FEEL THE BURN
Some of you may know that I (Marg) recently travelled to Florida for a 100 mile race, and that I did not finish. Thank You for your kind words of encouragement and support; it's such a nice feeling to know that others care. I've got such great friends!
Someone described long distance running (and anything over 3,000m or 3k is considered "long distance", for your info) as dipping oneself slowly into hot water. You go through gradual, gradual changes that are barely noticeable... and then, suddenly, you gain a new-found awareness of being so absolutely uncomfortable or tired that it's hard to concentrate on anything else. A DNF is an incredibly painful thing to see associated with your name. I'm not going to jump right into another race to pound out the disappointment, but my confidence isn't so damaged as to need too much time off. I know that I'm not the first to DNF nor will I be the last. Still, do I feel bad? Guilty for letting that opportunity pass, like a failure, underachieving? Oh yeah.
Sometimes after a DNF we console ourselves by telling ourselves, "I demonstrated insight and made the right decision for my long term health". But even when it's true it can feel more like an excuse, right? Post-race thoughts are an emotional should've, could've. In my quest for resolution, I've been re-reading sports psychology articles and looking into the oh so 21st century issues of Happiness and Meaning and Motivation - HBR has dedicated an entire issue to these topics this month! What propels us to the finish line is much more than the notion of "wanting it badly", and more nuanced than simple sense of achievement. It's even deeper than an all-inclusive pat on the back as in "finishing is winning" or the self-congratulatory "the hard work's already done; a race is the just icing on the cake".
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MEMBER NEWS
Practices times are as follows.
Airdrie: 5/10/half/full/ Olympic Tri
RUN: Tue/Thur 6:30pm from Genesis Rec Center food court, Sat 8:30am from Good Earth
SWIM: Sat 5pm at Genesis Place Rec Center - FULL
BIKE: Sun 8am at Crossfit Edge Airdrie (bring bike and trainer)
There has been so much interest in the swim classes that we are planning a weekend clinic for the end of March. Email update to be sent out.
North Calgary: 10k Speed (March 27 - Jun 5, 10 weeks)
Tue/Thur 6:30pm from the Country Hills Town Center gazebo, outside The Running Room Country Hills
The Grassy Knol Training camp includes two workouts a week of speed, interval and hill training as well as the Hayner Hell Run For Fun 10k race at the end of the Camp. If you are interested in doing the Camp this year send Darren an email at hayners@telus.net. If you know anybody who would be interested in the camp please let them know. Now would be a great time to start on your base training before the camp starts. Darren will send out a reminder 2 weeks before the camp starts. Let him know if you have any questions. $50 as standalone or included in QuickSilver membership.
UP NEXT
Mar 3: www.Blitzevents.com 5k/10k snowshoe
Mar 17: QuickSilver Spring Trail Run-off. 8am, 5k out'n'back up to 6hrs, in Big Hill Springs. *
Apr 22: Tour De Airdrie 5/10/21k
May 6: Vancouver Marathon 21/42k **
May 27: Calgary Marathon 5/10/21/42k
Jun 2: Banff-Jasper Relay ***
As always check www.calgaryroadrunners.com for the most comprehensive local event schedule.
* Spring Run-off: Accumulate distance points for each team race with a great prize at the end of season for highest points earned.
** Van: We are staying at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (between the finish and start; ~500m or 8min walk from the finish). Coordinate with the group at practice re: promo rate.
*** BJR: We need 15 runners. Leg descriptions are online; they range from 15k to 20k. We will be staying up to 6 to a room at the Best Western Jasper (kitchen, balcony, loft with 3 singles, queen and sofa pullout, fireplace, $208/room). To reserve your spot for the relay/hotel, send quicksilverrunning@hotmail.com
- full name and address
- emergency contact's full name and phone number
- estimated 10k time
- shirt size (S M L XL)
- age
- sex (I can probably figure that one out on my own!)
- preferred legs/ no preference
- how many group accommodation spots you need (or book own room)
- $99.75 ($95+gst). Cheques are payable to QuickSilver Running Team
COACHES CORNER
A little advice from Mark Tewskbury.
"Sometimes when you start something new there is a little thought that says, "Okay this is going to be magic. We'll show all those people who don't believe." And then it hurts like hell when not only do you not show them, you actually prove them temporarily right. That is when you really have to find the positive advances and believe in what you are doing.
Part of the focus this year is to get through the monotonous day-to-day training. This is where you get to show who you are and what you are made of, and it is here, unfortunately, so many people give up. Will there be times when it won't be pretty? Absolutely there will be, especially during some of those long dark days of January, February and March. But getting through those times is a fundamental part of the process.
Going the distance means you endure the drudgery, you overcome the challenges, you put in the time. Where planning provides the road map, it is the long-term commitment of acting effectively over time that ultimately turns possibility into results.
The daily routine is the part that sometimes isn't so much fun. Unfortunately, there is no way around it. This is where many of us look for the shortcuts, hoping for an easier way. Then, one of two things usually happens. Either we give up, thinking we'll try something else that is easier, or worse, we throw out the plan and drastically reduce our expectations, settling for something less.
Going the distance isn't about showing up, going on autopilot, and putting in long sloppy hours. It is about being focused, thinking of the thousands of little things that need to be well done along the way that, in the end, accumulate to get you where you want to go. Incorporating the small things and paying attention to those details while doing the long hard work is where results start to get compounded."
FAQ
"Is there a right way to breathe when running?"
The general thought is to be aware of the breath, but not to over-think it. Your body's really good at breathing; it's hard if not impossible to mess it up. By the way, none of what is in these newsletters should be construed as medical advice!
Upon exhale we expel about 15% CO2 compared to 90% for whales (according to David Attenborough!). CO2 build-up is what triggers us to breathe. Experiment with a forceful exhale or "rhino breathing" as described by Dr. Tom Miller in Programmed to Run. Experiment with exhaling with puffed cheeks, which reportedly aids in air exchange.
The inhale is innate. Your belly rises with each inhale. In Yoga the breath is considered a movement unto itself. Coordinate your breath movement with the movement of your stride. Most people naturally exhale in rhythm with their footsteps and sometimes on a preferred side - there is even a thought that switching the side on which you exhale can prevent injuries on that side of the body because, the thought goes, runners tend to land harder on the exhale. Often one side of your body is weaker than the other, and we tend to "land" on a preferred leg and "push" with the other. Your breathing of course changes with pace. It might be 3 steps per inhale to 2 steps per exhale on a tempo run. When you're working harder it might look like 2:2.
When your breathing is in sync with your footfalls, you may find that your run flows more easily. Whether you use your nose or mouth to breathe is not important. Because the jaw is loose when running, you might find you use your mouth more. Just do what comes comfortably and naturally.
MEMBER REPORTS
In the fall and winter many of us head south to warmer climate to destination races. In Fanny's case, to Hawaii! In Ngan's case, to Greece to complete the original marathon route with Give'r For Liver. Congrats to both! Congrats also to Eric who won 9th overall and 2nd in his age group in his half marathon in Maui! He's too modest to send in a photo.
And what about Tom H and Steve L, our Hypothermic Half finishers! Steve bunny. Show us those ears, Steve.
"I wanted to thank you all for allowing me to participate in the Quicksilver Running’s Fourth Annual Back 9 Fun Run and Ultra on October 8, 2011. It was great to be a part of such a well organized event with so many enthusiastic runners and organisers. Thank you for allowing Ann and myself to come out and speak on behalf of the Canadian Liver Foundation to bring awareness to the group. The donations received that day contributed to my total fundraising of $6,826. Your kindness and generosity will go towards the continued health education and research programs of the Canadian Liver Foundation.
With my fundraising efforts for the Give’r for Liver, on November 13, 2011, I participated in the 29th Athens Classic Marathon with 6,144 participants from around the world. Starting from the City of Marathonas, the Original Marathon course followed a rather circular route around the War Memorial for those that died during the Marathon Battle (Marathon Tomb) and ended in the Panathinaikon Stadium in Athens. This was my first marathon and it definitely tested the limits of not only my body but my mind as well. I had tried my best to both physically and mentally train for the distance, but was not fully prepared to for the weather and uphill battle from the 10 – 31km mark. In the end I was successful and completed the race; it will definitely be an experience I will never forget." Ngan Thai
(some of) The Tri Group at Genesis!
MONTHLY CONTEST!
Here are the answers to last month's slogan ID contest:
The North Face: Never Stop Exploring What Seems Impossible
New Balance: Let's Make Excellent Happen
Merrell: Let's Get Outside
Adidas: Impossible is Nothing
Mizuno: Your Passion is Our Obsession
Send your answer to quicksilverrunning@hotmail.com or Facebook > QuickSilver Running Team.
KITCHEN COUNTER
Summary of Nutter's presentation: team nutrition partners Michelle Giangualano and Jessica Girard guided us through the aisles where we learnt about ingredients and superfoods, products and their benefits, how to make healthful substitutions, and even storage tips as well as and what to look for when reading labels. We sampled some of the new Vega line of pre, during and post-workout products, and Michelle made her sun energy balls of honey, steel cut oats, hemp heart and sunflower seed butter.
Our family have signed up for the Bundles of Energy lifestyles meal planning program; what better way to keep up to date and learn about whole foods and how to incorporate them into the family's eating plan, than by having it sent directly to our inbox. There is flexibility to make my old standbys all the while building a whole toolbox of daily, seasonal recipes. The shopping lists and "where to find" make store trips a breeze. Best of all, the program advocates a gradual transition to a long term lifestyle change; it's not a fad or a diet. While our daughter wasn't crazy about brown rice pasta (yet), she likes the kale pesto on chicken.
Admittedly there are so many self-righteous blogs - "nama shoyu should not be classified as a raw food!!" - total turnoff - and I've watched my new-age-sandal-wearing ultrarunning friends brew race food concoctions with are-you-kidding-me skepticism (people - yes there is more than one - who run 100k in sandals have questionable logic) - but now, in embracing whole foods ("movement" will forever recall images of Occupy Wall Street for me), we are not at all becoming extremists... We just want to be well informed and eat well.
Think you'll have to experience deprivation and munch granola? No way. Some of the chocolate recipes from Bundles of Energy: Chocolate puff bars, chickpea chocolate cake, chocolate avocado mousse (similar to the one in previous newsletter), smoothies and fudge. Just sign up for the newsletter already! Fantastic food resource.
Here are some darkly decadent cacao (cuh-CAY-oh) methods from The Light Cellar's "Alchemy of Raw Chocolate Making" class. You will never go back to storebought chocolate. Dutch process cocoa has been roasted and processed, which strips the health benefits from the beans. Look for raw powder or paste, unalkalized.
CHOCOLATE MYLK
Blend nuts (cashews, for example, or seeds) with sufficient water, strain or sieve and return to blender. Save the pulp for baking or smoothies. Add water, cacao powder (try carob too), pinch of salt, vanilla bean (can use pod or just seeds) and sweetener of choice (we used agave - maple would be great too). Blend and done! For spicy warming hot chocolate, add cinnamon, cayenne, mesquite... Just a few suggestions.
CHOCOLATE FUDGE
Blend melted (in double broiler or bowl nested into a bowl of warm water) cacao butter, soaked figs (or any fruit such as apricots and ginger), cacao powder to taste, and sweetener of choice (we used blackberry honey). Done! It has a creamy airy mousse-like texture. Spread in pan and put in freezer to chill. Optionally, add other flavorings (we tried fragrant rose water).
BAR CHOCOLATE
Mix in a bowl melted cacao butter (or any butter - almond or hazelnut etc will give a chocolate spread consistency rather than a solid bar), cacao powder to taste, vanilla seeds (slit lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a spoon or side of fork), sweetener of choice to taste, and add anything else you want! Spread into mould or pan or plastic lid for easy removal and chill. I added dried goji and cape berries and blue-green algae. Scott put orange extract, maca and bee pollen in his bar. SUPER EASY and LOTS OF FUN. Would make a great party activity......
I'd always thought of cacao as an "haute" ingredient because some of the fanciest (meaning: labor intensive) recipes call for cacao nibs!
BEET PARFAIT ~ CHOCOLATE BRITTLE GEL ~ BEET-RASPBERRY FLUID GEL
from Dessert Fourplay by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore, a component of the "Indian Summer" fourplay. Sometimes it's fun to be fussy.
Streusel Base: 200g flour, 25g cacao powder, 2g ground cloves, s&p. Mix with 8 tbsp cold butter and 1/2C sugar until crumbly. Press into mold/tin.
Beet Parfait: 2tbsp heavy cream in small bowl and sprinkle with 2.25g sheet gelatin (or 1/2 tsp powdered). In separate bowl simmer 1/3C beet juice with 35g sugar, vanilla seeds from a half pod, and 3 egg yolks. Strain (so fussy!!) and add gelatin mixture, beat at med-high speed. Fold 1/2C whipped cream. Pipe into freezing cold molds (if using). Freeze overnight.
Beet-Raspberry Fluid Gel: Puree 12oz raspberries, 1/2C beet juice, 2.5g agar. Set. Blend on high speed until smooth.
Chocolate Brittle Gel: Do you really have this much energy to expend on dessert?? do you even have room in your fridge (50g sugar, 1g agar, 250g milk, 57g chocolate)?? Your guests will be just fine with a side scoop of the cacao mousse/fudge or ice cream.
Serve with cacao nibs and optionally, micro beet greens, yoghurt powder, beet powder. (Terra Spice Company). Fully entered into the realm of fussiness there.
Everything I've made from Dessert Fourplay has earned great reviews. The recipes present truly elegant combinations. Above are pictured Iuzzini's cherry/fig/tomato fourplay. Tart cherry and frozen yoghurt with sesame tuiles, grilled figs and raspberry sangria granite, honey roasted tomatoes served with lemon-basil sorbet, blackberries, and almond streusel, a white chocolate and cacao nib souffle served with black peppermint creme anglaise, brandied cherries. If that's not enough for you there are TWENTY fourplays in the book, designed as seasonal dessert tastings.
That's called ending on a high.
