Thoughts of a Hermit

Good things come in twos. Crosby and Malkin, Ernie and Bert, Chuck et Albert etc. That was good enough logic for me to compose this blog in two parts. If you are short for time, enjoy the first half, as the hardware precedes the software. If you want a glimpse of my inner thoughts, hang tight.

First, lets hit up some hard results

May 7th - ANS Open meet - 1500m - 3:56.9
May 14th - Boston New Balance Twilight meet - 1500m - 4:00.8
May 27th - Totally Official PEI All-Comers meet 3000m - 8:30.6
June 22nd - NTL Aileen Meagher Classic - 1500m - 3:52.22
June 24th - East Coast Games - 1500m - 3:52.28

As you can infer from these results, I only really started hitting my stride later in the season. I think there are a few reasons for that. Ever since coming back from my year of sickness and injury, I have gained an affinity for racing. I think this sentiment was a by-product of the motivation that I drew from my rapid improvement. When I began achieving times that my longtime-anemic mind perceived impossible, racing was so satisfying that it almost became addictive. I was warned about the perils of over-racing by some smart people. This awareness helped me make peace with the idea of staying off the racing scene for almost a month following the PEI open meet. The decision payed dividends. After four weeks of rounding the StFX track, DJ O'Regan and I began our road trip towards Halifax.

Aileen Meagher Classic

This was my first time competing in the International Section of this NTL meet, and the experience was great. I lined up with the second slowest seed time in the field, but I was not intimidated. In the weeks leading to the race, I had the pleasure of training with John Corbit, who has gone 3:47 for the 1500m. Going from training with a group of guys that I consider equivalent to me in terms of speed, to training with someone considerably faster than me pushed me to a new intensity during workouts. By training with John, I came to know what to get ready for, so the competition itself did not startle me. And it shouldn't have anyway. We split 800m in 2:06. Pedestrian for them, very manageable for me. I ran most of the race in the vicinity of Little Peverill (Brother of Big Peverill), Jean Marc Doiron (alias coach JMD) and Will Russell (alias Wu-tang Will). As the pace intensified in the last lap, I found myself chasing Jean Marc, and his presence helped me kick in the last 100m. This brought me to a new PB of 3:52.22, and put me in 6th place in the strong field of 9. I also finished 4 seconds behind Mike Tate, who won the race. Last time we raced a 1500m, I think he beat me by 12 seconds. Based on my research, assuming the trend of me gaining eight seconds on Mike stays consistent, I will beat him by 4 seconds next time, and by 12 seconds the time after that. Better stay down in Utah and far away from me, buddy. Big thanks to Will, Lizzy, and Michaela "Orange Blur" Walker for their hospitality. Maybe I should thank Rusty Matt McNeil as well, I don't know. Need a source on this. 

With Olympian Jenna Martin

After 2 shiny new PBs

A bit of post-race debrief

East Coast Games

After a fun night with the Dal crew, DJ and I grabbed our new PBs and fled for Saint John, NB to meet with the MacMackins at the track for a little shakeout practice. Tell you what, there is nothing I wanted more than to get dropped by Nick like a sack of PEI potatoes on some 100m strides after a 4 hour car ride. Unofficial 11.7 wind-aided 100m for him. I definitely did not crack 12. We then retreated to Quispamsis for the night. I was amazed by two things. The first was the amount of deer that hang out in their backyard. The second was how closely his mother Patti follows track and field. She is an encyclopedia (shoutout to Patti if you are reading this)! Love you Mom, but you have some catching up to do. 

Fast forward to the race. Meet Director Bill had assembled a field that had to be one of the strongest ones Atlantic Canada had produced in years. Graves, Grimshaw-Surette, Doiron, MoSpeed Pellerin, Russell and MacMackin, among others toed the line. The pacing was brought to us by both Mr. BSL, and the author of the well-acclaimed best seller, The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown. Like on Wednesday, we crossed the 800m mark in around 2:06. From there, I took the lead. For a while, I thought I had taken the field by surprise, as I wasn't hearing anything behind me. Little did I know, Wu-tang Will was creeping up on my shoulder, and passed me with a lap to go. With 150m to go, he still had the same gap on me when I saw Nick's pain-distorted face pass me, then Will. At this point, it became an all out kick match. Somehow, though slower than 11.7, my last 100 gave me the win in 3:52.28, edging Nick by just a hair. Gotta say that it was a cool feeling to win in a field so close in speed with a good amount of people in the stands. While cooling down, I came to the realization that this was one of the moments I will think of whenever I catch myself wondering why I do it all. I had just won a strong race, and a fun night with the whole racing crew was awaiting me. It made the last few months feel worthwhile. I think this ties in well with part 2.

Part 2

Warning: This is a rant/ramble. As a runner, I get to interact with many other runners. A major topic covered in conversations is training habits/methods/purposes. This is my elaboration on the topic of commitment to training. This passage is however blind to the issue of injuries. If any injured people are reading this, the perspective is definitely different. I think I voice my most concise opinions when I write them down, so this is just as much for me as it is for anyone else. Feel free to read and opine!

"Do you have what it takes to make it to the next level?" As beings of the 21st century, we have all heard this phrase that gets thrown around by hockey coaches, strength trainers and so on. So much so that it has almost lost its punch, its meaning. Because of its overuse, this phrase only represents a vague idea that is lost in translation between the messenger and the receiver. These so-called levels should be defined to the seeker. If not, the question itself is empty. While at different magnitudes, I think anyone has what it takes to improve. What some people may lack, however, is the ability to understand how to do so, or even the ability to commit to the idea. So, when trying to separate "the men from the boys" or whatever tacky expression these same hockey coaches use these days, the question should be remodeled. It should be "Do you know how to get to the next level, and if so, do you want to do it?" A bit less ring to it, but far more accurate..

Two months ago, by committing to this idea of placing more importance into my running, I gave myself an opportunity to reach one of these "next levels." Instead of going home to my family, I decided to keep living under the roof of 18 Greening, in Antigonish. Instead of applying for full time work, I opted for a part time job that is easy on the body. Why these changes? My choice of lifestyle at the time was widening the gap between how much attention I was attributing to my running, and how much attention I WANTED to attribute to my running. Lately, I made the conscious decision to invest myself more into my training. I started choosing good meals over bad ones, choosing sleep over nightlife etc. By no means do I make every right choice, but I am improving in my consistency.

Going from one level to the next in terms of investment made me ask myself the same two aforementioned questions. The first: Do you understand how you could take it to the next level?

My answer included some broad concepts (include more strides, pay more attention to your pre/post run routines, go to sleep earlier) and some more specific ones (ditch Kraft Dinner). I did not make vows, I just set some general guidelines for myself to try and follow, most of which I had never payed attention to before this training block. 

The second: Now that you know how to do it, do you want to do it?

My answer was yes. This part was tricky. Anyone can convince themselves they are going to be dedicated to their plan, sticking it out for months is another story. That is when the understanding part becomes important. If you know why you are doing something, you will be more motivated to do it. 

  

If it sounds this way so far, be advised that this ramble is not about, or meant to come across as, something along the lines of "what it takes to become a champion." Far from it. In my own terms, I am not a champion (a champion is invested at 100%), so the last thing I want to do is to instruct others on "how to become one" when I have not yet experienced the required commitment for myself. I have, however, noticed a trend in my attitudes towards running. I am slowly beginning to attribute more importance to it, in a healthy way. My current level of dedication is making me happy. Simply put with the help of arbitrary numbers, being 60% invested into running made me happiest in my second year. Being 70% invested into running made me happiest in my third year. Being 80% invested into running is making me happiest now. 

After exploring this concept of self-reflection for a while now, I notice that what an athlete should strive to avoid is disconnect between desire and the actions taken. Everyone has probably encountered a person who dreams big, but cannot produce big results because they do not make the sacrifices necessary to achieve their goals. To use an arbitrary numbers example, they want to run times that they could achieve if they were 80% dedicated, but they are in fact only 50% dedicated. Another example of the disconnect would be an athlete struggling to reach their goal because they are actually doing too much, and it is hurting their short term and long term development. Another thing I notice from interacting with members of either side is that neither is satisfied with their experience with running. The troubling part is often that an athlete on either side cannot recognize the disconnect. Once an athlete can realize they are not doing what it takes - again, not to "be the greatest," but to reach their goal - they become aware. Once someone is aware they are not doing the right thing to make them reach their goal, they will change that. This is why awareness is so important.

The reason I bring this up, is because I believe I have finally adopted a completely healthy approach to my running. Because I am aware of what I am doing, and aware that I want to do it, the questions about priorities stop. I know how invested I want to be, and respect that desire. This provides me with mental consistency and purpose. Before making a commitment to searching for the next level, one should try their best to comprehend what this level entails. Improvement does not come by wish or prayer, nor does it come with overworking. I think everyone should take the time to ask themselves these two questions. Do I have an idea what to do in order to reach higher? If so, do I want to do it?

Try it if you’re bored. If you made it this far, you definitely are.

AC

Indoor Track 2016 - From Every Angle

It's about that time again. The bruises are being treated, the spikes have been put away, and some Snyder's Hot Buffalo Wings pretzels are being consumed by Cal and I. (Yo Snyder's, this is a total attempt at snagging a sponsorship!) Another season has passed. My usual mid-semester lethargy has kicked in with an apparent vengeance, so I guess this leaves me more time to dedicate to two critical things: kicking Neuffer's a$$ in NHL 16, and of course, blogging. I noticed my post following the XC season was well-received, so I am choosing to mimic its format to not upset the readers or worse, the Runner Gods. Formalities at the start, and a bit of freestyle at the end...here we go.

The Preparation

In November, I left the cross country course with a broken body. I was fortunate to undergo a steady buildup throughout the summer. This at a time helped me get fit and ready to race. Looking back, the "ready to race" aspect was perhaps overdone, as I came in pretty sharp, and quickly developed an injury. I spend the most of my season trying to hang on, rather than trying to improve. This hanging on took an important toll on my body, and it took me a good month to get back up to light workouts. Once I recovered, things started rolling well. Most of my preparation was aerobically focused, knowing that we usually allocate enough time to race pace specifics once the season gets rolling. 

The Season

In chronological order...

Jan 19th - ANS Warmup meet - 1500m - 4:02 - 1st

Jan 19th - ANS Warmup meet - 3000m - 8:45 - 2nd

Jan 29th - McGill Team Challenge - 3000m - DQ*** (see below)

Jan 30th - McGill Team Challenge - 1500m - 3:58 - 16th

Feb 7th - Tiger Track Classic - 3000m - 8:29:21 (PB) - 1st

Feb 14th - SMU Open - 1500m - 3:55:71 (PB) - 2nd

***

It's a good thing I was not asked to walk the line on that night

The Mental Game

Fortunately, (or unfortunately) my track season grew to become eerily similar to my XC season. A few good weeks at the start, followed by the looming of a pseudo-injury. This time, it manifested itself as an annoying case of post-tibial tendonitis in my left leg. At its worst, it hurt to walk around. This then lead me to overcompensate and develop a neuroma in my left foot. This double-whammy brought me to a low point in my season. I was essentially facing the same dilemma I had faced in the cross-country season. The difference, however, was in the reaction to the threat. Looking back at my XC championship season, one word came to mind: average. I did not exactly under-perform at AUS and CIS XC, but did not exactly set the course on fire, either. I suspect this subtle decline in performance was a product of my cutting mileage and workouts in the hopes of making it to the championship. With that in mind, I decided to adopt a more breakneck approach this time around. (This is the PG section of this blog. Kids, don't do this at home.) The choice was simple. To call the season quits, or to attack it with full force, as if my ailments didn't exist. No in-betweens. Naturally, I decided to YOLO it. I cut mileage very slightly, but the rest was the same. I did every workout and ran almost every day. At this point, I had 35 days left to suffer.

I must have had someone watching over me, because my tendonitis healed on its own. Call it Cal Dewolfe syndrome. This helped me stop thinking about survival, and made me fall into a much more positive train of thought. We were closing in on AUS, and all of a sudden, I was healthy and in the hunt for medals (this made me a minority on this year's unlucky X squad.) The last few weeks were very motivating, as I was just coming off a few new PBs, and workouts were feeling good. For the first time in a while, I felt like I was nailing my peak. 

The Championship

1500m - Like a good championship 1500m is bound to be, the metric mile was a tactical affair. We crossed our first 500m on 4:12 pace, with none other than Beef Rawling leading the pack. As the pace picked up after this, I thought it would be enough to suck the juice out of my competitors legs, and oh boy was I wrong. With three laps to go, I was mixing it up in the lead pack with Jake Wing and Will Russell, only to see them pull away quickly in the last 200m, with Will taking the coveted W. By stepping away from this race and evaluating it, I realized I did not run the race that permitted me to win. I knew it was a three-horse race. I knew the other two horses had better top-end speed than I did. My chance at winning was by stringing it out in 2015 Matt McNeil style and hope to win on strength rather than speed. Easy to say now, but in the heat of the race, I had been outraced and outsmarted, For that I give props to the boys from Dal on executing their plan. Still able to take some positives and learn from this one.

3000m- This race made me feel better about my weekend. I ran an 8:36, which is not a PB, but a good time for me in the CEPS. Matt took control of the race early on and opened in a 2:45. I followed in a 2:48, and lost a lot of ground between 1 and 1.5km. I reeled him in enough to get The Look from Lee McCarron (**see below), but was never in real contention. Matt finished in an 8:33, so the gap grew and shortened only to remain the same as it was after a kilometer in the race. I was alone chasing, so it made for a mentally difficult endeavour. Gotta give it to Matt though. I don't think he's lost an AUS 3k since the days of The Black Eyed Peas and Connor McGuire. 

The AUS Top 10 

***Disclaimer: This is not a list of the top performances.

10) Year of The Josh Shanks Redemption

One day, I want to go fishing with Josh Shanks. The guy looks like he could steal fish from a polar bear with a pole and a string. Rumour has it he is building a log cabin in the forest near Chance Harbour, and inhabiting it this summer to train like Cassidy off a diet of wild rabbits and deer. Just a rumour, though. The Bass Pro Shops trucker hat is a nice touch.

9) The Lee McCarron stare

When you run against Matt McNeil on the UdeM 167m track, you will usually run into a problem. The turns are tight, and that makes it hard for you to see how far away he has escaped you, as he is never straight up in front of you, but on another edge of the circle. To gage how close I was to Matt, I had to get creative. He had spaced me early on, but I began closing the gap. I first realized I was approaching him with 5 laps to go, when I spotted Lee next to the finish line putting his hands on his hips. With 4 laps to go, he began giving Matt orders. Then, by the next turn, I saw it. Eyebrows frowned, mouth slightly opened, neck following my stride. That is when I knew that I had made my mark on that race and had proven myself a legitimate threat to The General. I did not beat Matt on that day, but I had, nonetheless, accomplished something. I had earned the look. I had transcended into a new dimension of respect in the realm of Atlantic running. On that day, I became a man.

8) Paul MacLellan's 2833m PB
Blame it on the lap counters, the CEPS air, or something else...People were impressed when the 4th prodigal son unleashed his kick with 200m left in the race. There was only one problem: Paul hadn't realized that a 3000m consists of 18 laps, and not 17. Nonetheless, props to Paul the Reaper for rallying and completing the last lap. 

7) Jonathan Peverill is actually not boring

I don't care what the twitter account has lead you to believe, the guy is almost Dos Equis worthy. From quadrupling on AUS weekend, to pacing a friend in the 3k, to showing absolutely zero amounts of chill in the 1500m fast heat, the guy does it all. Reports saying he is the first man to out-kick Jeremie Pellerin since the 2004 Grand-Digue kids fun run (need a source on this.)

6) Michaela Walker - The Orange Blur

Need to send a shoutout to a fellow PEIslander. Wins best matching award between her hair and her spikes. Her stride was so smooth that a certain friend (who will remain unnamed) confessed to me his unorthodox attraction to her flawless running gait. 

5) Shayne Dobson's peanut butter cookies 

If you didn't run into Shayne and snag a peanut butter/chocolate cookie, you missed out. Not sure how he made them, but they seem to have been working for him lately. He gave my sister the recipe, so I am hoping that I, too, will make a national team soon. 

4) Jeremie Pellerin's Power Pants

Ok, I can't simply spot him at a race and not talk about The Pants. The quickest Acadien I know has been wearing them since that 2004 Grand Digue kids fun run, and they haven't lost their glow. Still waiting for him to try on the top part of the Power Rangers suit. If he does, we will all be in more trouble than we already are.

3) Jake Wing and Bridget Brennan

Need to mention something about the MVPs.

Bridget: The only individual on the X team who has my pain face beat. Watching her run that 800 was downright scary. I think she should challenge Tim to a race. 

Jake: You may have beaten me in the 1500, but once Neuffer gets his guitar tuned, Stu learns something other than Itsy Bitsy Spider on the keyboard, and Lee cleans his pots and pans, we challenge you to a battle of the bands. 

2) Angus Rawling serving the lunch

Borrowed the saying from our Laval friends, and we do not use it lightly. When I say Beef served the lunch, I mean he served the MF lunch. His silver medal performance in the 1k made everyone wonder how there even is room for his legs in his shorts. 

1) The team 

Gonna go soft now. The best highlight for me was to reconnect with our big track family here at X and to take on the conference as a whole. From seeing Shawn Costello chuck a weight around, to keeping up with JM&JT's successes in the Hept, to reminding Beth and Allie to kick with 150 to go, the season has been memorable. Track and field is particular in how it unites athletes on polar ends of the athletic spectrum. Despite the difference in the nature of events, there is a mutual understanding for one another, as everyone is on the habitual mission of improving on past marks. The atmosphere that is present among this team on championship weekend is something to behold.

The Future This part, I will keep rather brief. I believe this time of year is the most spontaneous and directionless for a university runner. There is no immediate or obvious reason to hammer workouts. Even less are there expectations placed on us concerning what distance to race or what event for which to peak. In a way, that is what makes it exciting. As of late, we have been concocting a recipe for success here in Antigonish. These next few months will be used to explore the spring racing scene, with Senior Nationals being on the long term radar, before re-entering into the faithful XC buildup. 

The Pics

AUS 3000m

AUS 1500m

               

AUS 3000m

AUS 3k podium pic

AUS 1500m

4x800m relay

Can't write this without paying an appropriate tribute to my teammate and roommate who has fallen in the tumultuous ring of fire this season. Wishing him a hose-down and fast recovery. #CrispCity2016

The Tunes

XC2015 - The Aftermath

8 days have passed
2lbs have been gained
60 perceived lbs have been gained
1 cold has been caught
About 20 blurry pictures have been deleted off my phone.

Yeah, I guess this is what we call the fallout. The hangover that follows the cross country season is dire. I can't say I've experienced it before, as this is in fact the first season I finish (or conquer, really). I am having trouble pinpointing my emotions when I reflect on my season, and maybe this is why the descent back to reality has yet to happen, and why my current chocolate covered almond consumption would put Graeme Wach to shame (this is probably untrue).

As you may have inferred, 8 days marks the time between the present and the CIS championship. It isn't much, but it was enough time for me to reflect on many components of the season. It has been said that eventual perceived outcome is 10% circumstantial and 90% reactional. With respect to this, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about how to interpret this season as a whole. Now that the spikes have been put to rest, I can choose to focus on the positives, or to dwell on the negatives. In my own mind, neither approach does my season justice. I recognize that I have gained a wealth of knowledge and experience, but I also realize I need to familiarize myself with the mistakes I have committed in training. This post helps me critically evaluate my training plan, and I believe this is instrumental, as failure to do so can be costly.

This post is also a way of reminding myself why I love what I am doing. When running becomes forced upon rather than sought after, it becomes harder to romanticize. To lose sight of the simplicity of the sport in the over-glorifying lights of the CIS is inevitable at this time of year. Coupled with a tireless class schedule, the fall is a recipe for disaster. Healthy bodies showing promise in all of September crumble under physical and mental strain, and even thinking becomes laborious. So, to finally gain perspective by sitting back and reflecting on what exactly happened, in a sense, is therapeutic.

However, for now, focusing on lighter aspects seems timely. At CIS, I've had the pleasure of meeting many fellow runners who told me they followed my posts. Now that I have concrete evidence that this blog has real readers other than my mom and sometimes Cal and Neuffer, I will try to include something for everyone. So, in no particular order, I present to you my season from a few different angles. Feel free to jump around.

The 2015 Cross Country Season in pictures

2015 AUS-RSEQ Interlocking meet

2015 RSEQ Interlocking meet All-Star team

Moncton Invitational

Moncton Invitational 

Front row (Left to right) - Jeremie Pellerin, Jeremie Pellerin, Jeremie Pellerin

2015 AUS Championship

AUS Banquet - Community Service award winners - Ft. Father Stan

AUS All-Stars #833in14

We abducted a new Xman in Laval in BuddyBuss

Dropping beats with DJ Scotty D

Xmen and Xwomen 2015-2016

CIS 2015

CIS AP 2015

CIS AP 2015

The 2015 Cross Country Season in Results:

September 26th - StFX Invitational 8k - 6th - 27:11 - 

October 3rd - RSEQ-AUS Interlocking meet 8k- 6th - 25:40 - 

October 17th - Classique Universite de Moncton 8k - 2nd - 26:04

October 31st - AUS Championships 10k - 4th - 32:21

November 14th - CIS Championships 10k - 39th - 31:43

The 2015 Cross Country Season in Pros and Cons

Pro: I sidestepped the StFX XC Mononucleosis scare of 2015

Con: I did not sidestep whatever weird virus Paul MacLellan picked up from a local Dairy Queen Boutine.

Pro: I was healthy in time to participate in the StFX invitational in which we drew straws to determine the order of finishers.

Con: I only picked straw #6

Pro: Our XC rec hockey team is above .500

Con: I forgot how to dangle and snipe, and consequently, I cannot celly.

Pro: I saw Oldster making it rain dollar bills. 

Con: I did not make a bet with him.

Pro: I made a rap. 

Con: I am not a rapper.

Pro: I went on a run with Lee McCarron once this year.

Con: I twisted my ankle.

Pro: 3 out of the 5 Greening Boys made it to the AUS/CIS start line.

Con: May Stuart MacPherson's ITB and Alex Neuffer's shinbones rest in pieces.

Pro: I found my shade of Just for Men (medium-dark brown)

Con: My facial hair game still heavily relies on Just for Men. 

Pro: I made an appearance on JDM's prestigious twitter page.

Con: I did not make the cut for Muchachos and Mustachios.

Pro: I got my picture taken with Taylor Milne.

Con: I got my picture taken with Taylor Milne.

The 2015 Cross Country Season in Shoutouts

Shoutout to the boys from Calgary for finally getting my name right. Hope you all fed Rome some Gatorade on Sunday.

Shoutout to Les Boys à Laval for a strong showing across the board. Vous nous avez démontrés comment vous roulez toujours!

Shoutout to Alex Bussières for being our tour guide in Laval, and for practicing his english.

Shoutout to Jake Wing for getting his own version of Hotline Bling stuck in my head.

Shoutout to David Freake for the quality coverage of the CIS on here - http://thetrialofmiles-adistancerunnersblog.blogspot.ca/2015/11/week-in-training-and-cis-post-mortem.html

Shoutout to JDM, the modern-day CIS Hype Machine.

Shoutout to Matt McNeil and Alex Wilkie. Cause sheesh.

Shoutout to Angus MacIntosh for almost mastering The Pain Face.

Shoutout to Matt Noseworthy - fastest hair growth in the CIS.

Shoutout to Jeremie Pellerin - Best accessories in the AUS (power pants, sunglasses, wool hats, terminator arms. etc.)

Shoutout to Pierre Dumouchel and Blair Morgan for hanging on after an AP FFTF.

Shoutout to the boys of UPEI in their inaugural season. Big things to come for the boys in green!

Shoutout to DJ Scotty D, DJ O'Regan and to Raymond and all our other faithful callers.

Shoutout to Graeme Wach and whoever runs the Graeme Wach instagram account. Well done.

Shoutout to the Boys at 18 Greening for a good house showing and for all being dusters at NHL 16

Shoutout to coaches Bernie and Kevin and manager Brenda for all their help along the way.

Shoutout to all the X boys and girls for another great year together.

Shoutout to Taylor Milne.

The 2015 Cross Country Season in Analysis:

Ok, this is where you stop reading if you aren't about the training talk. I am still trying to decide whether I finished the season on an upswing or on a downswing. The matter is the following: I placed best against my competitors in my first meet of the year, Interlock, coming off two weeks of no running at all. Following that meet, my results were still good, but the edge that I seemed to have on that day was gone, or at least less sharp. This could mean that I had gotten worse, or my competitors had gotten better. Either scenario should be enough to send me thinking about why that is. In my mind, the three indicating questions I must answer in baptizing a training block as good or bad are the following: did I get injured, did I get burnt out, and did I stagnate?

On one hand, I can favourably answer these questions. I ran pretty well to extremely well for my current capabilities from June to mid November. I was able to run all the races I wanted to run without suffering from obvious burnout, and consistently ran PBs . On the other hand, things could have gone better, as technically, I was injured. Since the beginning of September, to suppress a looming stress..uhm.. reaction (trying to avoid the F word), I enrolled in the Lee Wesselius School of Reduced Mileage and Intensity. I averaged just over 60km per week. This is including the two weeks I took completely off. I know for a fact I was never burnt out, simply because I was not running nearly enough. While I can infer that my competitors improved, and by way of this, reject the hypothesis that I went backwards, I still need to figure something out. Why did I not improve with them?

This has become a common theme in the last few seasons for me. I seem to come to fitness quite quickly, only to keep the same level or slightly worsen by the end, rather than nailing a peak. I could hypothesize and question about many things, like the lack of miles in my legs, but I believe my answers will only come with experience. A couple things I want to look at closely include my amount of summer racing, which this time around, was rather substantial. I also intend to change my way of tapering a bit, among other things, but that is mostly for me to figure out by visiting different aspects of training.

Inside these aspects lie the eternal questions that only each individual runner can answer for themselves - to go fast or slow on easy days, to run two or three workouts per week, when to pick it up and when to tone it down, etc. It is very easy to collect theoretical answers, but to choose those that work well with the individual is another dragon to slay. I guess in my case, I have a lot to learn, but I believe I have grasped the most important idea, and that one is to always be flexible, and to always be learning. Being stuck in one's ways is probably the most detrimental approach to training. With this in mind, I will work on different things in order to not only keep the early season edge, but to try and build on it.

Moving forward, a recent hot topic on my mind has been mileage. I am entertaining my own version of bravado, which has nothing to do with bench press, but rather how many miles I could run in a week. The thought of jumping into 100+ mile weeks is enticing, as there is an attractive quality to the idea of training rigorously, and going beyond all that is presently logical inside my 20-year-old runner's body and mind. I'm talking about a lifestyle change that would put everything secondary to running. One of complete dedication, without distraction of any kind. Nothing is more foolproof than simply out-training your competitors, right? (Aside from a plethora of injury and burnout possibilities...). It is tempting to throw rationality out the window and just completely immerse oneself into one's sport. Countering this rather radical idea is the one of balance and patience; the one of slowly increasing everything over years. I believe if this extreme lifestyle is for me, it will find me eventually. For now, a slow gravitation towards it seems like the healthiest option.

So for now, these are the extents of my thoughts in training. The fact that I have become increasingly interested in my next training phase is a good enough indicator for me to put those chocolate-covered almonds away and to reboot. I wish to convert these thoughts into results in February in the land of 167m ovals. I leave you on a high note, or notes, rather.

The 2015 Cross Country Season in Music

AC

Summer of training 2015

I’m writing this post staring out the window of our newly floored and revamped home on the top of Greening hill. Other than the melting of snowmen, Antigonish hasn’t changed since the end of our indoor track season of 2015. An air laced with the scent of the local A&W complimented by the musk of the 50 pairs of shoes lying around the house takes me straight back to the ending of my second year, where I was gearing up for a long summer of training.

I guess I could say that The Running Gods were watching over me. I was fortunate to be healthy and running for the entire summer. This caused me to get excited, perhaps even too much so. Despite my endless self-reminders that the real races only happened in October and beyond, one could say I became caught up in the moment. A combination of nice weather, consistent running, and other factors led me to race more than the average November-peaking cross country athlete. 

In bullet point fashion:

Highland Games - 4th in 5 mile race - 26:11 - No running pictures, this will have to do. 

 I was always wanting to pay Antigonish a summer visit, and even more if it involved a running reunion of sorts. The competition was great, and so was the atmosphere. Was really pleased with this one, considering it was at the very start of my training cycle, so I had not put in much work beforehand.

                                   

                                         July 19th - Cox and Palmer 10k - 32:15

Cox and Palmer 10k. Just one of those days. Planned on running at a tempo pace and opened stupidly in a 2:58 and settled in to run a 32:15 that felt quite comfortable once I adjusted the pace. My face suggests that I definitely worked harder than I should have for a tempo day. Shoutout to DJ O'Regan for grabbing the best door prize around.

July 26th - Atlantic Track Champs 5k - 14:51:91

Atlantic 5k champs - Believe it or not, I hadn’t run a real outdoor track race since 2013. Was a bit nervous going into that one, because I really had not focused on sharper, faster, 5k training. Most of my work was being logged in the form of mileage. I was pleasantly surprised with my time, and it showed me that things were going in the right direction. Big shoutout to The Shankster himself for sharing the lead with me!

Gold Cup Trot 5k - 15:06

Gold Cup trot- This one, I was really keen on entering. The Gold Cup Trot 5k creates a unique atmosphere, as runners pass on the Gold Cup parade route, in front of many spectators. This opportunity is seldom granted on PEI, so it makes for a cool concept. I guess it may have fired me up a bit too much, as I opened up in total hot turkey style with a 2:46 first kilometer. Realized I was being stupid and backed off the pace a bit. Was happy with the time for a very hot day on the road.

So I come into training camp probably leading the AUS in races run, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. I can find solace in the fact that those races were run strictly off of base mileage and very few aerobic workouts, so in no way do I currently find myself burnt. I do realize, however, that these two months coming are the most physically demanding of the year. The fine but vague area between doing too much and too little is tight and ever-shifting but I am hoping that the plan will bring me to where I want to be. To find out if my body can not only survive these months, but can as well improve with the training they will bring, I will have to stay tuned. 

Individual training aside, I am extremely excited for what is to come for this StFX XC team.  From Gramps to the rooks, we have an interesting group. I am aware, however, that all we are for the moment is a number of athletes with potential. Everything is to redo, re-prove. Easy as it is for me to look back and reflect on the good string of running I was fortunate enough to have in this past track season, I can't take solace in the hope that it will simply happen again. It's something to re-earn. 

Leaving you this time with a few more pics. Wanted to give the right brain a bit more work for once.

AC

Had another great year with this gang. From booty goggles to muscle milk, it was a summer filled with good times, on both the social and track sides! Can't wait to get back at it next year if we all survive the cross country season. #PEFF #NEP 

I'm super lucky to have been hooked up with a great sponsor in Caissy Performance! Improving strength and correcting weaknesses are two things runners need to stay consistent in their training, and working with Mitchell has already helped me improve those parts in my running.

 Breakfast at 18 Greening. Shoutout to the rooks for making mean pancakes.

StFX XC 2015

A Tribute

She hated hockey. If she would have had it her way, she would have spent her days locked in her room eating All Dressed Crispers while playing with her TY brand plush kittens. But she needed to do something to gain her share of the family limelight back from her brother, who was at the time, by the standards of the PEI Atom AAA hockey league, a remarkable young player. Mom and Dad were often asked about their hockey playing son, but not as much about their curly-haired daughter sitting in the stands, and this did not suit her. She wanted to make noise of her own.

I don't know when and how she fell in love with the sport of hockey through the years. I know even less if it was the sport itself that eventually appealed to her, or if it was the sense of pride that came with her own establishment as an athlete and performer. Like big brother, she needed her time on stage, too, and figured that the best way to do so was by imitating him to the best of her abilities.

Following in my footsteps was a trend that quickly switched from figurative to literal as she later began to run. Her presence was quickly felt, as she put everything she had into this commitment. And the things I would do to feel it again. But now, as I run in solitude along the PEI confederation trail, the only presence following in my footsteps is the brisk, atlantic wind.

---

Her hockey beginnings were humble. I remember getting mad at her after one particular game in which she had barely moved away from her own crease, even when the puck had long escaped her zone. "Get out and play", I would say. "You're not the goalie!" When I laugh and remind her of that incident, she refuses to believe she did such a thing. This disbelief would probably be shared by most people who have recently watched her play.

What I didn't understand then was that the action of taking the puck from one's own end, skating around five helpless players, and faking a shot only to quickly shift to a backhand deke to fool the goalie didn't come as naturally to her as it did to me. However, if she needed to practice a skill in the basement for two hours before getting it, she would work at it for three, and master it. I was a natural, she was a worker. I was outspoken and confident in my athletic abilities (sometimes too much so), she was quiet, reserved, and would rather let her actions do the talking. Weirdly, as different as we were in our demeanours, we would often achieve comparable results. This, along with our personality differences, caused us to become rivals of sorts.

For years, we competed. Maybe she wasn't quite as naturally talented, but for what she lacked in talent, she made up for it through sound trainability and astounding discipline. At first, it was in the rink. I was a centre and she played defence, but we always found ways to quietly compare our young careers. Player of the Game awards, team captaincies, positions on spring or elite hockey teams, etc. All was tallied, and the nature of our endless competition was becoming unhealthy. However, when one of us would suffer an important blow, all egos would temporarily be put aside. The first time I can remember this happening was in 2011, when my opponents were hitting puberty and I was still searching for an armpit hair. I was cut from the 2011 Canada Winter Games PEI hockey team, a setback that I still consider being the nail in the coffin of my then-fast-dwindling hockey career. On that day, we briefly ceased being competitors. This was the beginning of our understanding that as different as we were in nature, we rooted for each other. Her success represented my own, and vice versa. Despite our endless competition, to the core, we were allies.

U-18 Team PEI at Atlantic Challenge Cup

My cutting from that Canada Games team, for a number of reasons, hit me hard. Hard enough to make me start detaching myself from the game. The beginning of my alienation from hockey culture occurred around the time she really picked it up. The same year I was cut, she had made the provincial team. For the first time, there was separation in our sporting goals. Having won a few school cross-country titles, I had begun reinventing myself as a distance runner (maybe the furthest thing from a hockey player on physical, mental, and sociocultural levels). For a period of time, I had my thing, and she had hers. These times were when we'd get along the best. But it did not last. As she did with hockey, she quickly mimicked my habits, and picked up running. Again, her beginnings were not as successful as mine (she had barely made it to her first provincial championship while I had broken a long-standing elementary school record without any formal training), but her focus and desire caught her up to me in no time. Before we knew it, we were both on the provincial track and field team. The more we ran, the more we liked it.

2012 Legion Provincial Track Team

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As the years passed, it slowly became apparent that the Cyrs were not destined to become hockey players. However, we were athletes, and could adapt to our environment. As we are Canadian, the most prominent influence came from the hockey rink from a young age. Despite our slender body types and our milder nature, we were skilled enough to adapt to the gameplay and clever enough to fake tough. In reality, our genetic and mental makeup screamed running. We lived excessively healthy, had little to no desire to go out on weekends, and had no problem logging long hours of aerobic training. The older we got, the more obvious it became that we would faster find success by trading in hockey skates for running spikes.

2012 Juvenile Girls and Senior Boys Cross Country gold medals

By the time I was 17 and she was 16, the sibling rivalry resurfaced on the track, as our progression became eerily similar. As we were so alike in skill, none of us would give an inch. But, as high school ended for me, and I left for St.FX university, the competition subsided, or at least, simmered. Being separated for the first time presented a new dynamic to our relationship. She again had her own world, and I had mine. But this time, it was becoming permanent. Our self-evaluations were no longer co-dependant of our counterpart's performance. For the first time since playing competitive sports, we were on our own.

 As soon as I left, I began coaching her in running. I would give her a bit of advice, and make her a training program based on how much she had been running in the past year. After a winter of hockey where, due to her small runner frame, she got bumped around, she returned to running to try and defend a track and field provincial title.

2013 Canada Summer Games - a 16-year-old Myriam in a U-23 competition. After those games, running had become the focus.

The programs I sent her were conservative in nature. I was especially aware of the dangers of overtraining, as I had recently been exposed to a world of struggle. At the time, I was unknowingly suffering from iron-deficiency anemia, and this robbed me of all the energy and durability I had. I seemed to come down with something different every second week, and between injuries, I was garbage. As I continued sending her the training plan, I was looking for answers for myself. I especially did not want to make her go through the same struggle by prescribing her too much running and have her drop out of her senior track and field provincial 3000m at the 1400m mark by succumbing to a nasty case of achilles tendinitis, just like big bro.

Despite my injury-riddled freshman year, I was having a great time with the X-Men. I had played hockey since I was very young, but never had I felt this close to a group of guys. I had made many great friends in the hockey dressing rooms over the years, but never had I made friends like these. These people were different. Not better or worse, just different. The approach to training was different, the locker room jargon was different. A different that I needed and, as it turned out, loved. I remember talking to her about this; how there was a group of people out there who were very similar to us. A group of people with whom we would not have to change our personalities to fit in. Later on, I would tempt her to come to X by telling her stories about the team. I would ramble on about my improvements as a runner, and I would attribute this to my time spent on the team. A trip to StFX on recruit weekend solidified the feelings she was beginning to have. She began realizing that, like me, she would fit in better with a running team, and became extremely excited when universities began contacting her. At that time, hockey was but something to occupy the hours when she wasn't training to become a future force on the AUS cross country circuit.

 

StFX Cross Country recruitment trip. Before knowing her fate, becoming an X-Women seemed likely.

As I had gotten her excited to join our ranks, I was afraid of getting booted out of them and getting cut from a team. My struggling got us closer, as I suspect on a deep level she needed me to understand what it was like to have to work for success, like she had done all her life. We started to talk about every aspect and detail of her training. One night, she messaged me about a weird twinge in her foot that had been bugging her since the Moncton Open Indoor championship in late February. I didn't think much of it, but became a bit concerned when it was still bugging her after a week. Then two weeks. Then a month. She began seeing a physio, and we were quickly realizing that it was not helping. Not knowing what to say, I told her to ice her foot, and that it would be fine. 

Except that it wouldn't be. Flash forward a few months, and she was dropping out of her senior track and field provincial 3000m at the 1400m mark. Stranded on the side of the UPEI track, watching her rival break the PEISAA Senior 3000m record, wondering what her future holds; wondering when (or if) running will one day be effortless again. Those were not the footsteps in which I hoped she would follow.

---

Sesamoiditis is a nasty beast. In short, it is an inflammation of the sesamoid bones, under the ball of the foot. Apparently, hers were so inflamed that the tendons and ligaments around it, responsible for bringing the bone its blood supply, had lost function, and the bone had rotted. As she was tearing up the track at the Canada Games in 2013 with me watching, injured, there was a common thought amongst casual observers. ''Well Alex is talented but injuries are going to kill his career. But his sister Myriam, she's durable! She will do great things.'' Little did we know, she was a ticking time bomb. In addition to having a stride that would make her land heavily on the ball of her foot, she was diagnosed with a bipartite sesamoid. This means one of her sesamoid bones is in fact split in two, making it more prone to malfunction. It had been there since the day she was born, waiting to tarnish a youthful and promising career.

In June of 2015, there was no more waiting. 16 months after the initial injury, she was finally seeing the best specialist in Atlantic Canada. She had gone through countless unsuccessful physiotherapists, chiropractors and osteopaths to reach him. My parents had both accompanied her to St. John, NB, and I was working in Charlottetown. Right around lunchtime, I received a lifeless, abbreviated text message suggesting me to call her. To our dismay, the news was grave. 'You should probably give up running,' were the words of the specialist.

She took it hard. We all did. It was something we all suspected could happen, but not to her. After all, we never expect the horror stories to actually come true. With this news, she naturally tried to find a way to get around her fate. To this point, it has been to no avail. She could opt for surgery, but the health risks would be too great. After all, there are more things in life than running. There is school, there are friends. There is hockey.

For some time now, instead of running intervals, she is lifting weights. Her track spikes have been traded in for rollerblades that she uses for summer training. The slenderness and aerobic efficiency she has worked so hard to build as a runner is quickly being destroyed, as anaerobic power and hypertrophy are now the priority. She is still an avid running fan, but knows where her future lies. She is currently training hard in order to have a chance at making the Université de Moncton hockey team as a rookie. It will not be easy, and nobody will do her any favours. University cross-country coaches were knocking at her door. Now, she must ignore them all and do her own knocking, as the hockey coaches have not yet been as eager. She will need to fight her body type, her mindset, and her intuitions in order to rediscover the hockey life. She knows it will be an uphill battle, but as she approaches everything else, she approaches this too with unparalleled focus and effort.

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So why am I writing about all of this?  Firstly, for the simple purpose of information. She hates it when people ask her how her running is going, or why she hasn't raced recently. The process of repeating herself one other time is mentally exhausting, and the content of her message is sometimes difficult to capture. How do you explain such a complex condition without fully understanding it yourself? This is not to mention how the receiving end of the conversation reacts. In the best case, she will be speaking with someone from the sport community who will sympathize with her and wish her well. In the worst cases, people will view her as a quitter, or a coward, and when I hear this, I cringe. I've seen her annoyed, I've seen her in distress. I've even seen her in tears, but in these 16 months I've never seen her quit. When she hadn't run for over 500 days, but was still doing her strength and core routines in the hopes that the end of the nightmare was near, I realized that I had never witnessed desire better personified.

Secondly, I use this as therapy. Once the cards had fallen, and her fate was accepted, the pondering inevitably began. It could have been me. I was the injury-prone one. I was the one who skipped on the stretching. I was the one who often forgot to value the gift I was given. I now sit and reflect on my life and all of its dependant layers. Running has brought me so much already, and I am still relatively new to the sport. Without it, my identity would surely take a substantial hit; it is a great part of who I am. To process the thought that my identity is unstable and futile without this simple sport is sometimes too much to bear, so I cannot even begin to fathom the gravity of her worst thoughts. Had it been me who would have gotten injured, I would not have went to St.FX. I would not have met some of my absolute closest friends. I would not have accomplished my goals. I could not have set new goals. I would not have been able to create this identity that people see through social media, an identity that helped me create somewhat of a name for myself. A name that I know, by living vicariously through her during this process, could be burned to ashes in a matter of days if I lose this luck.

As I lace up my shoes to run some strides, I look ahead, but I don't see what I used to see. I hope for long term success, but I don't assume it. I don't think of one day contending for an AUS championship. I don't think of the times I want to hit when I'm 21, 22, 40. I don't even think about the next season. I think of the gift I was given today, to be healthy enough to run at this moment, and what I have to do in the present to honour it.

 At the same time, if I am as lucky, I someday want to turn some heads with my own running in my sister's honour. I want to accomplish something for the both of us. I want people to say ''he made it, so she would have made it, too.'' I am constantly haunted by the thought that the cards could have fallen differently, and I could be the one cheering from the sidelines, secretly wondering how far I would have taken this sport. As it stands, I'm not the better one, and I certainly am not the most deserving. I am simply lucky. With this luck I will run as far as I can, because I was given the opportunity we both wanted. My luck will eventually fade, sooner or later, gradually or suddenly. When that happens, when I will struggle, I will think of her. I know she will make the best of her current situation, and no matter how cloudy the future may seem, I will need to mimic her and do the same. When that time comes, it will be my turn to follow in her footsteps.

Now bid me run, and I will strive for things impossible. - William Shakespeare