On this edition of iRun Radio:
With events being cancelled all over the world, we’re trying to provide a little hope and inspiration for you this week. We’re sharing three interviews with incredible runners who have done amazing things and have a great perspective. Maybe it will help us all enjoy our next run and think ahead to our next race when this is all over.
In 2014, I published a book entitled Feet, Don’t Fail Me Now. Not sure if you people are movie fans, but Jesse Eisenberg, from Zombieland and The Social Network, said it was “equal parts inspiring and practical.” At the time, I was covering music for the National Post and got into the habit of asking every musician I interviewed to recommend some running tunes. For the next week or so, I’m going to share some of my favourite responses.
JUSTIN BIEBER
Bieber lifts five times a week for 45-minutes each session, and spends every other day working on his abs, according to Men’s Health. When I met him, he had a security guard the size of a cyclops and there were screaming fans outside his hotel. These are his two picks:
Dirty Diana, Michael Jackson. “Michael’s definitely my biggest influence and this song’s good for its crazy energy. This song’s really special, up-tempo, and it’s my best pick for a great running tune.”
You Make Me Wanna, Usher. “I think almost everything Usher makes it great. This is one of my favourite of his jams.”
SLASH
“I hate running,” Slash told me. “I run, but I hate it. I run to get it over with. I hate exercise.” Still, the Guns N’ Roses guitarist was generous with his time and picked songs that are guaranteed to get your heartbeat up.
Reign in Blood, Slayer. “That’s my favourite Slayer record, but any of them will do you well.”
Lamb of God & Mastodon. “These are really heavy musicians. If you want to run up a mountain, I’d plug into either of them.”
[Note: that image isn’t the real Axl and Slash. That’s runners in costume running in England; plus, I don’t think the guys spend time together when they’re not being paid.]
LIONEL RICHIE
Lionel Richie is a runner and he said, “When I’m running, I see the world differently. It’s like there’s a fog, but when I get out there, the fog opens up.” Richie listens to Johnny Cash, Cream and Marvin Gaye when he runs. But he has one favourite running song of all time.
Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin. “It changes and keeps going—it has no restrictions and keeps opening up. When I’m running through the prism of that music, like the song, I feel like I can keep going for days.”
André Picard, at the Globe & Mail, has become the most trusted print journalist in the country and his calls on the novel coronavirus generally predate the government’s announcements by about three weeks. Picard, a veteran of 75 half marathons, based in Montreal, and the author of Matters of Life and Death, spoke with iRun editor Ben Kaplan.
You’ve been tracking this coronavirus since at least January. What’s surprised you the most about this horrible disease?
It seems like years ago since the whole thing started, but really it’s only been a few months. I think, like for most of us, it came slowly and then really fast all at once. I’ve covered lots of new disease outbreaks over the years and with each of them, they could be big or they could be nothing. With this, we watched what was happening closely in China, and then it built in Italy and Spain, then gradually concern turns to fear.
You’re a runner, so you know how much weight is behind this question, so answer carefully: is running outdoors safe?
It’s one of the best things to do.
I hope they don’t take that away from us. I don’t know what I would do.
Then do social distancing, please — no running in packs. Our group in Montreal doesn’t run together anymore, but we’re looking forward to getting back together again when we can, and are in touch online.
What are you seeing on your runs?
Way more runners than I’ve ever seen out on the trails before. Lots of new runners and you can always spot them, because they’re not always dressed exactly right, but you have to applaud the effort and it reminds me why I love to run.
Montreal has become Canada’s hotbed for the virus. What’s the feeling like out on the streets?
It’s quiet, and people are respecting the social distancing, but it’s a beautiful day out today and that’s going to be a hard thing to maintain when it’s spring—Canadians really embrace spring and the patios should be open now and the restaurants are closed, so self-isolation is going to continue being a struggle as we move further into spring.
What can we do to bring this disease to its end?
I think the key thing is everyone has to do their part. It’s not easy to be at home and if you’re stuck with your kids and they’re bored, it’s touch, but it’s much better than the alternative. A doctor I interviewed had a good line: we’re not trapped at home, we’re staying home where we’re safe.
And getting out for our solo runs.
That’s right, but also remember that healthcare workers have to go in and put themselves at risk, the least we can do is do nothing. Even for runners, there’s very few instances in our lives where we can do the good thing by sitting on the couch watching Netflix.
And when we’re not watching Tiger King, when we’re running, what should we do?
Keep doing it. And, OK, runners like to spit a lot, but maybe keep the spitting to a minimum. You obviously shouldn’t be sharing drinks and wash your hands when you come back from you run, but I think it’s important for our mental health to get out there. The key thing is: don’t break the rules. If you’ve traveled, you have to self-isolate.
Should we be pushing ourselves?
That’s a tough question. Runners always think they’re invincible. ‘Oh, it’s a mild pneumonia, I can still do my long run.’ I would say don’t do any of that these days.
Runners have a tendency to be macho.
Right, and we don’t have to be so macho all the time; all of our races are being cancelled, so we can leave our watches at home. It’s a good time to dial things back and simplify.
What pisses you off about Canada’s response to the pandemic?
It frustrates me when people are dismissive. You know, ‘This is no worse than the flu.’ That’s not very thoughtful and what I’ve seen is that after someone says that, when someone in their family gets sick, they swing to the other extreme. I think our reactions have been reasonable. It’s not organized enough coast to coast to coast, but we’re balanced between shutting everything down and making Canada a bearable place to live.
People don’t like being told what to do.
The more severe the measures, the shorter they’ll be.
Who are your heroes?
The every day workers who are doing essential services. A pandemic makes us realize how much stuff we take for granted, like the janitors in the hospitals who are the great unsung heroes as much as the nurses and doctors and the personal support workers who are so crucial to older people and they’re putting themselves at risk day to day for fifteen bucks an hour.
Working around the clock like you do, do you still get time to run?
I get out and exercise. Of course, I spend too much time on that computer, but I do that normally. My friends would say I invented social distancing many years ago. I’m not the most sociable person; like a lot of runners, I tend to be solitary.
Why is running important right now?
For a change of scenery; for mental health. The mental health aspect couldn’t be more overstated—what’s more beautiful then Montreal in the spring? My home is near Mount Royal and I see people running by my house all day long. Families going by every day—a mum and dad and three kids—and maybe they’re not “runners,” but it’s wonderful to see them out there, people who never had that opportunity to get outside together, people used to commuting in their cars, I hope people take something from this and do it afterwards. We all know how great running is.
You’ve been prescient about this thing thus far; here’s the billion dollar question—when is this going to end?
Summer. In the summer, we’ll have a sense of normalcy.
Will school return?
Parents hate this, but forget about the school year and plan on the summer holidays—they’ll be well deserved.
And when can we get out again racing?
One of the saddest things is I was signed up for the Vancouver half marathon and was going out there with a big group, but when that was cancelled, my race plans, like everyones, went off the rails. There’s also been a lot of stress eating, so when can we get out racing? Not soon enough, but it will happen, I assure you, once again.
Follow André Picard on Twitter, right here.
With the weather warming up, this recipe gives you the perfect reason to fire up the grill. Using a simple list of ingredients for the marinade and salad dressing, you can add your favourite combination of vegetables and salad greens for a healthy lunch or dinner that’s ready in 30 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
Lemon Oregano Dressing:
DIRECTIONS
ONE: In a shallow dish, whisk together oil, lemon rind and juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Add turkey breast and turn to coat well. Let stand for 15 minutes or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, turning once.
TWO: Place turkey breast on greased grill over medium high heat and grill, turning once for about 15 minutes or until no longer pink inside and juices run clear. Remove to cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into cubes.
FOR THE DRESSING
ONE: Lemon Oregano Dressing: In a bowl, whisk together oil, lemon zest and juice, oregano, salt and pepper; set aside.
TWO: In a large bowl, combine cucumber, tomatoes, onion and olives. Toss with dressing and stir in cubed turkey and parsley to serve. Sprinkle with feta, if using.
Some say it takes a minimum of 21 days to form a new habit. After a quick Google search I learned that it takes more than two months, 66 days on average, before a new behaviour becomes automatic.
We are into our third week of this pause on life due to this terrible COVID-19 pandemic. For those of us at home, we are getting used to new routines. Many of us are certainly not experiencing the same life as our highly valued and precious health care professionals, battling it out for 12+ hours at a time. When I see the videos and social media messages, my heart aches for what they are enduring. Like many, I wonder what I can do to help. The message seems loud and clear, “Stay at home.”
Other than my daily runs and short walks, I have only ventured out a few times — to get milk, dog food, and groceries. I must say that each time it feels bleak, grim, eerie. I regularly keep up to date with the news, which seems to always be changing due to our state of emergency, and yet staying the same with the continual rise in the number of new cases. We keep doing as we should — washing our hands, covering our sneezes and coughs, not touching our face with unclean hands, avoiding close contact with people who are unwell, keeping a physical distance of 2 m from others, and staying home. And we wait.
Training. Can I call it that?
Many athletes have appropriately adjusted their training, given there are no competitions in the near future. For some, it’s a welcome opportunity to enjoy the downtime, allow niggles or injuries to heal, seek out new ways to stay fit, or focus on strengthening areas of weakness. For others, the timing could not have been worse.
So what does it look like for me?
At this point in the year I’d be in my peak weeks, logging 180+ km with long, hard-effort workouts just prior to tapering for a mid-April marathon. Instead I went as low as 130 km this past week with reduced workouts. After realizing the athletics world would essentially be shut down, I didn’t want to stop abruptly yet had to adjust. With the training plan from Reid [Coolsaet, her coach] that I was well-adapting to and enjoying, I wanted to keep my newly established habits in place. The more consistent strides were stimulating my legs at the end of long runs (where I sometimes shuffle), the strength and core work made me feel like I had more drive and power, and I was finally not dreading and actually able to do tuck jumps as part of my after workout drills. In order to keep this freshness alive while realizing the necessity to take everything back a bit, I decided I’d reduce these activities at least once a week, only more if I felt like it. I’m happy with this modified routine, which continues following a 9-day plan, giving me two recovery days between hard or long sessions.
The mileage and workouts are built more like a 10K training plan, which may prove beneficial to change up my marathon after marathon pattern. The training gives me something to look forward to, is often the highlight of my day, makes me feel purpose, and allows me to maintain some fitness, while not being overly taxing, physically or mentally. I’ll even include another 10 km time trial/virtual race to keep that racing feel alive. If fall marathons roll as planned, I will take a very easy week before starting my 12-week build for the September 14th Boston Marathon. And I will gradually return to double run days, periodizing my diet, and the best part—running with friends. Something new I have been doing is a 10 minute circuit with my 9-year-old daughter when I return from my morning run. It often gets her off the couch and out of her pyjamas and is something we enjoy doing together. Each session ends with one more push up than the day before.
In the Kitchen and at the (home) Theatre
We’ve been using up odd items in the pantry and freezer in order to minimize trips to the grocery store and because we can take more time to bake and cook. I found a container of apple slices in our deep freezer so we made some applesauce and apple crisp, which didn’t last long.
I’m not a big movie-watcher but do enjoy a good documentary. On the weekend when it was a bit rainy we enjoyed “Unstoppable,” the story of surfer Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm when attacked by a shark as a teen. And, “The Biggest Little Farm,” about a couple who move from the city and raise money to start a biodiverse farm.
I continue to post a picture of my daily coffee cup (so far, a new one each time) followed by a story on Instagram about the day before. Feel free to follow along if interested. I keep it positive and have received some very kind messages about how it has helped some people during these tough times.
Stay well, friends. And stay at home!
At any other moment in human history, at least, with regards to running, people would be stopping the presses to discuss the new ASICS Meta-Racer, the most advanced ASICS sneaker of all-time. With a 9mm drop and weighing 155g per shoe (the men’s weighs 190g), the Meta-Racer has the carbon-plate technology and lightweight and highly functional FlyteFoam midsole. It’s a shoe that’s been designed in the ASICS Institute of Sports Science in Kobe, Japan.
“They were great on the roads and track,” said Deena Kastor, the American women’s half marathon record holder (1:07:34). “My coach said my stride looked fantastic while running in them.”
Designed with the elite racer in mind, the shoe, quotes ASICS in their press release, “Gives you speed, saves you energy, and protects your body over distance like no other running shoe.”
iRun was going to test the Meta-Racer in Japan, but obviously that’s currently out of the question. However, the company did send out a virtual reality press kit that’s among the most impressive thing these 45-year-old eyes have seen.
Emma Bates, 12-time All American, said this about the shoes: “Running in my Meta-Racer, towards the end of the marathon I definitely felt less fatigued; especially the muscles in my quads weren’t as tired as they normally are.”
ASICS is one of the world’s best known running brands. When our races return, we know many runners will be wearing the METARACER™.
The Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon announced yesterday that it’s plan for their cancelled 2020 race is to offer a free virtual race and 50% off 2021’s registration fee for all currently registered participants. The Ottawa Marathon is an advertiser in iRun and our founder, Mark Sutcliffe, sits on the race’s board. (The race also uses Sportstats for timing, and that’s our parent company). That said, we spoke to Ian Fraser, Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon’s race director, in his first year on the job, and asked him to respond to the online criticisms. I do think it’s worth mentioning that early online criticisms may not represent the opinions of runner’s at large, and may be the vocal minority. With all that said, we put some of the most stinging online complaints to Ian Fraser.
733 runners have signed a petition on Change.Org to get a refund on their race fees. What do you say to those runners?
They need to come on a journey with us. And understand that the survival of our community is hanging in the balance. If we don’t survive there will be no Ottawa Race Weekend.
Have the registration fees already been spent?
Yes, and it’s important for people to understand where their dollars ago and when. We’re a 12-month operation and start incurring costs from the second the previous year’s race ends. We have paid for 33,000 T shirts, 33,000 medals. We were tracking for 33,000 participants and stopped registration at 18,000—so we already in the hole.
How much?
We’ve probably laid out 75% of our costs, if not more, and we’ve recouped just over half of our revenue. We would like nothing better than to put on this event, we would also like to survive. And not only is this not just about us, but all the small and medium-sized businesses that do contractual work with us: Sportstats, our event design people, they’ve been partially paid for their work and they have families to feed and they go into the same grocery stores as our participants. We’re not sitting on a pile of cash that we’ve hoarded because we don’t want to give it back. We just can’t.
Why do you think people are having such an emotional response?
We do this because we love running and we love this event and we’re people-people and for us to go forward, we have to strike a balance and we’re as disappointed as any one of our vocal critics, but we’re living in a time when all kinds of family and businesses are having to make compromises and difficult decisions. Things are being cancelled and the ground is moving under us day after day so finding ways that we can connect and move forward I think as a societal goal is imperative; for our race organization and beyond that, for society at large.
Someone on social media wrote: “This is absolutely unacceptable. We are all living through this crisis and although the organizations are counting on these funds, a lot of families are now counting or getting their money back for events that are cancelled. A reimbursement should definitely be provided to all participants.”
We’re trying hard to strike a balance. Do you as a participant want us to be here in subsequent years? Would you like us to carry on the event? If the majority of people say we don’t care if this ever goes on again, just give us our money back, I would listen, but I can guarantee that’s not how the majority of our participants feel.
Are you hearing a bunch of other stuff as well, positive comments about the fluid situation?
For all the negative comments we’ve had, we’ve had a steady stream of comments from Run Ottawa, from the running community at large, the general world of running; all of them saying that they understand, that we all need a place to run and events like ours have to survive. If it was different, we would handle things differently, but right now, today, we can not survive under any other kind of circumstance.
This person said: “I will avoid this race in the future. And I hope many will think twice about signing up again. You could have postponed this event. Other options should have been considered. You definitely took along enough to decide! Not cool at all! But I am only one person…..here’s hoping more will boycott this event in the future.”
I hope I don’t sound too strident, because all of this is difficult for me, but let’s address this. On the timing of the decision, we weren’t late in making the decision. When we announced, we were roughly eight weeks out from the event. When you look at another races taking place in the spring, a whole bunch of them made their decision in the same window, races like Boston, London, Around the Bay, the Vancouver Marathon. I don’t want to cast stones at anybody, but did we take too long? Absolutely not. Did we take our time so we could look at every option? Absolutely.
What goes in to putting a race of 33,000 people over two days?
For two days, we shut down for two days a city of a million people; Ottawa is the fourth largest city in Canada and for the race, we have a medical volunteer team of 250 people; we have a mobile hospital on site and all those considerations weigh in on the decision.
What about putting on the race in the fall?
Is it responsible to try and put on an event in the fall when no one has any idea if the world will be in a better place? Is it fair to double disappoint people? We want to provide our participants with clarity. We owed them clarity and by postponing to the fall, it wasn’t a point of clarity.
Here someone wrote in with virtual run critique: “It’s becoming increasingly difficult to run safely while social distancing. This will likely become more challenging and frowned upon by public health in the weeks to come. It may even be restricted.”
First of all, we’re all living in a world of COVID-19 time. If you look back six weeks ago and think about what we we’re doing, you would never imagine we’d be in such times. By the time our virtual race begins, May 31 to the end of the summer, social distancing could be tighter, it also could become more relaxed. What’s essential is we want everyone to follow the health regulations. For now, that means running solo. Above all else, we want to take people’s health and safety into consideration. We’re mindful that no one knows where this is going — we are not encouraging people to use our actual routes; we will be encouraging people to choose safe routes near their house. It’s hugely incumbent upon people to be smart, and I think people are. Have you been out lately? There are so many runners out; people who clearly were not runners before this started. I think we need to talk about some good news.
Let’s talk about some.
Use running as a mental health tool; as a metaphor for how we deal with stress, so many important things and that makes Ottawa Marathon’s survival more important. I know this community because I live it and I know it’s a positive community built on great spirit and great vibes and we should focus on that and people should know where every cent of their dollar is actually going and how it’s working right now. I’d also like to say that our Scotiabank Charity Challenge will be extended throughout the summer and that gives so many people a greater opportunity to become donors throughout the summer.
We’ve been friends since you started and I’ve always admired you. How are you personally holding up?
I had a shitty day yesterday and this morning hasn’t been much better, but I love my community and I love this event and I apologize if we can’t provide a perfect solution to everybody, but we’re human beings and doing the best we can to keep this Canadian institution alive.
While we are all trying to keep our social distance we still have to eat. Let’s face it most of us aren’t meal prepping at home on a regular basis, which means that our pantry is probably not as well stocked as it could be. So we’ve got the food items for your quarantine kitchen, the ones that will require you to hit up the grocery store a less frequently while keeping every in your home well fed. Plus we’ve included recipes that will use these ingredients to make meal prep even easier.
Full of Beans
The stars of any meatless meal, dried beans and lentils are long lasting and much easier to prepare than you might think. Although canned are just fine, if you haven’t checked out the dried beans and lentil section of the grocery aisles before, you’ll find an endless variety, each one adding a different flavour and texture to your dishes. Beyond being a terrific vegan and vegetarian go-to ingredient, beans and lentils also work well in turkey tacos, beef stews and salads, as well as the main ingredient in a variety of appetizer type dips and spreads.
TRY THIS RECIPE: Vegetarian Tacos
Get Frozen
While the frozen foods section has a good selection of convenient yet unhealthy options, there are some healthy ones. We all would reather fresh produce, we get it, but at times like these when we all want to minimize our trips to the grocery stores, it’s important to remember that frozen garden varieties still offer the same vitamin and nutrient benefits as their fresh counterparts. In short, that broccoli in your freezer section was likely picked at its peak, then flash frozen to retain all the nutrients you expect from cruciferous vegetables. This is also a cost-effective way to try different type of vegetables to extend far beyond that mixed bag of carrots, peas and corn.
TRY THIS RECIPE: Warm Brussels Sprout Slaw
Freshly Picked
When it comes to fresh fruits, make your choices as wisely as avoiding the boxed pizzas in the frozen food section. Opt for fruits with a longer shelf life which include apples and citrus fruits. Fresh berries are not in season this time of year anyway, which means you’re doling out a small fortune for those strawberries in the produce department. Taking a stroll through the frozen produce section, you’ll find a variety of berries, all ready for your smoothies, breakfast cereal or whatever you’re cooking up.
TRY THIS RECIPE: Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins
Go Fish!
From tuna salads to crab cakes (yes, crab in a can is a thing) you don’t need fresh fish and in fact in some recipes the canned varieties work even better. With many types of fish available in cans, there options are endless and don’t require a ton of prep to get a meal on your table. When it comes to flavoured varieties, take a close look at the nutrition label as some flavours are higher in sodium than others.
TRY THIS RECIPE: Super Easy Crab Cakes
Pasta Time
As a runner pasta is probably already in your pantry. If it’s not it should be. Pasta is one of the most-cost effective meals that also offers endless options simply by changing the variety of noodle and by changing the sauce. Whether it’s a simple tomato sauce or a more complex pesto, pasta can always play a part recipes that suit just about every eater in the house. And when we’re all stuck in the house as we currently are, this really matters most.
Got Nuts
Nut butters or nuts, which ever you prefer having either or both on hand can make a big difference for nearly every meal. When it comes to sauces, dressings and marinades almond, peanut and cashew butters add a richness in many asian recipes. Chopped nuts also make a great addition in salads, vegetable side dishes, and homemade granola recipes. And let’s face it both make an easy post-run snack when you need something fast.
TRY THIS RECIPE: No-Bake Breakfast Squares
Anna Lee Boschetto is a regular iRun contributor, health and wellness writer and content producer.
By Pamela Mazzuca Prebeg BSc. Kin
Let’s be honest, if you are training for a big race, whether it’s your first 10K or your 10th marathon, you don’t have a lot of free time to be hitting the gym. But you do recognize the importance of resistance training so how do you do it all? Two words -combination movements. Combination movements are multitasking exercises that basically combine two different exercises into one super move to maximize results by torching calories and building total body strength in half of the time.
If you only have time for one exercise, give the Squat, Curl and Press a try. This one exercise is a total body workout that really targets your legs, glutes, shoulders and arms. If you don’t have a set of dumbbells you can always try using soup cans or full 1L water bottles.
Squat, Curl and Press
How to do it: Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip width apart. Holding a dumbbell in each hand and let your arms hand by your sides. Squat down by bending your knees and pushing your bum back, as if you were going to sit down in a chair, until your thighs are parallel to the ground. If this causes any pain in your knees try squatting down only half way, always work within your pain free range of motion. Squeezing your glutes, stand back up while simultaneously curling the dumbbells up to your shoulders by bending your elbows and then, while keeping your abs tight, press the dumbbells up over your head. Hold for a second and then lower the dumbbells back to the start position by reversing the movement of your arms. Repeat. Do 2-3 sets of 15-20 reps.
Many of us had goal races postponed and are sitting on peak training shape with no place to express our fitness. And almost all of us are feeling some mixture of anxiety and disappointment as our routines have been completely torpedoed. Dr. Kate Hays, whose psychology practice in Toronto, The Performing Edge, focuses on sport psychology and mental performance training for performing artists, is founder and co-director of the Psyching Team for the Toronto Marathon. We asked her to help us to stay in fighting shape—emotionally—when we’re not sure when we’ll race again, or even be through with this crisis. She gave us nine tips that will help you, today.
1. Breathe: You know the importance of deep breathing for optimal running performance. It’s the key to managing tension as well, whether by itself or as part of a meditation practice. Make sure you do it properly—and always start with a long slow exhale. (Your body will take care of the inhale.)
2. Do the opposite of your natural inclination:
* If you tend to over-react at times of stress, limit your intake of news, learn or practice deep breathing..
* If you tend to under-react, make sure you get accurate information from medical/health care professionals.
* If your natural response to stress is anger, remember that anger is often based on fear. How can you acknowledge and then address the fear?
* If you respond to stress by turning inward and becoming depressed, turn to others (at a distance). Remember that while physical distance is critical, social connection is as well.
3. Remember to be kind—to others and yourself. We’re all in this together. We make mistakes. Forgive others—and yourself. And thank someone for something every day.
4. What are you thankful for? What gives you joy? What did you notice that is beautiful? Create a new habit to write down three things at the end of every day. It’s one to continue, even after this crisis has ended.
5. Exercise daily. If you’re in an area where you can run, go for it—just do it alone. Stairs? Create a workout. Recognize the value of strength training to your running routine. Physical activity is as important to our mental well-being as it is to our physical state.
6. Maintain an attitude of curiosity. What am I learning? It might be about yourself, a new activity, your family’s interaction, how to work from home…the possibilities are endless.
7. Create a schedule for yourself, one that includes both work and leisure. Having a sense of routine and predictability amid all the change is important. At the same time, allow for some flexibility.
8. Set goals for yourself. Various plans and goals have gone up in smoke for now, but adjust old ones or create new ones, whether it’s new race goals or improvement in some aspect of your life. The best goals are often “SMART”: specific, measureable, achievement focused, realistic, and set within a timeframe.
9. And the most important piece, the one you’re especially skilled at: Pace yourself. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Where are the “water stops”? How do you handle “hills”? What can you do now to limit “bonking”? Use the skills you have in pacing your running to apply to your life in general.
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