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Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Blog Page 135

Straight Outta Quispamsis! Dr. Shelley Doucet Saves Lives and Breaks Records

By
Ravi Singh
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Dr. Doucet at the 2017 Boston Marathon, where she set the New Brunswick provincial marathon record.

Dr. Shelley Doucet of Quispamsis, New Brunswick considers the 2017 Boston Marathon the “highlight of my running career to date.” It’s not terribly unusual for any runner who’s taken the pilgrimage to the world’s most famous marathon to feel that way.

Dr. Doucet, however, has a wide array of achievements to choose from in making that call. Her finishing time of 2:45 also secured the New Brunswick provincial marathon record. Just in the months following Boston, Doucet took gold in the women’s marathon at the Francophone Games in Cote D’Ivoire (finishing time of 2:51) and represented Canada at the Mountain Distance Running Championships in Italy, finishing 9th.

The undisputed queen of New Brunswick distance running, Dr. Doucet has demolished several provincial records in her wake and crossed the border in 2015 for a win at Maine’s Sugarloaf Marathon.

20 metres to go in the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships!

“I’m busy!” is a common refrain among anyone these days, but Dr. Doucet is busy. As a Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of New Brunswick, she heads up a research team with a focus on making health care more collaborative and patient centred and supervises 20 graduate students and post-doctoral trainees.

For Dr. Doucet, her work supports a perfect balance.“My work allows me to meet new people, enjoy the camaraderie of my colleagues, tackle interesting challenges, and earn an income so that I can travel and run around the world!”

“Natural” is the easiest label to put on an athlete like Shelley Doucet, the kind that seems to be in overdrive in both career and running, but she rejects the label. “While there’s certainly an element of natural ability that has led to my progress,” Dr. Doucet says, “I believe it’s largely that I’m naturally a hard worker and have a tendency to put 110% into everything I do.”

What she calls her greatest asset also proved her greatest flaw at the outset. “When I first started running, I set ambitious goals and thought the best way to achieve these goals fast was to train harder and a lot. It comes as no surprise that I experienced injury after injury when I trained with this mindset.”

At the 2017 Mount Washington Road Race, where Dr. Doucet was third among the women.

Learning patience has been her greatest challenge, but Dr. Doucet has learned, “If you get injured, you lose consistency in your training, which I believe is the most critical aspect to improving as a runner.”

That patience was perhaps partly learned on the trails and mountains for which Dr. Doucet has a special affection, in particular for the more patient type of running such terrain demands.

On the trails, “the focus is more on looking out for the course markers, staying on my two feet, and occasionally watching out for snakes and bears. I love a challenging race that’s so tough that I don’t have the ability to check my watch to see how fast I’m running.” None of this prevented her from finishing third among the women at the iconic Mount Washington Road Race this year.

“I love a challenging race that’s so tough that I don’t have the ability to check my watch to see how fast I’m running.”

If she does have to dial back the intensity in training, Dr. Doucet finds no challenge in channelling that extra energy. She and her husband are co-organizers of the Quispamsis Swim and Run, a children’s race which raises funds for PRO Kids St. John, an organization that supports opportunities for underprivileged youth to participate in sports and recreation programs. Every Christmas, the Doucets also organize the Fill the Stocking 4K in support of families in need.

And still, Dr. Doucet leads a weekly trail run group on Mondays and serves as the Atlantic Director for the Association of Canadian Ultramarathoners.

“The biggest change that has happened over the past few years since I started running is that it’s really brought our family closer together,” Dr. Doucet says. She and her husband often train together and the kilometres they log are a chance to connect without distractions and even make major life decisions.

And we are off! With Salomon and Canadian teammate Marianne Hogan.

Five year old Ava and seven year old Myles often take part in many of the runs Dr. Doucet organizes. Mom’s racing career has also allowed the family to grow closer together while travelling and experiencing the local culture wherever they go. Running is a family affair, not something that takes away from it.

With a list of accomplishments any athlete would be happy to achieve a fraction of, Dr. Doucet still has her eyes on all World Marathon Majors and on a top ten finish at the Western States 100. Such mammoth goals sound like the stuff of pipe dreams, but with her track record, Dr. Doucet might be the rare runner who makes them seem like manageable expectations.

  • Ravi Singh

Trail shoe review: Saucony Xodus ISO 2

By
Ben Kaplan
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As someone who runs the trails not nearly enough, it’s always a singularly exhilarating experience to take off into the woods. Wearing the Xodus ISO 2 trail shoes from Saucony is a little like taking an SUV on the 401: it’s more shoe than I probably need, but it’s a fun ride nevertheless.

I’m in the back woods of High Park swashbuckling through tree stumps and mud and the terrain feels like the track I don’t run on nearly enough at Central Tech Academy. It’s a soft landing in a neutral shoe with padding enough to take me over a live volcano, and yet the ride doesn’t feel heavy or restrictive. Will I run over fire, through streams, across hot lava in my trail running career? Time will tell, though it doesn’t seem likely. But if I do, I will now have the shoes.

When I started my running, I was enamoured with trails, and competed often in the Five Peaks series, in my heyday arriving alone and stashing my keys behind my back tire. I like not running with a watch, not eating gels, not listening to music, and just going like a dinosaur was behind me, trying to make me its lunch. Something about that appeals to my nature.

This evening’s run—in the waning hours of sunlight beside the great Alex Flint and Ravi Singh—feels like it could go on forever, take me anywhere, and I’d be up for the challenge. It’s a review of a sneaker that’s being worn for the first time straight out of the box, so even though the fit feels good and the laces stay tied, I suspect, after taking the Xodus ISO 2 into several more battles, despite its sturdy composition, the Saucony trail shoe will mold more closely to my foot. As a rule, street or trail shoes don’t need to be broken in. But they’re like a horse or a car, and it helps to know each other’s idiosyncrasies.

In the end, the trail run finishes up at a bar with great Vegan food and tons of hip people, and I’m pleased to say the dark blue-and-red sneaker doesn’t embarrass me or my friends. Even though we’re sweating into our French fries, my sneakers remain mellow and cool. It’s good when a shoe, even a trail shoe, doesn’t scream to be noticed by the world. So, to reiterate, the Saucony Xodus ISO 2 has a rubber outsole and medium-thick treading, designed to repel rocks, muds and snakes. The upper, which is synthetic, wraps snugly to the ankle like an old flame. The shoe’s as sturdy as a tank, lighter than my wisp of a 3-year-old son.

It’s a great trail shoe. Now to incorporate trail running into my marathon build-up for fall.

Trail Newbie Puts Saucony’s New Trail Shoes to the Test

By
Ravi Singh
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Saucony gave us the chance to review their newest series of trail shoes this week, so three of us hit the trails at Toronto’s High Park.

Shoe reviews are a tricky beast. For most readers, the drop and support and any other technology is probably meaningless to all but the most sophisticated gearheads. Even the reviewer has to acknowledge that every runner is different, so all they can really offer is their own experience of a shoe. That’s all I’ll offer here. If you must know the technical specs of the Saucony Perigrine 7’s, check them out here.

Saucony offered Ben Kaplan and myself a chance to take their new series of trail shoes out for a test. Both Ben and I being city slicking road runners, there was only one place to look for guidance and that was our pal and  trail king Alex Flint. We knew we made the right choice when Alex responded that we’d have to wait a few days, as he was off in the woods of Jasper, Alberta.

When we finally got together, we jaunted over to Toronto’s High Park in the city’s west end, which boasts a short but gorgeous trail network that’s well defined and manageable for beginners. It also boasts patches of Poison Ivy. Future trail shoe developers should consider a shoe that detects poisonous plants through a sensor of some kind and protects oblivious Toronto morons like myself who aren’t quite adept at the current technology of giant signs providing clear warning of Poison Ivy ahead.

Naturally, the first thing that jumps out at one entirely new to trail shoes is the very thick tread system as compared to your typical road shoe. I wondered if they would feel clunky and awkward to run in. As we stood in the High Park parking lot lacing up, I did feel that “walking in heels for the first time” sensation.

Plodding along the concrete, I still felt shaky, like there was too much going on under my foot. I reminded myself that I was using the shoe for something other than its intended purpose. Like any shoe, concrete will wear it down faster than the softer surface of the trails, so it’s best to keep these shoes on the surface they were made to be on as much as possible.

Once we were on the trails, the story was different. Learning to adjust pace and form in accordance with the terrain, the shoe didn’t feel like a big awkward pair of hiking boots. I was flowing down long descents without fear of going face first in the dirt and trusting my shoes, which handled the conditions brilliantly. I know for a fact that my road shoes would have seen me eating rocks. Now I was feeling a trail shoe work the way it was supposed to.

The grip was excellent while feeling natural and that’s really the most important thing you can ask from a trail shoe. Our trail expert Alex informed us that the different styles of treads made each pair suited to different conditions. Mine, with smaller treads, were ideally suited to trails like those in High Park which were less muddy and gravelly. This particular model is not waterproof, nor did I test that, so it may not be best for your Barkley 100, but are nonetheless capable of taking a road warrior on to softer ground.

For a trail shoe to feel so quickly comfortable for a complete rookie and and it make unfamiliar surroundings feel manageable is about the best endorsement I can give. I must disclose that I have only run once so far and they still need to be broken in a bit more, but knowing that I have a pair of shoes that can handle tougher terrain makes me excited to get out and do some more exploring.

  • Ravi Singh

Seven Tips for Planning Your Race Goals

By
AttheRaces
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Building a well-thought out training schedule gives you time to work towards your goals and stay consistent. But how do you adapt and what should you consider if you’re running a specific race?

By: Eric Bang

Set The Date

Regardless of whether this is your first marathon or tenth, make your program specific to your goal race. If you are going to do a 16-week program or 12-week program, make sure that the timing of your race works out with your chosen schedule, so that you can get the full program of training complete.

Be Flexible

In an ideal situation you won’t have to adapt your schedule too much and you will have a smooth Marathon build. That being said, it is very rare in life that anything goes exactly according to plan, so allow some flexibility with your program. If you find that you are sidelined by a minor injury or that work/life/etc. has thrown off your training a little bit, don’t panic! Keep in mind that you can’t make up for lost training or mileage, so don’t try to cram in what you may have missed. That’s where further injury can come into play. Focus on working yourself slowly back on track and into your training. Remember that you don’t gain fitness overnight, and you don’t lose it overnight either.

Keep Track

It can be extremely helpful to have a training log. Keep track of your workouts and results from each day. Look at the progress that you have made so far. Have you improved your paces since you started? Are workouts going easier? How much mileage have you increased since you started? Not only will this help you see how far you’ve come but you’ll also get a boost of confidence from seeing your progress of working towards your goal. Be proud of your efforts!

Home Advantage

Do you live in the city where you will be racing? If so, take this into account in your training. The biggest advantage you’ll have is that you can run portions of the race course in advance. Take a look at the course map and become familiar with it. I have done Scotiabank twice now, and since I call Toronto home, race day is always that much more exciting! If you live in Toronto and are doing Scotiabank this year, I would highly recommend running the East End portion of the route on one of your long runs. Being familiar with the course will make you feel that much more prepared and mentally strong come race day.

Buddy Up

Two major marathons this Fall are the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Since they are only two weeks apart, the training schedules should be similar. This means you may be more likely to find a crew that you can train with. While your peak weeks and some larger workouts might be different, for the most part you will be doing very similar things. Find a friend or running pack to make your training that much more enjoyable, while also keeping you accountable.

Looking to Chicago

I am in the midst of training for Chicago, which means I just passed the halfway mark in my 16-week program. If you’re in the same boat, congrats and high five! Chicago will be a completely new experience for me so I’ve been taking that into consideration for my physical and mental training. I’ve found it so inspiring to watch clips of Paula Radcliffe running the 2002 Chicago marathon where she set the World Record (she went on to lower her record in 2003 at the London Marathon). Everyone that has ever been to Chicago talks about how great the course and crowds are. Since this will be the first World Major Marathon that I have ever run, I am very excited to get to the start line.

If you are planning on running either Scotiabank or Chicago this Fall, you should hopefully by this point, have strung together several weeks of consistent training and built up your mileage. Workouts might still be feeling hard but that’s okay, they are supposed to! You are working hard and your body is tired. Everything will feel so much easier once you have tapered. Even though you are demanding a lot out of your body right now, make sure you’re taking care of yourself and that you get yourself to the race start line, healthy.

Bonus Training Tip

When you want to attempt a new distance on your long run, how should you best prepare?

If you look at the first long run of your training plan vs. the long run during the peak week of your training plan, you should notice that the distance has increased significantly. For example, the first long run of my build is normally around 19 km, and my longest run ends up being around 36 km. After your first cycle, you’ll probably think to yourself, how will I possibly reach my peak? The answer is to do the best you can to consistently get in every long run so that your body can adapt over time, as your runs get longer and longer. And remember, you’re only in week 1!

I will normally increase my long runs by 5-10 minutes each week, which converts to about 2-3 km more each week. Week-to-week this isn’t a very big increase. But after a couple of weeks my long runs will be significantly longer than when I first started. I.e.) 19 km – 22 km – 25 km – 28 km – 31 km. As you can see, the increase week-to-week isn’t a lot, but the increase over time is rather significant. By the time you get to your peak week you will have put in a lot of work, given your body time to adapt and grow strong, and by association, feel confident that you will make it through.

 

 

 

Happy Trails: Testing Saucony’s Koa ST’s in Toronto’s High Park

By
Ravi Singh
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Saucony's Koa ST. Good for the trails and also suited to post-run eats and drinks.

Saucony gave us the chance to review their newest series of trail shoes this week, so three of us hit the trails at Toronto’s High Park. Here’s Alex Flint on the Koa ST.

Trail running is often half soothing-bliss and half perilous-adventure. My experience with Saucony’s new Koa ST trail shoes made the adventure feel blissful and more soothing. These heavy duty kicks are designed for the toughest trail surfaces, with 8mm lugs and a moisture shedding upper. Traction was certainly never an issue, and the shoes know it; they proudly have “MUD” printed right on the side of them.

As a minimalist shoe fan, I felt right at home with the Koa ST’s 4mm toe-to-heel drop and neutral pronation. As always, Saucony’s EVERUN topsole is a comfortable ride and the toe box fit my wide feet perfectly.

Perhaps my favourite feature of these shoes was the triathlon style toggle lacing system. They’re quick to pull on and tighten around your foot just right. Almost as importantly, they’re easy to loosen and take off when your run is done.

Although the Koa ST’s aren’t the smallest or lightest trail shoes available, the impressive tread, handy lacing system and comfortable ride make it worthwhile. Whether you’re new to the trails and want to protect your feet from rocks and mud, or you’re a seasoned ultra runner with a foot long beard, I recommend giving these new Sauconys a try.
– Alex Flint

Life lessons from a lifetime of running

By
Ben Kaplan
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Ottawa Marathon May 24 2015 © Photo by Francois Laplante / Rémi Theriault

I’m still amazed I can run for two-and-half hours without stopping. If you rewound to my passive youth and young adulthood, it would seem unfathomable that I could keep moving for even half an hour, let alone 150 minutes straight. And enjoy the experience, relish it? Never.

And that, to me, is the most powerful lesson of running. You don’t just travel from Point A to Point B on any given day, you also move from here to there as an individual. You become someone you weren’t.

It doesn’t happen quickly. None of us flips a switch and becomes a long-distance runner. The journey of a thousand miles, in this case literally, begins with a single step, or maybe a slow, painful jog around the block. From there, it’s a long, slow process of incrementalism. There are big milestones, like your first 5k or half-marathon, but it’s largely like any other progress you achieve in life: slow, steady and unglamorous.

Over time, though, like compound interest, the advancement accumulates and one day you discover you can do the remarkable, something you never could before.

Too often, we want and expect instant results. We’re hard-wired for immediate survival, not the long game. And when we don’t make significant advancement, we quit. Bill Gates is quoted as saying, “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” Some novices are disappointed if they can’t run 10k on their first try, or complete a marathon within a few months of their first outing. Instead of sticking with it, they give up too soon, disappointed with the early results and failing to imagine how much progress they can achieve if they persisted over a long period of time.

It’s a lesson I try to apply to everything in life. You want to be something different five years from now? Start with the first step and build from there. Running teaches us that when apply ourselves every day, when we resolve to get a little better or go a little farther every week, we can travel a long way.

Krista DuChene: the Future That May Come

By
Ben Kaplan
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From left: Krista Duchene, Ed Whitlock, Eric Gillis, Rachel Hannah, Leslie Sexton, and Robert MacDonald.

With less than eight weeks to go until the October 22, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, I am cautiously optimistic that I will get to the start line for a decent race. What I mean by decent, I have no idea at this point. I have been consistently cross- training, six days per week at an average of 2.5 hours/day. Coach Dave has given me a thorough program, including workouts that I do on the bike or elliptical. I’ve gradually increased the amount of weight-bearing time by being more on the elliptical, and in a standing position on the bike. Pool running remains a staple, but I am giving more of an effort than when I am logging my normal running mileage. I started walk-jogging a few weeks ago and have now successfully completed two 10 km runs. One was on the track and the other on the treadmill as I will be sticking to soft surfaces for a while until I am ready to hit the pavement.

It won’t be one of my best marathon builds but I am simply happy to be back at it, hoping to complete my fifteen marathons in fifteen years: #15in15.

I am really excited to be participating in the Canada Army Run as both an athlete, in either the 10 km or half marathon, and speaker at the pasta dinner. By recently adjusting my expectations and race goals, I’ve been able to launch my new www.kristaduchene.com website and transition to the next phase of my career, including public speaking, and broadcasting and event promotion. I am really looking forward to sharing my story about the many trials and blessings I’ve had over the course of my career. I think many can relate to setting goals and experiencing set-backs no matter what path of life they are on. Additionally, being in Ottawa for this September 15-17 event will allow me to broaden my race weekend experience with less of a focus on an elite field, and more on an entirely different community.

Running brings so many incredible people together and I am thrilled to learn more about and meet people who have served for our wonderful country. The Canada Army Run uses a cannon to start the races, and runners receive dog-tag medals at the finish line! I think the best part of this weekend is found in the description on the website, “Canada Army Run is about Canadians and the Canadian Armed Forces—Air Force, Army, and Navy— joining together in the spirit of camaraderie and community.”

We’ve had a wonderful summer with much time spent with my sister and her kids at the cabin. I’ve particularly enjoyed returning home from the gym to have my trusty oatmeal and green smoothie while my 9-year-old son makes crepes that he, his brother and sister enjoy while I’m sipping my second or third coffee. They will soon be back to school so I am going to savour this last week of the summer before we get into the busyness of packing lunches, completing homework, piano practices, and participating in swimming, hockey, and gymnastics.

Onward!

End of August Training Tips for Better Fall Races

By
Ben Kaplan
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I took over the leadership of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Oasis Montreal Marathon & ½ Marathon about six months ago, but I’ve been running for seven years. I started on a treadmill at the gym and then moved outdoors around four years ago. First, during summer time only, and more recently, year-round. I try to get out a few times a week.

Even though I’m a race director, I’m always looking for ways to improve my race times.

There are countless posts listing physical race preparation tips, from adjusting one’s diet, to choosing the perfect gear and training plan. Each of these aspects is critical to completing a challenging race—but a few additional tactics may provide some valuable added help, especially as the season draws nearer.

Here are my top five:

1. Commit

This seems obvious, but so often I tell myself I’ll do something and then delay taking action in a bid to keep my options “open”. And I know too well that to increase a runner’s motivation, it’s best to do the exact opposite. So I’ve learned to commit. I also “talk it up” to friends, colleagues and acquaintances alike, since a public commitment is more likely to provide additional drive. And who knows, this may also help garner a cheering team to welcome you at the finish line.

2. Get in the Groove

Routine is (almost) everything for me. Summers bring exciting times that are rich in opportunities for activities, be they with family, friends, or coworkers. It’s also the time when many of us take long(ish) vacations and break from a strict weekly routine. Regardless of the situation, I always manage to fit regular runs since it’s possible to do so almost anywhere, and with minimal gear, set up and planning. The simplicity of this sport is one of the aspects that makes it so appealing! So don’t let the summer temptations pull you away from getting into your running groove. Rather, incorporate a run within any and all your summer activities, and don’t miss a beat.

3. Find Some Green

Since I run year-round and live in Montreal, I experience all kinds of surfaces, from hard pavement to icy snow-packed tracks, to dirt trails, to green grass. And finally having the chance to run on grass in one of our majestic city parks is what I really look forward to. It also provides another advantage in my preparation for a fall run—it is soft on the knees, which is a key benefit highly sought after by most of us over 30! Further, grass terrain slows me down, and so I have to put in more effort to maintain my pace. The great news is that after training on grass—the pavement feels nothing short of “bouncy” and my pace will naturally quicken come race time, in the fall.

4. Keep your Head High

Late August weather usually offers great running conditions, but the heat can exhausting and take a toll on my running form. So I have to remind myself to keep my head high, feet flat and hold-in my stomach (!), even when I’m mostly focused on clearing the sweat from my eyelids.  Maintaining the correct stance is critical to run efficiently and avoid any injury that might compromise one’s main objective:  to be ready for the upcoming fall race.

5. Take Notice

I love to feel a light mist when I’m out for a morning run, or hear kids playing ball at the park when I get out early in the evening. The sun becomes my running mate in the summer, and the trees, with their merciful shade, acquire a whole new significance.  I make it a point to notice the signs of summer, to anticipate them as “markers” on my running path. Noticing the little things in my environment helps me focus on the moment and forget everything else—which is exactly what will help me focus come race time.

The Montreal Rock ‘N’ Roll Oasis Marathon and Half Marathon is September 23 and 24th. Who’s running it? Who has run it? Let’s talk about tips and, if you have any questions, iRun will help you connect with Louis directly—ask us anything!! 

Meet Team Canada’s Invictus Athletes: Master Corporal & Co-Captain Natacha Dupuis

By
Ravi Singh
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“This is by far the best position I was ever given the opportunity to fill. I get to see each athlete improve and grow as athletes and as people and this is the best pay there is.”

The Invictus Games will take place in Toronto from September 23-30. Ill or injured service members, including 90 active or retired Canadian service members, will compete in 11 adaptive competitions. In the leadup to the games, we’re excited to introduce some of the athletes who will represent Canada.

Team Canada’s participation in the 2017 Invictus Games is supported by the Canadian Armed Forces’ Soldier On Program in partnership with Invictus Games Toronto.

In March of 2009, Master Corporal (Ret.) Natacha Dupuis was part of a squadron in Afghanistan departing its overnight position when an IED struck the vehicle behind hers.

Things needed to be done. In the midst of chaos, a process still had to be followed. As first responders on the scene, Natacha’s team was responsible for administering aid to three injured comrades and carrying out preparations for Troopers Corey Hayes and Jack Bouthillier, both of whom were killed in the explosion.

From the explosion to final evacuation, 20 minutes elapsed, for Natacha, “the hardest 20 minutes of my life, minutes that are still present at times.”  

In the moment, Natacha carried out the duties for which she was trained, but remained haunted by the fact that, “Corey and Jack died on the hill I called the ‘Appear Clear’ on.”

Team co-captains Natacha Dupuis and Simon Mailloux at sprint practice, Victoria, BC in April 2017. Image Courtesy of Canadian Armed Forces

No matter how much Natacha could put that day in perspective through time and therapy, dissecting every factor from the equipment on hand, time, and how the IED could have gone undetected, the question of whether or not she could have done more still lingered.

Upon her return home, Master Corporal Dupuis was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. “I was isolated and going through physical and mental symptoms such as panic attacks, insomnia, flashbacks, and night sweats,” Natacha describes.

It was a radical change of routine for the native of Longueuil, Quebec, who had dreams of joining the military from a young age, enrolling in Cadet Corp 2938 in St-Constant, Quebec at the age of 12. From that moment, Natacha never really stopped. She would serve as a Crewman with the Reserves in 1997 and join the Forces in 2002, eventually serving tours in Bosnia and Afghanistan.

“After my diagnosis,” Natacha says, “I remember thinking that life had no more to offer. I lost my career as well as my identity.” Part of that loss was her relationship with athletics.

Soldier On, which supports rehabilitation and recovery for injured soldiers through sport, provided Natacha with support through simple opportunities like providing a mountain bike, which she says “helped me get out of the house and fend off isolation.”

Natacha was also a participant in a relay carrying the last Canadian flag flown in Afghanistan from CFB Trenton to Ottawa. The experience marked a major breakthrough in enabling Natacha to recognize that she was not alone in her struggles and in building the courage to speak openly about PTSD.

With Soldier On, Natacha slowly won back her ability to focus on a mission and never look back. She embraced a subsequent role as an ambassador for the Canada Army run as another chance to raise awareness around PTSD.

Jason Israel and Team Canada co-captain Natacha Dupuis sprint in Victoria, BC, during Team Canada’s first training camp in April, 2017.

Last year, at her first Invictus Games, Natacha claimed three medals, two gold and one bronze, in Powerlifting and Track and Field. “What touched me the most at the games was seeing all the ill and injured giving their personal best and how everyone was cheered equally,” Natacha remembers.  “I actually saw the last competitors being cheered louder than first.”

When she represents Canada again at the 2017 Games in Toronto, Natacha will serve as Co-Captain in addition to competing in Track and Field and Rowing Events.

Her duties as Co-Captain marks another return to the type of leadership role at which she excelled during her military career, not only acting as an example for comrades but also “being there for my teammates as much as I can.”

More than anything, her role is to “use my experience and my story to prove that it’s possible to regain control over your life despite adversity if you’re ready to take action, get appropriate support, and show a whole lot of courage and resiliency.”  

Natacha at track practice, Victoria BC, April 2017. Image courtesy of Canadian Armed Forces.

In training for the Invictus Games and her ongoing leadership within Soldier On, Natacha has witnessed the incredible recovery injured soldiers can make from the most damaging of setbacks. The Invictus Games are an opportunity to share that experience and those stories with all Canadians.

“This is by far the best position I was ever given the opportunity to fill,” Natacha says of her Co-Captain duties. “I get to see each athlete improve and grow as athletes and as people and this is the best pay there is.”

For herself, Natacha knows that her recovery requires a lifetime of work, but is encouraged by her Invictus journey. Once again, she’s not slowing down, saying “I now hope to keep growing myself and inspire others to join the movement through my public speaking and competitions.”

  • Ravi Singh

How to Focus Your Training Goals

By
Ben Kaplan
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Whether you’re just beginning your running journey or aiming high for your moonshot goal, running a marathon means you need a plan for success. For me, that means a well thought-out training schedule that gives me the structure and confidence to focus on my next run, knowing it’s helping me reach my goal. Below are some of the top factors to evaluate as you prepare your mind and body for a life-changing experience: 

Consistency

The main goal over the course of any marathon build is to remain consistent in your training and patiently wait for the accumulation of your workouts to translate into improvement. If you are preparing for your first marathon, give yourself time to slowly build up your mileage and stay consistent so that your body has time to adapt and get stronger, week after week. Your speed will come from hard workouts and your fitness will come from easy miles and time on your feet. 

During the months before race day, every runner experiences cycles where you struggle to hit your goal paces during workouts, or show little improvement during your builds. This can be discouraging. In those moments, I try to focus on putting forth an honest effort to meet each day’s run plan, and trust that the process is working. One thing I’ve learned is that even when training doesn’t feel smooth, you are still gaining fitness. It’s important to not let rough patches deter you from putting forth your best efforts. More often than not, things will turn around.

Timeline

It’s important to give yourself enough time to plan and train properly. For example, I typically work on a 16-week schedule when training for a marathon distance. This gives me ample time to build up my mileage over the first couple of weeks, so by the time I get to the big workouts in my program, I have a strong base of fitness. Having a longer build also gives you the opportunity to take some down weeks in mileage, which will help your body adapt to your training. That said, you need to make a realistic schedule that will fit your life. Try your best to stick to a regular routine and if possible, find a running community or training partner to keep you accountable and enjoying the journey. 

Recovery

Recovery is an essential part of any training schedule. In a week, my plan consists of two days of hard workouts and five days of easy-paced runs. For example, on my hard days I will alternate:

20 mins warm up

5 x 8 mins Tempo-pace with 90 secs easy jogs recs

20 mins warm down

20 mins warm up

90 mins Marathon-pace

90 mins warm down

While it has taken me several weeks to build up strength and fitness to do these workouts, these can be modified to suit your fitness by changing the duration of your Tempo-pace and Marathon-pace, and allowing for more recovery.

In order to go hard on your workout days, it’s important to treat your easy day runs as active recovery days. That easy pace can fluctuate between 5-15 seconds, depending on how your body feels. Similar to when you’re struggling with workouts, it’s easy to leave the house feeling strong and motivated, and run too hard on your easy runs. Again, remaining consistent will help you stay on track and lead you to your training goals, as opposed to pushing yourself to hard which can lead to lower quality workouts, burnouts, or injuries.

As part of my recovery this cycle, I am trying to be better at getting a good night’s sleep. This can be quite challenging but I really notice a difference when I consistently go to bed at the same time every night and get a full night of sleep.

Community 

Going through a training program with other runners makes the process a lot easier and more enjoyable. The best marathon I ran was Philadelphia in 2015 as one of my Toronto training partners, Cameron Bush, was on the start line with me. We ran about 30km together side-by-side, taking turns blocking the wind for each other. It was the ‘easiest’ marathon I have ever run, largely due to Cameron beside me and motivating me to keep on pace. If you can, I strongly advocate runners join communities and find other runners who are training for the same race or goals, as other athletes will always motivate you week after week, allowing for organic check-ins, and will push you even on the social runs.

Pre-Race Race

During a build, it’s always nice to test your fitness by entering a race or two, to provide some dates and gates within your training. I normally pick a 10km about a month before race day. I find it’s a great opportunity to put in a hard effort on tired legs. The main goal is to feel strong and push through any fatigue that your legs are feeling. I find it’s often a huge confidence boost and reminder of the runners high that will come on race day. 

The Finish Line

While 16 weeks is a long time to be consistently focusing on a goal, reflect on the things you enjoy most about training.  My favourite part of training is the final weeks before race day when you start to taper. Some people count down the weeks until their goal race; I count down the weeks until my taper begins! I reduce my mileage, I get to sleep more, my body gets a chance to fully recover and I feel like I am buzzing with energy that I haven’t had for the last several weeks. The workouts seem effortless and I feel light on my feet. Everything you have been working on the last couple months comes together and hopefully, you are the fittest and strongest you have ever been!

I hope that regardless of where you are in your running journey, you’ll find some of these thoughts helpful in creating a training schedule that works best for you. Above all, stay consistent, take care of your body and trust the process. This will lead you on a path to success and reaching your end goal. 

We’d love to hear what you’re training for and some of the goals that you have set for yourself this fall! And remember, if you have any questions for Eric as he shares his journey to the Chicago Marathon, fire away!! 

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