…I went from doing the Calgary stampede run and road trip to helping my parents with some surgery my Mom had and then a few days later I am up in Kelowna at the BC Summer games helping coach a bunch 14 and 15 year olds. And now I am going on vacation with the ‘insignificant other’ aka ‘the boss’. But even as I write this the road to Whistler (the first day of our trip) is closed….Uh Oh……
I had actually gotten back into the swing of things running wise when I went up to Kelowna. I figured I would be able to do some maintenance work, but between the schedule, the heat and general responsibilities I was exhausted. But it was probably good for me. I haven’t really ‘coached’ since I was injured in 2003 and began working with Matt Johnston. Since then I’ve kinda advised people in their training and trained with them, but not actually being solely responsible.
It was great working with the ‘kids’ as it will also be the same ages I will be working with next year. Fortunately, They were well behaved and already had some good club coaches so they knew their routines. I sometimes forget that I have achieved some running awards that look good on paper and carry some weight with the younger athletes. It’s interesting how they respond to you, much in the same way I would have responded to many of my running role models at the same age. But then again I was pretty stupid about the sport at 15 and had no real idea of anyone.
The BC Games was one of those experiences that would (although I didn’t realize it at the time) have a great impact on my life. I met some athletes who would become great friends, competitors and training partners, and coaches who would lead me down the road to a sport I have (I hate to say it) I love. A few days off of running was well worth the motivation I gained from the kids and I also (hopefully) helping them in their races. It’s a bit of an advantage I have in having run so long and tat is I’ve experienced it all from the high and lows and don’t simply look at the sport as simply running a race. It means so much more than that to the athlete.
It was fun discussing tactics with the ‘milers’ that took me back to a place long ago when I caused havoc on the last lap of races with surges and kicks that got me both in and out of trouble. I was pretty inexperienced at racing at 15, but these kids have been ‘around the block’ in regards to racing. They are still finding out their ‘racing personalities’ and fortunately I think I was able to help one of the boys to go to the next level in beginning to understand his strengths and weaknesses as he ran very similar to what we had discussed beforehand. I think he surprised everyone, including himself,f with two 3rd place finishes in the 800 and 1500m. Funny thing as I had seen him race a few times this year and had tracked some of his results on paper and felt he was in the mix if he ran ‘smart’ races. He ran both tough and smart races and walked away with the two best performances of his young running career.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
On the Road Again...
I really hate getting back into running again. Even after a short time off I have always had a rough time, both mentally and physically, getting back into the swing of things. Some people seem to get back into shape/running quickly, while I’ve always creaked along.
Over the years the only thing that has made it easier is that I only need a couple of consistent weeks and I am rolling again. And I’ve found other things to do, although I must say that I do enjoy the complete lack of focus and mental break. Unfortunately, I‘ve had some family issues with my mother (she had major surgery) and that supposed break actually turned out to be far more stressful than training and working.
The few saving graces have been having a few people to run with this summer, my decision to focus on XC this fall and therefore not be in a big rush to train and the possibility of creating some semblance of a training group in Vancouver.
Over the last couple of years I’ve tried to get things going like the ‘old days’ (don’t start singing ‘Springsteen’s Glory Days’ now) when you had a ton of good post collegiate guys training together. Unfortunately, the ‘old days’ had so many great runners that you could have 2 or more different high calibre groups in the Lower Mainland that stretched out to Abbotsford. Now the lack of depth is showing and you have one guy here or there. Things seem to be growing and at least in a theoretical stage, but we’ll see what happens. A handful of people have expressed at least a partial interest with ‘Dick’ Mosley and myself have had serious with Richard Lee about him being at least one major part of (as I refer to) the ‘centrifugal force’ to get more people to train together as opposed to as individuals. At the very least there will be someone there and it creates some accountability that sometimes is needed to give people that extra little nudge.
The last while of training (pretty sad I know)
Sat: grouse grind with Mosley 35 mins…..god he’s pathetic at it
Mon: grouse grind by myself 32 mins and a bit
Wed: 32 min (I think I ran on Wed…maybe it was Thurs Fri runs)
Thurs: 45 mins
Fri:
Sat: AM 48mins at Mundy Park PM 29mins
Sun: 66 mins with Mosely at the SFU trails…gosh those hills seem hard now
Over the years the only thing that has made it easier is that I only need a couple of consistent weeks and I am rolling again. And I’ve found other things to do, although I must say that I do enjoy the complete lack of focus and mental break. Unfortunately, I‘ve had some family issues with my mother (she had major surgery) and that supposed break actually turned out to be far more stressful than training and working.
The few saving graces have been having a few people to run with this summer, my decision to focus on XC this fall and therefore not be in a big rush to train and the possibility of creating some semblance of a training group in Vancouver.
Over the last couple of years I’ve tried to get things going like the ‘old days’ (don’t start singing ‘Springsteen’s Glory Days’ now) when you had a ton of good post collegiate guys training together. Unfortunately, the ‘old days’ had so many great runners that you could have 2 or more different high calibre groups in the Lower Mainland that stretched out to Abbotsford. Now the lack of depth is showing and you have one guy here or there. Things seem to be growing and at least in a theoretical stage, but we’ll see what happens. A handful of people have expressed at least a partial interest with ‘Dick’ Mosley and myself have had serious with Richard Lee about him being at least one major part of (as I refer to) the ‘centrifugal force’ to get more people to train together as opposed to as individuals. At the very least there will be someone there and it creates some accountability that sometimes is needed to give people that extra little nudge.
The last while of training (pretty sad I know)
Sat: grouse grind with Mosley 35 mins…..god he’s pathetic at it
Mon: grouse grind by myself 32 mins and a bit
Wed: 32 min (I think I ran on Wed…maybe it was Thurs Fri runs)
Thurs: 45 mins
Fri:
Sat: AM 48mins at Mundy Park PM 29mins
Sun: 66 mins with Mosely at the SFU trails…gosh those hills seem hard now
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Geezzz.....it's been a while....
...I guess this is what a week off and a road trip do to me!
Well another yearly cycle down (although the last month has been more about simply running), another way to somehow find more ways to challenge (and frustrate) myself.
This year has almost been a tale of two stories. The Fall where things seemed to get back on track and the Winter/Spring which was a real grind. I have a handful of ideas on why things became such a grind and why things didn't go as planned from life, training and a lack of enjoyment in training, which almost seemed to translate into racing (not that this is a surprise).
The last 5-6 weeks were probably the best example of this and I now find myself both frustrated and burnt out, while also excited and PO'd. After the Ottawa debacle I had some great training, but I lacked the emotion or passion for racing. It got to the point where I never really wanted to hurt, was fearful of taking chances and shut down at the first sign of problems (wow I sound really pessimistic). As with the previous year I found myself running 'tight', while also simply going through the motions.
The problem over the latter stages of this yr is that I am a runner who feeds off anger and emotion and once Ottawa disappeared I couldn't get beyond that date to actually mentally focus on racing.
It's one thing I have done well and poorly in the past. I am a very goal focussed person who tends to have a 'type B' personality and it takes me a long process to prepare for only a handful of events in a 'type A' sort of way. I realized at a young age that this was how I functioned (probably due to only running a few events per yr when I was in HS, but also my personality).
The one thing I’ve come to realize is that I have become a slave to the process. It’s the on thing that as I get older I appreciate more and more. The process is where I learn about things. Even when it doesn’t go as hoped, planned and most importantly expected (based upon training) I trudge along. My only fear now is that I am trudging too much and not pushing enough. It may end up being the singular reason I give up this marathon gig stuff, as I find I don’t have enough ‘sense of urgency’. For now I sit on my bottom, have a lousy diet and contemplate what’s going to change to achieve success. My wife hates this stage of me, moresoe than when I am training. I become the extreme version of my 'type B' tendencies....
Well another yearly cycle down (although the last month has been more about simply running), another way to somehow find more ways to challenge (and frustrate) myself.
This year has almost been a tale of two stories. The Fall where things seemed to get back on track and the Winter/Spring which was a real grind. I have a handful of ideas on why things became such a grind and why things didn't go as planned from life, training and a lack of enjoyment in training, which almost seemed to translate into racing (not that this is a surprise).
The last 5-6 weeks were probably the best example of this and I now find myself both frustrated and burnt out, while also excited and PO'd. After the Ottawa debacle I had some great training, but I lacked the emotion or passion for racing. It got to the point where I never really wanted to hurt, was fearful of taking chances and shut down at the first sign of problems (wow I sound really pessimistic). As with the previous year I found myself running 'tight', while also simply going through the motions.
The problem over the latter stages of this yr is that I am a runner who feeds off anger and emotion and once Ottawa disappeared I couldn't get beyond that date to actually mentally focus on racing.
It's one thing I have done well and poorly in the past. I am a very goal focussed person who tends to have a 'type B' personality and it takes me a long process to prepare for only a handful of events in a 'type A' sort of way. I realized at a young age that this was how I functioned (probably due to only running a few events per yr when I was in HS, but also my personality).
The one thing I’ve come to realize is that I have become a slave to the process. It’s the on thing that as I get older I appreciate more and more. The process is where I learn about things. Even when it doesn’t go as hoped, planned and most importantly expected (based upon training) I trudge along. My only fear now is that I am trudging too much and not pushing enough. It may end up being the singular reason I give up this marathon gig stuff, as I find I don’t have enough ‘sense of urgency’. For now I sit on my bottom, have a lousy diet and contemplate what’s going to change to achieve success. My wife hates this stage of me, moresoe than when I am training. I become the extreme version of my 'type B' tendencies....
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