On this edition of iRun Radio:
A very inspiring story of someone who started running less than four years ago and is now training for a marathon. She says if it weren’t for running she wouldn’t be alive today.
One woman who had to scale back her running but started helping out at races.
And why hundreds of people are signing up to run a thousand kilometres this year.
Make your pasta dish shine even brighter with the addition of a poached egg which is a protein-rich addition to the vegetarian dish.
INGREDIENTS
2 poached eggs
2 cups (500 mL)spinach
2 cups (500 mL)cherry tomatoes (1 pint)
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: Once the spinach is wilted, add in the white wine (optional step) and then add in the marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. 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.
How one ultrarunner used cross country skiing in Quebec City to get a jump on her training in spring
Jennifer Coleman has never taken part in a multi-sport winter event. In February, she’ll celebrate her birthday in Quebec City at Pentathlon des Neiges’s Salomon Duathlon. As the world’s largest multi-sport event, the one-of-a-kind sports party has attracted both families and serious athletes alike from around the world to compete in categories including the Salomon Duathlon, Triathlon and Pentathlon. Athletes can compete in up to five distinct sports, like cross-country skiing, ice skating, cycling, snowshoeing and running, and can participate as individuals or as part of a team.
For an ultrarunner like Coleman, competing in the duathlon (a run, ski, run event) is a challenge on multiple levels. “As an ultrarunner who cross–country skis, I’ve found skiing has been a great cross-training option,” Coleman says. The duathlon event is a new addition to the Pentathlon des Neiges, one that Coleman believes has the ability to attract long–distance runners like her and her friends. While she’s accustomed to logging significant kilometres during her peak training, Coleman is not a fan of winter running. This makes training in Canada in the wintertime hard. Like many runners, cross–training at the gym isn’t Coleman’s first choice either, so she needed to find an alternate sport in the off–season, one that wouldn’t compromise her health and performance once ultramarathon season began.
“My husband is also a skier and wanted me to learn alpine skiing, so Nordic skiing was my initial step,” she says. With the gruelling training and expense of ultramarathon racing, Coleman is selective with the number of races she participates in, which means she needs to stay in top form all year round. As she discovered in her training, cross-country skiing has been a way to help strengthen many of the muscles she doesn’t use in running.
“I do mostly classic–style cross–country skiing, but I’m going to try to adapt to skate–style skiing, because that style works more of your hip–area muscles,” she says. Along with strengthening different muscle groups, Coleman discovered that cross–country skiing is non-impact, which reduces the pressure that long–distance runners have on their joints.
But is cross–country skiing really enough during the off–season, especially for an ultrarunner? According to Coleman, her coach encourages the variety, but also suggests that an additional workout may be required. “The uphill in cross–country skiing will make you a better trail hill runner,” says Coleman, adding: “I’ve already found that after a full season of skiing, there’s a difference in my running.”
When it comes to racing the duathlon in February, Coleman says she’s looking forward to finding out exactly what her cross–training workouts can do in a competitive event. “I want people to realize that it’s a quick sport to pick up. You don’t have to be amazing at it, but you can still have a good workout,” she says. Pushing past your limits, challenging yourself to do something different—this is what the spirit of good competition at Pentathlon des Neiges is all about. And for Coleman, and many others, seeing how far you can take yourself is the real win, no matter how you actually fare in the competition. It’s all about a great day outside in Quebec.
For more information http://www.pentathlondesneiges.com/en/competitions/salomon-duathlon
When talk started bubbling up at my kid’s school that a bunch of students and their parents were going to run the Robbie Burns 8K my heart swelled. Some of my best times running, and parenting, have been at the races, and this is both with my 8-year-old daughter and 6-year-old boy. The races bring us together and let us share something beyond homework and discipline. Joining my kids as they accomplish something difficult is a feeling that I find hard to explain. It’s showing them that they can do anything they put their heart into. It’s like a physical application of all that I preach.
8K is a serious distance. When talk began about the race, a bunch of kids were doing it, but now race day is Sunday and there’s only two left. My daughter was always circumspect. We’ve been training and she has done the distance. But it’s not always pleasant. In fact: it’s sometimes not pleasant. It’s cold outside. And anything after four kilometres is a grind. She’s done VR Pro’s 5K in Burlington on Canada Day and twice ran the 5K on Toronto Island for the SuperPower run. My son ran the Zoo Run by the Canada Running Series. That last race in particular was special. My son was having a tough time adjusting from day care to junior kindergarden. He couldn’t stand in line and couldn’t sit quietly in a circle. We were concerned and that concern manifest itself in being strict, which doesn’t come natural to me. I felt bad. But on race day, my boy grew right in front of my eyes.
Eight kilometres is much too far to run for 6-year-old Matthew. And on Sunday when my daughter and I went training, a dog jumped on her and knocked her down. She got up and continued running, but let’s just say the conditions and that stupid dog (or dog owner) have not made this Sunday’s race a walk in the park. But we’re all signed up for the event. And I know she can do it and she knows she can do it and she knows that, even when it’s hard and doesn’t feel good, that she can keep pushing forward. That if she just trudges on, eventually, she’ll reach the finish line.
I hope I’m not pushing my kids into running. We hope the decisions we make for our loved ones are good. But we’ll dress warmly for the event on Sunday and I’ll jog right beside her and we’ll walk if we have to, there’s no shame in that. But it was very exciting as the editor of iRun to hear other families get excited about running. In the winter, there’s just so much TV. I’m looking forward to getting outside with my daughter. And if you overhear someone in the playground discussing a race, maybe give it a try.
On this edition of iRun Radio:
We’ll talk to author and fitness expert Oonagh Duncan on what she calls the fit feel-good movement. Then, Josh Seifarth, who is the husband and coach of Dayna Pidhoresky, who qualified to represent Canada in the Olympic marathon. Plus, a runner who four years ago had hip replacement surgery and thought he might never run again, and now he’s back.
When you need to escape winter you run to an island.
BY: Anna Lee Boschetto
As the sun rises at the 2019 Moorea Marathon , the sky filled with hues of amber and rose quartz and it is breathtaking. So much so that when I notice the sky view out of the corner of my eye I set off the course for a moment and snap a few photos. This is the five-kilometer mark of the half marathon I’m running here in Mo’orea and I already know that this is not a race where I’m likely to score a PB and as I head back onto the course I’m perfectly alright with it. A personal best at this race is hardly the I’ve traveled nearly 20 hours to race on the Islands of Tahiti.
While some runners use destination racing as an end goal and a focus, a reason to run further or faster, that has never been my motivation. As a runner with an endless energy, the sport has given me patience and focus that you need in just about everything from family to careers, and it’s much the same with destination racing. A love of running (or any sport) can have them exploring places you might never have otherwise discovered, and that is equally as important as the competition found in sport. From running through the Rockies to the cobblestone streets of Barcelona and along the Mediterranean Sea, I’m feel as though I’m able to regenerate, find a sense of focus and ground myself as I immerse myself in the landscapes that surround me.
Despite having raced a half marathon a few weeks before, this was an entirely different race. When you have spent the first quarter of the year in the cold days of a Canadian winter, there was no preparing for the rapidly soaring temperatures. Even with an early morning start, the Mo’orea Marathon wasn’t mine for a PB but it was more than a challenging training run.
This was an eye-opening race, one for your senses in every possible way, and one where connecting with other runners would get you through to the finish line. Runners in general are a friendly, bunch with plenty of camaraderie at the start line and through out the race. On race day it felt as though Moorea’s relaxed atmosphere seemed to infuse every runner with a little extra energy, an even greater desire to connect with one another, encouraging even more cheering in those last few kilometers, where it can be tough for runners like me, who don’t reside in tropical climates.
Tahiti’s beauty is incomparable. The island vibe is second to none. From the moment I breathed in the sea salt scented air I knew I was some place special. Throughout the race, I found myself making a conscious effort to breathe in the tropical floral fragrances that mingle with the sea salt when you’re on the race course. It is a way of focusing less on the intensity of the rising heat and more on the incredible beauty that surrounds you. The Island of Tahiti’s landscape captivating display of natural wonders.
On the race course traditional Tahitian drummers and dancers contribute to the positive energy that seems to be passed on from cheering spectators and one runner to the next. At this race, you’re running on all senses, and it is renewing with every step. Carried away by the rhythm of the drums, runners are propelled on, perhaps running lighter and maybe even a little faster, even in the rising humidity.
The island of Moorea is a 30-minute boat ride from Tahiti. Local islanders commute daily between the two islands, which have distinct atmospheres—Moorea’s is a laidback one, while the intensity of urban energy is palpable in Tahiti. On Moorea, nature is your playground. From the biking along the coastline, and up through soaring mountain trails, around every bend each view is more breathtaking than the last. In the final kilometers of the race, it is the combination of the ocean tides, rugged mountains and lush tropical forests where I find a calmness and energy that keeps me going, one step at a time.
There is an energetic level of excitement in Tahiti, one that is mixed with a warm and relaxed island vibe that keeps everything in balance. More than 75, 000 tourists visit the Tahitian islands each year. Some are looking for adventure, others are looking to recharge, and everyone seems to find that Tahiti is exactly where they need to be.
As I cross the finish line, I’m conscious of the fact that I’m running on an island in the Pacific, a destination I thought I’d never get to experience. Personal goals aside that’s the thing, life and running are all about the experience and we choose what we value most, and how we enjoy it.
It’s dark on the streets of the Cayman Islands when I run my half marathon, best to beat the heat of a long December day. Living in Toronto, the concept of “beating the heat” in the winter seems almost absurd, but that’s why Canadians have flocked to this event for the last 17 years. Rhonda Kelly, the race director, says the number of Canadians participating grows every year, which is only logical—the event is a lifeboat to get from fall races to 2020 running goals. “You can always recognize the Canadians, because they’re the runners on the course with the biggest grins,” she says. “It’s one of my favourite parts of the job—seeing how happy our participants are when they arrive.”
My wife and I arrived in Grand Cayman, which is sandwiched between Jamaica and Cuba, on the Friday before the Sunday race, to acclimatize ourselves to the culture. We stayed at the Westin Hotel, swam in the ocean and ate at Pepper’s, where the jerk chicken will make you swear off pasta the night before race day. Westin Hotels have a “run concierge” program, which is almost like a tour guide for runners, and Richard Clarke, a former sprinter from Jamaica, took me on a long run Saturday morning along the sandy white beach.
“I think it’s best when you’re racing on vacation to not take the race too seriously, and make an equal effort to enjoy your time in a new place,” said Clarke. He’d recently become a new father and thus wasn’t really sleeping, but still had no trouble leaving me in his sand when we raced at the end of our run. “Coming from someplace as cold as Canada in the wintertime, I always advise runners to eat well, rest and enjoy the sun.”
Eating well is no problem on Grand Cayman, an island which bills itself as the “Culinary Capital of the Carribean.” I certainly haven’t dined extensively enough along the chain of islands to conclude that definitively, but after meals at Brasserie and especially Blue Cilantro—where we had scallops, muscles and lobster so good that we immediately had to post photos on Instagram and brag—I can conclude with no uncertainty that you will not go hungry before your race. Properly fortified, I showed up for my race Sunday morning at 4:30 a.m. not entirely weighed down with race goals. Then the gun went off, and everything changed.
Christopher Thompson is a British Olympian hoping to return to the Olympics this year. In town with his fiance, he had no intention of breaking the course record when he lined up at the starting line. However, runners are a strange breed and we really only know one thing: run as fast as we can. “The course was great and I really enjoyed myself out there. It was cool to see the local spectators and I loved the houses that were all lit up,” says Thompson, who finished in 1:07:45, setting a new record and then joining all of the other participants in a free post-race beer. “I definitely want to run the Cayman Islands Marathon next year.”
As for me, it took me a little while to get my bearings. With the early start time, I didn’t sleep much the previous evening, and the dark streets made me self-conscious about my footing. There’s a relay, half marathon and marathon distance, and for the half marathon, it’s a tidy 10.5K out and back. As the race went on, the sun began to rise, and after my turnaround point, I popped on my music. Suddenly everything—to the familiar strains of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’”—began melting away.
I smiled broadly and began to speed up, and I gave my first high-fives of the day. At the very end of the race, there was a Brit who was part of Chris Thompson’s posse, and him and I raced the last 400 metres with everything that we had. The Cayman Islands marathon is a Boston Marathon–qualifying run with top-notch timing, water stations and gels. For me, it was a chance to catch my breath and fall back in love with running. It was a thrill to be doing what I love in the beginning of December, fortifying myself for the winter running months I know will come.
For more information on the Cayman Islands Marathon, see CaymanIslandsMarathon.com.
Photographs by Jorge Rios.
On this edition of iRun Radio: Mark speaks with Evan Dunfee, who finished fourth in the 50-kilometre racewalk at the 2016 Olympics. Then, a writer who says running has helped her overcome childhood abuse shares his story. And an incredible story of an ultramarathoner who crossed the finish line with his 12-year-old son.
As we have moved into 2020 I’ve found myself reflecting a lot on 2019 and, in particular, on the best race of my life thus far. Toronto Waterfront Marathon was where I finally felt like my potential shone through, but that race didn’t come out of nowhere. After seven marathon builds, I was finally able to show-off the hard work we have been putting in (and yes, I hope to run faster). We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, so it’s fairly representative of other builds although we are always aiming to grow stronger and faster.
Josh Seifarth is both my husband and coach. We’ve been working together since 2010 when I graduated from the University of Windsor. He structures my training cycles into 2-week chunks to allow for flexibility, which is often needed during marathon training. That way, if I need an extra day to recover before a big session, I can switch things around more freely without affecting the total volume of the week. During this specific build we kept most of the 2-week blocks at 300-320 km. Below is the last five weeks of training leading into that glorious day in October. Summer training had not gone particularly well and I eventually discovered my iron was lower than usual. Once that was addressed things finally began to “not suck” — and eventually, just in the nick of time, things actually started to fall into place and running felt good again.
| 5 weeks out | |
| volume | 148 |
| key workouts | Wednesday workout: 22 km fartlek on treadmill with 10 x (4min tempo + 2min easy) Tempo @ 3:27/km Easy @ 4:40/km |
I had just raced the Eastside 10K on the Saturday before this week started. I finished fifth overall in 34:37. I felt strong during the race but didn’t have the gear necessary to run fast. It’s not an uncommon feeling in the midst of marathon training, but to finish so far behind a lot of the women who were also going to be toeing the line in Toronto was a little disheartening. My only workout this week was on the treadmill and it was a steam-room!
I like treadmill fartlek workouts because I can set it to a certain pace and then work on running that pace as comfortably as possible.
| 4 weeks out | |
| volume | 172 |
| key workouts | Sunday Workout 38 km on treadmill [4 x (5 km tempo w/ 1km recovery jog] 5 km @ 3:39-3:41/km 1 km jog @ 4:40/km Tuesday Workout 5 km warm up + 5 km cool down 15 x 1 km w/ 90s rest (all between 3:19 – 3:21) Saturday Workout 35 km on hilly road loop with 2 x10km w/ 2km recovery jog 35:33, 35:29 (3:33/3:32 pace) |
It was raining on Sunday and I was frustrated with the conditions outside so after warming up outdoors I moved to the treadmill for the rest of it. I was in a sour mood, but knew that if I was going to line up in Toronto I had to get it done. The rest of the week unfolded more smoothly with some chilled 1 km repeats and a 35 km long run workout. Marathon-paced effort was translating well during Saturday’s workout and my confidence was slowly returning.
| 3 weeks out | |
| volume | 162 |
| key workouts | Tuesday Workout 5 km warm up + 5 km cool down 8 x 2 km w/ 2:30 rest 6:53, 6:49, 6:48, 6:47, 6:49, 6:48, 6:48, 6:46 Saturday Workout 38 km on hilly road loop with 5 x (5km tempo w/ 1 km recovery jog) 17:26, 17:34, 17:31, 17:25, 17:17 |
Another solid week of training in the bank. Feeling strong on the 38 km long run and keeping things mentally engaged during those big sessions gives me confidence. I know that if I can maintain focus during the monster workouts, I can do the same during the marathon.
| 2 weeks out | |
| volume | 138 |
| key workouts | Tuesday Workout 5 km warm up + 5 km cool down 12 x 1km w/ 90s rest (all between 3:18 – 3:20) Friday Workout 25 km on hilly road loop with 15 km @ marathon pace effort 52:43 (5km splits: 17:29, 17:38, 17:36) |
With race day approaching the sessions are getting smaller. More chilled 1 km repeats were on the agenda, and more importantly I had an enjoyable 25 km long run session. My 15km at marathon-pace effort felt easy, I was talking to Josh most of the time and I definitely could have gone faster but I stuck with the plan — let’s save it for race day! Also, I was happy that Toronto’s course is much flatter than our hilly 5km road loop we were using for all our big sessions of the build.
| 1 week out | |
| volume | 88 |
| key runs | Monday Workout 5km warm up; 4 x 2km w/ 3min jog (7:10, 7:07, 7:05, 7:01)cool down until 18km Thursday Workout 13 km with 3km @ marathon pace effort (10:33) |
This week we did just enough to keep the legs engaged and prepared to run marathon pace. Monday’s workout was accompanied by lots of wind, which was frustrating but commonplace for Ontario in the fall. My taper legs felt much better during Thursday’s session. We were almost ready to go! The result: 2:29:03 (3:31/k).
Finishing first Canadian and running under the Olympic Standard of 2:29:30 ensures my place on the Canadian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2020. Goal accomplished!
For a more detailed race report you can head over to my blog at www.daynapidhoresky.com where I discuss the Toronto Waterfront Marathon 5k by 5k, all the way to breaking the tape. If you also want to be coached by Josh Seifarth you can sign up with him as your personal coach at www.Mile2Marathon.com.
The most talked about and inspiring performance of 2019 came in Vienna, Austria, when Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge covered 42.2 kilometres in less than two hours.
The two-hour marathon has long been considered one of the pinnacles—and limits—of human capability. Physiologist at Mayo Clinic Dr. Michael Joyner published a study in 1991 concluding that a 1:57:58 marathon is theoretically possible. But since 1991, and until recently, no one came even close. The two-hour marathon is not necessarily what people conceived as humanly possible, it was more of an iconic barrier because it’s a flat number (like a 4:00 mile).
In October, the Olympic marathon champion and world record holder became the first human to run below two hours for the distance, clocking 1:59:40 in a highly-controlled and planned environment. Until 2017, nobody had come within 2:57 of breaking two hours in the marathon.
It was the second such experiment for an attempt at two hours. First, in 2017, three men including Kipchoge chased two hours on a Formula One race track in Monza, Italy, with the Kenyan narrowly missing the mark by 26 seconds. He ran 2:00:25.
This year, a few refinements and adjustments were made in an effort to make conditions faster for Kipchoge. For one, Kipchoge was the sole owner of the spotlight, and a team of world-class runners who acted as his personal pacers, each taking turns to help break the wind, aided him. His fuelling strategy was also improved to ensure he did not run out of glycogen in the latter stages of the race.
In terms of global reach, the live stream has been viewed more than 5.1 million times since it aired on October 11. (The original “Breaking 2” National Geographic documentary also garnered millions of views, but has mysteriously been set to private on YouTube.)
For some, this effort was seen as a wasted attempt at a marathon because conditions did not adhere to world-record regulations. Firstly, the attempt was not part of a race, it was a glorified (and thrilling) time trial. Who knew watching one man run for two consecutive hours against no one but himself, and the clock, could be thrilling? Second, the method in which he was handed his drinks was not record-compliant. Third, among others, was the pacing technique, where athletes acted as rabbits who did not start at the same time as Kipchoge.
Hindsight is 20/20 in this case, but some hoped Kipchoge had instead run the 2019 Berlin Marathon one month before his sub-two attempt. This is because Kenenisa Bekele, the greatest all-around men’s distance runner of all time, had run 2:01:41, two seconds off Kipchoge’s official world record. Prior to the race, no one had much faith in Bekele, because of his recent poor performances. If Kipchoge had run Berlin, we may have witnessed the greatest duel ever seen in a road race. But none of that matters now, because Kipchoge has become a modern-day Roger Bannister. He is the first, though one hopes not the last.
Kipchoge’s performance was an inspiring display of athleticism and sportsmanship among his peers, who were as excited as he was when he shattered the barrier. To put a 1:59:40 marathon into perspective, consider this: the pacing equates to 2:50 per kilometre, 4:34 per mile, 28:21 per 10K, and 59:50 per half marathon. Many of these times would be near impossible for any mere mortal to run just once, let alone twice, or 42 times—sprinting a marathon at those speeds seems absurd.
Next, we may see experiments where sub-two-hour attempts will occur within sanctioned races, like Boston, Berlin, or maybe even a race here in Canada. Eliud Kipchoge showed the world that the times they are a changin’. His winning personality only makes the whole thing that much more sweet.
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