This Aint His First Blue Rodeo

April 26, 2016

Jim Cuddy has been running for almost 40 years and no wonder he loves it—it’s how met his wife.

Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy is a lot of things: an 11-time Juno award-winner, member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and lifetime runner, who was more interested in the places that his band’s tour would take him then losing himself in the drugs and alcohol one generally associates with a touring rock band. Ben Kaplan caught up with Cuddy before he performs at this summer’s Band on the Run half marathon and learned about his amorous stretching, globe-trotting sneakers and favourite running song of all-time.

iRun: I’m a connoisseur of great running stories, but the one about how you met your wife might take the cake.
Cuddy: I was at Queens in my last year and two days before Reading Week, 1978, I’m on the track stretching and all of the sudden, this woman ran by me with an unbelievably rosy glow.

iRun: A rosy glow?
Cuddy: I waited for her afterwards and she buzzed off quickly, but I found out where she lived and asked her for breakfast. She asked me to her formal and we’ve been together ever since.

iRun: So, who’s faster?
Cuddy: I was very, very moderately into running and she was very into it—she was in the phys ed program. I only ran with her to burn off sexual desire.

iRun: If that’s how you started, how do you stick to it?
Cuddy: It’s the only thing I can do anywhere. I can leave the bus and start running from wherever I am.

iRun: You still running at 60 after all these years?
Cuddy: Yeah, I’ve found the recipe perfectly suited to me: I’m a big proponent of the 5 to 10km run. I run for one CD.

iRun: What CD?
Cuddy: A Hayden record is perfect, really meditative. Sometimes the Beatles or the Stones, Wilco, the Weepies—which is a guilty pleasure and really shiny pop music—it depends what the mood is, but a Hayden record is 55 minutes and that’s a good length for me.

iRun: All-time favourite running song?
Cuddy: Ron Hynes, Godspeed. One of the top ten songs I’ve ever heard.

iRun: Have you ever run an organized race?
Cuddy: I did one half marathon which I enjoyed and remember coming to the point where the half marathoners went north and the marathon went to the beaches and not a single part of me wanted to carry on for the marathon.

iRun: Oh man, the marathon’s where it’s at.
Cuddy: I want my running to always be enjoyable. I don’t ever want it to be a burden and I don’t ever want to get injured. If I had to see people running it would break my heart.

iRun: How does running work in the life of a rock band?
Cuddy: It was when we were first touring, say 1991 and by that time I’m tired of the stuff we do as a band—tired of drinking and I don’t do dope— so I bought some shoes. I was in the southern US and often we’re in nowhereland, way outside the city—and I have zero sense of direction, I’m always lost.

iRun: There you are, somewhere lost in the southern US, in your new shoes.
Cuddy: And that’s how I started: I leave from our hotel wherever I am and get myself seriously lost—I can get lost in the arena from the stage to the dressing room—and for years that would determine the length of my run, just trying to figure out where the hell I am.

iRun: Your shoes have probably seen some things.
Cuddy: I look at my shoes and say, ‘You’ve been across the desert in Sicily and you’ve been in Africa,’ and that’s fantastic to me. The strangeness. I ran around the Taj Mahal.

iRun: That’s a cool approach to running, all the places it can take you.
Cuddy: When I run, I want my head on a swivel. I run everywhere in the world and it’s just, yeah, I love looking around.

Jim Cuddy plays Band on the Run on June 11 in Muskoka and the Harvest Picnic, with the Rheostatics, Jann Arden and the Cowboy Junkies, on August 27.

Krista DuChene: Boom.

Krista DuChene

April 25, 2016

Boom.

It’s a word that has taken on a whole new meaning for me this past month.

“Boom” has resonated with me since reading Mr. Eriksson’s words in Paul Gains’ CBC sports story, “Canadian marathoners upset with Athletics Canada’s Rio qualification policy”, which was written shortly after the Around the Bay 30 km race where I failed to prove fitness on a cold and windy day with a 1:47. In the story, while addressing the requirement to prove fitness, Mr. Eriksson says, “Boom, off we go. Now you have got to do it.” And “Boom,” yesterday I did it at the Montreal Half Marathon.

While I am glad to check the box in order to fulfill my requirements to be named to the 2016 Olympic team, running a 1:12:30 half marathon in April does not mean I will peak in a marathon in August. I sure hope so and will do everything to make that happen. However for me, running a half marathon at marathon pace 6-8 weeks out, has proven that I am fit, and worked well in my previous builds to peak for my goal marathons. Replicating this pattern was not an option. It was 1:13:00 or try again. And again.

There have been inaccuracies in some of the stories and a lot of opinions with misinformation, and I am not about to address those. Not because I have now proven my fitness, but because I don’t feel it’s necessary to engage. In his article, Mr. Gains did an excellent job in showing that making it to the Olympics is more than just achieving a qualifying standard. Shortly after Paul’s article, Reid Coolsaet followed up with a post on his blog, explaining his situation after also just falling short of the required time to prove fitness, at the World Half Marathon Championships where the men’s race ended in heavy rain and winds. I’ve always looked up to and respected Reid and was again impressed to read his blog with his objective way of showing his frustration with the system. That guy is an experienced marathoner who knows his body, knows his numbers, and knows what it takes to be at his very best. Reid has run well under the Olympic standard twice in the qualifying period! He settles for nothing less. We’re all trusting that the right decision will be made.

So, back to the “Boom!”

I had three weeks to recover from the Bay and prepare to run another race that would hopefully provide decent, not perfect, but decent racing conditions. Coach Rick did an excellent job of researching my options, which was not easy, and Montreal was the #1 pick. A big part of choosing a race involves the science of determining the best course layout, competition, previous times, weather, and travel logistics. But it can also involve the art of emotion. I know Eric Gillis has chosen to train and race closer to home for this reason. Also a parent, he knows the benefit of staying local and drawing on the positive energy that comes from balancing family and life as an athlete. Not only did Montreal provide another great opportunity for me to race with the incredible Canada Running Series (CRS), but it allowed me to return to the race where I finished with incredible pain and tremendous emotion after fracturing my femur while defending my national title in 2014. I know some are fatigued by me writing about my broken leg, old age, Christian faith, and life as a mother of three, but it’s who I am. I’ve always wanted to be real and tell my story to encourage and inspire others, some who are reading it for the first time.

So back to choosing Montreal. The plan was that I would travel there, and decide to race if the weather looked decent. If it wasn’t, I would wear my training shoes and run it as a tempo training run. Fortunately, the forecast didn’t change and we had a beautiful day. It was likely about 5C and sunny with a small amount of wind, which is always expected on the Parc Jean-Drapeau course. I felt comfortable and relaxed and just treated it like any other race. I had a great group of men to run with and just started chipping away at 3:26 per km, the target goal pace. Like many races, I was conservative, which worked to my favour; every kilometre felt the same, a good sign of fitness.

There were many thoughts that went through my head during the race: 1. I kept thinking about my son who reminded me that we didn’t get all those travel vaccinations for nothing. 2. Today was the day to do it. 3. The last time I ran this race, I hopped on one leg to finish. It would feel good to fly down the last 500 m today on two healthy legs!

I did it. And as I crossed the line, I couldn’t help but smile. In my interview, just a few seconds after finishing, I thanked the CRS and the people of Montreal and the team at the Montreal General Hospital for their incredible support in 2014.

What next? A bit of well-deserved down time with training and some various video and photo shoots (an iRun cover!), and other extra activities. I will officially start my Rio build in May, which will include running the May 29 Calgary half marathon, which is also the Canadian championships. Onward we go.

Boom.

Credit: Inge Johnson/Canada Running Series

Krista DuChene proves she’s ready for Rio

AttheRaces

April 24, 2016

Krista DuChene knew she had it in her. Today, at Banque Scotia 21K de Montreal, DuChene reaffirmed her readiness to compete at the Rio Olympics. Crossing the finish line at 1:12:30 (gun time) the Brantford, Ontario athlete won the women’s half marathon.

Although 39 year-old mom of three had previously met Olympic qualifying standard in the women’s marathon, Athletics Canada also requires athletes prove their fitness and readiness to compete. While DuChene had previously attempted meet the Athletics Canada standard at both the Chilly Half Marathon in Burlington in February and earlier this month Around the Bay 30K in Hamilton, she came up short.

Athletes have until the end of May to maintain their position on the Olympic team, and DuChene’s spot will ultimately depend on the number of females Canada decides to send to compete at the Rio Olympics in August.

In the men’s half marathon, Kip Kangogo claimed the win, crossing the line in 1:06:39.

More Canadians should run the marathon in Canada

AttheRaces

April 22, 2016

Ottawa Marathon May 24 2015 © Photo by Francois Laplante / Rémi Theriault — Ottawa Marathon
May 24 2015
© Photo by Francois Laplante / Rémi Theriault

The Boston Marathon attracts 26,612 marathon runners. In New York, 49,365 run the marathon. In Chicago, the number of marathon runners is 37,395. At all of these events, which are hard to get into, people come from all over the world to race 42.2 kilometres. These runs are bucket list races and considered among the holy grail of running. I’ve done Boston as has iRun founder Mark Sutcliffe and both of us count it as a highlight of our running careers — even if we both bonked our races and missed our goal time.

It’s an experience. It’s expensive. It’s crowded. It’s great.

There is, however, a disconnect between the participation at these races at the marathon distance and the number of marathon runners we have lining up at home. From Vancouver to Halifax, Ottawa to Calgary, Mississauga to Saskatchewan, our marquee races have difficulty attracting 5,000 marathon runners. We have less people than America, sure. But it still doesn’t make sense. Toronto and Chicago have comparable populations and Ottawa can draw from the GTA and Quebec to its starting line.

Last year, 14,355 people ran the half marathon in Ottawa; 5,814 ran the marathon. Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend kicks off May 26. We need more people joining me on their marathon starting line.

“Canadians tend to run one marathon in this country, then head out of the country for their next one and I don’t think we look at ourselves as a destination,” says John Halverson, race director of the Tamarack Ottawa Marathon. “In Canada, there’s snow on the ground in April and maybe it’s tougher to train, but 1,200 Canadians just ran the Boston Marathon, which is fantastic, but strange when you consider the country’s largest marathons struggles to attract 6,000 runners.”

So what can be done? Of course we lack the population and our events, running or otherwise, don’t have the same kind of oomph as the American bonanzas — the Junos don’t look like the Grammys and the Grey Cup isn’t the Super Bowl. We just don’t have as much stuff, to quote 30 Rock, and unlike Boston during marathon weekend, our cities do not transform. And if you’ve ever been to the LA Marathon or seen San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers, you’ll know what that feels like. It takes money to turn a town into marathon land. And our top races do the best they can (I’ve been to most of them and they’re terrific), but it’s hard without the sponsorship dollars to create an extravaganza — which is what many of these races have become.

For better or worse, extravaganza seems to be what’s attracting people to the marathon.

“Canadian races can certainly achieve the same quality as these American events — we may not see the same size, but the quality can be rivalled. I just think in Canada, as a sport, we haven’t created the heroes or told the stories that inspires generations and communities around the marathon the way they do in the US,” says Charlene Krepiakevich, executive director of the Vancouver Marathon. “Running as a sport is very small in the Canadian sport world and all of us in the running industry need to do a better job at getting our stories heard.”

There are fantastic Canadian running stories. Krista DuChene’s epic tale of finishing a race on a broken leg is beyond impressive, and that she does what she does while raising her three kids is beyond belief. Eric Gillis is an approachable Olympian — when he beat the Olympic cut-off by 1 second in Toronto it was a moment that Hollywood couldn’t produce in a script. Natasha Wodak and Lanni Marchant are not only super fast Canadian runners, but they’re active on social media, friendly at race expos and positive role models. We have Jean-Paul Bedard. Kip Kangogo. Rock ‘n’ Roll Rob Watson. Ed!

If these folks were Americans, they’d be leaving races in limousines.

Krepiakevich now offers steep student discounts at her races and she’s trying to create interest in the sport with the young and also attract people who play sports but haven’t thought about the marathon: soccer players; field hockey athletes. Their internal data says young people like running short distances. But have they tried running the marathon? If you can do the half, you just need nine more kilometres in practice to be ready for the marathon. It’s hard. Absolutely. But Canadians are universally known to be bad ass. It can absolutely be done.

In the meantime, iRun is linking up with Sportstats and offering programs for many of their races — the Vancouver Marathon, Ottawa Race Weekend, Saskatchewan Marathon, Mississauga, Manitoba and Toronto, to start — to offer half marathoners a marathon training program immediately following their event. When you claim your result on Sportstats, that very screen will take you into a ten week program to get you to the marathon.

You’ve already bought the shoes.

We need more Canadian marathon runners. And we need more Canadians to run the marathon at home. Right now, the Vancouver Marathon is about 100 runners away from reaching their 5,000 runner maximum and selling out their marathon event. I think they can do it, as the event is still two weeks away. The race sponsor is Saucony, and Saucony also wants to see the marathon sell out this year in Vancouver. So one of the next 100 people to sign up for the marathon, will receive a pair of Ride 9s, which are launching at the event.

Let’s get Vancouver to sell out its marathon. And let’s get Ottawa, Manitoba, Toronto and Calgary to do the same. Because it’s awesome to cross something off your bucket list in Manhattan. But it could mean so much more doing it right at home.

Blaze the Trails with Saucony’s Peregrine 6

TheBuzzonGear

April 19, 2016

Along with being a downright edgy looking shoe, find out why the Peregrine 6 set Christa Davidson’s heart aflutter when she took it out of the box.

By: Christa Davidson

The Feel

I first wore this shoe on a snowy road run. The Peregrine is a trail shoe that is promoted as best for trails and grass but I took a shine to it for snowy conditions. I liked it so much in the snow that I wore it to do the Polar Rush obstacle course race at Horseshoe Valley this past winter. The shoe performed well on the loose snow of the turned up trails from the hundreds of runners who passed before me. The Peregrine is light and comfortable but not overly cushiony. Being a trail shoe and not a road shoe, the cushioning comes more form the softer trail surface than it does from the shoe.

The Tech

The Peregrine 6 is a neutral trail shoe featuring Saucony’s EVERUN which is a material that essentially keeps your cushion, cushiony. The upper is a fine netting that is not waterproof but is breathable. Flex film reinforces wear areas of the shoe and the toe has extra reinforcement to help protect against debris. The shoelaces are thick, chunky and flat and stay tied. The pattern on the laces add to the edgy look of the shoe, in my opinion. The outsole is dramatically stunning if you appreciate that kind of thing. It is chunky or lugg-y or boss or bad or whatever hip, street lingo you want to use to describe effective. This outsole digs in and is said not to ‘cake’ up with mud. The offset is 4mm from heel to toe. The weight of the women’s shoe is 8.5 ounces and the men’s is 9.4 ounces. The price tag reads $144.99 and can be found at various shoe retailers.

The Final Kick

Trail running is something I think I will do more of this season. I love a long and winding road, for sure but those roads seem to be getting harder and harder on the joints. We should be diverse in our running portfolios, don’t you think? I will be putting these shoes to work this season on my local trails and if I do make it out to The Northface Endurance Challenge in Collingwood again, this year, the Peregrine 6 will be my shoe of choice.

What Breaking the Rules May Cost You

AttheRaces

April 15, 2016

For his column this week, JP shares his thought on a Facebook post about an American blogger and runner who had recently received a lifetime ban from the Boston Athletic Association because of her attempt to register for the Boston marathon with someone else’s Boston qualifying time. Needless to say, the post generated an incredible amount of reader response both on his Facebook page and in email and he wanted to respond here.

Apparently, this young lady was unable to compete in the 2015 race, so she gave her race bib to a friend instead. I should add that the Boston Athletic Association does not sanction transferring of race bibs. But the story doesn’t end there… The following year, this young lady decided to submit her friend’s Boston qualifying time (run at the 2015 race with an illegal bib) for her 2016 race application. Needless to say, the Boston Athletic Association was not amused and issued a lifetime ban from all future BAA events. I most certainly had my own opinion about this story, but after posting it on Facebook, I was quite taken aback by the overwhelming, and at times quite visceral anger directed at someone who so flagrantly decided the rules didn’t apply to her.

I think we can all agree that when it comes to athletics, and running in particular, there is a sliding scale in terms of breaking the rules. At the extreme end, is the blood doping and taking of banned substances at the elite level, most typically justified as an athlete’s attempt to level the playing field because “everyone else is doing it.” Regardless of your opinion on this matter, I think it’s safe to say that based on the fallout of the Ben Johnson and Lance Armstrong scandals, the general public tends not to look kindly on these breaches of athletic ethics.

But what about the everyday runner who bends the rules? I know I’m guilty of blowing through red lights every day on my run, jumping fences to run trails marked “Closed”, and moving a corral or two ahead at some local races. When I saw the buzz my Facebook post was generating, I decided to ask a few race directors to chime in on the discussion with their feelings. And here’s what really blew my mind – Both Alan Brookes (of the Canada Running Series) and John Halvorsen (of the Ottawa Marathon Race Weekend) indicated that unofficial swapping of race bibs can not only create logistic nightmares but also be downright dangerous.

In the words of Alan Brookes: “Several years ago, we had a runner collapse and die at one of our races. As RD I had the task of calling the contact number on the back of the runner’s bib. The guy himself answered! Turned out he’d given his bib to a colleague in the office. Thus we had zero info on the runner who collapsed. At our CRS events, we allow online and at-the-Expo legitimate bib transfers, for reasons like this, as well as the accuracy of the results and integrity of the sport.” And John Halvorsen replied to Alan’s comments by mentioning that at the Ottawa race, “We also had a runner pass away at our event a few years ago who ran with a bib not registered in his name, and it became a real mess for the authorities. You can also imagine treating a runner in medical with the wrong data can be dangerous. Our registration system also permits transfer and we have built a bib market option to turn on as races sell out.”

I’m not sure where I’m going with all this other than to draw the conclusion that no matter how we might “sell it to ourselves” whenever we cheat or bend the rules, someone inevitably has to pay the price for our actions – be it the medical team responding to a collapsed runner, a race committee or charity missing out on much needed revenue because people have decided to bandit the course, or another runner who is denied the opportunity to race Boston because someone else has entered the race using an illegal qualifying time, or even each of us individually if we decide to cut a course short when there is no timing mat at the turnaround point. I think it’s always important to remind myself why I love running in the first place – because I know that at the end of each run, I will find a better version of myself waiting for me. And by cheating, I deny myself that opportunity.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Email me runjprun@gmail.com.

Should You Run It Out Or Just Sleep On It?

Training

April 13, 2016

We’ve all been there. We all know those feelings of dread, or feeling lazy, or just blah. Here is how I combat them or on the flip side actually listen to what my body is telling me.

By: Robyn Baldwin

What do you do when you don’t want to go for a run?

At one time or another have you answered yes to one of these questions?

Is your motivation at an all time low? Are you tired? Worn out from the day? Overly stressed? Just don’t want to get out from under the covers? It’s raining or snowing and the thought of stepping foot outside is ridiculous in your head?

Steps to try if you need rest or to push through.

Have a talk with your self, check in with your self-awareness and tell it you really need an honest truth when you ask the next question to your body.
Ask yourself: Is your body actually telling you to rest or will you feel better after even a short run?
Listen to the answer and do one of two things.

What to do if you truly need rest?

Stay in bed and get the extra hour of sleep.
Crawl up on the couch under a blanket with some tea and read that book you’ve been wanting to catch up on or the TV show you’ve PVRed or the Netflix series you’ve been dying to start watching or listening to a podcast you haven’t had a chance to yet.

In the case that you know you’ll feel better after a run here are your options for added boost of energy and motivation.

Go to a mirror and tell yourself physically out loud, “You Can Do This”
Put on a pump you up playlist while getting run clothes on. Go as far back into the 80s or 90s or however current you want. I won’t tell anyone if the Biebs ends up on this playlist.
Give yourself a time goal or km goal to check in with yourself. If by this goal you’re feeling amazing keep on going and do the workout you had meant for yourself.
If by this goal you’re body isn’t feeling it please listen to what it’s saying and head back for an energizing shower to start your day or an epsom salt bath to end it depending on the time of day you run.

In this world of hustle and work hard, plus the mentality that while you’re running you’re lapping someone else on the couch it’s hard to truly know when to push through and when you actually need rest. Becoming more self-aware and having honest conversations with your body, will be an evolving, learning process but an awesome one that can help get you right where you need to be.

From obstacle course racing to healthy living, learn more about Robyn Baldwin’s running journey.

Getting Obstacle Race Ready

AttheRaces

April 11, 2016

The first three months of the year have come and gone. Is anybody else thinking where did March go? The winter is almost over. The snow is almost off the ground. Come on mother nature we need our spring running season to start!

By: Robyn Baldwin

My first obstacle course race of the season is XMan Toronto on May 7th. That leaves me one month to get ready for the bonanza that is obstacle course racing. Which includes running and being able to throw my body over objects.

For me getting ready for an obstacle course race require physical and mental preparation. Here is my 10 step checklist that I’ll be working through this month. I’m super excited to be back out on course. I’m training smarter this year. Allowing more time in between races to recover and can’t wait to see what my body can tackle. So without further ado here is how I’m prepping for the fun.

Physical Checklist

Get three OCR focused workouts, two weight lifting sessions and two to three runs per week.
Get a massage and a chiropractic or physiotherapy appointment one to two weeks prior to race day to ensure I’m treating problems in advance of race day
Eat five to six meals a day and keep my calories fairly high
I eat a low carbohydrate diet normally but will be carb cycling oatmeal and sweet potato into heavier training days including weekends where I get a longer run in.
Get eight hours of sleep every night
Nightly epsom salt baths and ensure I’m taking daily magnesium & BCAA supplements for muscle recovery

Mental Checklist

Mentally visualize how strong I look racing on course
Go to 1 yoga class a week to ensure I’m treating my body kindly and allow for relaxation
Write down my race affirmation in my journal for what I’ll repeat in my head on course when things get tough. My favourite is “You Are Stronger Than You Think”.
Start a daily meditation practice to decrease my daily stress

Are you tackling an obstacle course race this year? If so leave a comment below of which one! And find out more about Robyn Baldwin’s running journey.

What to eat post race and staying motivated in the long run

Training

April 11, 2016

From energy bars to bacon and eggs, Jean-Paul talks about the importance of post-race nutrition. He also delves into his all-or-nothing approach to conquering his goals with endurance training.

BY: JP Bedard

Dear JP:

How do you fuel your body for energy and recovery? Do you have a disciplined plan or do you just eat ALL the food?

Sincerely,

Sue

Dear Sue:

There was a time I could “just eat all the food.” Sadly, that time has passed. Considering the heavy weekly mileage I log, I’m fairly healthy, but my one Achilles Heel has always been my stomach. As a result, ideally my prerace meal takes place 3 hours before a race, and I typically don’t eat before my weekly long run – opting instead to fuel during my run with gels and protein bars. For most of my training cycle, I prefer to eat many small meals throughout the day, and a big dinner with a 60:40 (carbohydrate to protein) ratio.

When it comes to fueling for endurance running, timing is everything. I see a lot of runners dealing with upset stomachs in the finish chute of marathons. Most likely the culprit is over hydration the minute they cross the finish line. It’s important to remember that you’re more than likely going to be quite thirsty when you get to the end of the marathon or half marathon, but it’s always a little easier on your tummy if you just sip water or Gatorade rather than chugging it down.

It’s important refuel your body after a race or hard training run (lasting 45-60+ minutes depending on your level of fitness). There are 2 important refueling windows: The first reloading window occurs approximately 30 minutes after this type of sustained effort. Aim to consume roughly 300 calories during this first window, and focus on a 3:1 ratio (carbohydrates to protein). I typically reach for Greek yogurt with some fruit or granola, or a banana and some peanut butter. You can also use an energy recovery bar, but be sure to read the ingredients carefully because some of the bars on the market are loaded with sugar. To be honest, I usually steer clear of energy bars immediately following my runs, as I tend to eat a fair number of them already throughout the week whenever I’m stuck for an afternoon snack or feeling particularly irritable and RUNgry.

The second window of nutrition recovery occurs between 90 minutes and 3 hours after an endurance workout or race. The trick here is not to overload your stomach with a massive meal, but rather to focus on taking on the appropriate balance of nutrition. Here you want to increase the protein content and add a little bit of fat to your meal. Protein shakes and green smoothies are a good option, but I prefer chicken salad or eggs and bacon.

Dear JP:

You seem to be always in training mode…. do you ever feel like you are not mentally prepared/ need a break before committing to another marathon?

Sincerely,

Yota

Dear Yota:

Before I write anything further, I should provide a ‘disclaimer. I am a recovering addict, so the word moderation is not in my lexicon. My wife says I have two speeds – “full on” and “full off”.

From an outsider’s perspective, it may appear as though I’m “always in training mode”, but that’s not the way I’ve been approaching my running practice for the past three years. Because I always have another marathon or ultra on the horizon, I keep my base mileage relatively high throughout the entire year (180-220 km/week). I’m no longer chasing specific time goals in my races, so any race-specific training or tweaks to my schedule typically involves either adding in more hills (to prepare for a hilly course) or including a second weekly long run (to help build endurance for an ultra race).

When it comes to building mental stamina, there really are no secrets to success. I simply put in the miles day after day, and when the weather conditions are particularly nasty, instead of complaining, I remind myself how running through adversity builds character. And as anyone who has witnessed the human carnage of the last 5k of marathon can tell you, it’s “character” that will drag your butt across the finish line!

I’ve battled through a lot of difficult times in my life, and I certainly feel stronger as a result of weathering that process. I think the reason I love long distance running so much is that it reminds me that life has little to do with striving for goals and chasing after dreams, and everything to do with scraping up against boundaries of discomfort. It is within that dance with discomfort, that we find a guiding faith, a dose of patience, and the will to navigate those delicate spaces.

How To Stick to Your Training When You Travel

Training

April 6, 2016

Training for her marathon debut in Boston Mayloi Weidelich isn’t about to let a recent business trip slower her down. And despite her initial hesitation, she learns that running can be a wonderful way to see a new city in a whole different light.

By: Mayoli Weidelich

Training for Boston, my first marathon, has taken over the majority of my free time. I recently starting taking coding classes twice a week in the evenings as well so between that, work, and running, well my life is on a pretty tight and perfectly balanced schedule. I was on a great roll though and felt like everything was ticking away in perfect order until I realized that I had an upcoming six day business trip to Austin, Texas for the SXSW conference. My initial thought was that I would simply have to take a break from training during this time as I would have plenty to do between conference sessions and eating some quality southern BBQ, but deep inside I knew that with the marathon being almost a month away (at the time), I didn’t really have the luxury of taking a week off. So I packed my running shoes and a few of my favourite running outfits.

After my flight landed, on the drive from the airport to our Airbnb, I began scoping possible running paths and decided to ask our Uber driver where she thought would be a safe place for me to run in the morning. She pointed me to some running trails near our Airbnb, which immediately made me a little queasy. Maybe it’s because I’ve watched too many episodes of Law & Order SVU but I am not very comfortable running in parks, especially in cities that I’ve never been to before. Being the cautionary runner that I am I planned my route to bypass the trails but decided that if they didn’t look sketchy, I would give them a try, otherwise I would stick to the main streets. As I approached the park I was surprised at how many runners I saw heading into the trails so I decided to follow suit.

To say that those running trails are by far one of the best things that Austin has to offer is a huge understatement, Austin is a fantastic city with a lot to offer. The trail went around the Colorado river and was a beautiful little oasis in the gorgeous city. It was bustling with people walking their dogs, going for jogs, riding their bikes and just enjoying nature. I happily continued to run along the path completely forgetting about my target distance or speed, and focused simply on exploring and enjoying the warm sun on my skin. It was absolutely refreshing and reminded me of why I fell in love with running in the first place. Once I came back to our Airbnb I realized that my run had been 9km (I had expected to run only 7km that morning) and that it happened to be my fastest 9km thus far. Coincidence? I don’t think so!

That morning I made a promise to myself. Anytime I travel, no matter the destination or the time of year, I will bring my running shoes with me. There really is nothing like exploring and getting to know a city while you’re out for a run. I also realized that as perfect as my schedule currently is, running has to become a part of my lifestyle. A business trip can’t be an excuse to stop running because the great thing about the sport is that you really can do it anywhere! All you really need are your running shoes, comfortable clothes and an hour or two!

I would love to know: What your favourite city to run in has been?

Mayoli Weidelich is running the Boston Marathon on Manulife’s employee team to raise funds for Pathways to Education. Prior to training for this marathon she had never run more than 5k. You can read more about her experience here.

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