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Breaking Through

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Runners from across the country share their stories about how they achieved their goals

Runners are a tribe of go-getters. We run in the heat, rain, and snow. We propel ourselves through gruelling training regimes and clock hundreds of hours in the name of progress. As a meritocratic sport, running rewards hard work and commitment, giving back what a runner puts in. Pushing ourselves is part of the goal and moderation does not usually come naturally. But on the eve of a new running season, it’s time to ruminate on past challenges and redefine our limits. Whether it’s beating a personal record, winning a medal, racing farther, or being more consistent, improvement is all about evaluating your performance and making the changes that lead to breakthroughs. We’ve gathered advice and wisdom from elite and recreational runners who’ve learned from their pasts and keep reaching for the top. Here’s to starting the year off on the right foot.

The runner: Paula Keating, 47, Miramichi, N.B.

The accomplishments:

Broke New Brunswick women’s marathon record in her first marathon with a 2:58:02 in New York City, 2009; current N.B. marathon record-holder with 2:47:26 in Boston, 2011; female winner of the Detroit Free Press Marathon in 2010; won female masters division NYC marathon in 2011 at age 45; placed 14th overall female at the Boston Marathon in 2012; and RunNB hall of fame inductee in 2012 and RunNB female runner of the year, 2009–2012.

The breakthrough:

I’m an endurance person, not a speedster. My strength is definitely in the longer distances, and my favourite race by far is the marathon. I enjoy the training and sense of accomplishment. I’ve had no formal coaching to date, but I read voraciously about running, physiology and nutrition. I try to apply what I’ve learned to improve myself. Probably the biggest change in my improvement has been incorporating more tempo work for speed and endurance.

The first half of 2012 was shaping up as a breakthrough season for me, with some of my best results. Unfortunately, I was tripped up at the start of a race midway through the season. It threw off my alignments but I continued to train hard, setting myself up for a huge foot and ankle injury last fall. I am in a rebuilding phase. I’ve always done some cross-training and small amounts of core strength work, but over the past year, I’ve added more, both to help in the healing process and keep me running stronger in the future.

The tip: Set goals and commit to achieving them. My motto is “train hard, run strong.”

The runner: Luke MacDonald, 49, Dartmouth, N.S.

The Accomplishment:

A competitive runner in his youth loses weight and reinvents himself after more than a decade off.

The Breakthrough:

I gained about 50 lb. after I stopped running in the mid-’90s. Ironically, in that time I also became a partner at Aerobics First, a local running store. In 2010, I discovered the ElliptiGo through my work, which allowed me to do something approaching running again for the first time in years. I managed to shed about 40 of those extra pounds and this year started running on solid ground once again. This past April, on my 49th birthday, I ran a 5K and was able to break 20 minutes. Fifteen years ago, I would have been upset by that time. But I’ve changed the way I look at running.

The Tip: Find your alchemy. I was able to figure out the ingredients for my comeback; I embraced my age and my injury history, and knew that I still had the will to run. You have to figure out your ingredients and put it all together. I believe every runner has the ingredients, you just need to figure out what they are, and also accept that they change over time. You need to put together all the little pieces to be a healthy, happy runner.

The runner: Michelle Kowanda, 26, Montreal, Que.

The accomplishment:

She ran a fast 5k PB of 19:26 in 2013.

The breakthrough:

Adding miles was a big challenge for me. I was used to the effort of tough workouts, but not additional mileage. It requires more energy and more time. This was not something that I’d done previously, but I’m much stronger because of it. My coach, John Lofranco, and I implemented low-intensity mileage very gradually. Once a week, I double (one run in the morning and one in the evening), ranging from 40 to 60 minutes per run. Doubles were tiring at first, but I’ve noticed a big improvement in my endurance and stamina.

The tip: Have a strategy. If I’m not strategic with my workouts, I run my body down and develop injuries. It’s good to have a plan separating workout days and allowing for proper recovery. Don’t take on too much mileage too quickly.

The runner: Elizabeth Mokrusa, 32, Montreal, Que.

The accomplishments:

5,000m in 18:09 in 2013; marathon in 3:14:42 in 2010.

The breakthrough:

Having a coach is really important for me. A formal training program with intervals, speed work and tempo runs has really helped me to progress. It’s been my biggest change since I began running again in 2004 after a lengthy break. I took 35 minutes off my best marathon time after only about eight months of training. I’ve also introduced nutritional changes, weight training, plyometric and core exercises, and sprints and strides during easy runs. My coach and a nutritionist have supervised all of these changes.

The tip: Have faith in what your coach has planned for you. Do what they say, when they say to do it. People pride themselves on “knowing their bodies,” but they don’t have the performance training know-how of a coach.

The runner: Marilyn Arsenault, 45, Victoria, B.C.

The accomplishments:

Three-time Canadian national team member; competed in IAAF World Cross-Country Championships in Amman, Jordan, in 2009; set the 10,000m Canadian Masters Record in 34:22 in 2012; ran a 2:40 marathon at age 45.

The breakthrough:

My biggest challenge has been incorporating enough daily rest time to support the heavy marathontraining load. My recent improvements have come from years of consistently and gradually increasing volume, and breaking up my training schedule.

The tip: Consistency helps me to stay injury-free. Occasionally, it’s necessary to take risks and push the body to the edge to improve, but you have to pick and choose those moments very carefully.

The Runner: Bonnie McCormick, 54, Halifax, N.S.

The Accomplishment:

Volunteering in the running community while taking two years to recover from a severe knee injury.

The Breakthrough:

I realize now that I was quite green before I tore my meniscus. I was feeling pain for the better part of a year before I could no longer run, but I didn’t seek out the guidance that I needed. The day I stopped running, I thought that was it, I would never run again. It was initially extremely difficult. But instead of walking away from running, I decided to get more involved with the community. My husband Myles was building toward his first marathon, and I decided to become his biggest cheerleader. I also started volunteering for races and getting more involved, which has strengthened my love for running and my relationship with other runners. This also put me in touch with a lot of encouraging people that have helped me stay positive and motivated. When I did start running again after two years, I learned to be more patient and not force anything. I’ve set a goal to run a half-marathon again in Ottawa in the spring of 2014.

The Tip: If you get injured, find other ways to stay involved in the running community. Volunteer at events and get involved helping a running group. Stay positive and surround yourself with good people. When you’re ready to start running again, set smart goals and think long-term.

The runner: Rob Watson, 30, Vancouver, B.C.

The accomplishments:

Two-time World Championship team member; 20th place in the 2013 World Championship Marathon; four-time Canadian champion (marathon, 10k, and two-time steeplechase); 11th place in the 2013 Boston Marathon.

The breakthrough:

I run because I love it, but I work very hard. I have to cover all my bases to be the best runner I can be. As a marathoner, I don’t put enough emphasis on speed work. I’ve never had strong natural speed. I am taking the next six months to focus on developing my speed before I run another marathon. One of my biggest challenges is not allowing myself to rest and recover properly. I always feel that I should be doing more to improve. Sometimes, that just makes me tired, and I end up not doing very well. I need to trust my training and fitness, and not force the progression. It’s a big mental game.

The tip: Runners of all levels need to focus more on proper recovery. Be smart with your training, but be patient and take your recovery time seriously. Don’t force it and don’t take shortcuts. A lot of people get injured because they aren’t recovering properly, not because they’re training too hard. Sleep, diet, massage, physiotherapy – all of these things help your body to recover more efficiently. It takes time for the body to adapt to all the stresses of training. You are constantly breaking yourself down and then rebuilding. What will ultimately make you a better runner is how effectively and consistently you can put these two cycles together.

The runner: Karla Del Grande, 60, Mississauga, Ont.

The accomplishments:

Women’s world record holder of the 100, 200 and 400m sprints (13:30, 28:11, and 66:24 respectively) at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Porto Alegre, Brazil, 2013.

The breakthrough:

I was a sprinter in high school, and became a distance runner in my 30s. At 49, I switched to masters track. A lot of people say that they won’t run farther than they can see, and I guess I’ve taken that to heart. Sprinting is intense and concentrated. You put forward a great deal of effort in a short period of time. You have to convince yourself to keep going. I never thought that I could push myself that hard. To find other people my age doing this is exciting and motivating. I train with my coach, Bruce Mitchell, twice a week. Bruce told me, “Whatever you put in, I will match,” and that’s been a great support. I do intervals, endurance, speed, and a combination of speed and endurance on different days. Energy management has been an important part of my success. As I get closer to competing, the rests between intervals get shorter and shorter, almost like simulating the events. Before Brazil, my training partners gave up their base training to sprint train with me. Bruce would have them come in at certain points in a run (for example, at the 150m mark in a 300m run) to push me.

The tip: Balance. I do yoga for flexibility, weight training for strength, track for speed, plyometrics for that explosiveness, cycling for fun and massage to relax my muscles. In the past, I’d do too much each week. Now, I’m much more focused during each workout, and I try to keep the balance throughout a two- to three-week training cycle. This helped me to prepare for Brazil, especially because I had to extend a competitive summer season into the fall, when I’m normally doing base work.

The runner: Lanni Marchant, 29, London, Ont. and Chattanooga, Tenn.

The accomplishments:

Represented Canada at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow 2013; set the Around the Bay course record (2013) at 1:44:40; third place (first Canadian) at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (2013), with a new Canadian record of 2:28:00.

The breakthrough:

I like knowing that my equipment is my body, but I’m very injury-prone. I’ve barely made it through six months without being on crutches. I remember cramping up so badly in Moscow that I had to walk it in. Every time I got hurt, it set me back. I recognize that a lot of that was due to the stress I was putting on my body because of my self-image. I felt that I had to push myself to compensate for my body type. I don’t look like a “typical” runner: I’m short, muscular, and lean. Most of the runners I come across are tall and thin. I thought that I needed to look a certain way, that if I missed a workout, I’d get soft around the edges. I would over-train and end up hurting myself. Now, if there are days when I want to cut a run short and head home to have a burger and beer with my boyfriend, I do it. I realize that runners come in all shapes and sizes. No matter how tiny I become, my quads are not going to go away. I’m compact, but it works for me.

The tip: Have fun with it. My college teammate always said that I had my best races during training. I was less stressed and more at ease. Do the work, but try to make it fun. Find a running partner, or have someone bike alongside you. That’s the advice I always preach – and take advantage of easy days and recovery days to do your best.

– Amy Stupavsky

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