#139 The Not So Simple Thing

Recently I wrote a post where I highlighted a few (okay, a lot) of the tips, advice and rules I believe are essential to successful running and racing.

However, I took some slack (mostly and deservedly from my coach) for a massive oversight among the things I mention. And in light of my current situation in which I struggle daily with a stubborn, stiff and sticky hip/groin, I would like to make an important addition to my list and fittingly, provide it with its very own post. This "Golden Rule" being:

Stay healthy!

You can't run, train or race if you're injured. And you really shouldn't run or race if you're in considerable pain and discomfort. Minor aches and pains are all part of the process but major injuries, chronic pain and and ongoing issues will ultimately derail your training and all but inhibit your ability to improve.

Staying healthy sounds simple but it's actually anything but. It takes a great deal of consideration for everything from what, when and how much you eat, to how well and often you sleep, to what you do every minute and every hour that you're not running and training. 

Staying healthy means stretching, massaging, rolling and icing before and after each run. 

It means staying well hydrated and eating the right foods at the right time in order to fuel and recover from your training. 

It means seeing specialists (physios, chiros, sports docs, etc.) when you don't know what's wrong or need additional help getting back on track.

It means being educated and informed on the basic and not-so-basic aspects of running and training. 

It means supplementing your running with cross-training, strengthening or no training at all. 

It means developing a support team and learning from the experience of others.

It means taking time to rest and recover and realizing when you're pushing too hard. 

It means recognizing and accepting your own individual strengths, weaknesses and limits and not letting your goals, ego or determination get the best of you. 

Ultimately, staying healthy takes considerable time and energy, commitment and effort. And that's also why we often ignore it and take it for granted. Yet when we lose it, when it declines, or when we can't run or train as much as we want to, it immediately becomes our greatest and primary concern. It should always be our primary concern.

There is no simple way to stay healthy. There is no one thing we can do. I can't tell you how to stay healthy, but I insist you do everything possible to do it. It will be worth it. 

#138 The Simplest Thing

I've been running, training and racing for several years now and during that time have achieved a relative degree of success. 

I'm not a pro, nowhere near elite and very rarely win races, but having become a student of the sport and learned a great deal from others, I possess a specific set of skills, knowledge and experience on what it takes to run, train and race well and on how to improve. And because I often see and hear others giving, receiving and acting out bad advice and information, I'd like to share and impart with you what I feel it takes to be and become a better* runner.

Here then are a few (perhaps debatable) running, training and racing tips that I ascribe to and which I believe to be true:

1. Run more. Mileage matters most of all and less is rarely more. Rest and recovery are of course important but if, when and what you can, adding more mileage to your weekly, monthly and annual training will go the furthest in helping you to improve.

2. Consistency is king. Success in running is about the accumulation of training over weeks, months and even years. Becoming better takes time and small incremental improvements should be the ultimate goal. Staying healthy and injury-free is then of utmost importance and all actions should consider this outcome.

3. Speed is essential, but also overrated. I am not a fast runner. I suck at speed training. I do it of course and so should you, but running faster in practice does not necessary translate into automatic improvement. Running too fast on easy days is the number one thing that can hold you back from realizing your true potential. Specific runs, namely workouts and long runs, do require speed training in some form. Long intervals, hills, pick-ups/fartleks and track repeats all have their place in a successful training program. Know why, when and how to use them.

4. Know how you recover. Some believe that (passive) rest is best, but I am all about active recovery. After a 20+ mile run on Sunday, I get up on Monday morning and run 10 miles. I don't like taking days off and only do so when absolutely required (for injury or tapering). There are more ways to recover than running less and running more may in fact be the most effective.

5. Races are for racing. When I sign up for a race, I race it! I aim to give it my all and see where I'm at regardless of whether I like the outcome or not. Bad races do and will happen: they need too. But I don't make excuses for a poor performance or a bad race. Excuses don't serve anyone and are all too convenient to depend upon.

6. Mental training and the right attitude are key. Not only do I strive for consistency with training, I also actively train to be more mentally tough. I know where I'm at and train at my current ability (not the one I want to be)! I visualize success, reflect on past training, set ambitious but reasonable goals and can adapt and endure when things don't go to plan. Learn how to persevere and have perspective on yourself as a runner.

7. Don't be obsessive (about the little things). I am/can be neurotic about some aspects of training (you have to be), but generally I do not preoccupy myself with minor details. What I eat, when, how much sleep I get, what gear I use? Those are mostly insignificant to success. Know your body and do the things that work for you as often as you can.

8. Stuff is stuff and it doesn't make a (big) difference. As anyone does, I definitely have my favourites, but I also have no allegiance to any particular brand or product. There's no such things as a superior shoe, shirt or energy chew. Again, find what works for you.

9. You can't do it alone. Training with a group, a club, a team or even a training partner will provide accountability, support, and a shared experience. We often overvalue ourselves and our abilities, but running and training with others will put things in perspective and provide the much needed motivation and desire to endure, compete and improve.

10. You're only as good as your numbers. It's very easy to state grand goals, attempt tough workouts and retrospectively come up with excuses for why you failed, but if being a better runner is your ultimate aim, you have to do the work and perform when it counts. You are only as good as your last race and will only be remembered for your fastest one.

*An assumption/bias I always have is that being a better runner means running faster, farther and enjoying the process in a healthy and sustainable way.

#66: Words of Love

The post-marathon blues set in...

Now that the marathon is over, I've been forced to face a lot of things that I put off for far too long leading up to Sunday. I am now faced with the immediate prospects of having to move out of my home of three years, start a new (essentially full time) job, finally finish and defend my MSc thesis as well as several other responsibilities/obligations I have taken on for myself (bitten off more than I can chew?). To make matter worse, I am currently physically and mentally drained and have limited motivation to move forward but know that I must. 

And yet all I seem to want to do is relive over and over the seconds, minutes and hours of past glory...

You really can't imagine how completely happy I was on Sunday not only for myself and the incredible result I got but for all my friends and team mates who I got to share it with. It isn't just about personal satisfaction but group satisfaction. Anyone who sets a difficult goal and then works so hard for so long to accomplish it will know precisely what I mean and we runners are unique in our ability to do this. 

It was an amazing day that unfortunately had to end and waking up on Monday, I couldn't help but be a bit saddened by the fact that the long adventure had come to a close, that the journey had concluded and it was now time to move on. The post-marathon blues had already set in.

So many mornings I had woken up knowing I had to run a certain distance or do a specific workout that would all eventually lead to the one day where all the hard work and dedication would be put to one final test. Now that the day is over and the test successfully passed, it's hard to wake up with little to do but sit still, to rest and recover and think about the next journey, the next goal and the long road ahead...

I can however look back and take note of everything I did which led to my success in hope that I can emulate it again in the future as well as to share it with others, with you, who share my passion for personal improvement and satisfaction through the sport of distance running.

So here are just some of the things that undoubtedly let to my success this season and which I hope you can adopt and learn from:

1. A training plan. Rob Campbell put together one hell of a program for us to follow and I was extremely fortunate to be able to follow it almost perfectly. I won't give away our secrets but it involved a huge amount of mileage (more than 10 miles every day for 18 weeks; 2100k total), strategic doubles, pick-ups during long (but not too long) runs, speed and strength specific workouts, tune-up races and even the occasional day off. Needless to say, following the program took a tonne of hard-work, commitment, dedication, organization, sacrifice, persistence, and physical and mental energy/effort.

2. A training group. I would guess that I ran more than a third (66%) of my mileage with a group, predominantly Doyle and Darren, my training partners and best friends. But also with the guys at Longboat (Rob C, Roger, Davey, Bellamy, the Belg, Metz, Gerardo, Hiddleston, Simion, Simon and several others). This was essential for nailing tough workouts and for the long runs but also immensely helpful for knocking off the easy and recovery runs especially on double days. I'm not sure I would ever train as hard as I do without these guys pushing me constantly and as a source of inspiration and motivation. The group/club environment is vital for being a better runner and it certainly made the difference this time. Thank you Longboat.

This photo is so cool that I had to add it. From left: Rob Campbell (2:47 at age 52!), Jutta Merilainen (2:47, women's winner) and Anthony Davey (2:45 at 49). Simply amazing.

3. Tune-up races. As mentioned, I ran 5 races (RB, Chilly Half, ATB, Good Friday and Yonge St) during the training period and was allowed to run them "all out" in order to test my fitness and see my progress/improvements as well as test eventual race strategy and fuelling. I managed to PB each and every race which indicated that it was going to be a good season and the results were used to calculate what I might expect come marathon day. Racing is also just great fun especially with the group/club and is always something I look forward too. It's a skill that like everything else, needs to be practised and fine-tuned.

4. Diet. I'm not particular crazy about my diet but I do eat pretty healthy and make sure I am eating well and staying properly fuelled (and hydrated) for running. I had an iron deficiency that likely effected my running last year and I stayed on top of this time by getting my levels tested and taking supplements when needed. I reintroduced lean red meat sources and found foods that increased the supply and absorption of iron and it made a massive difference. I drink a lot of beer which I feel is an important part of the socialization process and so I wouldn't dare cut back on that. Note: I try to avoid all hard alcohol and especially shots! I also cut out candy which I used to eat leisurely and think this may have had a small (positive) impact. Lots of carbs for sure, especially breads, naan, chilli and crunchy PB is a staple for me!

5. Weight. I don't obsess about it (I used too!) and not owning a scale means I only sporadically check it, but keeping one's weight in check is surely important for running success. Being evenly mildly overweight and racing do not go well together and anyone training seriously for a marathon should be running enough mileage that weight should not be an issue (and if it is, you're eating too much!). My ideal race weight is about 61kg (134lbs) and my body seems to be happy to stay around 63kg (139lbs) all other times. I feel sluggish greater than 64 (141lbs).

6. Sleep. Yup, it matters too. Being well rested for a key workout or long run is pretty important and can make a huge difference. This makes for some pretty lame Saturday nights! With all that mileage, there are often days when I am asleep before 10pm. I do what my body tells me. I definitely made sure I got tonnes of sleep in the last week before the marathon and was well rested on race day.

7. The Taper. Getting ready to peak for the marathon after many weeks and months of hard training just makes sense. And that means tapering. We did 3 weeks and although the mileage was fairly high (134, 112, 92 (including the marathon)), it was mostly just easy running with a few strategic workouts and a tune-up race. I also carbo loaded like crazy and ate tonnes of carbs on Thurs, Fri and especially the Saturday (700+g) before race day.

8. Race day strategy. It's vital to have a race day plan going into the marathon which is less than a race and more a test of good pacing. I/we decided in advance to hit 3:45/k's for as long as possible (at least until the half and hopefully all the way to 30k) but also would take advantage of the course and attack the downhills (which were numerous at Goodlife). We did more than a few k's in the high 3:30's/k range and even one in 3:29! We ended up going through the half in ~1:18 which was a full minute faster than we planned. I had kept things relaxed and comfortable to that point, and so I was able to attack or at least maintain my momentum heading into the second half and especially the last 10k of the race. I managed to hold on to do a 1:19 in the second half which is pretty darn close to an even split, which is generally a good pacing strategy although many prefer to go out slightly faster to accommodate a gradual slowing down in the last bit of the race. In terms of fuelling, I took one gel (~25g of carbs each) 15min before and then 4 during the race (~ every 8k) and drank only water at aid stations.

Breaking away from my crew shortly after the halfway mark. Everyone is flying!

9. Drugs. Haha Just kidding. I'm sure they would help but I didn't take any. I'm trying to get to 10! 

10. And finally: Random things like having ambitious (yet realistic) goals to constantly work towards. Goals should be both long and short term and be celebrated at every step of the way whilst always keeping an eye on the final prize. Having support is crucial. It might come from family who know next to nothing about running and think you're crazy for doing it; from friends who make fun of you all the time (left foot, right foot, repeat!); from the Longboat running club and it's amazing members; from the running community at large; and especially from close running friends (family!) who help guide your goals and then reach them). It's also pretty important to have a Garmin (GPS watch) as a means of objectively measuring and documenting ones training and a log (or dailymile) to keep track of it all. Good shoes are critical (for me that was two pairs of Adidas Boston 2 and later Adidas Adios 2 for racing and speed workouts) as is good running apparel (Adidas and New Balance are my personal favourites). Avoidance of injury and major illness. And finally, a little bit of faith (in oneself)!

As for now, the rest and recovery will continue all week although I'm already going crazy not running and will test out the legs a few times in the next days; all easy. 


With less than 3 weeks to the Cabot Trail Relay (that other amazing adventure on which we'll embark and which I'll preview in due time), it's important we rest up and be ready to go again shortly. Our fitness is still through the roof right now and so it's important we ride the wave and maintain our momentum without over doing it and causing any undue damage. More good times ahead...more fast times ahead.