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

Hi Everyone!

Huge congrats to our triathletes who raced this weekend! Tanis and Shauna came 2^nd and 3^rd 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 3^rd 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)

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).
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!

Seanna