Last year, Steven Thomas ran the Sears Great Canadian Run, Ottawa to Montebello edition. The 100-kilometre run is most often undertaken as a relay, but Thomas decided to do the whole distance, setting the goal of raising $10,000 – just five weeks before the event. He talked with Mike Herzog of GoodGuysTri who was happy to help out; in the end, Thomas raised $13,500 on his own, toward a total of $17,000 when the donations from GGT came in.

This year, Thomas and Herzog decided to make it even bigger, deciding they would both run the full distance, and see who they could recruit to join them. Figuring they would have six or 7 runners, they set a fundraising goal of $30,000. To their surprise, within 48 hours of the request, over 20 runners had committed.

On October 5, the team of 23 runners will make the trek together. One of Herzog’s favourite sayings is that there is no such thing as individual success – and that’s why they decided they’d all do the run together. “We wanted to do something epic this year,” says Herzog. “But we also wanted it to be symbolic. Together we can overcome anything – from running 100K to finding a cure for kids’ cancer.”

They’ve certainly proven that. While each team member has their own individual fundraising goal, all together, they’ve raised over $75,000 with just a little over a week left before the event.

As anyone who has done it can tell you, fundraising can be a daunting task. “I was worried about reaching my initial $2,000 goal, and I was concerned that I would drive my network of family and friends crazy in the process,” says team member Sarah Muldoon. “To my delight, fundraising has been a breeze! When people hear that our GoodGuysTri team is running 100K to help end kids’ cancer, people are so eager to help. The cause really speaks for itself.” This success led to her doubling her goal, and she was within a few hundred dollars of meeting it at last count.

The team has done some really creative things to raise the funds. Not only have they approached individuals for donations, they’ve leveraged the power of their team size and the GoodGuysTri name to get corporate sponsors. They’ve also hosted a wide range of events, including: bootcamp workouts, silent auctions, a 100 kilometre relay on a treadmill, “Beer for a Cure,” the Dinner to End Kids Cancer, and “Another Chance to Dance” adult prom, to name a few.

If you’re wondering where all of these crazy event-planning ultramarathoners came from, you’ll be interested to know they’re not all ultramarathoners yet. “I have never run farther than a marathon so the thought of running 100 kilometres is daunting – and crazy!” says Muldoon, but she’s not worried. “We will be running together, supporting each other and ensuring that we all cross the finish line together.

“The run is really just a celebration of what we’ve achieved fundraising,” says Herzog, adding, “GoodGuysTri is about endurance sport to do good. If you tie your goals to something bigger, there’s no chance of failing.”

To learn more about GoodGuysTri and why they are running, visit their website. You can donate to the cause, view the 2012 mini-documentary and other videos, meet the team, and check out their upcoming events!

On September 22, 2013, 22,000 people will be walking, running, or rolling in an event that has seen it’s number of participants TRIPLE in 6 years — making it the fastest growing run in Canada. If you’ve never experienced Canada Army Run, you’ve missed out on the surge of incomparable, emotional energy that this event creates.

It isn’t about elite wins or chip times. It isn’t about the medals. For most, it isn’t about attaining a personal best.

It’s about honour.

To the incredibly brave women and men who have given up their lives, their limbs, their senses and so much more to the protection of our great freedoms, we run in honour of you.

To the families of fallen and active soldiers — those left alone in suffering and those who patiently wait for their loved ones to return while we go about our daily lives free to hug and kiss and share with our partners, our children, we run in honour of you.

To the military forces of today — those stationed around the world facing life-altering events that free the rest of us from EVER having to experience, we run in honour of you.

So, one may be ask oneself: ‘Why should I run Canada Army Run?’

In the words of a runner who shared her answer with iRun today:

iRun Canada Army Run because freedom is not free.

________________________________________________________________________
Fundraising efforts from the Canada Army Run support Soldier On and the Military Families Fund.

Read and listen to the iRun Podcast for inspiring stories of injured soldiers and their families.

This Sunday, an amazing team of youth will be running their first 5K at Canada Army Run. Lisa Georges, iRun’s Publisher, has been training with a small group from Operation Come Home, Ottawa’s employment, education, and support centre for homeless and at-risk youth age 16 and up, leading up to the powerful event, which will see just under 22,000 cross the finish line this year.

From left: Maggie, Melissa and Vitaly dig their new kicks!

Special thanks to Coach Brock from Skywalker Fitness who designed the training plan that got the team to the start line, and Doug from Sports4 for fitting the team for shoes, donated by the Ottawa independent running store.

“As a sponsor of Canada Army Run , we’re fortunate to receive complementary entries into this amazing event,” says Georges. “We know what crossing the finish line at Canada Army Run feels like — we see it, we hear about it from our audience and we have experienced it ourselves: it is an incredibly empowering and unforgettable moment. We wanted to share that experience with the youth from Operation Come Home this year.”

Only days aways form the September 22 event, 21 year old team member, Melissa, shares her thoughts leading up to the big day:

I stopped running five years ago, shortly after high school. At the beginning of this summer, I started to go for long walks with my dog and decided to make a big lifestyle change: improve my eating habits, drink way more water and run intervals.

I wanted to take this opportunity from iRun to do the Army Run 5K to see if I still had the momentum and drive to complete the distance. I started to train more — adding endurance training into my workouts and running four or five times a week, in addition to the weekly group trainings runs and tips.

Now it’s 3 days before the race and the anticipation is killing me. I can’t wait to feel that vibe of everyone around you — the thrill and excitement of race day!

Well said, Melissa! We look forward to watching you and the rest of the team cross the finish line on Sunday!

Read this year’s winning entry into the ‘Why do you run Canada Army Run?’ contest.

By: Karen Karnis

Meet Jean Poiré, Eric Hoziel and Denys Martin, of Les Agences Jean Poiré Sports Inc. (LAJPS), a sporting goods agency selling high quality products in the province of Québec since 1985. They’ve been representing Mizuno Running Canada in Québec for roughly a year with great success. As part of our series on Mizuno Brand Ambassadors, we sat down with them for a frank chat.

How did you get into the field of sporting goods sales?

Jean Poiré: I was a professional hockey player in Europe for three years after university. When I came back, I was looking at the sporting goods business and a friend who was already an agent introduced me to the business. I have a bachelor degree in finance but sports always been my greatest interest. So business and sport was a natural fit for me.

Eric Hoziel: A long time ago I worked as a student at Murray’s Sporting Goods in Montreal. Then I started an acting career which I have to admit has been pretty successful. I joined LAJPS as a partner in November 2012. I have a big territory to cover: north of Montreal, Laval, Laurentians, Lanaudières, Abitibi, Trois-Rivières and Gatineau.

Denys Martin: I used to own a specialty store for badminton and tennis products and came into the sporting goods industry as a national badminton player. After 5 years in retail, the president of Yonex Canada at the time called me to see if I would represent the YONEX line in Quebec. That was 27 years ago – I’ve been in the business ever since.

What is your favourite part of your job?

JP: People, for sure. In all these years, many of my best customers became very close friends; same for some of the other agents and my two great partners with Mizuno, Eric and Denys. Great market to work in and great team work to build the line.

Another thing that I like is the competition – like in sport. In every market, like rackets, shoes or clothing, you have a lot of brands competing. With Mizuno, we have a great team and spirit combined with a great product, and we have had amazing success so far.

EH: Giving clinics to store staff and seeing them discover the Wave technology in our brand, and going for a jog with them to experience the amazing cushioning and stability for themselves. I also love that time of year when we present the new collection.

DM: Taking orders! Seriously, all aspects of the job are interesting. What I like most is the fact that it is a very diversified job.

What made you decide to work with Mizuno, and why has it been going so well? 

JP: Mizuno is a great technical brand with big potential as it is a fantastic product. There are no short cuts with this kind of technical product and the keys to success are events, product knowledge education, service and presence. In 2010, I was invited in Japan for my 25 years with YONEX with Denys. When we went to visit a couple of sporting good stores in Tokyo, I was able to see the dominance of Mizuno over all the other brands in the running market in Japan. I knew that with all of the technical advantages, this line had great potential in Québec.

EH: I like the philosophy of Mizuno Canada: take good care of our accounts, and go for the hit, not the home run. We will establish the brand one shoe at a time, one customer at a time, one account at a time. We are a very high-end brand, very technical, and runners are loyal to Mizuno. Mizuno makes great running shoes and I have pride and confidence when I talk about our brand to buyers, staff and runners – and that’s the first ingredient when selling a product.

DM: It is very easy to sell a product that you believe in. Mizuno is not a marketing brand but an R&D brand. They have a good product; I believe in what they are doing and am not shy about selling it.

What up-and-coming product or technology from Mizuno are you must excited about?

JP: For sure the new U4iC foam, which is 30% lighter than AP+ [the previous foam]. Already, all the Mizuno shoes were very light but with the new foam, it will be even lighter and a big advantage over the competition. Take for example, the new Wave Rider 17. It will weigh only 8.8 oz. (compared to the Rider 16 at 9.9) with even better shock-absorption and durability. Just amazing R & D from Mizuno; combine this with the Mizuno Wave and you have a winner.

What about your own running?

JP: I started running when I was about 15 years old for my hockey training. Running was always part of my training and it is still today as I always thought that running is the base of every sport, including my two favourite sports, hockey and tennis. In 1993, I decided to run my first marathon and since then, I have run 3 others with my PB at 3h21, not bad for a 190-pound runner. I did my last marathon in Berlin last year with not a lot of training due to knee injuries. So because of that, I am more looking for short distance like 5 and 10Ks in the future. Let me say my bad knees have nothing to do with running! It’s an old hockey injury. My friends are talking about the World Marathon Majors – so New York, Berlin, Chicago, etc.…they are looking at London in 2015. We will see…

EH: I thought I was a runner until friends convinced me to run the 2010 Chicago Marathon. It was an eye-opening experience and I discovered that endurance training and races are something I love. The feeling of wellness and inner peace after a long run is amazing. For me, it’s about going beyond the suffering and making the effort to push the limits. I’ve completed four of the 6 World Majors (Chicago, New York, Berlin and Boston) as well as a few 70.3 and Olympic distance triathlons. My favourite distance is the marathon. I think I will go back to Boston in 2014. I was there this year, and even though I crossed the finish line 30 minutes before the bombs, I was still on-site when it happened. I think it will be a special place to be next year and a special race with more meaning than ever.

DM: I am not a real runner, but I ran a lot for my badminton training. I did two half marathons, but more for fun than anything else. I run to keep in shape and be able to keep playing badminton with the youth since I am 59 years old now.

Check out Mizuno Running in Quebec on Facebook!

By: Nikki Reiter

Looking to run your goal time in your next half- or full marathon?  Consider hunting down the pacer for your goal time!  A pacer is someone employed by the race organizers to run a specific time, usually within 15 seconds of the goal, and usually at a very steady pace.  Pacers are usually very encouraging, outgoing individuals and are experienced at the race distance.

I recently had the opportunity to pace a half-marathon for a 2:00 group.  With the 2-hour mark being such a large time barrier for so many individuals, I was very excited to guide runners to achieving their goal.  I finished in 1:59.42 (gun time).  A great performance for my first time pacing!

Being a 1:30 half-marathoner, this was a great pace to go out and enjoy the race with a different perspective, and I learned a lot from the people around me enjoying their run.  I am typically so consumed by my own splits and performance when I race that I forget to take in the beautiful courses or enjoy the company of those around me.  Thanks to this opportunity, I gained new perspective on enjoying the racing experience.

Technically, pacing wasn’t too tough and I was able to lock into the necessary pace and keep things steady for the runners around me.  Surprisingly, the runners around me weren’t as uptight as I thought they’d be about their splits and making their goal time; they were more concerned with enjoying their day and taking it all in.  This was something very new to me and I feel very fortunate to have learned how to race differently.

If you’re feeling blasé these days about your racing, maybe it’s time to try something different.  Trying a new race distance, or testing out a trail race perhaps, could be a way to re-energize, renew or re-establish your relationship with racing.

***

Nikki Reiter is a Mizuno Running Brand Ambassador from Kelowna, BC.  She holds a master’s degree in biomechanics, coaches Cross Country at UBC Okanagan and is the founder of Run Right Gait Analysis Service (run-right.ca).

By: Elise Yanover

As a physiotherapist and a triathlete, I have a keen enthusiasm for how running mechanics can affect ones potential for injury. Also, how you feel when you run may affect your enjoyment of running. Read on for my explanation of this…

Personally, I have battled high hamstring tendon issues for approximately 15 years. Initially, it came about from poor training for my first marathon. Not enough base mileage (I basically ran for one year then ran a marathon! Did triathlon for one year then did an Ironman. Note: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! ). Additionally, insufficient rest and poor form contributed to a nasty 8 month injury. Each recurrence thereafter (and there have been 2) came from hill repeats. Some people can do ‘em with ease, I re-tear hamstring tendons. Speed work I can handle, hills I can’t. How does changing one’s running form come into all of this?

Following bout #2 (which was on 7 months and counting) I took a course on biomechanics and running injuries. I was taught that mid/forefoot striking and higher cadence led to better mechanics, and fewer injuries. I was desperate for some answers as conservative treatment, relative rest, medication and more were not helping. I could tell when the 20 minute mark of my run was upon me as that was the precise point at which the pain came on and stayed. This became very frustrating.

I put the information I learned from this amazing course 4 years into my own training. The results were miraculous. With a gradual return to a walk/run program along with my new technique, I was running totally pain free again. I then began advising my clients (and anyone else who would listen!) about these benefits. Taking a look at someone’s gait in relation to injury and making some simple corrections has improved many of my clients’ running lives . They are running faster and without injury! Sometimes, a client’s pain caused by injury will “disappear” whilst on the treadmill when they put these changes to the test. However…as much as it can take 5 -10 minutes to teach efficient technique it needs to be incorporated gradually over time. Months sometimes. Your body needs time to adapt to the different muscle use that a faster cadence and change in foot strike ensue.

Here are a few tips:

1. Aim for a cadence (or number of steps per minute) of close to 180. Most recreational runners I see have a cadence of around 160. Sometimes making that jump to 180 is too difficult on both cardiovascular and muscular systems. So 170 is a good starting point. Use a metronome , download an MP3 file of a metronome, or music that has a known cadence (both can be found on ITUNES, for free or small fee). Counting steps from time to time can also be done. Count 22-23 right foot strikes in 15 seconds.

2. Focus on planting your foot directly underneath your hip or centre of mass. It will feel like you are dancing or taking little tiny steps. Soon this becomes natural. It will also take the stress off of the heel which will lead to less impact force and greater efficiency. Often I tell my clients, if it feels silly it means you are likely doing it correctly!

3. Core strength is very important. Keeping your belly button pulled in without pelvic tilting will engage the deep abdominals (transverse abs) and aid in keeping the pelvic girdle stable which will take some stress off of the lower body and reduce unnecessary movement.

4. When going up /down hills short quick strides on the forefoot is key to making the uphills seem easier to crest and the downhills less of a pound. Lean forwards slightly into the hill going up and lean back slightly going down. Your arms are also a good source of added power especially going up hills. Pump them like there is no tomorrow, but keep them in the same plane as your body. I.e. don’t wave them out like wings!

5. As stated previously, start small. Aim for trying the new technique for 5-10 minutes the first time out. Each week add 5-10 minutes and no more and hold that steady for the week. Your tissues need time to adapt to the changes you are placing on them. Some runners will adapt faster than others. This has much to do with flexibility of calves, strength of feet and calves, current run form etc. If you find your muscles getting tighter, use a foam roller, self massage, stretch a bit more, / or back off until everything calms down then start again. It may mean you will need to transition a bit more slowly.

Does one need to change form? No. If you have been running injury free it is not necessary to change anything. If you have been battling injuries that do not go away with rest and/or therapeutic intervention, or feel like you would like to feel “lighter” on your feet than looking at your biomechanics is a great next step to a long running career. Many people experience going faster too!

***

Elise is a long time competitive amateur triathlete and Physiotherapist with 20+ years experience treating runners and athletes of all kinds. She also has an online coaching business for runners and triathletes looking to reach that next distance goal or PB.  She is very passionate about biomechanics in running and does gait analysis and shoe recommendations as part of her practice.  Elise also has a self admitted running shoe and apparel fetish. She is mom to an active 10 year old girl and is married to a man who also runs and races.

By: Angela Simpson

I don’t know about you, but lately I’ve been feeling the need to add a few extra layers to my morning running ensemble. There’s no denying it – winter is coming fast and furious! Whenever the temperatures start to dip, I always find myself craving more cooked foods. I’m no stranger to drinking my morning green smoothie from underneath a warm fuzzy blanket, but sometimes, the thought of a nice warm bowl of oatmeal is too comfortable to pass up, especially after a long run!

Oats are a brilliant food from a nutritional perspective for runners – they’re a high quality source of carbohydrate, high in fiber, and easy to prepare. I’ve amped up their good-for-you profile even further in this recipe with the addition of ground flaxseed, hemp seeds, and pumpkin seeds. Not only will these three superfoods add more fiber to keep you feeling full, but they’ll also provide a hearty punch of omega-3 healthy fats. Try them once and they’ll be the first thing you look forward to after your next morning run!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats, gluten free if necessary
1 cup water or unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp each ground flaxseed and hemp seeds
1 packet of stevia, or a pinch of stevia extract
1 tbsp each dried unsweetened cranberries and pumpkin seeds

Instructions:

1.  In a microwaveable bowl or in a pot on the stove, combine oats with water or almond milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Microwave or boil for 3-4 minutes or until most liquid is absorbed.

2.  If cooking on the stove, transfer oatmeal to a serving bowl.

3.  Stir in hemp seeds and flaxseed, and add a little more almond milk if you like.

4.  Stir in stevia to taste.

5.  Top with pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries and serve hot.

Makes: 1 serving

Prep Time: 2 mins

Cook Time: 3 mins

***

Angela is an avid runner, fitness instructor, foodie, healthy living blogger, and owner of her business, Spin 360 Health Coaching. Having been overweight, unhappy and insecure as a teenager, Angela took control, changed her unhealthy habits, and adopted a clean eating lifestyle that she continues to maintain today. Her goal is to support, inspire, and motivate others to improve their health and be their best.

You can learn more about Angela on her blog, Eat Spin Run Repeat.

Keep up-to-date- on what Angela is up to through social media::

Twitter: @eatspinrunrpt
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EatSpinRunRepeat
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/eatspinrunrpt
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/eatspinrunrpt