Fall marathon training and dreams with Eric Bang

August 11, 2017

For the next 12 weeks, we’re working with Toronto runner Eric Bang, who will be journaling his moonshot marathon journey. (Eric, in addition to being a genuinely great human being is the fastest Nike+ Run Club pacer in Toronto and is feeling inspired following a trip earlier this year to Monza, Italy to stand front row to Nike’s Breaking2). Posting bi-monthly, Eric will share everything from his aspirations to his training schedule as he prepares for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October, with the ambitious goal of breaking 2:25.

This summer, he won the Toronto Pride and Remembrance 5K and he believes that whatever he accomplishes mirrors what you can do: it takes the same amount of effort for all of us to lace up our shoes.

Meet Eric Bang, a runner who’s chasing big dreams

I stood on the start line of my first marathon in 2012, very unprepared for the task before me and very unaware of the impact the next 42.2km would have on my life.

The experience made me want more out of myself and out of my body. It wasn’t an overnight change. The marathon pulled me in slowly, showing me that you get what you put in. Over the last several years I have put a lot into my training and I have gotten a lot out of it. The process has been more rewarding and gratifying than I ever expected.

The thing about running is that from the beginner to the well-seasoned elites, we are all going through a very similar process. Our paces and our times may vary but the commitment that we made and the effort we give is all the same. We stand on the start line having shared the same journey and ready to share the same experience.

This past May I had the amazing experience of standing sideline in Monza, Italy at Nike’s Breaking2 attempt. The experience made me think about my own goals and potential. I looked at the goals that I set for myself in the past and thought of how I arrived at them. It made me wonder how real they were and more importantly, if they were actually limitations that I self-imposed.

If there is one thing I took away from Breaking2, it’s that no person is limited. I don’t want to limit myself by setting goals based on what I think I can achieve. I want to set bigger goals for myself based on what I want to achieve, what I aspire to achieve, and what I believe in my heart that I can do.

Normally my motto is: trust in the training. This time around I’ve adapted that motto to be more personal and instead of simply trusting in the training, I’m going to trust and believe in myself as well.

My long-term goal is to dip under 2:20:00, and I am looking to take a big step towards that goal by going for 2:25:00 in Chicago. So I hope you’ll join me, on my journey between now and then, and I’ll share my progress, challenges, and wins along the way.

See you out there and, if you have any questions, please feel free to fire away. I promise I’ll answer the best that I can.

How Group Running Improves Mental Health

August 9, 2017

Everyone has their own reasons for why they run. But in some situations, a workout can be a matter of life or death. Inside the world of running as a safety net.

By: Ron Johnson

Running is about health, fitness, community, mental health, love, challenge, remembrance and much more. Every weekend, there’s races across the country raising awareness and dollars for important causes. But what if there’s more to the power of pounding the pavement than signing up sponsors and hitting PBs? Maybe running can help tackle some of our more pressing problems in society.

In First Nations communities across Canada, young people are five to six times more likely to commit suicide than any place else in the country. Addiction runs rampant. Can running help? It’s far from a silver bullet, but Maggie MacDonnell thinks so.

MacDonnell, educational consultant for the Kativik School Board in Salluit, an Inuit community on the northern edge of Quebec, describes incorporating running in her work with at-risk children.

“After the suicide of a popular, well-loved youth, one of my runners immediately came to the fitness centre,” MacDonnell says. “He was in a state of shock and that loss made him vulnerable. This youth deals with a lot of challenges as it is—including his own battles with addiction. But that night he transferred all those emotions into working out. I was so inspired by him.”

Before Salluit, MacDonnell spent a decade involved in sport as a means of youth and community development in places such as Tanzania and Botswana. She studied human kinetics at St. Francis Xavier University and received her master’s from the Faculty of Physical Education and Health at the University of Toronto.

When MacDonnell arrived, she began by inviting anyone in the community to evening runs with her and her husband. Then came working with the community to open a fitness centre and establishing the Salluit Run Club for local kids, which has turned many lives around in a town of 1,300.

“These runners carry so much intergenerational trauma on their shoulders,” she says. “A lot of the youth in particular are dealing with enormous issues—housing crisis, suicidal thoughts, addictions, they may have dropped out of school. You have to connect with them first and then connect them with running.”

MacDonnell chose running as a fitness challenge to keep local residents engaged in a healthy lifestyle over the long term.

“It seemed like all sorts of bodies and abilities were welcome,” she says. “There were different race lengths. I could bring my alpha competitive athletes, but also people who were just starting to run/walk or who were on a weight loss journey or who were exercising for reasons of mental health. Everyone fit in.”

The club hatched plans to travel outside their community to race, first to the Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon in Nova Scotia—which they did for three consecutive years—and then on to a race in Hawaii, the subject of a moving documentary. Jason Alariaq was part of the team that ran Hawaii.

“The training was harder than the run,” Alariaq says. “I quit smoking marijuana and went back to school. It helps [me] cope with my thoughts and it’s another way to heal from all the problems in the town.”

Next up for the Salluit runners, a spring half-marathon in Barbados.

The benefits of the Salluit Run Club are, according to MacDonnell: improved sleep; significant weight loss; improved self-esteem; new healthy coping strategies for stress; improved endurance; quitting cigarettes and marijuana; returning to school; improved attendance; new social support networks; improved eating habits; improved motivation; and the benefits associated with travel and exposure to new places and cultures.

Perhaps the most important gift these kids receive from their running is pride in oneself and seeing themselves as ambassadors for their community.

Fundraising continues to be difficult and travelling outside of the small community is expensive, but they get it done. The club fundraised for eight months to raise the $30,000 required for their last race in a community that has one of Canada’s highest rates of poverty. There’s no shoe store in Salluit. And while some of these issues and benefits are similar to those faced by teens in Canada’s major cities, here they’re amplified many times over thanks to a devastating history.

Dan McGann is a clinical social worker with a focus on teens dealing with depression, anxiety, ADHD and mood disorders. He tells the story of a kid in Mississauga, Ont., grappling with serious depression issues. One day, this kid walked to nearby railway tracks in Port Credit intent on killing himself. His little brother clung to his leg like a vice and wouldn’t let go.

As part of his treatment, he entered McGann’s run group therapy program out of Credit Valley Hospital. It helped turn his life around, and years later, he gives talks to other kids about, amongst other things, how running helped save his life.

McGann was inspired to begin the program after confronting his own issues with depression that led him to embrace running. It’s been in operation for eleven years and helped countless teens and their families. It’s also been embraced by dozens of schools in the area and as far as Victoria, B.C., and the United Kingdom.

McGann speaks of a wealth of research supporting running programs, including the work of Dr. John Ratey, author of Spark, as well as the research team at the McMaster Children’s Hospital. It’s what runners intuitively know, how our sport makes us feel great about ourselves, releases feel-good hormones, provides moments of clarity and the freedom to be alone with one’s thoughts.

“Running turned out to be something I love,” he says. “It’s transformed my life.”

What both programs have in common is the idea of giving back. People that have come through McGann’s program regularly return to speak to members of the community, some of whom are just be getting started.

In Salluit, it’s more difficult due to the vast distances between communities, but they’re trying. After the release of their documentary film, MacDonnell and the runners did a five-village speaking tour.

“Thanks to those presentations, we were able to recruit coaches and runners in new villages,” MacDonnell says. Yes, running is making a difference. Yes, the resilience demonstrated by the kids in Salluit continues to be a source of inspiration for MacDonnell. But she’s realistic and understands the bigger picture is dire.

“Running helps develop resilience in these youth, but they shouldn’t have to be so damn resilient,” she says. “They face too much, from decades of public underfunding, a housing crisis, food insecurity and high rates of addiction. As a country, I wish we’d address these issues swiftly and comprehensively.”

In the meantime, like the rest of us, they run.

What Andre De Grasse Means to You

Anna Lee Boschetto

August 8, 2017

Some of the world’s most popular track athletes are Canadians. But is that enough to encourage our kids to run and bolster attendance at this country’s largest events? Sean Tierney talks to the stars and looks at the numbers.

“It’s an extra adrenaline boost.”

Melissa Bishop, racing close to her hometown of Eganville, Ont., exhaled these words to reporters moments after winning her 800m women’s semifinal at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Ottawa, Ont.

“A lot of fans in the stands right now and a lot of close supporters that have been with me on this journey for a long time. They finally get to see me race at home and that’s really special.”

It was an intriguing message. Despite having her sights set on the IAAF World Championships in London, Bishop’s words were grounded and familiar. In fact, the two-time Olympian sounded just like the average weekend warrior, thanking her family and friends for waiting at the finish line to show their support.

Bishop’s no starry-eyed newcomer. She has performed on the biggest international stages—at the London Summer Olympics in 2012 and in Brazil at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Still, the soon-to-be 29-year-old posted a time of 2:00:26, three seconds ahead of second place, and didn’t sound much different than an average Sunday runner competing in a local 5K after her win:

“I’m going to go home tonight, get something to eat…Try to get a few hours of sleep.”

Bishop’s appreciative comments about the overwhelming crowd support underlined the strong relationship shared between runners with their family, friends and fans.

Andre De Grasse, Canada’s most recognizable track star today, competed in the 100m and 200m runs in Ottawa. Despite rainy conditions on the evening of the 100m final, the stands at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility came to life when De Grasse emerged from the starting blocks area, waving and clapping as he was introduced pre-race.

In the 100m final, De Grasse posted a 10.11 second finish, just ahead of second place finisher Brendon Rodney (10.18 seconds) and veteran, fan-favourite Gavin Smellie (10.23 seconds). De Grasse, already the 200m Canadian record holder, followed this up with a smooth victory in the 200m race, posting a strong time of 19.96 seconds.

Still, the 22-year-old Scarborough, Ont., native was clearly disappointed. De Grasse said that he didn’t he didn’t “give the fans what that came to see.” That is, of course, a sub-10 second time. That kind of finish would have boded well for De Grasse for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

But preparation for international competition wasn’t the sticking point for De Grasse. Instead, it was the disappointment that he hadn’t given the Ottawa crowds the show they wanted. The show they deserved.

De Grasse humbly thanked fans and generously gave his time to reporters after competing. He patiently answered questions long after his race finished, while his teammates jokingly hollered, “Come on, Dre!” from the sidelines, beckoning De Grasse to the podium.

Canada’s young star finished his fan love-in by signing hundreds, maybe thousands, of autographs. He seemed genuinely surprised that so many fans were interested in connecting with him. Nonetheless, De Grasse was cognizant of his connection with his fans and was a bit distraught about his time when talking with reporters after winning the 100m final.

“I’m really grateful to be healthy, happy to get the win…I felt like I was ready to run a fast time. I’m a little disappointed I couldn’t give the fans what they wanted.”

John Halvorsen is the current president and race director of Run Ottawa and a former Olympian, competing for Norway in the ’88 and ’92 Summer Olympics. Halvorsen’s perspective on the relationship between athlete, local runner and fan is unique, coming from his background as an elite athlete now charged with promoting the sport of running in a local way.

“Clearly, we’re lucky to have Andre and Melissa as world-class stars,” he says. “The athletes understand that we’re in a sport that’s struggling to gain media attention in North America. They totally appreciate when a big crowd comes out.”

Halvorsen nails it: competing with the major sports in North America has proven challenging for track and field as an attractive athletics option. Studies show that the participation rate among youth (ages 6-17) in track and field dropped almost 11 percent in 2016, part of a nationwide trend in the U.S.

A similar trend is sweeping Canada, where researchers have noted falling participation rates across sports. Since 1992, there has been a 17% drop in sports participation rate among those age 15 and older. The Community Foundations of Canada issued its Vital Signs Sport & Belonging report in 2010, which noted that three out of four youth aged 5-17 are active in some sport but “participation rates peak at age 10 to 13 and then decline steadily and dramatically with age.”

So, what’s the connection with Canada’s running stars?

“When athletes cater to the spectators, it brings everything together,” Halvorson says.

For Canadian stars like De Grasse and Bishop, who acknowledge the role of their family, friends, and fans, it’s a chance to help rekindle a love of sport in the spectators.

“It’s tough to defeat the fish that are from other ponds,” Halverson says. “It’s important for stars [like De Grasse and Bishop] to run at home. It motivates local runners to be on the same track and to be around the stars. The stars are just regular people too. But they’re heroes in their communities. This all feeds off of one another.”

While the likes of De Grasse and Bishop only race on the same track as Canada’s upper crust of runners, long-distance road races in the country do continue to draw higher-profile personalities looking for opportunities to run. Eric Gillis, Rachel Cliff, Lanni Marchant and Krista DuChene are only some of the marathon stars who participate on our biggest road racing events. Still, star power can only drive this sport so far.

Accessibility to big name runners—whether as a fan in the stands or a competitor toeing the starting line of a road race—is important for growing the running profile in Canada.

But there are issues that even Canada’s best athletes can’t do much to counter with autographs, shout-outs to fans or endless interviews. Halverson noted that Canada’s widely dispersed population and a proliferation of small running events in local areas keeps amateur runners from attending marquee events with larger crowds. Access to equipment needed to host a race—online registrations, electronic race timers and prizes—have lowered the bar for entry of race organizers. On one hand, serving local communities with nearby races can help foster grassroots growth in race sports. But on the other hand, a proliferation of smaller events prevents opportunities for large groups in major city centres from coming together en masse, drawing in major stars, sponsorship and interest.

It’s a tough balancing act.

These are problems that, for now, aren’t going away. And, perhaps one day, Bishop or De Grasse may follow in Halverson’s footsteps and take on a leadership role with a running organization or doing other work to promote the sport.

For now, these two and the rest of the Canadian contingent are focused on their preparatory work in advance of the 2020 games. Tune in to follow their results—you may just find yourself inspired to run.

The Good Run

Ravi Singh

August 8, 2017

Finding meaning in racing often means running for something other than yourself.

By: Ravi Singh

Canada’s greatest icon of running—I would push to say our greatest sporting icon period—holds no IAAF ratified records and never had an Olympic medal draped around his neck.

Other sporting heroes are sporadically immortalized in the cities that they gifted with trophies and ephemeral triumphs in the competitive arena. Terry Fox is celebrated from sea to sea, not just an icon of athletics but of humanity.

In our nation’s capital, he looks toward the house of our government. In that city, the Ottawa Race Weekend annually brings together upwards of 44,000 runners to race in support of more than 500 charities.

Fox is remembered on the east coast with a statue in St. John’s, where he dipped his leg in the Atlantic to begin the Marathon of Hope. There, his mission continues with the Blue Nose Marathon surpassing $500,000 total raised for local causes in 2016 alone.

On the west coast, Fox welcomes visitors along the main pavilion of Vancouver’s BC Place. His presence there is a reminder that before entering the arena where victory is prized, an athlete should prize humility and perseverance above all. The BMO Vancouver Marathon now boasts $14.5 million and counting raised for charity.

His figure is etched into our Canadian DNA and the name Terry Fox literally binds our land together by giving itself to 15 highways. If Terry Fox is woven into Canada’s DNA, so too is the sense of purpose with which he ran.

It should make perfect sense that running and charity have come together for such a fruitful relationship. Running is kindness and generosity in motion. In the distances we log, every runner must constantly quiet the voice that reminds us of our own shortcomings and that tells us we can’t.

We have to tell ourselves that we are worth the effort. In moments of anguish, we have to stay committed to shedding the layers that weigh us down and that we know don’t define us. We have to put aside preconceived notions and accept slow gradual progress, not immediate perfection.

To throw our hands up in frustration is an act of anger toward ourselves. Each subsequent step, each inhalation and exhalation to bring us back to focus, is a choice toward kindness. Rather than denigrate ourselves or react violently against that voice of doubt, we treat it with compassion and patience by quietly moving forward with an understanding that it requires work.

I would hope that such a journey into our own struggles, that confrontation with our own demons, invites us to a place of humility, a realization that our complex tangles won’t be eradicated with violence. Nor will inflicting shame on ourselves or on others compel us to be better. Kindness proves to be the best way forward.

We’ll lace up again in the following days, weeks, months and years if we’re so lucky, celebrating each barrier broken and not daunted by the many more that may yet present themselves.

Perhaps this is where the Good Run begins. We run to build something better, often a better self. To run for a better community, to share that kindness, is just a natural extension of that.

Running and generosity go hand in hand. It means taking the privilege of pursuing our passion for racing on to the streets of the places we live and visit and channelling it toward a better present and future for those places. The lives we change are ones we’ll likely never encounter.

When race director Sheryl Sawyer brought the Mudcat Marathon to her town of Dunnville, Ont.—located along the Grand River delta with a population of just under 6,000—the race partnered with the Dunnville Youth Impact Centre.

It was an important match for Sawyer as the Mudcat Marathon brought a lasting impact into the lives of Dunnville’s youth. According to Sawyer, “While beginning to show some signs of thriving now, Dunnville has suffered economic setbacks in recent years that have left a legacy of poverty among some of its youth.”

The Mudcat Marathon, Sawyer says, was an opportunity to “raise funds that wouldn’t otherwise be available in the community.” It was the more than 1,100 runners who descended on Dunnville, many perhaps for the first time, that empowered the Dunnville Youth Impact Centre to continue its efforts in lifting youth out of poverty. Running was a tool for community building, one that brought to light a small charity working in a small community.

That model scales up brilliantly to our most popular and biggest races, where support is built for hundreds of charities at a time, again ranging from the smallest of local organizations to world-renowned research hospitals.

When race directors and organizers have an understanding of running’s potential as a catalyst for change and make that a commitment from the get-go, there’s no trade-off between a memorable race experience and one toward which participants can be proud of having pledged their dollars and energy.

The author Victor Fankl posited that meaning is at the core of happiness. It’s not an absence of suffering or struggle or even constant pleasure that makes us happy, but a connection to purpose. “What man needs,” Frankl writes, “is the striving and struggling to a worthwhile goal.”

That’s why Rhonda-Marie Avery, legally blind, ran end-to-end along the 900 kilometres of the Bruce Trail, to raise funds for and empower her fellow athletes. Avery’s Envisions Project strives to break barriers between athletics and those living with disability.

It’s why Troy Adams and Brad Firth can run across Canada in hopes of raising awareness of the causes of brain injury and missing and murdered indigenous women.

It’s why Richard Hoyt pushed his son Richard Jr., the latter afflicted with cerebral palsy, in a wheelchair for 72 total marathons.

Like Fox, their bodies endure struggle but those bodies are still able instruments for generosity and purpose. The miles are never for nothing. Every runner knows that. The acts of charity we undertake through blisters and black toenails are imbued with meaning and belief in something bigger within and bigger than ourselves. Charity gives running meaning and meaning gives running joy.

What I’ve Learned Running Marathons

Krista DuChene

August 8, 2017

2016 Toronto Marathon Toronto, Canada October 16, 2016 Photo: Victah Sailer@PhotoRun Victah1111@aol.com 631-291-3409 www.photorun.NET

As one of the country’s top marathoners ponders what might be her last “fast” race, she reflects on the lessons learned in her shoes.

By: Krista DuChene

It was announced recently that I would be running my fifth Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, on Oct. 22, 2017. It would likely be my last attempt at running a fast marathon, and also my 15th marathon in 15 years. I started using the hashtag, #15in15 with my social media posts to celebrate this incredible journey. I’ve come a long way since my 2002 debut marathon of 3:28:08 in Niagara Falls, Ont. Just how far has it been? Take a look at my progression from recreational to elite:

Niagara 2002 3:28:08
Ottawa 2003 3:09:02
Boston 2005 3:00:46
Mississauga 2009 2:51:38
STWM 2009 2:50:36
Hamilton 2009 2:46:27
Ottawa 2010 2:39:07
Rotterdam 2012 2:32:06
STWM 2012 2:32:14

(Worlds Moscow 2013 DNF)

STWM 2013 2:28:32
Rotterdam 2015 2:29:38
Rio Olympics 2016 2:35:29
STWM 2016 2:33:59
London 2017 2:43:31
STWM 2017 TBD

So what have I learned from marathon racing and how can I reflect upon the accompanying blessings and trials along the way?

Each marathon hurts. Each broken bone hurts. But nothing compares to the pain of childbirth.
I have grown deeper as a person—far more during my injuries and disappointments than during gruelling marathon training blocks resulting in successful performances.
Running has never been the number one priority in my life. My faith, husband and children take top notch over anything else; this where I have complete joy.
Juggling responsibilities as a parent, dietitian, community member and volunteer has given me tremendous career satisfaction alongside becoming an elite marathoner.
My husband speaks wisdom and gives objective advice, which I often eventually apply to my life. He inspires me to embrace change, think beyond the box and reach higher.
I’ve influenced my children in ways I could only dream. They’ve seen me cry with disappointment when injured; collapse with fatigue on the couch after an exhausting run; sweat through tough cross-training workouts on a bike in a stuffy cabin; enjoy kale and beets to optimize my diet; complete my preventative maintenance routine when I’d rather be doing anything else; share my story of blessings and trials to encourage and inspire others; pool run at length when running wasn’t possible; and embrace them with incredible elation moments after they witnessed me, their mom, becoming an Olympian.
Consuming carbohydrates in the form of multiple eLoad gels during marathons has been a consistent key to each and every marathon; there are some things you do not change.
Daytime naps and early bedtimes allow for productive training and successful races, even after sleepless nights with sick kids.
One of the best things I was ever told was from former record Canadian holder Silvia Ruegger when I became the second fastest marathoner, 32 seconds behind Lanni Marchant: “It takes more grace than I can tell to play the second fiddle well.”
I’ve never been more motivated than during a return to running after an injury or pregnancy.
Consistently and steadily increasing the quality and quantity of kilometres, along with solid off-seasons, was key to my gradual progression over several years. Nothing happened overnight.
The pool has endless benefits. To name a few, I’ve enjoyed it to recover from intense races or workouts, for X-training during or to avoid injury, as a quick way to decrease my heart rate after a warm run and as a place to complete preventative maintenance exercises.
Each and every day I look forward to physically moving my body and increasing my heart rate to earn that hot shower and delicious green smoothie, bowl of oatmeal and multiple coffees upon my return. I can see myself doing this for many, many years.
I hope I can continue to inspire other parents, athletes and women across this wonderful country in which we live. I enjoy sharing my story of blessings and trials, adding new chapters along the way.
I look forward to spending more time and energy with my family. I want my kids to feel like they won’t harm me if they accidentally bump into or step on me. I want to ski and skate with my family without fear of injury. I want to have a pecan square, butter tart, carrot cake, chocolate chip cookie or warm brownie with vanilla ice cream a bit more often. I want that extra energy to keep being active, able to jump into any activity at any time with my kids.

Your Heart Health in the Long Run

MarkSutcliffe

August 7, 2017

By: Mark Sutcliffe

One of my greatest fears is finding out I’ve been doing something that has been slowly, incrementally and adversely affecting my long-term health while I’ve been blissfully ignorant. I dread the prospect of getting the news that everyone from smokers to coal miners have received in the past.

I’m not particularly concerned about damage to my joints, my knees or my hips, to answer the question I’m often asked by non-runners. I’ve been lucky not to experience any adverse effects so far, and even if there is some risk – and the evidence seems to suggest otherwise – I’m not too worried about hobbling a little bit later in life if that’s what it takes to enjoy running today. But I am particularly attuned to any news about running and heart health. I dread the thought of learning I’ve caused permanent cardiovascular damage with my marathon compulsion.

(Because, let’s be clear about something: nobody has to run a marathon. And even if you feel the impulse to run one, you certainly don’t need to run 10 or 20. The exercise benefits of running for 30 to 60 minutes a day are plentiful. Anything above that is more about hobby than health.)

The New York Times reported this week on a new study that suggests if you run long distances, it can have an impact on your heart. There has been other research that hinted at the same conclusion, but never with a large enough sample size to be conclusive. But the Times report cites two new, more comprehensive studies of athletes. They show those who spend years training at long distances have a surprisingly high incidence of plaque in their arteries, which can be a strong indicator of cardiovascular disease.

As alarming as that sounds, it may not be a reason for distance runners to worry. It’s complicated and very scientific – you can read the story or the studies themselves if you want more info – but apparently these plaques seem to be different from the plaques found in the hearts of people who are less active. In fact, they may not be as harmful.

But I still take it as a warning sign that while running has many benefits, there are still some risks. I’m a little bit compulsive about running and I’m not immune to the fallacy that if running is good, more running is better. Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily the case. In many things I preach moderation, but then I go out and run 25k on a Sunday morning and feel guilty if I take the next day off.

I’m not about to change what I do, and I remain convinced that running, and all the things that arise from my interest in it, have done so much more good for me than bad. But the last line of the Times story is thought-provoking. An American cardiologist advises that erring on the side of caution is never a bad idea. “If you want to run a marathon, fine, run a marathon,” he says. “But if your goal from exercise is simply to be healthy, a half-hour of jogging will do.”

Starting Your Day Off Right: In Praise of Morning Runs

MarkSutcliffe

August 4, 2017

BY: Mark Sutcliffe

At any time of the day, a good run can boost your spirits and make you feel strong and healthy, but I’m especially partial to the early morning. When I exercise as the sun rises, it gives me energy for the entire day and I feel like I’m getting a head start.

Unfortunately, first thing in the morning is sometimes the busiest time in my day. I have two young children and the nature of my work sometimes confines me to my keyboard for the first few hours after I arise, leaving the afternoon or evening as the only window for running. So when I’m able to squeeze in 45 minutes early on a weekday, it feels like a victory.

This morning, with the forecast calling for heat and humidity, I made the spontaneous decision to get outside within minutes of waking. I was ahead on my work, my family was still asleep, so I slipped out the door at 5:25, hoping to get in a quick 8k.

The air was cool and the streets were quiet. I turned down what is normally a busy thoroughfare, choked with cars, trucks and people lining up for public transit. This morning, only a few buses were collecting passengers on their way to work the morning shift. I travelled onto a recreational path that is typically popular with cyclists and runners. Today, I was the only soul for a stretch of almost two miles before I passed a couple of people on their bikes and one person out for an early stroll.

As I turned for home, the sun was rising directly in front of me. It seemed to be perfectly aligned with the road, bathing the path in front of me in bright light. It made me think of the Manhattan Solstice, when the sunrise and sunset line up perfectly with New York’s grid of east-west streets. I picked up the pace for the final 500 metres. My blood was flowing, the city was awakening and my day was off to a perfect start.

Best 5 Tips for Making Your Shoes Last Longer

Ben Kaplan

August 4, 2017

Last week, we caught up with Dave Korell of New Balance, to talk about the launch of their new shoe line, Fuel. While we had him on the horn, it seemed wise to ask how best to make our running shoes, whatever the brand, last.

“For shoes to last longer, I like to use the acronym SAMS—Size, Amount, Mechanics, and Surface,” says Korell. “A consumer’s stature and mass, the amount of their training, the efficiency of their mechanics and the surface on which they run all play a role in how quickly a shoe breaks down.”

Five Tips for extending the life of shoes:

1 – Rotate pairs every other day. It’s said that two pairs rotated every 48 hrs will last as long as three pairs worn every day consecutively.

2 – Concrete is the hardest surface to run on (e.g., sidewalks). Running on ashphalt or certainly trails will extend the life of shoe midsoles.

3 – Never wash shoes in a washing machine. The churning of detergent breaks down the shoe’s adhesive glues. Further to that, never dry shoes in a dryer, the heat will break up adhesion.

4 – Keep running shoes for running, separate from every-day wearing shoes. Weight bearing time of any kind accelerates the compression of shoe foams.

5 – Dry out wet shoes from the rain well. Running again in wet shoes will distort the shoe’s last/fit.

“It’s important to highlight that the objective of shoe companies is to enhance the consumer experience so people can get out to enjoy healthy, active living,” says Korell. “We offer different models for different consumer needs. We are all happier if we’re outside and moving.“

A Salute to Andre De Grasse, Rachel Hannah and our wounded heroes

Ben Kaplan

August 3, 2017

On the Monday this week before the Saturday in what was supposed to be the biggest race of his young life, Andre De Grasse was injured on a training run in England. He was to face Usain Bolt in the last race of Bolt’s career and the match had all the buzz of a Mike Tyson fight. Rarely does track attract so much attention, but De Grasse is a generational athlete and Bolt is arguably sport’s biggest star: the spotlights were ready to shine.

Then, after training all year for this day, De Grasse gets hurt.

“While I’m in the best shape of my life and extremely disappointed…I can’t forget or be ungrateful for the successes I’ve been blessed with,” the 22-year-old said.

Sports can be unforgiving, and as amateur athletes we get a sense of that in our own training that we do. We get colds before race week; we forget to pack the right shoes when we travel to a race; we come up hobbling, like De Grasse, on a training run the Monday before Sunday’s race.

We’ll never know what it feels like to be Andre, just like we’ll never know what it’s like to be Rachel Hannah, arguably the marathon’s brightest rising star, who’s been valiantly battling foot injuries since before the Boston Marathon. Like De Grasse, she too had to drop out of this weekend’s events. It’s more than unfortunate, it’s life. Your running buddy has been hurt and so has Reid Coolsaet, and Krista DuChene: our stars take the hits we all do; what makes them special is how they respond.

Getting hurt before race day is like falling off a mountain before your wedding—it’s the worst thing that could happen, that no one’s prepared for, and it’s something that ultimately needs to be overcome. Athletes are resilient by nature. Gillis had to drop out of Boston due to injury and here he is, at 37, back already and ready to race the marathon.

Training in sports is about pushing your body to its utmost limits and when you do that, sometimes your body pushes back. In the new issue, Krista writes about what she’s learned in her 15 marathons in 15 years. One thing she says she’s looking forward to after finishing her time as an elite athlete is her kids not always having to worry about hurting mom.

Today, our thoughts are with Andre and with Rachel, inspirational human beings who push themselves to the breaking point while representing their country and inspiring all of us to lace up our shoes. We know that both athletes will be back out there.

And we salute them: we run for them today.

Five tips for running longevity from Eric Gillis, Canada’s marathon man

Ben Kaplan

August 1, 2017

On August 6, Eric Gillis will be racing the marathon in London, England, as part of Canada’s delegation of the IAAF World Championships. Gillis is a three-time Olympian and, at 37-years-old, a marvel to even his closest competitors.

Gillis has two kids and is expecting a third in September and, although he’s moved home to Antigonish from Guelph to begin coaching at his alma mater, St. Francis Xavier University, the marathon man is still eying fast times and racing.

The Tokyo Olympics could loom ahead. For now, ahead of his big race, we asked Gillis for his five tips for a long racing career. (Note: Gillis-like results are not guaranteed).

5. Be curious.

4. Run mindful.

3. Develop a good filter.

2. Do more of what you like.

1. Continue learning.

Is it us or do Gillis’s tips on how to have a long running career also sound like tips on how to live a happy life?

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