Hi Crew! 

 

First up, way to go Achilles runners! We still have a number of ppl running their races next weekend (good luck!) but some of us did ours on Sat. Notably: Sean Forest came out of the woodwork with a 5K PB of 21:01, Brianna who decided to forego the 18 minute mark altogether and ran a 1 min and 1 sec PB of 17:59, Amy Robinette (virtual LES member from the west end) who ran a 10K PB of 41:57 and I ran 37:42 for which I credit all of you who came and cheered and those who paced me to the finish! Oh, and big shout outs to our generous runners/pacers who ran to help others – Carolyn and Cullen! Carolyn realized at the start that a race wasn’t what her body needed, but turned the disappointment into an opportunity to help someone else. And Cullen was totally game for whatever pacing duties we threw at him (in this case he ended up being versatile enough to adjust mid-race to a 6 second per km faster pace than he’d been prescribed). Yay team!!! 

 

What I’ve been thinking about this week is about fresh starts. There’s something about spring and a change in the weather that brings about the feeling of renewed energy and re-evaluation. The feeling of a Fresh Start is interesting. It doesn’t land on everyone at the same time, and you can’t force it if you’re not feeling it. I heard a great analogy about a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. When they go into their cocoons, caterpillars actually digest themselves and dissolve into a goo which reforms into a butterfly. But they require every single cell they had as a caterpillar in order to make up the butterfly. If they go in too early, they won’t be able to turn into a complete butterfly.  

 

Similarly, only you will know when you’re ready for a change or fresh start of some sort. When you are, you will feel the energy and impulse to change or transform something in your life. And turning a page is a perfect place to start. In studies of baseball players who are traded to new teams in different leagues so their batting averages are reset, those who had lower averages brought them up after the switch. A blank slate allowed them to let go of past identities, and create new realities with new visions.  

 

I think we’ve done very well in weathering a long COVID winter. It took grit and determination and inner strength. It’s definitely not all downhill with the wind at our backs from here, but if you’re feeling the energy of a fresh start, you can evaluate what you have liked and want to keep in terms of habits and routines you’ve set up, and what you might want to change or leave behind.  

 

No one knows what will come next. It will still be different than anything we’ve experienced. But we’ve done a whole year of living with a pandemic now. We have the wisdom and confidence that comes from that, and can set ourselves up well for a new fresh start if we want to. 

 

Onto workouts for this week! 

 

1. 2 mile tempo (half pace) 3 min rec, 4 x 800 w 1:30 @ 5K pace-ish (if your raced Achilles, slow it down and do a couple less)
2. If going by time: 12 min tempo, 3 min easy, 4 x 3 min hard w 1:30 easy
3. Tempo for this week (ATB racers don’t have one – you have some work embedded in your LR): 3 x 12 min w 3 min easy (ease into these and see if you can pick up the pace by a few secs/km for each set) 

 

Have fun and see some of you on the roads! 

 

xo 

 

Seanna 

 

Hi Everyone!

 

Yay warmer temps! Don’t get too comfy with them, but enjoy them while they’re here. Ahh the love/hate relationship with March.

 

I recently read or saw something with Ryan Hall coaching his wife, 2:20 Marathoner Sara Hall, from the bike. One of the things he said as he was riding beside her and she was straining through a race pace interval was “Make it feel easy!” I love this. He didn’t say “make it easier”, he said “make it feel easy.” This is so fascinating to me. He was telling her to be in control of her internal settings. I love the idea that without external circumstances changing, we can control something internal that will make our tasks feel easier.

 

I tried this in my tempo the other weekend. Often in the last third I start to strain and reach and tighten up in order to maintain my paces. This time I didn’t look at my watch but just said to myself “just run tempo effort”. Tempo can mean many things to different people, but to me I’ve always thought of tempo as being “comfortably hard”. Tempo is not racing. Tempo is not straining. So I just thought “cruise at tempo” and I relaxed and then found that I had maintained my paces regardless.

 

So is “making it feel easy” mental or physical? Both, I guess. A mental state relaxes your physical state and the whole thing flows better. A tough command to follow on demand in the middle of doing something hard though. I know it will take practice, but it’s a mantra I’m going to try to work on.

 

I think it applies to other areas of life as well. There are so many external factors in life that we just can’t change. But if you were tasked with “making something feel easy, without actually making it easier”, could you? I think you could. You’d have to practice shifting things around to see what worked. You would change your mental dialogue. You might stop straining and reaching and just relax into the effort of whatever you’re doing. You would stop fighting the pace or the barriers or the inconveniences or the other people, but without compromising your results. You would settle in and keep going as fast or as hard you could, but you would find a way to make it feel easier. I think some people might call that doing it with grace. Or getting out of your own way. There are a lot of fights in this world that are worthwhile, but fighting yourself is not one of them. So while you’re out there kicking ass and doing something hard, it’s worth remembering to try to make it feel easier. That will be your superpower.

 

Onto workouts for this week: (some ppl are doing Achilles 5K ot 10K this weekend and some next weekend – I have moved mine to next weekend – at least one benefit of virtual races!)

 

1. 2 x 1200 w 2 min rest (5K pace), 3 min rec, 2 x 800 w 1:30 rec (slightly faster) 4 min rec, 4 x 400 w 1 min rec (slightly faster again – so leave room!)
2. If fartlek style: 2 x 5 min Hard w 2 min Easy, 3 min easy, 2 x 3 min Hard w 1:30 Easy, 4 min easy, 4 x 1:30 Hard, 1 min Easy
3. Taper wrkt if doing Achilles this weekend! 1200, 3 min easy, 800, 4 min easy,  2 x 400 w 1 min, strides

 

Have fun!

 

xo

 

Seanna

Hi Everyone!

 

This week I’ve been reflecting on this time of year in general. February usually brings some of the coldest days of the year, and by now the snow and slush and freezing winds might no longer a novel challenge that we might enjoy leaning into a little, but more of a steady chipping away at our good humour.

 

This happens around this time every year. But we know we’re just a few weeks away from that first unseasonably warm day which gets us all out and  … what? That is my problem this year. Sure, I’m looking forward to warmer temps, but I don’t have glorious visions of big goals or fun vacations. I’m not being pulled along through February by dreams and plans. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy my ‘process’ and I’m generally fine with taking one day at a time, but man … dreams are pretty fun.

 

One of the things that makes humans unique is our ability to project into the future and visualize and plan. (Of course this is a double-edged sword as it also sometimes comes with the side-effect of anxiety and dread.) We are constant story tellers. Our brains tell us a story about what is likely to happen, and then we are stuck with that version of events until reality proves us either right or wrong. As a side note, humans are phenomenally bad at predicting the actual future. So we are constantly living in a made-up world that we assume is going to happen. Very few of us live in the actual present unless you’re very good at mindfulness (a topic for another post!)

 

So back to February. I realize I’ve allowed my projected future reality to go gray. I’m not tethered to a dream. I’ve found myself not really excited about anything right now. But why can’t I make something up? Who cares how realistic these dreams are? It doesn’t matter whether they come true or not. At least my dreams can pull me through February and maybe even March. I think I just have to get a little more creative with my dreams. True, most races are not happening this spring (there are still always virtual options of course but I find those have a bit of a dimmer switch on compared to the real things). And “April Break” will not involve ski slopes or beaches. But I’m sure I can come up with something that makes me happy and excited to look forward to. And maybe it’s not even running related. Maybe it’s a multi-day staged cycling or hiking trip or paddling adventure. Or maybe it’s a long-term dream that I can really get behind – like a 2 year race goal project. Really, it can be anything, but I do believe it should be something.

 

I find when I’m buoyed and excited by one thing, it translates into other areas of my life. And maybe most importantly, a dream necessitates hope. The future you’re living in in your head regains colour and is no longer so gray.

 

So that’s my challenge to myself and all of you too. If you’ve found yourself with the “blahs”, come up with a dream that you can picture, and allow it to pull you along – and I am open to suggestions!!!

On that note, if your dream involves running some fast times this summer or learning to race different distances, the Achilles 5K or 10K could be a good stepping stone!

If you’d like to join us, please let Monica know.

 

Workouts for this week:

1. Hills! We’re back on this week. Pottery, Balsam or Glen Manor seem to be the hills of choice these days. Any hill, any combo of long/short
2. Workout/tempo option: (tempo a little shorter this week as many are on a recovery week for ATB unless otherwise prescribed) – 6 min, 4 min, 3 min, 3 min, 4 x 1 min (2 min bw everything except 90 sec between 4 x 1)

 

That is all – have a great one everyone!

 

xo

 

Seanna

 

 

 

Hi Everyone! 

 

What I’ve been thinking about this week is about our bodies. And how amazing and incredible they are. I am reading a book called The Body, by Bill Bryson, so yes, this has influenced my thinking. But it is worth pausing to reflect on how amazing and awe inspiring our bodies are in all that they do for us. 

 

I know it’s easy to get disappointed with our bodies when we feel they’re letting us down. They may not run as fast as we’d like, they get fatigued, they break down and get injured, they get sick. This is true. But don’t get down on your body – it is on your side and doing an incredible job and fighting for your well-being every single second.  

 

Millions of years of evolution have led to some of the most complex processes some of which still aren’t fully understood by modern science. Here is an example of a wonderous design that we might take for granted: the circulatory system. Every single second of every single day for your entire life, your heart is hard at work moving blood around to every organ and muscle in your body. It moves over 6,500 litres of blood a day (!) and makes sure that every part of your body gets the required amount – whether you are sitting down or running hard intervals. One of the many things your heart pushes around is red blood cells. These are perfectly evolved cells which work tirelessly in service for you, transporting oxygen from your lungs to your working cells. Science has not been able to make artificial blood because no other system has been found with the precision of a red blood cell to pick up oxygen, and not drop any until it reaches its intended destination. Your red blood cells zoom around your body every second of every day (about 150, 000 round trips, or a life of 4 months) at which point they have served their purpose for you, become too battered to go on, and are scavenged up by other cells.  

 

Another example of your awe inspiring body is your immune system. You come complete with a full army of different types of cells which are ready to jump into action and sacrifice themselves all in the name of keeping pathogens out and you healthy. They are often referred to as security guards and an attack force, and that is in fact how they function when they sense you are being invaded. They are also incredibly smart. This is why vaccines work. They learn from one encounter to the next, and can rally and mount an immediate defense against something they’ve seen before. These little guys are working for you all day and every day. There are thousands of microbes and pathogens constantly trying to attack our bodies.  It is said that the wonder isn’t that we get sick, but that we don’t get sick more often. 

 

This is not even to mention the structure of your body, and how you evolved a skeletal system and muscular system that allows you to do so many things that you take for granted. Every upright footstep is actually a wonder of balance, coordination, free-falling and landing, all formed to help support our brains and occupied hands. Not to mention, even though we don’t generally think of the human species as great athletes compared to other animals, we actually are the best equipped endurance land mammal around with highly perfected systems of movement, cooling and energy delivery.  

 

Just reflect on a few of these amazing things about your body. It is such an ally and is constantly working to help you out. It was designed to keep you alive and it will do everything it can to that end. So if it’s a bit tired or sore or injured, and you start to feel yourself getting down on it, just remember that it is a remarkable intricate system and it’s doing a lot of hard work behind the scenes that you take for granted and should probably thank it for.  

 

On that note, onto workouts for this week! 

 

1. 2×1600 at 10K pace with 2 rest, 2 x 800 at 5K pace w 1:30 rest, 2 x 400 faster w 1 rest (3 min bw sets) (I warned you this one might resurface) 
2. Fartlek style: 2 x 6 min w 2 min easy, 2 x 3 min w 1:30 easy, 2 x 1:30  w 1 min easy, 3 min bw sets 
3. If you did the above last week, Hills for you! 
4. Tempo 1: (longer option) – 2 x 18 min, 1 x 4 min w 3 min rec 
5. Tempo 2: (shorter option) – 2 x 10 min, 1 x 5 min w 3 min rec 

 

Have a good one everyone! 

 

xo 

 

Seanna

Hi Everyone!  

 

I have to say, I am loving passing or bumping into many of you out walking or running when I am out. It’s just so reassuring to have these passing reminders that we really are all doing our things together even though we’re apart. Of course I know you’re all getting out, and I think of you out there, but it’s nice to have it reinforced with a passing smile or quick chat. It’s enough to keep me lacing up and running out the door in the hopes of a random encounter!  

 

What I’ve been thinking of this week is antifragility. This is a term which I believe was invented by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book Antifragile – which I haven’t read. So what I’m about to tell you is my interpretation and feel free to correct me if you’ve read the book! What I understand is that antifragile is a word that the author made up because there was no current word for the opposite of fragile. Resilient means withstanding pressure. Antifragile means getting stronger with pressure. I like this. We always talk about the importance of resilience. This implies that you have to build yourself up before encountering a stressor. You have to already have resilience in order to thrive and come out unscathed. If your system is antifragile however, it is the actual act of the stress which makes you stronger.  

 

Antifragility in systems is ruined when too much control is imposed. Control can work to manage outcomes, but it does not make a system stronger. Antifragile systems thrive in randomness, volatility and disorder, and actually come out stronger. Examples of this are, evolution, political systems, ideas, technological innovations. Anything that when challenged, becomes stronger. When we impose too much structure, control and rules, we can inadvertently make things more fragile.  

 

I was thinking about this concept as it applies to how many of us have been approaching our running and training and virtual races over this pandemic. In most cases that I’ve seen, when we’ve set out to do a hard effort, we’ve let go of the impulse to control all the variables – even though we’ve had the opportunity. If we set out for a hard effort and it’s -12C, that’s what we do. If there is gale force winds, we accept that randomness. If our path is icy or muddy or lights change and we have to zig and zag, we accept that. We don’t wait for the best possible day and give ourselves a downhill route. We don’t run on the treadmill so we can be sure of controlling every variable. This does not necessarily mean we started out with a ton of resilience, but it DOES mean that we will be less likely to crack the next time we have a hard effort or race and we’re thrown a windstorm or muddy course or tough conditions. We are making ourselves stronger by accepting the randomness and stressors.  

 

So let’s think of this next little chunk of winter/pandemic/isolation time that way. We are not just enduring and being resilient and holding strong. We are growing and thriving and building ourselves stronger because we are antifragile. And next time there’s a downhill race on a warm day with no wind and a crowd to run with and lots of spectators to cheer us on, I guarantee you we will absolutely crush that shit!  

 

On that note, please see below for a note from Monica (and big Thank-You to Monica for organizing!)  

 

Congrats to everyone who participated in the LES Power Hour! Lots of quick paces out there, especially with the cold temps and strong winds over the past week. See below for top three Teams and top 3 male and female competitors.  

   

Seems like everyone enjoyed the friendly competition so we’ll look to do another LES challenge/race in a couple months’ time, stay tuned.       

   

Top 3 Teams:  

1. Team #7 – 15.25km (Amy, Kerry, Cullen, Xavier)  
2. Team #3 – 15.10km (Miguel Eleanor, Carolyn, Sam R)  
3. Team #5 – 14.86km (Seanna, Chris, Lara, Kevin)  

   

Top 3 Men (KMs)  

1. Cullen (4.17)  
2. Dave K (4.07)  
3. Xavier (4.02)  

   

Top 3 Women (KMs)  

1. Seanna (4.09)  
2. Brianna (4.06)  
3. Roz (3.93)  

 

Onto workouts for this week:  

 

1. 5-7 x 1K w 1:45 rest (most ppl should not do 7 but aim for 5 – especially if this is a recovery week) – pace ~ 15-20 secs faster than tempo (these can be done on our path as 600/400 loops or on any route by km’s on your watch)  
2. 3 x 1K w 1:45 (as above); 4 min rest, 4 x 400 m a bit faster w 1 min rest  
3. Tempo: 2 x 10 min w 3 min easy, 1 x 5 min  
4. If your body is sore and you need a recovery week, do an easy jog, mobility and strides, and more easy jogging. This helps a lot more than it feels like it is.  

 

Have fun everyone!  

 

xo  

 

Seanna