Tuesday, Jan 30, 2024 – Repeatability

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Hi Everyone!

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, Jan 23, 2024 – Harmony

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Hey Everyone!

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, Jan 16, 2024 – Passion and acceptance

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Hi All!

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

Tuesday, Jan 9, 2024 – Choosing our hard

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Hey Gang!

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Tuesday, Jan 2, 2024 – Hope

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Hi All!

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

That’s all – plain and simple.

 

See you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

 

 

 

Traditions

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Hi Everyone!

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

To traditions!!

 

 

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

 

 

xo

 

Seanna

Dreaming

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Hi Everyone!

First up I want to say a huge Thank-You to everyone for my beautiful and thoughtful Christmas gifts! I will Blitz my body thoroughly (it is in need of a good blitzing) and the CAMH donation is right up my alley. And I absolutely love the Epic Runs of the World book. It’s a beautiful picture book, travel planner, and running nerd lore all wrapped up in one. I read a couple before bed last night. You can really picture yourself experiencing these incredible parts of the world in a very relatable way – through running! Whenever I think about travel in other senses, I often think: but what would I DO? This makes it all make sense.

This is all along the lines of what I’ve been thinking about this week. Dreaming. Scheming. Planning. Goal setting. I think many of us are taking a bit of a pause on the “full throttle” aspect of running and exercise at the moment. And we need to do this so we can come up with thoughts and ideas and dreams about what we want to do. When we’re full steam ahead and locked into a goal, we are very in the moment, which is great. We have routines, plans, expectations and deliverables. It’s fun to turn off your brain and put your head down and just work sometimes. But that mode precludes the wandering mind, the dreamy wonderings, the visions of ourselves experiencing new things.

Not all dreams can or should be realized. I had many dreams when I was younger, probably 99% of which did not pan out. I’m sure at one point I wondered if I’d be in the Olympics in something. But the funny thing is, I don’t mourn the dreams that didn’t happen. They might steer you in one direction or another, and then you can let them go as new ones appear that you hadn’t yet imagined. But they can create excitement and passion and start you moving in a direction. When I look through this Runs of the World book, I can open it up to any page and imagine running in that location. And then spinning off on my own track and probably doing countless runs that aren’t depicted. And who knows what else! Some of the runs are more hardcore than others, and some require some serious training commitment. Others are light site-seeing tours. It’s a launching pad of many ideas.

So for the rest of December, let your training guide be to allow your brain to dream up what you want to do and where you want to be. Give yourself the space and time and energy to really get into it. Don’t flog yourself for sitting on the couch and not training right now. But this is not completely passive. Dreams don’t just land on you. You have to curate them and indulge them and give them space and attention. And you might realize them. Or more likely you’ll end up somewhere just as good that you never saw coming. But at least you will have started.

 

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

 

Let’s do some cruisy 800’s and finish with some snappier 200’s. How about 5 x 800 to get us to the far end, then 4 x 200. 1:15 between the 8’s (we’re still keeping them aerobic – not going too far into VO2max territory), 3 min set rest, then 1 min between the 200’s (as long strides).

 

I pulled my hammy being an idiot and trying to sprint faster than my body wanted me to, so I will come out to jog, but prob not do the faster stuff. A good note to remember with me: do what I say, not what I do.

 

See you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Complaining and microdosing

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Hey Gang!

 

As usual, I left out a couple of results from last week’s Holiday 10K: Chris Fortin in what I think is a PB of sub-40 (wohoo!), and Ian Gray – honourary LES-er! I do believe races are done for a while – there is a Boxing Day 10 miler in Hamilton and a Hair of the Dog 9K New Year’s run in the beach if anyone likes to use those to celebrate those occasions.

 

I have a couple of messages this week. The first is inspired by my daughter who is doing the high school swim team. This means being in the pool at 7 am a few mornings a week. She loves swimming and the swim team but hates early mornings, being cold and being tired. I am letting her come to her own decision on this, and as a result she has “quit” and rejoined twice (the quitting has been unofficial as I believe everyone makes the team and they’ll take who they can get at 7 am). Yesterday morning she had nothing good to say at 6 am. It was all, I hate this, why do I do it, it’s cold, I’m tired, this is the worst. I let her vent and then reminded her that the night before she had said she was going, so we were up, and this could be the last one. I texted her after the practice to see how it went and she said “it was good. Sorry for being dramatic”. And I totally got it. I was like, “complaining is totally part of it! My friends and I complain all the time before we do hard and uncomfortable things. And then we go and do it”.  I told her it’s totally fine to complain – it seems to release something – but then you put your head down and do the thing.  Again, there is something undefinable that we love about pushing ourselves and doing hard things, but that doesn’t mean we have to pretend to enjoy every instant of it. If complaining loudly gets you through, go for it. I’ll listen politely and then say “ok, now let’s go”.

 

The other idea I wanted to share this week is the concept of “micro-dosing”. As popularized by Silicone Valley, it’s the idea that you don’t have to do the full thing in order to reap the benefits. In fact smaller doses might work better in many scenarios. In this case I’m talking about exercise not mushrooms, but now that I’ve embraced the concept I find it applies to many things (cleaning, shopping, even socializing!) I first started to pitch the idea as a way to get plyometric training into some of the athletes I train. Yes, having a full session devoted to that is great, but it rarely fits schedules perfectly and is the first thing to get knocked off a list of priorities. So instead, we tell them to a little bit at a time. Some hops before a workout, a set of little jumps in between heavier lifting sets, 20 seconds after a run. It all adds up. We can get attached to our ideas of big workouts and accomplishing large chunks of work, but little bits can really go a long way. 10 push ups in the morning, a 15-20 minute run, 10 one-legged hops while you’re standing in the dog park, … It really is better than nothing, and often is actually better than the full dose. Especially at this time of year when the full dose could put you in a stress hole or energy deficit. Just sprinkle little bits of energy around – it’s a mindshift, but I promise it adds up and makes a difference.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout – let’s do a Fartlek Social! Bring lights – we’ll head into the beach but it’s pretty dark in some sections. Meet at Lakeshore and Leslie – 6:05 Drills, 6:15 GO!

 

Let’s keep it simple with 2 minutes “ON”, 1 minute “OFF”. Paces can be tempo/easy. 8-10 of them sounds about right. Actually, that’s a very similar workout to last week (a good range of stimulus for this time of year) – just with a different view.

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

Hanging tough

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Hi Everyone!

 

First an update from an oversight last week: Zoë came in third in her category at nationals xc, not fourth as I had erroneously stated. Podium! Way to go. And this past weekend we had a bunch of stealthy fast racers in the Holiday10K! Adam (PB!), Cindy (PB!), Eleanor (1st in age group!), Carolyn (nice return from a marathon!) Did I miss anyone?

 

What I’ve been thinking about recently is that this time of year can be kinda tough on a lot of people. I don’t know what it is – the lack of sunlight? Perceived forced merriness? Different stresses that bubble up after a few months of hard work with your head down? Between race and big goal season blues? Actual hard, uncontrollable things that occur? I’ve witnessed some version of all of this with a number of people who I coach, myself included.

 

I’m currently coaching a university varsity team. Among this team in the past month I’ve had two kids break down into stress/fatigue tears, one experience a traumatic close family death, one dealing with a close family terminal illness, and one experiencing a lingering illness which affects mental health. These kids are in their early 20’s (some are even still teenagers). I hope I tell them the right things, but I know when I see them show up everyday, that they will be ok. Maybe it’s because they’re distance runners, and we all have this strange relationship with pain. We don’t run away from it, but accept it and keep putting one foot in front of the other. We know that pain is a signal but that we can sit in it and it won’t kill us. I give them space to bow out and take a break, but not to quit. I know these kids will most likely all become very successful, empathetic, self aware and strong adults. But man, you have to go through it to get there, eh? This is the “life as chisel” metaphor.

 

Anyway, not to be too morose in this note. Just a reminder that life is hard and that’s ok and you can lean on others and you don’t have to pretend to be happy AND that often (not always but often) there is growth and meaning on the other side. And there will be another side. So take a break or slow down if you need to, but no quitting. We all need each other here. Big hugs to all!

 

 

 

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

 

Let’s do tempo 600’s w 1 min rest. 1 min means they have to stay pretty chill. Up to 8 or 9 of them. This will depend on how chill you actually manage to make them. 9 of them at tempo pace is do-able. 9 at 10K pace will feel hard. Remember, this is base season so we don’t want to do too much fast V02max work yet. There is a ceiling of how fit you can get on that and it’s built on a base of strength.

 

That is all – see you in the am!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

Running community

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Hey Gang!

 

Huge congrats this weekend to Zoë who raced in Nationals x-country and came 4th in her age group, and Jen Drynan (who’s always finishing her workouts as we start at 6 a.m.) who ran the Holly Jolly 5K and came 1st in her age group and ran sub-20! Way to go you guys.

 

This week I’ve been thinking about community, specifically the running community. There are not many communities in which you can just show up, do the thing, and you are immediately welcomed in and included as one of their own. In many other activities in life there is some posturing and proving oneself; having the right gear and knowing the right people. It takes years of devotion to work your way up the ladder in order to prove that you belong. In my experience with running groups however, if you show up and run(any pace), you are invited in with open arms. Running groups are comprised of cool people and quirky people. And sometimes very cool quirky people. The “no membership required” rule means we’re not protecting our own identities when we run with people who have life experiences and world views very different from our own. There’s no more comfortable place to have a conversation than when in rhythmic footfalls beside someone, moving together under your own effort in the same direction. There is something about that which seems to be universally understood but hard to scientifically explain.

 

This past Sunday I started my run with one running group,peeled off for a pit stop, found a friend to run with for some km’s, and then we hooked up with another group for a few more km’s. The common denominator with all parts of this run was a “come with me” mentality. I appreciated that a ton. But I have also come to expect that. I can just glom on to almost any group and not worry about what I’m going to talk about, what I look like, or even really how fast I’m going. If the group ahead is going faster than is comfortable,I just drop back and there’s usually someone around. No one takes offence.People peel off at various stages, sometimes even without a word. They got all the group running they needed for the day and that’s that. No problem. And I think wherever you go in the world, it’s a similar vibe. You join a running group, and you belong. Imagine just jumping into a random soccer game or band practice or book club? You can’t. But you always can with running groups. You can count on that. And I love it.

 

On to tomorrow’s workout! We’re back to hills. I know – some of you love ‘em and some of you hate ‘em. They are part of every runner’s healthy diet though.

 

Let’s do a similar ratio of long/short as last time. Doesn’t have to be the exact same quantity. Something like 4-7 long, 3-5 short. 7 and 5is probably more than most people will do, myself included. Just putting it out there – you don’t have to decide until you’re doing them and you see how you feel. The goal for these is to run strong and steady up the full, peppier and faster up the half. Once you feel you’ve started losing power and pace on the full, move to the half. Last time that happened to me sooner than expected! Just roll with it – it’s base season and we’re building strength, not risking injury.

 

Beach people, this is a 400m and 200m hill. Wherever that works (I know you like Glen Manor – Balsam between Queen and Pine is a good replica of Pottery).

 

I will plan to be at Pottery around 6:15. Remember, just get there and roll into it – we’ll see you on the hill!

 

That is all – see you in the am

 

xo

 

Seanna