With so many compelling stories submitted for the iRun Makeover contest, you may be asking, why were Aleks, Brock and Chrystal selected?
iRun wanted to find runners from different regions of Canada who had dreams of becoming a better runner and were facing challenges which would resonate with large segments of the Canadian running community. As we reviewed the submissions, it became clear that coaching and nutrition counseling were critical needs for runners. At the same time, the cries for help appeared to fall into a number of categories. A large group of runners simply wanted to get started again after illness or injury or overwhelming life challenges. Others wanted to run faster, in some cases faster than a tortoise and in other cases faster than a Boston Qualifying time. A strong-minded bunch was determined to challenge the next race distance and go longer. Within these stories, I could see that aging, medical conditions, lack of support, body image, and busy schedules constrained some runners.
Aleks is a 47 year old rookie who is going to challenge the marathon distance and chase a Boston Qualifying time. To date, she has enjoyed followed her group of running buddies with no clear direction but suspected that she had more in her. Aleks will have to take ownership of her program. She will have to learn to run alone as her running buddies won’t always want to do that hard tempo run or 25+km weekend long run. Technology must become her new best friend to help track her progress. Aleks will help the new runner and potential 4 hour marathoner demystify the training process to get to the Ottawa Marathon start line.
If you read Brock’s iRun Makeover contest submission, you will see that it was not about him. I was curious about this guy who would reach out and speak primarily about the runners he supports. A Google search revealed Brock’s website and his excitement at hitting the revered sub-4 hour time goal at the 2010 NYCM. I wondered if Brock was giving so much of himself to others that perhaps his own running dreams had not been pursued. Before the Makeover, Brock had set a spring goal of running another PB marathon. I challenged him to try something new by getting off the marathon merry-go-round. Follow Brock as he redefines himself as a 10k & half-marathon speedster this spring en route to a breakthrough fall marathon.
Chrystal has her life in control. Chrystal is accomplished. Chrystal is an athlete. Chrystal is a very frustrated runner. Chrystal wants to run 59:59 at the Bluenose 10k. To Chrystal, running a sub-60 minutes over 10k is the indicator that she has joined the ranks of the ‘fast’ runners. The key to Chrystal’s success will be getting her head and body to feel the speed, to learn what ‘fast’ feels like. Over the next few months, Chrystal’s program will challenge her to become comfortable in her own runner’s skin.
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