Tuesday, November 26, 2024 – Old dogs and gratitude

Hi Everyone!

Huge congrats to those who ran the Holly Jolly 5K! Colette and fam, Michelle Pitman (trains w us virtually) and son, Monica and Jeff! Some fast times and such a fun, festive, feel good event. Put it in your calendars for next year – I am!

I’m now in taper mode for a marathon coming up in a week and a half. I ran this marathon 24 years ago. There are so many differences in how I’m training and showing up at 49 vs 25 years old. I’ve been reflecting on some of these. One of the biggest differences is the amount of gratitude I bring now, for just being able to do it. Back then I took so much for granted. I had endless amounts of time ahead of me, so nothing felt too precious. I didn’t feel grateful for being where I was – I expected to be there and I expected results. Back then, when I would get injured, I’d view it as a huge annoyance and inconvenience, and I would almost feel irritated at my body for not allowing me to push it as hard as I wanted.

24 years ago, many of my friends were runners (that hasn’t changed). But back then, we were all young and expected to be able to run hard forever. We hadn’t really come face to face with the fragility of the human body, and we expected and assumed that every year we would become faster and stronger and better runners. We were reckless and hungry and demanding. Gratitude was not something that ever crossed our minds. We deserved everything.

Today I’m racing with way more appreciation and thankfulness for what I’m able to do, and the understanding that I can’t take anything for granted. Nowadays I work with my body, not in spite of my body, and am grateful every day that I can train hard and feel good doing it. I have seen friends and training partners not make it to the start line. I’ve seen life circumstances, accidents and physical limitations sideline people in my circle. I guess it’s one of those times where the longer you’re around, the more you see. But I’ve seen enough to know that I don’t take one day that I can do this for granted anymore. I don’t feel like I deserve any of the running days or race experiences that I have. I feel like they are gifts. And that is the attitude that I have going into this marathon almost a quarter of a century later – I am so full of gratitude for the training I’ve enjoyed and for the ability to be able to line up and race a marathon. This time, I will let go of performance demands and I will run with that sense of gratitude at the front of my mind. For my training partners who are there with me, for those who are cheering from home, for the ability to express myself in doing what I love. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

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

Anyone racing an upcoming marathon or who wants to do a benchmark workout before a build: 8 x 800 w 1:45 rest. Usually these land somewhere between 8K-10K pace. Try to keep them even paced.
Anyone not racing, 5-7 of these is a great range.
If your pace for these is not faster than 4:45/K, do 600’s instead. That is the correct effort for the same amount of time. Try to get your pace per interval down before extending them out too much at this effort.

That is all – see you in the am!

Seanna