It's Week 1 of the Can Too Blackmore's Sydney Running Festival program (BSRF) and I have been fortunate enough to join the Can Too family as one of the coaches for the 9km Bridge Run. Having had a lot of friends participate in Can Too programs in the past, and hearing so many positive things about their experiences with Can Too, I was excited to see what this Orange Army was all about!
If you haven't already heard of Can Too, pick up the rock you have been sleeping under and take a look around. You have no doubt seen a sea of bright orange shirts in every running event you've participated in. Since its inception in 2005, runners, swimmers and now triathletes have helped raise over $11 million dollars for Cure Cancer Australia. The company itself has helped over 8000 people achieve their running, swimming and triathlon goals.
As a trainer and instructor, I have always loved seeing people achieve things they never thought possible. Whether it was someone who just wanted to finish a Body Attack class without feeling like puking, or watching someone go from couch potato to running 5km; the human spirit is an amazing thing. When someone has the courage to step out of their comfort zone and do something they wouldn't normally think of doing on their own, it is truly unique and very special.
When I turned up to the first track session on Wednesday night at Chatswood Oval, I found the other coach who I was going to be working with - the lovely Simone Clucas, who I had actually met a couple of years ago whilst working at lululemon in Mosman. After a talk with the Team Captain, I realised that half of my group hadn't run in a very long time. When I say a long time, I mean since high school. But what they lacked in experience, they made up for in enthusiasm. I have never seen a more nervous yet excited bunch of men and women, ready to embrace the whole training experience. Can Too really is like being part of a family. The coaches, team captains and mentors encourage everyone to get to know each other and create such welcoming atmosphere. Within minutes, the nerves were gone, I couldn't feel any tension or anxiety in the air from any of my participants and everyone had a smile on their face. It was amazing!
Today was our first road run. An opportunity for the group to learn about pacing and knowing what it's like to run 3km. Now to someone who is a runner, 3km might not seem very long but for someone who has never run before, it's like a marathon. I will never forget my first ever running experience. I lasted all of 6 minutes before turning around to go home, coming to the conclusion that running was just too hard. If only I had known about Can Too back then!
Everyone has a story; a reason behind why they train with Can Too. For some, it's to improve their fitness. For others, it's for the support network and to give themselves a challenge. But for one person in particular, its a very emotional journey. Not long ago, one of the girls in my group's three year old daughter was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, they caught it early and she is now cancer-free, however she currently goes for check-ups every three months, just to make sure everything is ok. As you can imagine, this was a very traumatic and stressful experience, and still is to this day, but instead of taking medication for her anxiety (as prescribed by her GP), she decided to sign up for Can Too. She chose exercise over drugs. HOW AMAZING IS THAT?! So not only is she fighting her own personal battle, she is now taking on the challenge of running her first 9km race AND raising money to help find a cure for cancer.
The reason I am writing this post is perhaps you know someone who has never run before but wants to give it a go. The support network that Can Too offers is nothing like I have ever seen before. I honestly wish I had known about Can Too when I first started running. I've only coached two sessions and I am absolutely hooked. The people are amazing, the training is always fun and as excited as I am about going overseas next week, I am really going to miss seeing their faces while I am on holidays. At least it will give me extra motivation to run while I am over there!
You can read more about the amazing work that Annie and her team do at www.cantoo.org.au.
Happy training!
The Fonginator
If you haven't already heard of Can Too, pick up the rock you have been sleeping under and take a look around. You have no doubt seen a sea of bright orange shirts in every running event you've participated in. Since its inception in 2005, runners, swimmers and now triathletes have helped raise over $11 million dollars for Cure Cancer Australia. The company itself has helped over 8000 people achieve their running, swimming and triathlon goals.
As a trainer and instructor, I have always loved seeing people achieve things they never thought possible. Whether it was someone who just wanted to finish a Body Attack class without feeling like puking, or watching someone go from couch potato to running 5km; the human spirit is an amazing thing. When someone has the courage to step out of their comfort zone and do something they wouldn't normally think of doing on their own, it is truly unique and very special.
When I turned up to the first track session on Wednesday night at Chatswood Oval, I found the other coach who I was going to be working with - the lovely Simone Clucas, who I had actually met a couple of years ago whilst working at lululemon in Mosman. After a talk with the Team Captain, I realised that half of my group hadn't run in a very long time. When I say a long time, I mean since high school. But what they lacked in experience, they made up for in enthusiasm. I have never seen a more nervous yet excited bunch of men and women, ready to embrace the whole training experience. Can Too really is like being part of a family. The coaches, team captains and mentors encourage everyone to get to know each other and create such welcoming atmosphere. Within minutes, the nerves were gone, I couldn't feel any tension or anxiety in the air from any of my participants and everyone had a smile on their face. It was amazing!
Today was our first road run. An opportunity for the group to learn about pacing and knowing what it's like to run 3km. Now to someone who is a runner, 3km might not seem very long but for someone who has never run before, it's like a marathon. I will never forget my first ever running experience. I lasted all of 6 minutes before turning around to go home, coming to the conclusion that running was just too hard. If only I had known about Can Too back then!
Everyone has a story; a reason behind why they train with Can Too. For some, it's to improve their fitness. For others, it's for the support network and to give themselves a challenge. But for one person in particular, its a very emotional journey. Not long ago, one of the girls in my group's three year old daughter was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, they caught it early and she is now cancer-free, however she currently goes for check-ups every three months, just to make sure everything is ok. As you can imagine, this was a very traumatic and stressful experience, and still is to this day, but instead of taking medication for her anxiety (as prescribed by her GP), she decided to sign up for Can Too. She chose exercise over drugs. HOW AMAZING IS THAT?! So not only is she fighting her own personal battle, she is now taking on the challenge of running her first 9km race AND raising money to help find a cure for cancer.
The reason I am writing this post is perhaps you know someone who has never run before but wants to give it a go. The support network that Can Too offers is nothing like I have ever seen before. I honestly wish I had known about Can Too when I first started running. I've only coached two sessions and I am absolutely hooked. The people are amazing, the training is always fun and as excited as I am about going overseas next week, I am really going to miss seeing their faces while I am on holidays. At least it will give me extra motivation to run while I am over there!
You can read more about the amazing work that Annie and her team do at www.cantoo.org.au.
Happy training!
The Fonginator
