Topping this pasta dish with a poached egg packs a little more protein into a nutrient-rich meal. Nutrition fact: Adding spinach with vitamin C-rich cherry tomatoes helps your body absorb the iron in this leafy green.
Ingredients
2 poached eggs
1/2 lb (0.3 kg)linguine, cooked
2 cups (500 mL)cherry tomatoes (1 pint)
2 cups (500 mL)spinach
1/2 eggplant, cubed
2 cups (500 mL)marinara sauce
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp (30 mL)olive oil
10 leaves fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp (30 mL)parmesan, grated
1/4 cup (60 mL)white wine (optional)
DIRECTIONS
ONE: In a nonstick sauté pan on medium heat, add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add in the eggplant and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until nicely browned.
TWO: Add in the garlic and the second teaspoon of olive oil and continue to cook for another minute.
THREE: Add the cherry tomatoes and allow them to start to brown. Then add the spinach to the pan and toss with the eggplant and tomatoes.
FOUR: Add in the cooked pasta and toss until fully coated in the sauce.
FIVE: Distribute the pasta over two plates, garnish with fresh basil and parmesan and top with a poached egg.
Recipe provided courtesy of Egg Farmers of Canada.
Lisa Bentley, 11-time Ironman champion, is a 51-year-old coach and motivational speaker from Ontario whose approach to racing and life is beyond inspiring. Bentley, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, speaks with gumption and sincerity and her example may be enough to propel us off the couch and into the wild as we face this first winter of the great unknown. Ben Kaplan caught up with Bentley after her workout on a recent Friday afternoon.
iRun: During the pandemic, have you ever felt down or like a loss of motivation?
LB: Everyone has days of lack of motivation. The main thing is these pandemic days become so similar, it feels like Groundhog Day, but I had more of them when it was winter. I’ve gotten somewhat used to it but I do remember days feeling a bit sad.
iRun: So what did you do?
LB: Figure out ways not to be. I would literally be determined to be happy. It would be a goal. So I would go to see my mom from a distance or talking to someone on the phone or walking my dog. Walking my dog has brought me a ton of joy.
iRun: For me, it’s been exercise. I’ve never run this much in my life and I edit a running magazine for a living.
LB: Exercise has been a huge part of it and completing a certain route or time or distance—whether a run or getting on my bike—brought its own goal and purpose and brought me a sense of satisfaction that got me through the day.
iRun: Is it true you’re sponsored by ASICS? What’s been your approach to pandemic footwear and what do you recommend?
LB: Yes, I’m part of the ASICS family. It’s ironic because the ASICS mission is “sound mind in a sound body” and I embodied that idea of mindset and heart-set throughout my entire career and now in my coaching and speaking. The amazing thing is that in spite of having very complicated, battered feet after 40 marathons (I have two torn tendons in my right foot because of my inherited flat feet), I am running totally pain-free for the first time in ages. My favourite training shoe is the Gel Nimbus 22, but I also run in the GT 2000 and Cumulus. The NovaBlast and DynaBlast are my go-to dog-walking shoes; for the rowing machine and strength circuits, I use the RoadBlast, and now that the colder weather has hit, I’m using the Gel Sonoma GoreTex Trail Shoe.
iRun: What’s your take on the importance of exercise?
LB: Control what you can control and take a sense of pride in it. And choosing to exercise brings you a sense of control. “This is my bike ride or run or plyometric session and this pandemic cannot take it away from me.” Exercise releases endorphins and brings a sense of pleasure, of satisfaction. It’s good for your self-esteem.
iRun: What else have you been doing to keep your spirits up?
LB: Doing things for others. When I was racing, I used to create a theme for my race which I would focus on when the effort seemed unsustainable. I have been doing that during this pandemic as well. For example, when I feel restricted or wishing that I could go to a restaurant or church or the gym, I return to my pandemic theme: Stay healthy. Then not being able to go to the gym or a mall or restaurant made sense and was bearable, even smart.
iRun: What are some other themes you have used?
LB: Be grateful.
iRun: As a coach, how are you keeping your athletes grateful?
LB: It’s a difficult year to provide motivation but I like to think that I am an athletic coach, life coach and “keeper of goals.” Our goals have had to evolve and my job is to provide motivation, not keep people motivated.
iRun: So what’s the answer?
LB: Create incentives and goals. Of course, when you take the gym and pools away from triathletes, it’s difficult. But it’s not something we can’t handle. We can use this as a time to focus on threshold and increasing intensity over shorter distances rather than just ‘surviving’ 6-hour rides and 3-hour runs in preparation for an Ironman. It has been fun to watch athletes run their best half marathon in prep for what is now Boston Marathon 2021 or ride their best 90K in prep for what has become Ironman Mont Tremblant 2021. Tell you the truth, I’m more worried about my mother in a retirement residence than I am about my athletes.
iRun: That would be hard, being in a residence.
LB: I just hope they don’t lock them in.
iRun: How are you adjusting to the pandemic?
LB: I’m not visiting people indoors. I’m not visiting restaurants. I can handle it thanks to my mini-daily goals and having our dogs to care for. I’m just concerned about my mother. I’m fine. I worry about people on their own, feeling a bit lonely and isolated and my concern is that people who need companionship are being taken care of.
iRun: That generosity of spirit feels like a good time to broach your athletic career. You’ve said compassion is the key to success. What does that mean?
LB: When I was racing, I knew my competitors. They were way better than I ever was—I knew their splits and there’s no way on paper I should’ve beat them, but sometimes I would. As I matured as an athlete I realized so much could be accomplished mentally by positive reinforcement, but also loving what you do and having compassion.
iRun: I feel like some athletes use anger or rage to pump themselves up.
LB: It goes back to when I was a teacher; an older teacher told me, ‘As long as you love your students, you’ll be OK.’ As long as you love the kids, there’s no problem, nothing you can’t handle. And it was true. When I was having a tough personal day and wasn’t full of love for my students, they felt it and those were tough teaching days. But when I had genuine love in my heart for my class, I could handle any curveball. When you love your sport, love to compete, it’s compassion: it’s love.
iRun: How did that manifest at an event?
LB: I could elevate my game way beyond my talent. I remember once competing with a chest infection and my internal message was: I’ll be the best person out there with a chest infection! I get to race! I will do my best with my deck of cards. When you throw your whole self into something, there’s no doubt you’ll be successful. I had no idea what success meant—it didn’t necessarily mean a win—but if you love what you’re doing and do it with compassion, it spurs belief. And when you have belief, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.
iRun: What did you learn?
Belief trumps talent every single time.
iRun: We should mention that you had belief while suffering from cystic fibrosis.
LB: One of my secret powers was having cystic fibrosis.
iRun: Secret powers?
LB: It brought me purpose.
iRun: That’s such a cool way of thinking about it.
LB: Not many endurance athletes would want a genetic lung disease, but it brought purpose to my racing. Somewhere there was a family with a child with CF watching me, and that has a lot of power. So when you’re on the course of an Ironman going up and down on the rollercoaster and you have something like that to hold onto, it’s powerful.
iRun: It sounds powerful.
LB: I did the best I could do with my deck of cards and I didn’t measure success as crossing the finish line first. But that’s how it felt—and it allowed me to cross the finish line first.
Lisa Bentley is the author of An Unlikely Champion, and a speaker and a coach. Her website is LisaBentley.com.
In a year when so much has been removed, postponed and cancelled, you can’t help but ask the question. Surely there’s no phase of government lockdown that will prevent a bit of isolated outdoor exercise. But if there’s one lesson of 2020, it’s that nothing can be taken for granted. With or without a pandemic, you can lose the things you love.
There are, of course, other ways to move, to burn calories, to explore the neighbourhood and, when permissible, the world. My wife Ginny and I have never walked more; working together from home has been a gratifying bonus in the slim silver linings playbook of this pandemic. I enjoy it, and there are few healthier things than an evening constitutional, but walking doesn’t tick all the boxes that running does. I need to stretch not just my legs but my limits.
Some people are as obsessed with cycling as I am with marathons, but I haven’t caught that bug yet. I know people who do long-distance swimming, including some incredible feats and appealing international destinations. I wouldn’t rule that out, but unless I move to Venice, it’s a lot less convenient than stepping out the door for a run. Ginny is highly trained in yoga and does boot camps and fitness classes, and I’m sure I’ll end up there some day, but for now I’m not hooked. I like settling into an activity, not having to focus directly on every little thing I’m doing. And golf – don’t get me started on how frustrating that would be, especially to be a novice at my age.
And sadly, if there’s one theme that persists in this woeful time, it’s that when one thing gets cancelled, so does its natural substitute. When schools were closed, so were day camps, and organized sports, and play dates. There was no Plan B, C, D or E. Likewise, when my mind has wandered to possible fitness alternatives, it’s been one dead end after another. Gyms, pools, yoga studios, fitness classes: all of them in varying levels of shutdown.
Fortunately, at the moment the what-if scenario has been nothing but a thought experiment. Indeed, like many others, I’ve run more than ever this year, piling up the kilometres in online challenges and virtual races, escaping from the imposed confinement and inertia to get outside, or occasionally hopping onto the treadmill to sneak some movement into a rainy day.
I try to be zero-based, to treat it all like house money, to consider every day that I can still run to be a blessing. And now, more than ever, I prize the normalcy, the routine, the defiance of all that cannot be.
But still I wonder: what will happen when I can’t? How will I get the delicate, precious recipe of solitude, clarity, endorphins, adventure, discovery, challenge, energy, inspiration, stimulation and chocolate-chip-cookie-offset that running so graciously provides? Like someone you love, it asks a lot. But oh, does it give so much more in return.
Certainly, someday I will have to stop. I hope it’s not for decades, but inevitably, there will be a last run. But not now. Especially not now. More than ever, I am fiercely determined to lace up my shoes, embrace the autumn air even if it makes my eyes water, lean forward, press that button on my wrist, and take that first stride forward. I will be as relentless as a virus.
My question, like so many others this year, remains aggravatingly unanswered. Uncertainty is on a bit of a roll right now. But as long as I’m healthy and allowed to go outside, dammit, I will continue to run.
You’re pumping your arms hard as you can as you dig deep in that final lap of your interval workout around the track, aiming to reach that new level of fitness as your goal race nears on the calendar. Train hard, then train harder is your motto. But what if you keep coming up short, or even yet: what if you could be achieving more than you ever thought possible? Could, perhaps, the missing piece in the puzzle be your recovery, or more specifically your easy runs—or lack thereof?
Most of the time when striving to reach a new level of fitness we’re focused on the hard sessions of the week: tempos, fartleks, long runs, and interval workouts, but what’s between these sessions is just as important. The easy run connects the dots, aids recovery and should be treated as a vital supplement to your key workout sessions. If you don’t take this recovery run seriously, you’re opening the door to injury, overtraining, and just not being able to get the most out of your workout days — and that is the goal, right? — to recover as much as possible between hard sessions so that we are able to capitalize on those days. So, what gives? Why do we have trouble treating these easy, recovery days with respect?
In this era of endless gadgets and gizmos, it’s so easy to become tied up with the digital feedback we have strapped on our bodies. We might think, “Well, X:XX should be an easy pace,” and then go out and aim to hit the appropriate splits. In reality, listening to our body that day is the simplest way to take it easy. The easy effort is certainly variable, some days we may need to run at a snail’s pace to ensure we are recovering appropriately while other days we can easily stride at a faster clip — whatever the case, it’s more about listening to how your body is feeling than the pace itself.
How can we ensure we stick to this? I recommend using a metric of distance or time, but not both together. For example, on my easy days I usually run a certain distance. I don’t care how long it takes, pace is completely irrelevant on my easy days. Sometimes I run a measured route that I know and in these cases I will run watch-less (I know, a travesty in the Strava community)! Other times, if I feel like exploring, I will wear my GPS watch, but will only use it to measure the distance. I know a lot of folks like to post the majority of runs on Strava—and you can keep doing that—but I urge you to care less about pace on those recovery runs and when it comes to segment hunting, maybe save those for the “workout days.”
Will you notice a change as you place more emphasis on these key recovery days? I think so! As you become more consistent with keeping your recovery runs as truly “listen to my body” days, I guarantee you will be able to reach another performance level on the days that count. It continues to snowball from there: as you are able to work harder in your key sessions, you will undoubtedly require those essential recovery run days even more, setting you up to access some new levels of fitness.
Fitting easy runs into the week can depend on what you are training for. Some like to have a hard session every other day with recovery days in between. For myself, since I am often training for a longer distance race like a marathon or half marathon, it’s not uncommon for me to have 2-3 recovery days after a long run workout session. Whatever the case, the majority of your week, whether you are training for a 5K or a marathon, should be recovery runs. Here is a glimpse of one of my marathon weeks in which I totalled 172K — easy running took up 68% (117 km) of the week while hard running took up only 32% (55 km). I like the saying “train hard, recover harder,” and this breakdown of work certainly echoes that.
Easy runs are just one facet of the recovery process. I will always shout from the rooftops that sleep is king and nutrition is surely an essential component as well. None of these are to be overlooked when you are trying to stay healthy and get the most out of your fitness goals. So perhaps it’s time to pay attention to this often-overlooked component and keep it easy on those easy days—the effects might surprise you.
27-year-old Tristan Woodfine did an extraordinary thing this month: he qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games by running the Olympic Standard at the elite-only London Marathon. Woodfine, who began his career as a triathlete and trained in Kenya at the start of the year, coming home only when COVID-19 began making the news, is a hard worker with a high pain threshold and a humble disposition. It’s a combination of his ability to pivot and refusal to quit that has earned him an Olympic berth.
“When you’re a kid, winning feels good and I enjoyed training, but a lot of the drive came from winning; then, as I matured as an athlete, it’s evolved to the point where I probably enjoy the training and process more than racing,” says Woodfine, who had run five marathons before hitting his 2:10:51 in London (a PB, but B goal nevertheless). “I still love to compete or I wouldn’t be doing this, but I’ve become much more process driven. It’s more about trying to make myself better as opposed to always just trying to win.”
Talking to Woodfine, I felt myself not wanting to let him off the phone. He’s a nice guy and he’s open and carefully considers everything and has a no BS grinder’s mentality that is common among Canadian distance stars. There also just hasn’t been that much good running news lately. I used to love interviewing our sports stars each time they crossed some historic milestone. Cam Levins broke the 43-year-old Canadain men’s marathon record in 2018; at STWM last October, Dayna Pidhoresky and Trevor Hofbauer qualified for the Olympics; Malindi Elmore, at 39, broke Rachel Cliff’s marathon record in January 2020. For a while, it seemed that records were falling every day like dominoes and that each new event bred another humble new running star. Well, we all know what happened next—races were cancelled and the Olympics were postponed and all I could cover were health updates and virtual events. Tristan Woodfine qualifying to run the marathon for his country is the feel-good story of our feel-bad year.
“At the end of the day, running is often cruel and there’s a lot more lows and downs than highs,” Woodfine says. “I think the most important thing is to find that happiness, gratitude and joy in the process of training. When you run, try and better yourself.”
Bettering himself has been an ambition since he was a triathlon star in his teens. Woodfine says that he didn’t know what would happen when he returned from Kenya or when he would race next. But he didn’t want to let his altitude training go to waste. He was always scheduled to race at the London Marathon. The world, however, was a different place when he returned home with his fiance to the Ottawa Valley. One thing he knew for certain was that he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. Instead, he pivoted his training plans and tried to capture joy in his process.
“Kenya was a very big time and financial investment, so I decided to keep the training momentum going. If anything, we increased the training between April and June,” says Woodfine, who also recounts that his big Kenyan learning was not to sweat the small stuff.
He says he ran on dirt tracks in less than ideal situations and that Rift Valley athletes didn’t worry about making time adjustments. The point was to hit the effort level and get in the workout, and Woodfine brought that home with him for his COVID-19 training. Back at home and facing uncertainty, he took off his watch and ran by feel.
“Everything was based on effort and I could feel myself getting really fit,” he says, adding that he had only one real tune-up before his marathon, a 10K time trial that he ran in late August. Woodfine, in a sense, was prepared for his unorthodox training because he had pivoted his workouts before. In 2017, feeling frustrated as he raced with the Speed River group in Guelph, the young runner went back to his old triathlon coach to rebuild his stride.
“I had tight hip flexors and quads, along with weak glutes and hamstrings which caused me to overstride. When you overstride you are effectively putting on the brakes every time your foot hits the ground. By using stretching and soft tissue work on the hip flexors and quads, I was able to increase the mobility through my hips, allowing my leg to swing backwards much farther,” he explains. “Once I had this mobility, then increasing the strength and neuro-muscular function of my glutes and hamstrings allowed my body to generate much more power during extension. This translated to my body no longer reaching forward to attain a good stride length.”
Basically: his Guelph stride was ugly and his new stride was smooth.
“I reframed my body and my muscular system,” he says.
With a new coach, new body, and new running form, Woodfine won the Montreal Half Marathon in 2018 and finished in 2:18:55 at the 2018 Ottawa Marathon—a 9-minute PB. At the 2019 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Woodfine finished second Canadian behind Trevor Hofbauer in a time of 2:13:16. From there, he traveled to Kenya, learned yet another component about training and life, and settled into his routine before finalizing his date with the London Marathon. Woodfine says the goal was to hit the Olympic Standard—at least. “I felt very good about where I was,” he says.
The morning of the event—London in fall—the weather was rainy and cold. Woodfine stayed focused on his goal. “In a lot of other marathons, you can mentally check out for the first half and tuck into a pace group, relax and cruise, but right off the bat, this was a grind,” he says, adding that he tucked behind 2-time Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah until 32K, and that his splits between 20 and 30K were too fast. He could feel himself breaking down, and hanging on. “With three laps to go, my legs just felt trashed, but I knew I was on track so I just said, One lap at a time.”
Woodfine finished his marathon in 2:10:51 and though he felt like blacking out, and says there were times near the end of his race where he felt more like swimming than running—just to give you a sense of the effort he put in—the Canadian distance runner had earned himself a berth to the Olympic Games. Of course, this being the age of uncertainty, the global pandemic, no one is entirely certain if the Tokyo Games will even be held. Currently, they’re scheduled for next summer and, as of today, only Woodfine and Hofbauer have qualified to compete for Canada in the marathon. Woodfine, however, is trying to enjoy his moment and take whatever happens next in stride. He was a star athlete growing up. He learned humility in the course of his career and gratefulness as he reached each new threshold of success. Today, the marathoner is happy to be where he’s at. “The whole idea of my training was to not stress too much about it or worry about what other people were doing,” he says. “I knew that if I could focus on my plan and enjoy the process, there would be good things to follow.”
Little did he know, he’d be the feel good story of the year.
If you had told me ten years ago this is what I would be doing at 71, I would have laughed out loud. The thought of my then 61-year-old, 40-pound overweight body crossing a finish line on my own two feet would have been unimaginable. What I have learned since then is to never underestimate your own ability or what a Boomer may get up to in retirement.
The first run I did was in 2015, at age 66, when I signed up for a Learn to Run program at the Running Room. I distinctly remember the instructor saying that I would be able to run ten minutes straight by the end of the course. At this point, I could not run for one minute and I began to scan the store for the nearest exit. However, they were true to their word and by the end of the session I was in better shape than I had been in years.
My first race was the Ottawa Tamarack 2K. That seemed like a good place to start. This, and the Army Run, continue to be two of my favourite races. I have participated in both every year since I began—including three Commander’s Challenges (26.1k) from 2017 to 2019. For the Canada 150 Celebration, my two sons and I completed the Ottawa half marathon together. I love that we have this memory.
Over the years, the 5K, 10K and half marathons have enticed me with the camaraderie, excitement and challenges they present. There is nothing comparable to crossing that finish line, knowing you have done your best. Each race is an opportunity to feel the exhilaration of attaining your specific goal, no matter the distance.
The year 2020 has challenged us all, but has also created opportunities that we otherwise may not have experienced. It has provided me the opportunity to run virtually, which meant I could finally run the United States Marine Corp Race—in honour of my brother, Sergeant Charles Wilson, a proud marine and Vietnam Veteran. My goal was to complete a 10K at a decent pace for a 71-year-old, and finish strong.
As you can see from the picture, things did not go quite as planned. Halfway through, my encounter with an uneven sidewalk resulted in my first ever face plant. After an expletive, not usually heard from a “mature” woman, especially on the street, I stood contemplating my next move. Being Canadian, I said sorry to those around me, and proceeded to dust myself off. After all, this was the Marine race. My brother would never quit so neither did I.
This year has also brought a new “family” of runners into my life. I normally have run with my good friend, Jenny. We have had an extraordinary time on those many girls’ weekends to various race locations, including London, Toronto, Melbourne, St. Petersburg and Orlando. For my 70th birthday, we completed the 10K and half marathon at Disney. Of course, we chose the “Wine and Dine” for this one.
Now the Virtual Platform has expanded this to an amazing group of people supportive of everyone—beginner to elite. I knew from experience, runners support each other from start to finish, but this wonderful group of people has taken that to another level. From offering ideas to improve performance, advice to those just starting or returning from injury, to encouragement and motivation, they are there for you.
Many people have asked why I do this, my husband included. I just feel that walking/running is something that you do for yourself. It gets you outside. It’s the sun on your face, the headwind you lean into, the nature that surrounds you. It is about keeping physically fit, but even more importantly is what running does for your mental health. Sunshine, music, fresh air—peace. No matter how you feel going into your walk or run, it is impossible to feel bad after. Thank you, endorphins.
Walking or running, you choose the place, distance, time and pace. It’s your call. I walk/run because I can and that should not be taken for granted. Boomers are an aging population, but we have a choice to be sedentary or keep moving in order to be the best we can—regardless of age. You don’t need to be the fittest or the fastest. You just need to put one foot in front of the other. After all, we were teenagers in the sixties. There’s nothing we can’t do.
With winter ahead of us and the continued unknowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must prepare more than ever to help prevent or lessen the winter blues. Some people are understandably already feeling very stressed and anxious due to the changes, losses, and uncertainty of our jobs, education, family plans, social lives, and travel restrictions. Adding the long, dark, and cold winter days and months to this is a cause of concern for many. The Canadian Mental Health Association says, “We should remember that this is absolutely the time to lean on each other. Even if we can’t be close physically, we need to stay close emotionally. So, while you’re staying in, stay in touch with each other, and reach out if you need support.”
So what exactly can we do as we approach this next potentially very difficult season?
Reduce your stress levels—take long, slow, deep breaths. Mindfully replace thoughts of negative worry and fear with positivity, reflecting on past better days and those to come. Control the controllables, letting go of what you can’t change.
Do what relaxes you—limit time spent on social media and watching the news; enjoy a hot cup of tea, read a book, soak in a warm bath or wrap yourself up in your coziest blanket in front of the fireplace after a long run. Listen to your favourite music or do something that will make you laugh.
Live with gratitude—write in a reflection journal; make a list of your favourite things, biggest accomplishments, and other life events that leave you feeling proud and wanting to work for more.
Get good sleep—establish a schedule where you go to sleep and wake up around the same time every day. Avoid bright screens within a few hours before bedtime. Unwind and clear your head before hitting the pillow. Avoid trying to solve problems while trying to fall asleep. Keep your bedroom cool, quiet, dark, and comfortable. Think about that new route you will run tomorrow.
Get outside during daylight, no matter what, even if only for a short time—dress for the weather and bundle up. Take a break from work. Walk the dog. Go to the mailbox. Shorten your run if it means you will get out and get it done. Frequent, short breaks will also help reduce sedentary time.
Embrace winter—try those outdoor winter activities that we can do in Canada, like skiing, skating, and snowshoeing. Remember that you won’t lose fitness if you take a few days off running to do some other form of physical activity.
Help others and give back—show patience, kindness, compassion for those around you. Check in with someone to see how they’re doing. Be a teammate. Encourage others to start a run/walk program or go after a personal best. Write positive comments or “like” peoples’ running posts on social media.
Be an example—know that someone is watching what you do and how you deal with life’s difficulties, hoping they too can survive another day or week. Meditate, pray, read scripture.
Soak in the natural daylight—sit near a window or move your desk or chair, in the room where you spend the most time, to enjoy the brightness that reflects off the snow. Keep curtains and blinds open during daylight hours. Wear reflective gear if running in the dark.
Maintain your positive social and emotional relationships—arrange regular video chats, phone calls or routine texting with those who make you smile and feel loved. Set boundaries for those who don’t.
Physical activity—this may be an easy one for those of us who are runners. But what about when we are ill, injured, or just can’t get out the door? Allow yourself to heal or recover before resuming your regular training routine. Once you are well again, slowly return to where you left off. On those days where motivation is a challenge, remember how good you feel when you return from that run you didn’t feel like taking.
Set new goals—plan a time trial or virtual run that helps give you purpose and motivation for your training. Check off a bucket list item you wouldn’t normally do in your routine running season.
Reflect—look back on past goals and memorable race experiences, knowing they will return.
Expect the unexpected and dream—imagine that all of the gruelling mental and physical training in those harsh wintry conditions will pay off in a surprisingly big way, like a podium finish.
There’s something reassuring that the top Canadian health officials, Dr. Theresa Tam and the Honourable Patty Hajdu, have both run marathons. As runners, we should all feel good that our leaders hail from our community and that our most noble characteristics—determination, discipline, ambition and will—are shared with the health officials steering our country through an unprecedented time. Ben Kaplan, editor of iRun, spoke to Ms. Hajdu on October 21.
iRun: You know more than almost anyone else in this country about the novel coronavirus. What’s coming next for Canada and the world?
PH: That’s the most common question I get asked.
iRun: Please tell me the end—not the end of times but the end of this pandemic—is near.
PH: Obviously our scientists and researchers are trying hard to figure out what happens next and there have been some good developments on the vaccine front. Canadian scientists, and scientists around the world, are optimistic that vaccines will become another tool in our toolbelt.
iRun: What’s the biggest challenge with combatting COVID-19?
PH: We know a lot. But as we learn new things, new things happen.
iRun: What’s the current state of our world?
PH: Canada is doing OK. We had tough times in the spring, but we learned a lot and the lessons we learned are helping us manage this second surge. With regards to hospitalization and death, Canada is doing a better job now in protecting people—especially vulnerable people—who become infected with COVID-19.
iRun: Are there any signs that say we’re in better shape now than we were and the future looks bright and rosy?
PH: Everyone wants to think that, but there’s still so much we don’t know about the virus.
iRun: What causes you concern?
PH: We still don’t know the long-term impact of COVID-19 on the effect of people who become infected and the scary thing is that evidence is still emerging, so we just have to be as cautious as possible. I don’t think anyone should take COVID lightly—a lot of people get it and recover just fine, but there’s so much we don’t know.
iRun: It sometimes feels like we’re living in the Twilight Zone or an episode of the Leftovers.
PH: It feels like we’ve been living this for forever, but we haven’t really. It’s been under a year and the coronavirus is a new pathogen. Yes, there’s been good signs—hospitalization rates and death rates are going down—but it’s no less of a serious illness.
iRun: What guidelines are you personally following?
PH: Certain things that I’m doing and I know most of us are: wash your hands; stay home when you’re sick; stay six feet apart, especially indoors, and wear a mask when you’re in close quarters. We know that if we’re in a crowded place, there’s an elevated risk of spreading the disease so I always wear a mask. Personally, I’m not comfortable eating inside a restaurant, especially a small restaurant, even if the tables are distanced.
iRun: How come?
PH: It just doesn’t make me feel comfortable. If I have to socialize, I do so outside. Even a small dinner party with ten people around a table in a condo, if those people are from different parts of the city, that’s a risk I don’t feel comfortable with. People have to assess situations for themselves, but remember that this is an opportunistic virus looking for people coming together.
iRun: Who is your hero?
PH: Dr. Tam.
iRun: Mine, too.
PH: I didn’t know her before the outbreak, but she’s an impressive, solid leader and so pragmatic and really almost unflappable. Of course, she worries about Canada. She sees all Canadians as her patients, but she’s so level headed and collaborative. And I think my other heroes are the everyday moms and dads trying to make their way through this pandemic, raise their kids and work from home.
iRun: Your riding is Thunder Bay and we understand that racism is a global problem that has eroded trust in the system. What are we going to do, as a country, to create an economic and judicial system that it’s fair for everyone, especially Indigenous and Black communities?
PH: Reconciliation, in a country marked by colonialism, will always be a process, not a destination. We have to remember the past and in terms of our Indigenous community, it’s about intentional engagement. The systems and structures need to change according to the voices of Indigenous leaders. Child welfare, health legislation—to transform these systems, we need more than cultural awareness, which can amount to cultural tourism. I think we combat racism with a change in leadership from the top down.
iRun: It’s now time to pivot to you. Is it true you ran a half marathon in Vancouver in 2001?
PH: I did, and I also ran a full marathon in Minneapolis the year after that. I’ve run two marathons and countless 10-milers in Thunder Bay. In Thunder Bay, we have a wonderful 10-mile event and I used to do that every year for a long time now.
iRun: Who’s faster, you or Dr. Tam?
PH: I earn the Participation Award. Not that I was ever competitive, but there was a time when I ran in a lot of races. It was a new world for me and I enjoyed it and I’ve kept running as a tool to help with my mental and physical health.
iRun: Do you run often?
PH: Four or five times per week.
iRun: Very impressive.
PH: I often run in the mornings with my son, which is lovely. Running has been a big part of my life for 15 or 20 years.
iRun: You think it helps you help us fight the virus?
PH: People on my team laugh because I have “running thoughts,” and I get so excited. It’s a way for me to clear my head and refresh myself. Sometimes on a run when I ruminate over those sticky problems we all have, I get a new clarity of thinking: suddenly, an intractable problem gets refreshed.
iRun: So perhaps running will help save the world.
PH: There’s nothing like it, I will say that.
iRun: Last words for runners in this country?
PH: Thank you to all the people sacrificing and, as we all know, running can be pretty solitary, but it’s going to be a long winter and now is not the time to give up hope. We all need to double down on helping each other, helping the elderly and perhaps lessen our focus on ourselves. Now is the time to focus on how we can help our community.
We’ll talk to a runner who did a virtual Boston Marathon in the spring and again in the fall. Noel Paine will join us. He has a new book that is for running dads and their kids. And we’ll talk to Fay Sutherland, who took up running at 66 years old. She’s 71 now and is doing as many as 30 virtual races this year.
This chicken diner explodes with flavour – you won’t believe you made it yourself. Don’t love cauliflower? Switch it out for broccoli, peppers and mushrooms or just about any vegetable you’ve got in your fridge. Added bonus? Cooking on a single pan makes for minimal dishes come clean-up!
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) cumin
1½ tsp (7 mL) smoked paprika
½ tsp (2 mL) each turmeric and salt
¼ tsp (1 mL) each cinnamon, ginger and allspice
8 skinless boneless chicken thighs
½ cauliflower, cut into florets
1 red onion, cut in thick strips
Pinch of saPinch of salt
Sauce
2 tbsp (30 mL) each peanut butter and lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) plain yogurt
1 tsp (5 mL) tahini
1 large clove garlic, minced
Generous pinch of salt
½ cup (125 mL) each diced cucumber and diced tomato
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped parsley
Squeeze of lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
ONE: Preheat oven to 425⁰F (220⁰C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
TWO: In a largebowl, stir together oil and spices to make a paste. Add chicken and, using your hands, coat inpaste. Place chicken on one end of the baking sheet. Roast 15 minutes.
THREE: Place cauliflower and red onion on other half of the baking sheet. Sprinkle vegetables withpeanut oil and salt. Roast about 10 more minutes, stirring vegetables halfway through. FOUR: Stir peanut butter with lemon juice, yogurt, tahini, garlic and salt. Thin with water if needed.
FIVE: In a separate bowl, stir cucumber with tomato, parsley, lemon juice and a pinch of salt.Plate chicken, cauliflower and onions over rice or warmed pita. Drizzle with sauce, then sprinklewith tomato mixture.
Check out iRunNation’s IGTV for a live cooking demo of this recipe and more meal prep advice.
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