Tuesday, October 22, 2024 – The Marathon

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Hi Everyone!

 

Wow, what a weekend. Such a whirlwind and so much to say. I’ll start with kudos. On Saturday there was the TCS 5K where Monica crushed the 19 minute barrier coming through in 18:45! Then on Sunday was the Half Marathon and Marathon. In the half, Graeme Ozburn came 4th in his age group and Nir also ran a very quick race. In the Marathon we had Colette, Michelle, Jason (BQ!) and Chris (BQ and PB!) who all made us so proud through their own battles and victories.

I came across a beautiful piece of writing by writer and runner Peter Bromka. I will share an excerpt here as he puts it better than I could and captures it perfectly:

 

Welcome to the unraveling

The culmination of a marathon is fast paced protracted distress.

If done correctly you’ll arrive at the final miles barely able to face the harsh task that you’ve assigned yourself.

But there is beauty in your breakdown.

The feeling that something is terribly wrong? It means you’re doing it right. This is your moment of full extension. Pushing this hard for this long is what makes marathoning memorable. These intense solo efforts bind us together.

The sport is self-imposed suffering. Seeking discomfort to illuminate our humanity.

Even the Finish doesn’t owe you anything

Why do we do this?

To feel something. To move ourselves, to ensure that we don’t get stuck.

And most of all, we do this to be a part of something.

To insert our individual effort into a sea of human energy and force out the other side, hopeful that somehow we’ll be different. Changed in some way.

The point is the inconvenience. The delay without the guarantee of gratification. It’s structuring your weeks, months and years around something beyond daily life.

Racing 26.2 miles will break you. And that’s the point. To see where you stand when you are exposed.

This is you today.

And just like that, it’s over.

Turns out it wasn’t the distance, or the time. The two were simply tools you used to find something in yourself.

On the Richter scale of life there may not be many quakes as large as weddings, births or deaths, but we endeavor to feel something so indelibly that it won’t wash away as the waves of time crash against our memory.

Maybe that’s why we cry at marathon finish lines. Not for good or for bad, but for the honesty of the moment as we stand on that day.

The marathon doesn’t owe you anything, which makes it the perfect vessel in which to pour your everything.

 

To read the entire piece, click here:

https://bromka.medium.com/the-marathon-doesnt-owe-you-anything-904b4ae73993

 

On to tomorrow’s workout!

 

Hills! Let’s repeat what we did last week w the 2 x full (400m) and 6 min @ MRP. 3 sets sounds about right.  CIM people, this might be the last true hill wrkt. TBD. Still good to get the hill strength in there for now though and it complements the tempo/ long we’re doing this weekend. Boston people – there are never enough hills for you. Haha.

 

That is all – have a great one everyone and see some of you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, October 18, 2024 – Limits

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Hi Everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  As I hope you all know, I am so grateful for this crew!  Some awesome results from the weekend. In Chicago we had Roz Salter and Leigh Anne Jacques who both ran PB’s and BQ’s!!! Then in Nova Scotia, Amy and Sam both ran stellar Half Marathons –Amy’s in the middle of a big marathon training build, and Sam’s after the Berlin Marathon! Very inspiring.

What I’ve been thinking about this week is limits. We all have them in all areas in life; real or imagined, self-imposed or inescapable, moveable or impossible to get past. In training, our goal is to discover these limits, and see if we can either shift them or work within them. This is rewarding because it requires curiosity, self-discovery, adaptability and strength of will. I think some people are wired to this way of thinking. At least one of my kids definitely is. There has never been a limit presented to him that he hasn’t had to push and test again and again. Usually the limit moves. Sometimes it doesn’t and that leads to tough consequences. This is not a mellow way to go through life, but I guess those of us doing what we’re doing are not signing up for mellow.

Testing limits is a risk and can come with potential damage. When we’re driven to find limits, we can ignore the little signs that tell us we’re getting close. We want to bump right up against the hard limit, otherwise we feel we haven’t really reached it. This way of behaving can lead to great success or total catastrophe. Luckily, with practice, we can learn to listen to the signals that tell us we’re getting close. This takes wisdom and discipline (two things, unfortunately, that my teenager hasn’t yet mastered). In training, we tend to think “more is always better” because it makes logical sense. However, it’s only absorbable work that counts. Absorbable means it’s the right amount of stress so that our bodies can say “ok, that was hard, let’s get stronger so we can deal with it better next time” – and then has the resources (sleep, food, relaxed state) to rebuild. There are many factors which can bring this formula from being just under the limit to over the limit. We know them: sleep, fuel, stress, previous load you’re carrying, mental state, hormonal state, motivation… these things all define our limits and they are all in flux all the time.

So what are we to do? Continue striving, searching, and testing. That is fun and rewarding and leads to growth. But without the recklessness of teenagers. Let’s do it wisely, listening to the signals and trusting ourselves over the inner voice saying “more, more, more”. That voice is a hungry ghost which will never be satisfied and it’s not working in our own self-interest. Let’s explore our limits, but with the discipline of not self-destructing in the process. And we’ll be self-compassionate and supportive of each other when we do go over – we all will at some point. That is part of the learning. Onwards!

 

Tomorrow’s workout will be back at Lakeshore and Leslie: 6:05 drills, 6:15 GO!

 

  1. Straight up 600’s. 1:15 rest (not too long so we don’t go too fast). 6-8 of them depending on where you are in your build/ recovery. I would go to 10 for those of us training for CIM except that it’s a recovery week (limits!) If anyone not on a recovery week wants to try for 10, go for it.

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

Tuesday, October 8, 2024 – Supporters

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Hi Everyone!

 

Huge congrats to Bob G who ran the Ptit Train Marathon in an impressive 3:03! And here in the Toronto Women’s 5K, Erin Smyth came 4th in her age group, and Monica Black came 1st in her age group and 3rd overall! Way to go all!

 

As I work through my own marathon training this season, I am reminded of how hard it is. Always a good reminder for a coach. I’m also reminded of how hugely important our supporters are in this endeavour. There are so many runs and workouts now which I just don’t think I would have been able to do without my buddies either there beside me or doing the same thing in solidarity elsewhere but knowing they’re cheering me on and that they will ask about how my workout went. This type of training pretty much requires support. In the athletes I coach, I’ve seen people who aren’t currently training join others for their long runs, I’ve seen partners ride their bikes beside their marathoners, providing water, I’ve seen friends showing up early at races to cheer on their buddies, I’ve seen people re-jigging their schedules so they can run together… All of this really really helps those who are running to do bigger things than they could do on their own.

Then the thought occurred to me; if runners tend to be happy people who live longer lives than non-runners, could it be because of factors that are not running? Just a hypothesis, but to be a successful distance runner, you pretty much require community. And in finding community we find our ticket to longevity and happiness. Same with purpose. In supporting others in their efforts we find we are needed and valued. This is also a data point which leads to happiness and longevity. Could it be that running itself is health neutral, but that the structures, people and connections we put in place to BE a runner are what makes us healthy? I think there’s something there. Just a random thought as I’m feeling very grateful for and dependant on my supporters right now!

 

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

  1. Mile tempo, 2 min rest, 4 x 400 m @ (fast and smooth) w 1:15, 2 min rest – repeat. Marathoners finish w 1 mile @ MP.
  2. Chicago runners!!! 1 mile @ MP, 2 min rest, 2 x 400 w 1:15

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, October 1, 2024 – Getting shit done

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Hi Everyone!

 

Wow – where to begin on this past weekend. Let’s start with Berlin: Elizabeth (PB, BQ!), Samantha (PB, BQ!) and Eleanor (BQ!) all had amazing races. It’s rare that a marathon day comes together for everyone – I think the positive team energy helped for sure! In the Night 10K, Karen and Adam Nicklin braved running a dark and what sounds like an endlessly hilly route – way to go guys. And in the Oakville Half, Jason and Zoë both ran very solid marathon-prep races. Great job everyone!

 

What I’ve been thinking about lately is about how inspiring many of this crew and my training buddies are in terms of getting shit done and making things happen. I think we might take for granted that if someone signs up for a goal 12 weeks out that they’ll have the motivation and grit to follow through. But this is not easy and it is actually not in everyone’s character to stick doggedly to something when it gets hard or other life events come up.

I am in a position in coaching where I can see a lot of different patterns in how people run their lives. I can see different arrangements and big pictures and it is an interesting observational vantage point. Many of the young people I coach tend to say they have goals and want to do well, but somehow life often gets in the way of training, and there are lots of (often very valid) reasons why they couldn’t get to training or had to cut it short. As a coach I can’t argue with why they couldn’t make it – they are running their own lives. But I juxtapose that with so many of my LES crew and training partners. This crew is made up of people who I would describe as “high achievers”, and so it is no surprise that they have the mindset of removing barriers and getting things done. They also often have very valid reasons for not getting training in, but somehow they mostly still get it done. I have seen people plan out sleep overs for their kids on a weeknight so they could make early morning workouts, run around their block a million times so they could be close to home in case the kids need them, wake up at insane hours to get their long runs in, do their 30K runs on hot, hilly, buggy cottage roads because it’s that or nothing, and continually look ahead, foresee the oncoming obstacles, and plan around them. I don’t think people who do this are more obsessed with running than anyone else – I think they’ve just figured out how to navigate their lives so they’re not full of road blocks and excuses. It occurred to me that this way of thinking is probably why these people are high achievers in many areas in life. It also occurred to me that if young people are taught to think this way, it could serve them far beyond just running.

I do understand that training is a privilege, and not everyone is in a position to take it on. Those of us who train are not struggling for calories. We have “some” time in the day. We have the financial resources to be able to ‘enjoy’ self-imposed hard things. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. And it doesn’t mean we’re not making sacrifices and often struggling to make it work. For those of us lucky enough to take on these goals, there are still many obstacles, detours and set-backs. And I have the privilege of watching those of you who don’t just roll over and curl into the fetal position (as much as we feel like it some days!) but who move mountains to get shit done. Thank-you for that inspiration. As a coach, I will try to inspire others in the same way.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout! Back to Hills!

  1. People running Chicago or Toronto, I’ve given you a different workout in your plans. 4-5 x 1 mile w 90 sec rest. Start at HM pace and if feeling good, can get down to 10K pace.
  2. People running CIM or other later marathon (even base training for Boston), let’s do a solid but possibly less intense version of hills + tempo: 2 x full hill followed by 6 min @ marathon pace (not tempo!) Repeat 3 times. This will give us some solid grindiness in our legs which should complement the bigger miles we’re doing a little better.

I will aim to be at Pottery around 6:15. Beach crew coordinate for Glen Manor as you do.

 

Have a great one and see you soon!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, September 24, 2024 – Overcoming injury (Carol McFarlane)

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Hi Everyone!

 

I don’t think we had any racers this weekend. But coming up this weekend in Berlin we have Eleanor, Samantha and Elizabeth. Good luck crew!!! Also, congrats to Sean who rode his bike to New York last week! That’s not nothing. Looks like our warm-ish temps will be continuing this week, albeit with some rain, so let’s soak the last of it in while we can.

This week we have a guest post by Carol McFarlane – thank-you Carol!

 

Overcoming Injury- Lessons from a 14 year old

 

If you are a runner or amateur athlete, you likely have sustained an injury of some kind over the years.  It could have been a little niggly that just needed a few days off, or something considerably more significant such as a concussion or unexpected health issue completely unrelated to sport. If this is not you, then you are among the lucky ones. It would be very easy to detail the health and injury hiccups that I have endured, but I thought it would be more compelling to share the lessons I learnt from my son who overcame a significant injury this past year.

Some of you are aware that my two sons have been playing competitive baseball for several years. My younger son, who just turned 14, was diagnosed just under a year ago with osteochondritis dissecans. This is a condition that affects the outside surface of the elbow damaging the bone and cartilage. Not a  ‘take a few weeks off” set back, but instead, a highly specialized surgery, stimulating stem cells and cartilage regrowth. Six months back to baseball POST surgery. Devasting news for a grade 8 boy who was forced to shut down everything.  Baseball, hockey, all school sports. Not that he likes running BUT he was not even allowed to run for the first 4 months. 

OK, so this story does turn around. He did get the green light to start playing again in early May. He did come back to baseball gradually thanks to a wonderful coaching team. And, he personally had one of the best seasons of play since he started all those years ago. Yes, of course I am a proud mom, but when it comes to overcoming injury, here are the nuggets of wisdom that through observing his rehab and recovery from the sidelines has 100% helped remind me of a few things:

  • The power of Patience – as hard as it is, if we can’t just take it one moment, one day, one month at a time, the small, glacial progress just won’t come. I witnessed this in so many ways including my son’s rehab which consisted of 1500 reps 3 times a day for 12 weeks to stimulate cartilage growth. Ugh.
  • Your passion won’t disappear – time off and time away from what you love to do, does not equate to a loss of interest. In fact, when one comes back the drive and passion is even bigger and better. My son did not question for one second, he would not be back at the ball diamond again.
  • Hard things make you stronger- yes, a bit of a cliché. But he is proof that this also rings true regardless of age. I am somewhat relieved in a strange way that one of my boys has experienced a tough time in his short 14 years of life. He found the determination and grit within himself to get to the other side. This was the first of many hard ‘things’ that will come his way in life, but has he learnt the coping skills, and resilience he can draw on in the years to come? You bet!

 Injuries/ dealing with a health issue either personally or someone close to you really sucks. Period! But I could not have anticipated and/or enjoyed the teachable moment role reversal. #23, aka Dax Bell, has yet to hit a home run at the physical ballpark but, he has done it 100 times over in my mind when it comes to managing the darkness of an injury, and with the gift of time and devotion, knowing how to live his best life doing what makes him smile.

 

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

  1. 1600-1200-1000-800-600-400-200 (rests 3:00, 2:00, 1:45, 1:30, 1:15, 1:00). Paces from tempo on down. *If feeling strong, can add 1 mile @ MRP at the end after a 3 min rest. (that might be too much – play by ear)
  2. If taking a down week or need some recovery, either knock off the first mile or stop after the 800.
  3. If tapering for Berlin: 1 mile @ MRP, 3 min rest, 4 x 400 a lil faster but NOT 5K pace w 90 sec rest

 

That is all – see you in the am!

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, September 16, 2024 – Hope

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Hey Gang!

 

Congrats to all our racers this past weekend. In the Barrelman Half Ironman we had Mike Greenberg who came 1st in his age group and 11th overall, Carolyn Steele Gray who came 1st in her age group and 9th overall, Carol McFarlane who came 5th in her age group and 30th overall! Also, Anna D ran a 200 mile race!!! My brain doesn’t compute. Flippin phenomenal.

 

Another event that happened across the country this weekend, and which I know many of us participated in either by running, volunteering or donating, was the Terry Fox Run. I’ve been thinking about this run and its significance to Canadians. In particular I’ve been thinking about the name: Marathon of Hope. It’s not the Marathon of “Muscle Through” or the Marathon of “I know I can”. There is something about hope that keeps us striving and pushing and engaged in the effort.

 

I was listening to a podcast discussing this effect in distance running. The phenomenon when athletes are trying to come top 3 in a race to make a team, and in the key race, when it seems obvious to them that it won’t happen, it’s like a bear jumps on their back. The effort becomes way harder when hope vanishes. It’s not a case of giving up – it’s the deep algorithm in the brain that says “this is too hard if it’s hopeless”. When there is no hope the effort is untenable. The athletes who can convince themselves that it’s still possible, and don’t let go of that last shred of hope, are the ones who can push to the end and sometimes make miraculous comebacks. Because despite all odds and current evidence, you just really never know what will happen, and it could turn around. That is the power of hope.

 

Hope is not grit, and hope is not confidence. It is the belief that your efforts might make a difference. And it is so powerful. I got emotional running by all the Terry Fox runners and volunteers on Sunday. People do still have hope that we can have an impact on fighting cancer, and many of us are still trying. That’s what Terry set in motion 44 years ago. Hope is extremely powerful, but very ephemeral. It is hard to hold onto and is easily dashed. Luckily I think it is contagious. We can try to share it with each other to keep each other energized and engaged and trying our best. That’s what I saw out there on Sunday. Let’s try to keep it alive. For cancer research, for homelessness, for mental illness, for the climate, for social harmony, for individuals we know who are struggling, and for ourselves – even if it’s “just” a race outcome. It might all work out, or it might not. But only hope will keep us going.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout!

I think this is the last one we can do as a fartlek on the spit because of diminishing light. We may even need to start with a light, so bring one if you have one. Meet at Lakeshore and Leslie – 6:05 drills, 6:15 GO.

 

  1. 6 min tempo, 2 min easy, 3 x 2 min faster w 90 sec easy. 3 min easy. Repeat. Then, option of one more 6 min section at either MP or a lil faster. I would suggest MP if you have a marathon coming up (Berlin, Chicago) and you want to practice nailing the pace. Toronto and CIM runners can choose.

 

  1. If on a recovery week, if batteries need recharging, don’t do the last 6 min.

 

Remember, this is a longer workout. If coming from 4K or more away, you can consider driving down and warming up down there.

 

That is all – see you in the a.m.!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, September 10, 2024 – Role models (Cassidy Smyth-Robinson)

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Hi Everyone!

 

Wow, what a fantastic weekend we had for running. The cooler temps made such a difference! There were some great races too! At the Light at the End of the Tunnel marathon, Jon McRea ran a PB and BQ of 3:16 in the leg-crushing hilly gravel race. In the Georgina Marathon, Gillian ran a huge PB and qualified for Boston! Jason ran the Georgina half and also had a solid race, which he used as training run. And over on the Island 10K, Amanda and Carter ran a mother-son bday celebration race (my dream celebration). Way to go all!

Today we have a guest post by Cassidy Smyth-Robinson (thank-you Cassidy!)

 

Running With Role Models

It is not common for most to say that, if willing to wake up before 5:30am, they can spend time running intervals with a group of their role models.

Though I’m not in frequent attendance to Wednesday workouts, waking up and showing up promises to be a rewarding time with a great team, and for me time spent looking into a hopeful mirror of my future. I think that it truly is important to have big dreams, to be motivated by some goal, some hope of a future, but as I age and as I become familiar with those around me, I realize that what I really hope to become is the people running intervals around me.

On Wednesdays I see a group of people motivated towards their own races, their own milestones, whatever they may be, all on unique but similar journeys in an activity they love. More importantly though, I see parents, children, neighbours. Doctors, lawyers, researchers, teachers, CEO’s. I see people who are passionate not just about a hobby, not just about a career, but about a multitude of things, and high on that list is their community. It’s simple to overlook, as an hour interval workout or run is a short moment in most people’s day, but when seeing these moments through more of an outsider view, I see countless people who excel at being role models of balance and passion.

I believe that both of these traits represent exactly what I only hope to strive for one day. To not have perfection in one form, but to have commitment, excitement, and grace for multiple facets whatever those may be, and to do them all with a community like the Lower East Siders.

I hope I always go to bed where the last things discussed in the evening in my family are what type of workout is being done in the morning, who that workout is being done with, and what type of work has to be done after. I hope I get to embody a sliver of the joy & compassion in any of you.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout! We have a division here based on what you’re training for:

People just training to train or running CIM or even later Boston – hills are on the menu. This is strength work that will serve us well. People running Toronto, you’re right on the cusp at 6 weeks out – if hills make you feel strong, do hills and this will be your last session. If you’d prefer some tempo/ pace work, do the alternate workout.

For hills, let’s stay with the same formula we’ve been doing – I’m not bored of it yet and it seems to check all the boxes: One full, one half, 4 min tempo. 2-4 sets (careful on intensity of doing 4).

People running Chicago and Berlin (and possibly Toronto), you have 2K repeats. You can choose where to meet up to do these.

4-5 x 2K w 2 min rest/shuffle. Start at HM pace. If feeling good you can work down to 10K pace.

 

That is all – I’ll be at Pottery so see some of you there!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

Tuesday, September 3, 2024 – Our drive for movement

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Hi Everyone!

 

Happy Back-to-School for those who celebrate! Funny how what used to seem like such a great relief when our kids were younger now feels more nostalgic as they get older. But regardless of whether you have kids or not or how old you are, Back-to-School does represent an energy shift. Let’s be gentle with ourselves and those around us as these  transitions can rev up our emotions. Give yourselves and those around you some time to adjust. We all will.

The other day my dad had yet another attempted “intervention” telling me that I run too much and it can’t be good for me. This was in response to me telling him how I’d run all across the city on the route we were currently driving. I really should introduce him to some other people on this list because I pale in comparison to many and am not a serial marathoner. However, we discussed how much more people run in general now than they used to. He remarked about how foreign this concept was in his father’s day. Absolutely no one ran. Then when my dad was a young adult, some people did, but it was still fairly fringe. Now it seems that everyone owns a pair of running shoes and even if they don’t call themselves “runners”, they do have familiarity with it and head out for the occasional jog. Or they go to the gym. I was struck the other day walking through my neighbourhood by how many gyms there are in the area. It is an odd concept when you think about it. If you were an alien trying to understand our species, it would be hard to come up with a theory as to why so many people expend so much energy, creating nothing at all.

 

There are psychological experiments where subjects are influenced to make certain decisions by forces they’re unaware of. When asked why they made the decision, they come up with clear answers which they believe, but which weren’t actually responsible for their actions at all. We tend to act, and then rationalize why we acted a certain way with a story that fits. I think it’s this way with exercise. We will come up with a reason as to why we do it, but most of us don’t really have a satisfactory answer because the reason is hidden deep within our cells. We evolved as a species which survives by moving. I explained to my dad that his father’s generation, and even his own, moved on average way more in every day life than most of us do today. They didn’t run because their deeply wired genetic instincts for movement for survival were satisfied. They were using their hearts, lungs and muscles enough that the alarm bells didn’t go off. But most of us in current times don’t. We don’t move for very long distances under our own power, or carry much weight from place to place, or use our bodies for survival in any way. This is good as it allows us to do so many more interesting and socially and intellectually important things. However, we haven’t changed our genetics and we are still animals. So as our lives have become more sedentary, more people have heard the deep call from within their cells and have started running and more gyms have popped up. This is not because people are more self-disciplined or better educated about the benefits than they used to be. Human behaviour doesn’t work that way. It is because we are following our instincts to move. We may tell ourselves and others it’s for a million different reasons. But in the end, I think we’re just living out what our programming is telling us to do. We think we’re a lot smarter than hamsters on a wheel, but that’s just storytelling – we all just playing out codes from millions of years of evolution.

 

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

 

About 8 weeks ago we did a benchmark workout of 800’s. For those who were just starting training blocks it was a little data point to see where we were starting off. Let’s repeat that workout to see where we are. For those doing later marathons (CIM), this will be our starter benchmark workout and we’ll do another check in in a few weeks.

 

  1. 6-8 x 800 m w 1:30 rest. Take note of the times you ran last time (not paces – times). See if you can match or go a little faster this time. “Lasso 800’s” tend to be an indicator of what time you might potentially run a marathon (if you’re in marathon shape). So for example, if you average 3 minutes and 20 seconds for your 800’s, it indicates that you are in 3 hours and 20 minute marathon shape. No science behind it – just a weird correlation pattern discovered by Bart Yasso. However, we take less rest than the indicator workout suggests, so you could probably run a little faster. Although they tend to fit in the range for me.
  2. If you are just working your way up in speed or not running a marathon, feel free to do 600’s instead of 800’s. OR do the lower range of 5-6 of them.

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

Tuesday, August 26, 2024 – In defence of jogging (Adam Nicklin)

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Hi Everyone!

 

Huge congrats to our triathletes who raced this weekend! Tanis and Shauna came 2nd and 3rd respectively in their age groups in the Wasaga triathlon Olympic distance, and Kaitlin Thomson (from Culture but comes out with us some mornings) came top 10 overall and 3rd in her age group. Way to go all! Also, not from our training group, but if you’re a running fan it’s worth noting that Jakob Ingebrigtsen just set a world record in the 3000m in 7:17.55. This is notable because it was thought to be a pretty untouchable world record – set by Daniel Komen in 1996. For perspective, Ingebrigtsen ran his last mile in 3:52.5. Just a moment in our sport worth a little acknowledgement.

 

Today we have a guest post by Adam Nicklin (thank-you Adam! World records are great and all, but there is ALWAYS space for jogging)

In Defence of Jogging

I recently read an article about ‘In Defence of Jogging’. Ok, I saw the article, didn’t read it. So, at the risk of accidental plagiarism, these are my views on it. It brought me back to a conversation we have had in this house, and some thoughts that were in my head on my ‘run’ just now, which I’d more accurately say was a ‘jog’. It is an odd distinction, that of running versus jogging. I’m in the field of urban design and planning, and community meetings will often feature heated debates between people who will variously refer to themselves as cyclists, pedestrians, or drivers. Or transit users. This I find curious, because I am pretty sure I can be described as any of those things. But in those exchanges, the mode of transport becomes the identity, and by extension the ideology.

 

Same with jogging or running. A cursory look on the internet throws up that same kind of lens, that ‘runner’ is an identity and a badge of honour. A jogger doesn’t get to call themselves a runner unless they occasionally strap on a race bib or try harder. Conversely, describing a runner as a jogger could be seen as a passive aggressive put down. Personally, I like to think running, jogging, walking or hiking are all forms of propulsion that don’t rely on a mechanism (of choice, not necessity) to facilitate. All have their place, and everyone can switch between them as they desire. So, within any one week, I could be a jogger or a runner. While jogging, I tend to not look at my watch much, if at all. Same could apply for running, but when I eventually look at my watch, I’ll secretly hope for good news, not ‘meh’. A jog doesn’t require a route, or a pace strategy. In fact, you might change the route on the fly, or when the lights change. Or if you remember something you wanted to check out, or a grocery you need to pick up. Jogging is time based; distance is only relevant if you do too much.

 

Right now, I am mainly jogging. Given other demands, and the bandwidth I am left with, it fits. And I like it. If I set myself the task of going for a run right now, I might procrastinate, but I can happily fit in a jog.  Best still, jogging allows you to retain most your fitness, at least within normal parameters, until you are keen to see more running in your life again. It keeps me ‘dad fit’, if not ‘match fit’. LES is a running club for sure, but a jog every now and then is nothing to be ashamed of.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout! We’re doing a fartlek on the spit, but we’ll meet at Lakeshore and Leslie at 6:05 for drills, 6:15 GO. (remember, we get more mileage in these, so if you’re coming from further away you may want to consider driving to the Tim’s parking lot)

 

  1. 3 x 3 min On w 90 sec Easy (~ 10K pace), 4 x 2 min On w 90 sec easy (~ 5K pace), and up to 5 x 1 min ON, 1 min easy ( a lil faster).
  2. If you are on a recovery week and want to do less volume, do the 3 and 2 minuters. If you’re fully recovering after a race, come out and jog – Yes, JOG! (can do the 1 minuters if you like)

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, August 20, 2024 – Experience

/in /by

Hi Everyone!

Congrats to Monica and Bob G who raced the TrackSmith 5K on Saturday, both breaking the 20 min mark! That was run under very humid conditions, so way to go guys. We’ve been battling through a lot of heat and humidity, and every now and then we get a break, and boy, you notice it! Whenever running feels so good with a cool break, I am always grateful for having trained through the hot bits – otherwise it wouldn’t feel like such an advantage when it gets cool. Just another reminder that we need the polarities in life.

What I’ve been thinking about this week is experience – and how we can undervalue it, but how much it counts for. It’s funny. We can look at data and metrics and potential and think: with these abilities, this person should be able to accomplish this. And sometimes they can and they do. But usually, not right off the bat. There is a reason why teams send young athletes to international and Olympic competitions when they likely won’t medal. It’s so that they can gain the experience they will need to become more successful later. Experience is not something that can be coached or read about to be learned. As the name implies – it has to be lived in order to be obtained. I often think about this when I coach. Athletes can follow a plan and become fitter and get faster. If there were some big, obvious gaps from where they were to what we’re adding, results will come. But often, what they really need is just some time and experience doing the thing. Understanding what it feels like to run at a certain effort for a certain amount of time, or what their bodies can do when they line up to race. These things aren’t given based on metrics. They take going through the process again and again in order to get better at it.

I’m currently helping to teach my teenager to drive. It’s an eye-opening (and mildly terrifying) experience. He’s read the books, taken the tests, watched others drive for many many hours. But he lacks practical experience – and the only way to get it is to do it. He is stronger and faster than me, has better eyesight than me, quicker reflexes, and is very motivated. But still…. he’s a way worse driver. Things that I thought were intuitive –like noticing break lights 5 cars ahead and starting to slow down – are obviously not, as he continues to accelerate towards the oncoming lurching stop. I’ve been driving for over 30 + years. I forget what I once didn’t know and forget that these things have to be experienced in order to be learned. He needs to spend time accumulating data through imperfect and sometimes perfect execution.

The same is true for runners. Every experience becomes a data point which informs us. Bad races are a data point. Good races are a data point. Training too hard, not getting enough sleep, running well rested, running in the heat, running in the cold, running after strength training, getting injured, running in a body that’s ageing… We are all continually learning and becoming more experienced. We are becoming experts at running in our bodies. None of this is intuitive. Every experienced runner will have to go through all of these things. Are we all becoming better runners? Depends what we mean by better. We’re not all getting faster, that’s just impossible after a certain point. But I do think that the more we do it, the better we get at understanding what brings out the best in us. If that’s a race result, the experience of joyful running, the ability to make running complement our lives… we’re getting better at all of that for sure. If you’re newer to this running thing, be patient with yourself. It takes time to figure it all out. Try to go into each experience with an open and curious mind, and try to embrace the good and the bad, the hard and the easy, because it is all just making you wiser and better.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout: we’re back to hills! Pottery Road for the Leslieville/Riverdale Crew, Glen Manor if you’re closer to the Beach. (unless you’re racing in the next week or two in which case I’ll give you your own workout – msg me if any q’s)

 

Pottery Rd hills – we meet anywhere between 6 and 6:30, and just start doing them when we get there – less formal meet up time.

Glen Manor hills – meet at the bottom of Glen Manor at 6:00 am.

 

The workout: back to sets of 1 full (400m), 1 half (200m), 4 min tempo. 2-3 sets. Note: 4 is a LOT. If after 3 you still have some mojo, you can add any combination for the end (ie. Just a full or half or tempo).

 

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

 

xo

 

Seanna