Thursday 16 August 2018

When I get back on my feet I'll blow this open wide

One can learn a lot from Mark Manson and Nick Falk.

Manson wrote the book "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck", and Nick Falk does not give a f*ck about writing a book. Manson is an award-winning novelist, and Falk winning an award would be novel (just kidding - brilliant dude). The two, however, share a similarity: they choose their problems wisely.

Manson's book is crude, messy, awesome, clever, insightful, and an international best seller. The book's message: learn where to give your f*cks. Translation for the (growing) PC crowd (and yeah, it's growing - the fact that this book is a bestseller in 2018 really speaks to its awesome content): choose your struggles wisely; choose what you are willing to fight for in life. Spend your time and energy on improving values and qualities that will be worth your while and bring you happiness, and let other uncontrollable and frivolous concepts go. It is essentially a self-help book exploring the question of how to find happiness, presented in a cool and funny way.



Nick Falk is a training partner of mine, co-author of Four Sheets (look it up) and one of the cardinal reasons for the breakout season I enjoyed in the spring (along with coach Gary, physiotherapist Mary, our AT's at the university, the whole UWAC crew, and Vector cereal, among other things). Falky was a body to chase in workouts, a positive presence at every weight and core session, and an excellent Pad Thai date. On top of that, Nick Falk is a living and breathing reminder of what I am running towards and what I have to do to get there.



One day, I was complaining to him about my aches and pains following an easy run. I could not remember the last time I had completed an easy ten-miler without any ache or niggle. Our exchange went something like this:

**Paraphrasing, of course. It's not like I report everything my friends say and write about it (who would do that?)

Cyr: I wish I was Mike Tate.
Falk: Why?
Cyr: He can run a whole lot, and rarely gets hurt. I can run a decent amount, but am always dealing with stuff.
Falk: Well, you could always just run less.
Cyr: But, then I will feel like I will not reach my potential.
Falk: Well then you have to pick what you care about more. Running fast, or never getting injured.
Cyr: Well... running fast.
Falk: Then I guess you just have to accept that there will be injuries to fight through. It's part of the reality you chose.
Josh Zilles and Josh Martin: Hey look, a turtle! (story for another time)

What Falk meant was this: either you live further away from your potential, or you live being close to injury more often. Pick your problem.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, in Manson's unique style, communicates Falk's point of view (while making WAY more money from it than Falk makes): everybody wants to be happy. Everybody wants to get rid of all their problems so that they can be at peace. But, what we do not realize is that happiness does not come from the absence of problems - it is impossible to be free of problems - it comes from having problems that are less shitty to deal with. Manson eloquently says it this way:

No matter where you go, there's a five-hundred-pound load of shit waiting for you. And that's perfectly fine. The point isn't to get away from the shit. The point is to find the shit you enjoy dealing with. 

Personal example: I could (hypothetically) get rid of my injury bug by cutting my mileage in half and doing less workouts. Injuries would no longer be my problem, but I would be slower. THAT would be my problem. To me, that is a shittier problem. By running more and pushing closer to my limit, I can solve the problem of being slower, but then I create a new problem: my body hurts and my running career becomes more erratic. When it's up to me to choose which problem I want, right now, I choose the latter one. The problem still sucks, but it's better than not testing my limits (in my young, 23-year-old 1500m times and Jakob Ingebrigtsen-obsessed opinion).

That means I must take responsibility for my current problem: I have not run a meaningful step in six weeks and counting. It is a problem I made myself vulnerable to by giving enough f*cks to push my body to the results I wanted, despite putting much work to avoid injury. Essentially, this is the problem I chose. This is the problem I get to fight through, and it is the problem I must now solve.

AC

My book Runners of the Nish: A Season in the Sun, Rain, Hail and Hell, is available on my website

Friday 27 July 2018

Introducing Runners of the Nish: A Season in the Sun, Rain, Hail and Hell

I have not shared the news that I have published a book with many people yet, but I usually get this response:

A book? Like, a novel? Cool! ...why?

It all started with a blog. When my coach Bernie Chisholm suggested I keep writing about my experiences with the X-Men and write a chronicle of our last cross-country season together in 2016, I took the idea and ran with it. It was a story I wanted to share.

To my delight, as the XC season grew older and I advanced in this project, I realized that, indeed, we were living a story worth being told. Our time at St. FX was special. The team, the coach, the culture, the synergy... hell (Ferg voice), the Zeitgeist. I don't know if it could ever be perfectly replicated. I don't know if it can be perfectly captured. But, I tried my very best.

Runners of the Nish: A Season in the Sun, Rain, Hail and Hell is about a few things. Most prominently, it is about the 2016 edition of the St. FX X-Men and our quest for national success at the CIS championship. It is also the story of how a team of contrasting characters came together and worked to put their differences and individual aspirations aside to function as a team. As well, it is about our coach Bernie Chisholm's last appearance at the CIS championship with a full team of men. It's about running, it's about facing adversity, it's about St. FX, it's about the odds game, it's about how we got lost during a long run in the states, it's about secret dates, rookie parties and possible eventualities... it's about some of our best memories wearing the blue and white.

This project was never about business or sales, but I have taken steps to endorse and advertise it. I want to make it fully visible, so that it can be shared with anybody who is interested in reading it because, obviously, I think our story is great. Obviously, I am biased as hell.

I plan to make regular posts on a blog on www.runnersofthenish.com about the adventures I live as a new author. Some of the content may be informative, some of it may make you laugh with me, and some of it may make you laugh at me. The truth is that I am learning as I go, but I am enjoying and embracing the role of rookie in this industry.

I started writing about our journey to the CIS championship with no clear destination in mind, so I suppose it is appropriate to release this work into the world with no other set goals than to enjoy the ride and to share this story with all you running nerds. You are the best kind of people.

Thanks for reading, 
AC

Check it out here 

Website - www.runnersofthenish.com
Instagram: @runnersofthenish
Email: nishrunner@gmail.com




Monday 21 May 2018

While I'm High

A year ago, I finished my career as an X-Man.

A few days after that, I moved to Halifax for a summer of running. I was tired and broken from seasons passed, and became injured shortly after moving.

Three months later, and now nine months ago, I moved to Windsor with the hopes of recreating the momentum I had found in the blue and white singlet.

It took nine months.

On May 20th 2018, an appropriate full month late, I am high. I am training, racing, and running personal bests with our great crew at UWAC. I have finally reached a good level of fitness at a location and time of year that allows me to jump into strong fields and challenge PBs on a weekly (or at least, bi-weekly) basis. I think I will be ready to reach my season's goals in the upcoming block of racing, as I feel that this fitness is still coming along.

More importantly, I am mentally dialled in and fully enjoying the process of the season.

Most importantly, I am friggin healthy (he says, as he reaches down to knock on his wooden desk).

I used to think it a bad omen to write in such an optimistic tone, because it could, like, get me jinxed or whatever. But, even though I do not like to rest on laurels and/or yannys (sorry I had to) - undergrad Wall of Narcissism notwithstanding - I see the value in taking a moment to appreciate a good string of training. It's ok to acknowledge the high, for it will serve as a reminder of how good it feels when we fight to get high again. 

In other words, I think it's healthy to quickly stop and cherish the distance already travelled every now and then, as long as it does not distract one from the work ahead. It's healthy to recognize a high. Take it as a snapshot of the journey - a token of the grind.

So, without further ado, below is my latest snapshot:

Race 1- April 20th - Jesse Owens Invitational 5000m - Ohio State University - 14:36.88 (PB)

Season opener. Had a good field to race with. I set out to click off 70 second laps, and more or less did so. I was excited about that one, as we had barely touched speed yet. 
At Ohio State University


Race 2- May 4th - Oregon Twilight - Hayward Field - 3:51.65 (PB)

We had an excellent training camp down in Beaverton, Oregon, during the first week of May. With the help of Coach Gary, strong and flexible pianist Nick Falk, and cat-loving, selfie-taking fellow blogger Steph Aldea, I got through a few big workouts and many stunning nature-filled runs. Song parodies were made, ankles were rolled, and I ate my first ever Chipotle burrito on the Monday, and then my second ever on the Tuesday. Delicious. 

The race at Hayward Field was surreal. I hopped on the back of a fast section and let the venue work its magic. This meet was one of the last ones to be run on this version of the historic site, as the stadium is getting renovated for the 2019 World Champs. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to race here before they take it down. A few pictures of our trip:




What an ass.

This pic would be better with a Cut by Nate
Chills walking onto that track


Race 3- May 19th - Johnny Loaring Classic - Windsor - 3:52.25

All day, I tried to hype myself up to run sub-3:50. By the time my positive self-talk took on a Shia Laboeuf-esque quality, I figured it was time to leave the house and head over to the track. The technique got me through a few quick first laps, dragged on by some quick Speed River-ers and Old Reliable (Falky - seriously, he's like a Honda Civic), but I faded in the last 300m. I was a bit disappointed, because I really think the fitness for sub 3:50 is there. It will be for next time.

So that is the first half of my summer season, and I am happy with it. I needed a tangible reminder of why I cared for the sport so much, and these training days - this high - have given me that. I really enjoy writing about running, and watching it, but I was yearning to experience it all first-hand again: the agony of speed workouts, the thrill of running a personal best, the highs and lows of a full season. These past few months reintroduced me to the competitive side of running, and made me hope that there is still plenty of room to grow as an athlete. Obviously, I could walk away from the sport right now cherishing the friends made, the rap videos created, and the collection of mentions of my name on Not Trackie's Twitter account, but I would remain sorely unsatisfied with my competitive career. Just that thought makes me realize that I want to stay in it for a while.

To keep running well and improving, I need to uphold this level of consistency. I want this high to be no high at all, but rather a state of equilibrium that can be more or less maintained for following seasons. I have been dedicating more time than ever to injury prevention and body maintenance (no, not shaving my legs, @AlexNeuffer /@AndrewNebel/ @NicholasDalessandro); lots of rolling and activation exercises before every run have been key.

Upcoming Races - Though subject to change, there are a few races in which I hope to compete over the next month:

May 27th - Hamilton Open - 5000m
June 13th - Speed River Inferno - 1500m
June 16th - RCLDS 1500m night - 1500m
June 22-23 - Athletics Ontario Championship - 1500m/5000m

And....
I will be making an announcement in the next few weeks, and I'm excited to share this news with the readers of this blog. It involves running, writing, and Antigonish. Three of my favourite things. Stay tuned!


Sending you all four sheets,
AC


Wednesday 31 January 2018

#BellLetsTalk


Let's not pretend that this initiative and campaign only affects the people appearing in mental health videos and the people expressing suicidal thoughts. Let's not pretend that when we post pictures and tweets today on social media that we are fully sympathizing rather than self-healing. Though I value and believe in the #BellLetsTalk initiative's power to talk people off the ledge, I want to bring attention to everyone else.

We must not dismiss the impact of real conversation on those who feel slightly better after sharing a thought with others - those who do not yet identify with mental illness because of the unfortunate stigma still festering in our society. We can all benefit from a community more open to listening. Though I appreciate that mental illness is inherent to an individual more than it is circumstantial, I recognize that circumstance can be the culprit behind many (though, again, not all) mental difficulties, and nobody is immune. In my message, I do not try to rob the attention away from those who are severely suffering, but I want to bring light to the fluid, often ignored mental challenges most of us experience every day.

I lost my grandmother yesterday. My legs went a bit wonky as I heard a choked up message from my dad on my voicemail asking me to call him back. Immediately, you expect the worst. I knew there was a death - my dad doesn't cry for nothing. She was relatively healthy; it was a moderate shock. Though she was 82, we had gotten her technologically savvy, so that she could communicate with us through FaceTime, since we lived far away. She was also on Facebook, and commented "Bravo, Alex" on any picture I posted, no matter what I was doing. I liked teasing her about it. Losing her, obviously, is tough.

In these times, I call upon my support system. First and foremost, there is my family at home, going through the same struggle. Then, there are my friends and teammates in Windsor, from St. FX, from PEI, Bern's Boys and Gilly's Girls, my 18 Greening group chat, the Floaters, the Flying Frenchmen, my friends from the running community, my coaches, my classmates, and my professors. They are there to talk, to listen, and to get my mind off the bad stuff. They encourage me to run, to write, and to think positively. Awareness from others goes a long way, and to make others aware, one must talk. For one to talk, one must feel comfortable - no matter the severity or nature of the problem.

The #BellLetsTalk hashtag can be bastardized for self-validation in terms of likes and retweets. As well, it can be wrongly publicized when the user dissociates him or herself from their own mental health, and solely project the issue on others. I think we all fight our own version of a mental battle, and whether it originates from inheritance, circumstance, or both, the healing methods are similar. Fundamentally, we are the same - we want to be heard. Therefore, it might simply be the magnitude - and not the presence - of struggle that separates individuals. So, instead of labeling our peers as mental illness haves or have nots, I think it is important to recognize that everyone can use a support system; everyone can use an available ear. People lent me ears today, and for that, I am grateful.

Rest in Peace, Anna Cyr - 1935-2018

AC