Training vs Running – RunningWell

Hi Gang!

Huge congrats to the power couple of Andrew Higgs and Roz Salter who ran the London Marathon and both came away with PB’s! For these two, crushing a marathon overseas in the rain was their “vacation” together. Lol. We get it. And for those who are fans of the sport, Sifan Hassan ran her first ever marathon, cried in the morning because she had committed herself to running so far, stopped twice to stretch a cramping muscle, wondered at what point she was going to stop and run off the course, but then found herself back with the lead pack with a few kilometers to go, and sprinted away for the win with 100m to go. This is why we love the marathon! The drama and the chaos! Anything can happen! That said, I do think marathons are special, and a monumental strain on our minds and bodies, and racing one to our full capabilities is an act which we can only deliver a finite number of times. Running a marathon “for fun” is one thing, but if really trying to race it, you should be strategic about how often you race them. That’s just my 2 cents as a performance coach. As a lifestyle coach, I understand the draw to keep doing the big, challenging thing, and I do believe the marathon can be a great teacher of many things. Just a little reminder not to take it on lightly, and the marathon is not the be all and end all of performance running and growth. (I’m hearing a collective “NOW she tells us!” as this marathon season is over or peaking for most – haha!) I do love it, I just want to be transparent about my views.

On that same vein, while I love the discipline and grit developed while training for focused events, I also think that running can teach us a lot when we disconnect from the “plan” and reconnect to our senses and intuitions about where, how long and how hard to run. Most of us here are high-performance type people, and it is satisfying in a personal development sense to find, tackle and overcome our perceived limits, push through physical and mental barriers and achieve remarkable things. I love how we can discover so much about ourselves and the confidence that comes through training. BUT. I think we are also here because we love running. Period. We love it for the freedom it offers. We love it for taking us into nature and cleansing our brains. We love it for the easy camaraderie it generates with our running buddies. We love it for the meditative physical rhythm we can find ourselves in. So for those of you “between” goals, maybe make your goal to reconnect with the intuitive runner inside. Lace up, head out, and see what happens. No one is telling you to go further, shorter, faster, slower. Your mind or body will tell you. Sometimes you just go out for a “short one” and then are struck by the impulse to reach a certain landmark. Sometimes all you need one day is 20 minutes. Sometimes the weather matches your mood and it calls you out for longer, or makes you move faster. Sometimes you just feel like walking up that hill. You’ll know when you’re drawn to the structure and commitment of a more formal plan again. There is time and room for both seasons in your running. So enjoy the phase you’re in and it will cycle around again.

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

People in their last push for a Spring Marathon or Half Marathon

1 mile tempo/Half Marathon pace. 2 min rest. 3 x 600 @ 10K pace w 1:30. 3 min rest. Repeat. (second set might just be 2 x 600 – see how you feel)

People training for 5’s and 10’s (including if you’re signed up for Bum Run this weekend)

1 mile tempo (keep this tempo – the fast stuff comes later). 2 min rest. 3 x 600 @ closer to 5K pace. 5 min rest. 2 sets of 600-400-200 (all w 1:30) – 5 min bw sets

People tapering for the Mississauga Half this weekend!

1 mile tempo. 2 min rest. 3 x 600 @ 10K pace w 1:30.

That is all – see you in the am!

Seanna