How running can help deal with shock, confusion and anger

November 9, 2016

Dr. Valerie Taylor not only is a former marathon clinic instructor at the Burlington Running Room, but she’s the Psychiatrist-in-Chief at Toronto’s Women’s College Hospital and her programs are the recipients of funds raised at the Run for Women, which Shopper’s Drug Mart puts on every spring around the country. Given the high level of emotions following last night’s shocking American election, we spoke with Dr. Taylor regarding healthy solutions for anxiety, fear and depression.

iRun: Even in Canada, many people are waking up this morning with dismay and angst and perhaps even depression. How can running help with these emotions?

Dr. Taylor: Running is a great tool for stress management. It’s a healthy way to decrease frustration—to simply remove yourself from a lot of social media and TV news feeds that we’re all addicted to right now.

iRun: Is running outdoors particularly helpful?

Dr. Taylor: There’s nothing better than sunshine for helping to prevent somebody from developing seasonal affection disorder. Also, exercise can increase levels of serotonin and dopamine, associated with depression. Running can produce a natural high, and, given the current mood, give us something else to focus on.

iRun: As runners, do you think we’re better equipped to handle life’s twists and turns?

Dr. Taylor: Most stress management programs involve some sort of regularly structured exercise. Anybody who can incorporate that and make it part of their weekly routine has an advantage. It’s one more tool to deal with stressful situation. The more the better.

iRun: Is there anything to the notion that the worse you feel, the harder you should exercise?

Dr. Taylor: Everything in moderation. There is too much exercise and unsafe exercise and we all need to gauge what the right fit is for us. 30 or 40 minutes of good cardio three or four times a week can be very effective in treating mild to moderate depression.

iRun: If you’re freaking out, should you not just go run sprints?

Dr. Taylor: I don’t think that’s going to help.

iRun: But it can’t hurt, right?

iRun: It’s a better way to vent frustrations than an over consumption of alcohol or getting into a confrontation on social media, but is racing around your block going to prevent some acute thing? No, you need to do this regularly and make a pattern of it, and then you’ll be less likely to stressed.

iRun: Specifically, can you explain how running helps govern strong emotions?

Dr. Taylor: We know from a mood perspective that any type of exercise that’s cardiovascular in nature has been shown to actually cause a release of the same type of neurotransmitters that anti-depression medication releases, specifically serotonin.

iRun: You work at Women’s College Hospital and receive charitable funds from Run for Women. How does mental health differ between the sexes?

Dr. Taylor: In terms of depression, we know it’s much more common in women than it is in men, especially once you hit your late teens. Two in every four women are going to experience problems with depression and anxiety. A lot of people join running groups in order to find ways to help manage some of their stresses and depression and anxiety. It’s a not a cure all, but it’s one more tool. And the more tools we have, the better equipped we are too process many some of these things.

iRun: As an astute student of gender and mental health, what do you make of some of the comments the new president of the United States has made on the campaign trail?

Dr. Taylor: I have no comment about the US election.

iRun: How influential can a single person be over the mental health of an entire world’s population?

Dr. Taylor: If you look at numbers, more people in the US are happy with the result than not happy because they elected him. We need to go with that and we need to be prepared to face an interesting world in the next few weeks. Only time will tell how it’s going to play out and we just have to roll with it.

iRun: Roll with it?

Dr. Taylor: I am willing to say that I woke up this morning feeling happy that I am a Canadian.

iRun: A program that I know the Run for Women are working on involves helping girls around the country at the high school level. How does mental health effect teenagers, and specifically teenaged girls?

Dr. Taylor: That’s when we start to see higher rates of depression and many young girls are vulnerable and it’s a good time to develop healthy coping strategies, so we’re not using food or drugs as a comfort tool. Running gives people a nice peer group and helps them feel supported and have someone to talk to about issues like bullying. It can also be a healthy way to manage stress, and it helps give people a sense of accomplishment.

iRun: How so?

Dr. Taylor: In adolescence, life can feel out of control. I’ll go run a couple of kilometres and you feel like you accomplished something. You set the parameters, it wasn’t something being done to you.

iRun: Like watching election results role in. Do you anticipate a spike around the world in running clubs?

Dr. Taylor: Absolutely. I think even in Canada, probably more so here, we don’t really understand what’s going to happen and what this means for us. I think a lot of people, regardless of who was elected, feel a lot of uncertainty about what in the world is happening in the U.S. right now and people are trying to manage their anxiety the best way they know how. So absolutely.

iRun: Lastly, I know it’s only 10 in the morning, but is alcohol ever a good remedy to a shocking, unprecedented turn of events?

Dr. Taylor: Everything in moderation.

Natasha Wodak Speaks out on Athletics Canada Athlete Support System

AttheRaces

November 7, 2016

screen-shot-2016-11-03-at-12-34-54-pm — Natasha Wodak made the above statement after Athletics Canada denied her status as a carded athlete for the second year in a row.

Natasha Wodak is one of Canada’s top distance runners. In addition to competing at both the Pan-Am and Olympic Games, Natasha holds the Canadian Women’s 10,000m record (31:41 at the Payton Jordan Invite in 2015), ran the second fastest half marathon by a Canadian woman (1:11:20 at the 2015 NYC Half), and took the crown at the 2015 Canadian 5K Road Race Championships (15:57).

Somehow, Natasha – along with Lanni Marchant and Krista DuChene – was not selected for carding by Athletics Canada (AC), the nation’s governing body for athletics, cross country and road running. This is the second year that Natasha has not been carded.

Carding is essentially a stipend that assists athletes with expenses pertaining to training and competing as well as living costs. Carding is awarded based on performance as well as potential to medal at future international events in addition to other criteria.

Natasha was kind enough to provide us with some of her thoughts on the decision and the current state of AC.

Natasha Wodak made the above statement after Athletics Canada denied her status as a carded athlete for the second year in a row.

Any regrets about your very bold statement the other day (see image above)?

Nope- if I did I would have taken it off my social media.

How is it possible given your achievements and credentials that you were denied carding?

Honestly, I really don’t know. It’s pretty ridiculous. But here’s the reasoning from AC. I was denied carding because AC has strict (flawed) criteria for carding. Points were given for making the Olympic team, bridging the gap (BTG) and performance pathway (PP).* I received a point for making the Olympic team but not for BTG or PP.

AC examined times from 2014 to 2016. Because I did not run in 2014 due to injury, AC should have examined my times in 2013 as per their own protocol (they stated in their criteria that they would look at injury/illness/pregnancy if needed). As a result, my Canadian record of 31:41 in 2015 was used as my baseline rather than slower previous times (33:09 in 2013) I definitely bridged the gap but was essentially penalized for running fast in 2015.

Performance pathway discriminates against older athletes. So as you can see the system to determine carding is very flawed and does not identify our best performing athletes.

Whats going on? How have things worked with AC in the past and how is it working now?

This same flawed approach has been going on for years. I was denied carding last year for similar reasons.

You spoke out saying, “If AC doesn’t support me then I want nothing to do with them. I will not put up with their bullshit.” Are you nervous about going to war with your sport’s governing body- the people who hold the purse strings?

AC has never provided me with any funding or support, so there is nothing they can take from me. They can’t deny me a spot on national teams if I run fast enough.

Have you heard from AC?

No.

Does this make you hate running?

I will always love to run – it is my passion. It’s just too bad politics play such a large role in athletics.

We have been hearing about how running’s popularity is exploding. That more women are running and more people are spending money on sneakers and races across the country are selling out. Should that in some way trickle up to the elite practitioners of the sport? Do you feel that not having our elite women visible and at the forefront of major competition will hurt that trend?

Having elite women role models is extremely important. We have to support the women’s running community. It’s discouraging for other up and coming Canadian distance runners to see their role models not receive support from their governing body.

A lot of athletes including our strongest women were not provided carding this year. Can you say a little about how that may impact Canada’s ability to compete on the world stage?

Krista and Lanni have elevated Canadian marathon running to an amazing level. They did not receive funding this year either due to similar reasons as me. How can we compete on the world stage when AC does not fund its best athletes?

Christabel Netty is Canada’s record holder in the Long Jump. She placed 4th last year at the World Championships. This year she did not jump further then her Canadian record set the year before. She also didn’t perform to her best abilities at the Olympics, placing 20th. She received a bonus point for placing in the top 20. If she had placed 21st, she would not be carded right now either for the same reasons as me. That is absolutely crazy to possibly not fund Christabel. She was freaking 4th place at the world championships last summer!!! This just goes to show how flawed the AC system of carding is.

How does the decision change your long and short term goals?

Because I believe so strongly about this, in the short term I will limit my participation in any AC sponsored events unless necessary to qualify for the world championships or national team events. Hopefully this will bring attention to the matter.

Are there other viable options for someone like you when AC doesn’t come through?

I am used to AC not coming through. I have not received a penny from AC. I will have to rely on road race prize money and sponsor support.

Can AC possibly redeem themselves in your eyes? If not for you but for future athletes like you who may need their support.

Absolutely – AC needs to reevaluate the carding process and remove or decrease decision making power from the Head Coach.

Are there any actions you hope to take going forward in changing the way AC makes their decisions or in how athletes secure support?

I would like to sit down with Lanni and other elite athletes and discuss next steps. I want to get the athlete reps involved to see if change is possible.

*Note:

BTG at PP are the two means employed by AC to determine an athlete’s “realistic potential to win a medal” and “realistic potential to become a finalist.” A full explanation of the process can be found here.

BTG: Athlete performance trend over the past 3 years compared with event progression (using Olympic Games/World Championship finalists and World Rankings in years without a major championship) over the past 3 years.

PP: Average seasonal best performances and career pathway analysis for the finalists at the last 3 major Championships.

Running Behind: Unequal Distances in Cross Country Hindering Athletic Development and Respect for Female Competitors

AttheRaces

November 4, 2016

Last week, Canadian marathon record holder Lanni Marchant appeared before Canada’s parliament to discuss issues in women’s sport, noting in particular the continued fixation on the appearance of female athletes by the media. The same week, Runner’s World published the now widely shared and commented on “Running While Female,” which highlighted the harassment women continue to experience while running, ranging from crass to life threatening.

Both are sobering reminders that as a sport, running is still far from being something that women are able to pursue on equal terms as their male counterparts, a fact felt by recreational and elite runner alike. Further proof of this can be found in the fact that in university cross country (XC) competition, women are still fighting for equity in distance, much less respect and safety.

In fact, it made headlines earlier this year when Queen’s University hosted the first XC meet where men and women ran equal distances, specifically 8K. By contrast, the recently held Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championships in Toronto featured the traditional distances of 6K for women and 10K for men.

Leslie Sexton: "I want to empower girls to become strong athletes and lifelong runners. This isn't possible if their opportunities are limited during their teenage and young adult years." Image via Canada Running Series. — Leslie Sexton: “I want to empower girls to become strong athletes and lifelong runners. This isn’t possible if their opportunities are limited during their teenage and young adult years.” Image via Canada Running Series.

Steve Boyd, Head XC and Track coach at Queen’s says that XC was introduced at the intercollegiate level in both Canada and the US during the 1980s. “Since it was a fledgling sport,” Boyd says, “championship racing distances were set at 5K for women as compared to 10K for men.” The intention was that as participation increased, so too would the distances, but Boyd adds that, “Distances were only ever increased once for women from 5 to 6K, in 1999 by the NCAA and in 2013 by Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).”

The discrepancy is not unique to Ontario with different distances being run in every jurisdiction Boyd can think of save for some primary school systems and the US high school system. Compared to other XC jurisdictions, then, the policy may not stand out, but it certainly does when compared to Track, where the NCAA offers equal distances for men and women, 3K and 5K indoors, and 5 and 10K outdoors.Amy Friel, a competitor at the XC National Championships in 2015, says, “There is no compelling, reasonable argument to preclude women from competing in a distance equal to men. The longer we pretend there is, the more XC as a discipline starts to look like a relic from a bygone era.”

When one considers the fact that in road racing, where a marathon is a marathon, 42.195K for both men and women, and that at the Olympic level we see men and women race the exact same distances as well, XC does indeed begin to stand out, seemingly clinging to what may have once been a norm but has long been outdated and without rational basis.

Recently, there has been a smidge of progress on the matter. At a hearing held just prior to the OUA Championships, Boyd recounts, “It was agreed that the women’s distance should be increased immediately and for the next two years (2017 and 2018) to 8K, and that a panel of ‘experts’ should be struck with the purpose of advising the coaches’ association on the question of whether distances should be equalized at 8K or 10K.”

Boyd confesses to “…having no real idea who will be chosen to sit on this committee, or what expert knowledge or special information they will bring to bear on the question.” I reached out to OUA President Peter Baxter to ask if he could provide any insight on how the committee will be composed and precisely what they will be considering when they revisit the issue in two years time, but as of this writing have received no response.

Boyd is motivated by a few key factors in pushing for distance equity. First is the matter of supporting female athletes in achieving their full potential, particularly at longer distances and at the senior level.

Boyd cites a significant gap in current participation levels at the longer distances. “At this year’s provincial track 10,000m championships,” Boyd states, “there was one female competitor versus 16 men. And at the National Track Championships there were 12 women versus 29 men on the starting line.”

While XC isn’t going to be the sole determinant in narrowing such a gap, it certainly stands to reason, Boyd feels, “…that offering collegiate women more opportunities to race longer distances would increase the base of female post-collegiate long distance runners.” Furthermore, Boyd adds, increasing the base number of competitors in turn increases the chances that more top level competitors, perhaps our next Lanni or Krista, will emerge.

For elite runner Leslie Sexton, it’s both a matter of athletic development and simple equality. “As an athlete and coach,” Sexton says, “I want to empower girls to become strong athletes and lifelong runners. This isn’t possible if their opportunities are limited during their teenage and young adult years.” Confining women to shorter distances, Leslie says, “also teaches young women that they are less capable than men.”

Following the OUA’s two year trial of 8K for women, which Sexton acknowledges is a start, she’d like to see the distances ultimately equalized at 10K, concluding, “Equal distance for men and women in XC means equal opportunities for both men and women to develop as distance runners.”

There doesn’t appear to be any compelling reason that women should be confined to shorter distances, certainly not one that relates to the health and safety of the athlete, which it seems was never the reason for the policy in the first place. Boyd also reminds us, “Classically male sports like football, hockey, and rugby are far more risky to the health and safety of their competitors, but instead of talking about restricting the opportunity of men in these sports, we leave the risk assessment up to them.”

Perhaps there exists a portion of female athletes and coaches, among them women, who are happy with the current distances, but Boyd argues that, “If young women don’t want to race as far as young men, we have failed in our athletic leadership of them. Also, the opportunity for women to race the same distance as men, even if only minority of them at the moment would like this opportunity, is a fundamental equality right that can’t be denied.”

Indeed, in the midst of an incredible surge of success in female distance running in Canada, and after women have spent decades running on equal ground on the track and the road, it seems oddly counterproductive to continually tell the some of the most talented and dedicated athletes in the country that their potential as distance runners doesn’t merit the same investment as that of their male teammates.

Friel is blunt in her assessment of the overall matter. She concludes, “The fact that women and men don’t run the same distances isn’t a controversy – it’s a joke.” Distance equity for female runners can at least ensure that the sport doesn’t become one.

– Ravi Singh

J.Crew Teams Up With New Balance

TheBuzzonGear

November 3, 2016

If fresh and preppy is your style then you’ll be all over the first collection of performance activewear from J. Crew.

Designed in partnership with New Balance and launch last month in stores and online at www.jcrew.com , the pieces are styles ones pulled from the New Balance core line, including leggings, hoodies, tanks and shorts, but given a J. Crew twist — that is with exclusive colourways.

We’re particularly fond of the colourblocking for the windbreakers and the feminine polka dots (which we feel can be worn straight to post-workout coffee or brunch without making you look like you’ve come straight from a workout).

Karen Kwan is a regular iRun fashion and travel contributor, and you’ll find her running fashion posts every Friday on Instagram. She contributes to a number of publications and you can also follow her travel and running adventures at Health & Swellness.

Comfort Foods with a Healthy Twist

Nutrition

November 2, 2016

road_runners_comfort — By: Alyssa Geffen, Creator of @TheRunningKitchen

As the weather starts getting colder, all I want to eat are warm, hearty meals. Big bowls of pasta, chilli and mashed potatoes definitely put a smile on my face. Unfortunately, they’re not so great for my winter training.

That’s why I love coming up with healthy versions to my favourite comfort foods that still give me that warming feeling (full of flavour) without the guilt. Some of the easiest tricks I have to keep the calories in check are:

– Load up on veggies in the recipe instead of carbs

– Swap in healthier carbs (brown rice, sweet potatoes)

– Add in lean and healthy protein (chicken breast, turkey)

And here are a few of my favourite comfort food recipes:

Cozy Kimchi Fried Rice
This is comfort in a bowl. For a healthy twist I replace the rice with quinoa to add extra protein.

Cook the quinoa in advance. Heat up a large pan on your stove with coconut oil and sesame oil. Add the quinoa first and then the kimchi and kimchi juice. Mix all together. Leave it on the heat for 5-10 minutes; mixing it halfway through to make sure quinoa doesn’t burn. Add soy sauce (optional). Transfer to a bowl once the quinoa is heated and the kimchi is mixed in. Make a fried egg in the same pan and use to top the rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and shredded seaweed pieces.

*Add extra protein like tofu, chicken or beef if you’re extra hungry.
Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers
I love burgers, and love this veggie version just as much. Instead of using a bun, eat the burger on a bed of lettuce.

I made the burgers vegan, so instead of egg; I mixed 1 tbs. of chia with water until it turns into a paste. (You can use 1 egg instead of the chia). In a food processor, add cooked brown rice, black beans, roasted sweet potatoes, nutritional yeast, smoked salt, pepper, basil, chia paste, chopped onion. When fully mixed, form into a burger and cook in a pan with coconut oil until brown on each side. I like topping my burgers with havarti cheese (non vegan) and enjoy it with a side cucumber and tomato salad.

Mac n’ “Cheese”
Nothing says comfort to me like a big bowl of mac n’ cheese. I’m not vegan and love cheese. And this dairy-free cashew cheese version is just so creamy and delicious, it’s hard to resist.

Soak 1 cup of cashews overnight. Cook brown rice pasta according to the directions on the bag or box. Add almond milk, soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, lemon, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and turmeric, to a food processor. Once pasta is cooked and drained, add sauce into saucepan with pasta and simmer over low-medium heat. Stir occasionally until thickens. The thickening process takes 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy.

8 Steps to Stronger, Faster, Better Running Form

Training

November 2, 2016

Dr. Lowell Grieb is an expert in biochemistry and biotechnology and the CEO of the Sportlab, a high-end sport therapy clinic in Huntsville. As an expert on running form, he says runners often shooting themselves in the feet. While there’s no perfect way for athletes to run, these fundamentals may help you stave off injury, decrease times, increase endurance and spend a longer, happier time at the races.

The Apple Nike+ Christmas Gift Every Runner Will Want

TheBuzzonGear

October 28, 2016

On Friday morning in Toronto, Nike held a joint event with Apple to showcase the new Apple Watch Nike+. With Olympians Melissa Bishop and Damian Warner in attendance, and a video featuring Kevin Hart to start things up, runners in the downtown core got a first chance to preview the stylish new tech piece that Bishop said she was excited to rock.

“Pace is a big thing for me as a runner — this watch is going to do a lot to help me train,” she said.

The Apple Watch Nike+ has a built-in GPS and is water resistant and also has the brightest display in the history of Apple products. That built-in GPS feature is important, as not everyone likes to run with their phone. Lighter than the last Nike watch (of which I can vouch for), this new one keeps all your most important features (pace, distance, time) on one screen.

“It does seem like it’s moving the pendulum forward,” said Warner. “I know I have a lot of lofty goals set for myself this year and I plan intently to use the Apple Watch Nike+ to help me achieve each one.”

The goal-setting feature is tied into the Nike+ Run Club app, which has motivational screeds and your friends’ shared activity. You can give people a virtual fist bump and also follow along on a leaderboard, in which stats of your latest runs can be shared. You can schedule your runs and then the Apple Watch Nike+ will remind you when it’s time to lace up and pretty much the thing does just about everything except make the coffee, put on your toque and drop the kids off at school.

There must of been 100 people at the event this morning—which rallied runners at 7 a.m.—and the enthusiasm and youthful exuberance on display was a sight to behold. Clearly, the running community that Nike fosters in Toronto and throughout the country is nothing to be taken lightly. And with the combined technological know how of Apple to add shine to the already gleaming Nike brand, it quickly became apparent that this watch was the coveted item for runners this season.

At $489, the Apple Watch Nike+ won’t be for every runner. But for the lucky ones, you’ll soon have a watch you will love.

A Sisterhood 100,000+ Strong: Black Girls Run Smashes Goals and Stereotypes

UpToSpeed

October 25, 2016

strong_black_girls2 — BGR representing at the Fleet Feet Pickle 18 Mile Relay. Image courtesy of the BGR Facebook page.

When Toni Carey’s sorority sister Ashely Hicks-Rocha, with whom she would later found the thousands strong movement Black Girls Run! (BGR), returned form a short run one evening, Toni’s reaction was something she had heard many times before – “Black people don’t run!” The reaction is only slightly less absurd than that of Toni’s mother, who once Toni had caught the running bug and began working up to longer distances warned Toni that too much running would cause her uterus to fall out.

Rightly or wrongly, cultural norms, urban myths, and old wives tales do get passed on through the generations and even as we might acknowledge their ridiculousness, they still continue to inform our actions. We all have ideas of what we can and can’t do based on things we’ve been repeatedly told and have seen, both through the media we consume and in our surroundings.

The challenge is in being the first do so something and to lead the change, which is exactly what Toni and Ashley have done through BGR. The mission was simple, to start a movement that gave voice to black women already running, highlighting their incredibly diverse body types, backgrounds, professions, and abilities, in turn showing others that they could do the same.

Toni says that the idea of representation is often taken for granted and for the longest time, “running was synonymous with the skinny white guy in short shorts.” She vividly remembers standing in the finishing area of her first 10K and not seeing any other runner who looked like her. This is precisely what BGR is fighting to change.

The backbone of the movement, Toni says, are the amabassadors across the country who share their stories through blogging and social media and are working to change the generational norm that has resulted in a majority of black women in America being classified as obese. “We want people who are super passionate and want to change the culture,” Toni says, adding, “These women know the empowerment that comes from running and want to pass their love on to others.”

Ultimately, the story of each ambassador serves as a counter to the notion that women of colour don’t run or that the sport is reserved for the skinny guy in short shorts. Toni says that simply being the change is the most powerful thing imaginable. Toni relates the story of a friend whose husband had been dealing with heart issues, saying, “The doctor can tell him anything, but I told her that she has to be the example.”

Toni herself never pressures family or friends into running. Sharing her story, whether in person or through social media, has far more impact. Toni laughs when she mentions that just by sharing her adventures in running through social media, even her mother has begun to log her own miles with all organs remaining in tact thus far. Passion, once again, proves contagious. If each of the more than 100,000 members of BGR across the US can have that impact, the generational change that Toni envisions will slowly become reality.

The story of BGR is another testament to a very simple fact highlighted by many with whom I’ve discussed the topic of diversity in running, namely that our easiest gateway into the sport is when those we trust and respect, those who share our own goals and struggles, lead the way. Additionally, when those leaders look like us, it becomes much easier to envision ourselves in a community. BGR is creating a very different image of running than many of us may be used to seeing, but more importantly one that many of the women she hopes to empower may not have seen.

BGR regularly brings its thousands of members together at destination races across the US as well as the Sweat With Your Sole Race Weekend, giving members an opportunity to connect, attend a fitness and wellness expo, and take part in 5 and 10K races. On October 29, 600 BGR members will come together at the Trenton Half Marathon. The movement has certainly grown beyond anything Toni ever imagined, not just encoruaging new runners to take their first steps, but fostering a far reaching sisterhood that moves forward in their goals together. It’s a model for all runners to aspire to emulate.

– Ravi Singh

Real life is a lot like running; it’s an incremental game.

Why I Run

October 24, 2016

mark-sutcliffe-has-written-a-book-about-the-boston-marathon-e1477362203407 — Photo: Errol Mcgihon

Satisfaction isn’t something we fall upon. It’s something we work towards. And the harder the work, the richer the rewards.

A prevailing theme in our modern world is the overnight success. You have a killer business idea and sell it to Google in your first month of operation. You show up at a reality TV audition and a few weeks later you’re a recording artist. You post a video on YouTube and become an Internet sensation.

There’s a litany of self-help literature, ranging from Get Rich Quick to Lose Weight Fast, that supports the fantasy that big and wonderful things can happen instantly. No hard work required.

But real life is a lot like running; it’s an incremental game: Saving for your retirement, losing twenty pounds, building a bond with your child, or completing a half-marathon – they all result from daily hard work that, over time, adds up to a positive result. You can’t cram for any of them.

I just finished authoring a book about the history of the Boston Marathon and my own experience repeatedly trying and failing to get in, then eventually qualifying in my twentieth marathon. Everything about the experience of researching and writing the book reminded me that nothing meaningful happens in an instant. It took decades of history for the Boston Marathon to become the most respected and coveted race in the world. It took years of training – and some 12,000 kilometres of running – for me to qualify. It took months of writing, starting with a blank document and adding a few hundred words at a time, for me to complete the book.

In every case, there were no shortcuts. You can’t buy a VIP pass and skip to the front of the line. You start with nothing and you do a little bit. And then a little more. Every day, you throw a little more on the pile. In a short time, you have something more than nothing. Eventually, if you keep it up, you may have a lot. But you never add more than a modest amount to the pile on any day.

The same principle applies to fundraising. Like many of the stories we’ve shared in this issue of iRun, a runner on a mission to raise hundreds or thousands of dollars starts at zero. Even Terry Fox began with an empty bucket. A little bit at a time, the runner gets commitments from donors. Eventually she hits her goal. Combine that $500 or $1,500 with the fundraising efforts of thousands of other runners and suddenly you have millions for medical research or some other worthy cause.

At some point in this incremental journey you will start to wonder: Is it the pile or the practice of adding to it that provides the greatest reward? When you train for your first marathon, you think the race itself is the attraction, the experience from which you will get the most benefit. After a while, as running etches itself into your routine, you realize that it’s the daily hard work that may be the biggest prize. The marathon is the unapproachable classmate you fantasized about in high school. Training is the devoted friend who was by your side every day, listening to you go on and on about your dreams.

Likewise, while your intentions are honourable and philanthropic, you also get some benefit whenever someone supports your fundraising campaign. Just like the feeling at the end of a good run, there’s something enormously satisfying and validating about adding a few hundred dollars to the pot you’re handing over to a good cause.

No matter what Hollywood or self-help gurus tell you, life isn’t about big moments and grand gestures. It’s about chipping away at a challenge, one day at a time. You can’t jump to the finish line or skip to the end of the movie. And, you soon realize, you wouldn’t want to anyway.

The Strumbellas make the Ultimate Running Music Playlist

Ben Kaplan

October 24, 2016

Anyone familiar with The Strumbellas and their hypnotic hit song Spirits, will no doubt know that the band has a thing with a catchy melody and lyrics that stir the soul. In other words, great running songs! Guitarist Jon Hembrey started running with his mother and still hits the street three or four times a week. “Once I get in the mindset of just, “Go out there and do it,” I find I have more time than I think,” Hembrey says. “I’ve been thinking I might try a half marathon.”

The Strumbellas are undoubtedly one of Canada’s best new bands. And I think this playlist rocks, too.

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