November 11, 2025 – Adapting

Hi All!

I feel like I just said “Happy Fall” and now it’s “Happy Winter”! As always it seems to have come on suddenly. Three weeks ago we were over-heating in the TCS Waterfront marathon, and now we’re bundling up. Seriously though, this does take some adaptation for our bodies, so just be patient with your running over the next little while as you adjust to colder temps and more layers. It’s ok to feel like you’re adjusting – you are.

I’ve been thinking about transitions this week. It’s rare that we hit a continual stretch in life where we aren’t adjusting or adapting to something or other. It’s actually amazing when I think about it how consistent our running can actually appear given the wild fluctuations of everything around it. Our bodies are in a constant state of flux. I’ve run through a growing body with puberty, a body that has carried two pregnancies and come back, a body that is strong, but not as strong as it once was as it ages, a body going through peri-menopause. Each transition takes some adjustment. I don’t expect running to feel or look the same throughout it all, but oddly, if I give it time and patience, it doesn’t feel or look too different.

The same is true with adjusting to life transitions. We run through having babies, toddlers, young kids, teenagers – each of these phases takes huge and constant adjustments as once you figure out one, you’re out of it and into the next. I think most of us here decided that the most reliable solution to most of these phases is to run early in the morning. But I’ve found as my kids have gotten older, I need to be more present in the evenings, and waking up at 5 am doesn’t always serve that purpose. So I’ve adjusted to more later-in-the-day or evening runs so I can match the energy of those around me when it’s needed. We run through career changes, shifting caregiving responsibilities, house moves, variations with our running partners who are encountering their own transitions. And with each new phase, we adapt. Adaptation means change. When we adapt, we have to change to fit our environment. When we’re going through a transition, it’s not helpful to expect our running not to change at all. It has to bend and move with us and our life phases. And adaptation does not always mean it’s worse for your running. Often a new phase brings positive change and fresh energy. My adaptation to running when I had young kids for example, meant that every minute away counted, I took no steps for granted, appreciated all of my runs, and maximized what I could do in short periods of time. My adaptation with teenagers and young adults has been to enjoy way more relaxed chatty runs with friends with less stress about “getting back” and even the odd post-run coffee. I’ve embraced both phases – they are what they are. The trick is to pause, allow yourself time to settle in, and then see what your running looks like. A transition phase might not be the time for big goals, until you know where your running will fit. If you’ve started a new job, taken on a new role in caregiving, or have young kids (that’s just 10-14 years of constant adaptation and adjustment), it’s ok to start training/running first, and see what goals fit the style of running you’re doing. Anyway, I do say all this as we adjust to the less serious but always impactful change of seasons. Less light, more cold, less solid footing. Don’t white knuckle it and expect yourself to do what you did in the summer. Let your mind and body adjust. They will. But start out gently and give it some time. You’ll adapt. You always do. Just give yourself some space and patience.

On to tomorrow’s workout!

Lakeshore and Leslie – 6:05 drills, 6:15 GO!

A little shorter, just to remind ourselves how to run in the cold and snow.

2 x 800 w 90 sec (between 10K and 5K pace)

2 min

3 x 600 w 75 sec (a lil quicker)

2 min

4 x 400 w 60 sec (a lil quicker but keep it in check as your body adjusts to running faster in the cold)

That is all – see you in the a.m.!

Seanna