out on Tuesday with the workout on the bottom. Doesn’t have to be long. Can even be a poem. No pressure at all! (but if no one raises their hand I might have to start picking people … lol) I’m looking forward to hearing from you 

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

1. Sets of 1 mile, 90 sec rest, 2 x 400 w 1 min. 2 min bw sets. Up to 3 sets. Miles at HM pace, 400’s at 5K pace.

The idea is to get some good threshold/HM pace work while learning how to deal with and use lactic acid from the speedier stuff. The more efficient we are at clearing and utilizing lactate, the faster we can run “comfortably”.

That is all – see you in the am!

xo

Seanna

Hey Gang!

First up, huge congrats to Cindy who ran the NYC Half on the weekend with a PB and breaking the 1:30 barrier! Great job. I’m loving the momentum of spring races. Keep ‘em coming – I might even jump into one soon! Coming up this weekend we have Around The Bay with Brianna and Colette running the very random 34K distance. Wohoo!!!

Last night I took a yoga class for a little stretch before bed. It was a very chill class – not one flex of a muscle – all stretch. But at one point I looked over and there was a guy just lying on his mat with a towel as a pillow and sleeping. Or meditating – I don’t know. And I thought “good for you. You know what you do and don’t want to do and you’re owning it”. I already take that approach myself in yoga since I can’t get anywhere close to what the instructor is doing and many moves are completely off the table for me. Neither myself or the guy were trying to achieve anyone else’s standards or results. (Well, me a little more than the guy). We knew what we needed and just did that.

I’ve embraced this perspective more as I’ve gotten older and trust myself more. I also appreciate it in others when they push back and say “I’m not doing this” or “I’m only running this much”. I believe they know what they need. It’s hard to maintain these boundaries in this era of optimization. With everyone telling us the perfect amount of protein we need in every meal, the ideal number of miles to run in a week, how much water we need to be drinking with which supplements, how many days a week we need to be lifting heavy weights, how many hours of sleep we should get, how present and attentive we need to be to our relationships … There is always more we could be doing and things we could be doing “better”. In the optimization world, there are no boundaries. So I find there is actually a freedom in rebelling against that and saying “I’m not doing that”. I like it when I hear this from athletes I coach. Sure, there are ALWAYS more things they can be doing to help make them faster/stronger/more resilient. But I first need to know the boundaries they have that they will work around. If they don’t have any, I know something will probably pop up mid-cycle that makes the training untenable. I think it is fine to push back and rebel against a world that will keep asking us to give more and more with no end. In fact, it’s a true act of confidence which others can choose to follow. So go take a nap in your yoga class. I will admire your self-belief and ability to rebel against optimization and judgement.

Why rebel if there is nothing permanent in oneself worth preserving? – Albert Camus

Rebellion, though apparently negative, since it creates nothing, is profoundly positive in that it reveals the part of man which must always be defended. – Albert Camus

On to tomorrow’s workout. We’re back to HILLZZZZ! Let’s change it up though with half hills + tempo. Or 200m hills for those in the beach. These give you a little more pep because we can run up them with a bit more gusto. Pottery crew will stay at Pottery, but we’ll do our hills starting at the stairs vs at the bottom.

Let’s do sets of 3 x half hill, followed by 6 min tempo (yes, a bit longer than the previous 4 min). The longer tempo pieces are getting more specific to ppl racing a spring marathon. 2 to 3 sets. 1 minute-ish (or walk to and from your tempo spot) between hills and tempo.

I’ll aim to be at Pottery at around 6:20-ish. Come when it works and start when you get there.

That is all – see you in the am!

xo

Seanna

Hi Everyone!

First up, huge congrats to everyone who ran the Chilly Half!!! Sam F who PB’d! Ingrid who crushed it in a new age group! Bob who negative split! Amy, Shauna, Jason who executed smart, tough and solid training runs. And with that, the seal to spring races has been broken – bring ‘em on!!!

What I’ve been thinking about this week is about prioritization. Or rather, re-prioritization. It’s true that most of us aren’t looking for things to fill up our time. Almost everything we undertake takes us away from something else. So we have to be intentional about where we’re directing our time and energy. For me, running is always on the list of priorities. It always has been. I don’t consider that to be selfish because it’s what supports my ability to address my many other priorities. But also, my running as a priority is very flexible. It moves up and down the priority ladder as needed. I think many in this group can relate. We’re cooking along just fine and then suddenly life shifts, and something zooms right to the top of our priority ladder, shuffling everything else down a rung. That doesn’t mean the other things fall off or get neglected completely – it just means they don’t come very first when deciding where to direct time and energy.

Personally, I have had times when running has enjoyed a very high position, if not top rung. That’s when I have the time and energy to focus on myself and my training and my recovery and my mental and emotional engagement in the sport. That’s satisfying and fun. I have also had times where running has moved down to fourth or fifth on the list of priorities. During those times I like to say “I’m just staying in good enough shape so that I can get into shape again when I want to”. I keep my foot in the door. And I know when life has shifted and opened up space for me to bring running back into focus. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been through this cycle of running shifting up and down the priority ladder. This is often not something we plan. Sometimes someone in our life suddenly needs more attention, or our career demands more, or we have to put some aspect of our own physical or mental health in the top spot. That is life and to be expected. Just don’t make running so rigid that it is all or nothing. We can simply shift it down a few notches. Then, when things open up again, we can juggle it back up and reprioritize it. The key is acknowledging and accepting that not everything can be a top priority. That defeats the definition of the word. But also, if things aren’t a top priority, don’t neglect them completely. Because sooner or later they’ll demand their spot on the top rung.

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

Speaking of ladders, let’s do one! Down and back up.

Except people who RACED Chilly. If you RACED it (not training through), take a break or come out and jog. If you were training through, well, as it sounds, you keep training.

1. Mile-800-600-400-600-800-mile (option for this last one to be any distance from mile to 400). Paces: Half marathon – 10K – 5K – faster – 5K – 10K – Half marathon. Let’s take 2 mins after the miles and 800’s and 1:30 after the 600’s and 400’s.

That is all – see you in the am!

xo

Seanna