Club Northwest Winter Newsletter 2024

Hello, Team! This is the Winter 2024 edition of our restarted quarterly E-News series.

President’s Letter: The State of Club Northwest

Greetings and Happy New Year, Club Northwest -

Thank you for another year supporting Club Northwest Running. I know this club means so much to all of you, and I'm happy to say that 2023 was another year of success. There are so many people that I have to personally thank - who have put hours of their time into the club, including our coaches, our board, the executive members, Andie Roff who coordinates our volunteers, the duos known as Claire/Madeline (Wendle and Westerhoff) and Brent/Tammy (Jarosek and Bowers), Mitch Rees-Jones, Tyler Van Dooren, Erin Wagner, Zeth Peterka, Deborah Fletcher, Gail Hall, Willie Richardson, Steve H and H (Harris and Heaps), Ben Iten who keeps me organized, Nick Welch, Craig Kenworthy... all of you make this club a better place. There are also several volunteers that took on heavy lifts for All-Comers and our XC meets, whose work and efforts make it operate properly and efficiently. They are the reason we all have fun, my friends. 

I think the best way to describe Club Northwest in 2023 is to share with you a conversation I had with another runner on the flight to the Chicago Marathon this past October. He asked me, "What's Club Northwest about anyway?" My long-winded response was, "I'm sure you've heard of the Resolution Run, the 5K around Magnuson Park where people jump in the water on New Year's Day? Well, we do that and it's one of the races that survived the pandemic and came back even stronger. We also put on the All-Comer's track meet on Wednesday's throughout the summer - and that also has been growing because it's a meet for the people - all ages, all abilities, it doesn't matter. If you want to run around an oval, it's for you, you should come. We have great coaches that have been growing our youth program, trasnporting them all over for XC, and then we have our coaches that come with us to events like Boston, Eugene, CIM, they will be here in Chicago and they will be at the Olympic Trials supporting our elite athletes as well. We see them every week on Tuesday/Wednesday and Saturday. They also put on events like a spring marathon tune-up 10 miler and a marathon relay before Boston and Eugene. The Tuesday group is for everyone - you should go! (he actually went, by the way, and plans to attend when he's back from globetrotting). We also have XC teams for every age group, and take teams to Club Nationals each year. It's the biggest team event we have, and it really brings us together as a club. We train throughout the year, compete, and travel together. It's pretty special. And it's all volunteer-driven. That's what's most special about our club. We submitted a bid to host XC Nationals here in the Seattle area next year... Yeah, we have a lot of fast people who have accomplished incredible times in this sport and who sacrifice a lot to show up on the start line, but not all of us are The Flash fast. What we all have in common is that we are committed to making this club amazing by pitching in to put on awesome events, field trips, member celebrations like the Solstice Run and our holiday party, but most of all it's that we are all dedicated to showing up for ourselves and each other to be the best athletes we can be in this sport. And we do what we can to support the running community as a whole. You should join."

And that's us in a nutshell. Like any family, group, organization, or team, we aren't perfect, but we all show up to do our best. We try our hardest, and we do everything we can today to make sure we are better tomorrow. That's what this club has stood for, and that's what we bring into our communities, our workplaces, and our families. 

Moving forward into 2024, I'm already looking forward to our marathon program. I'm pumped for All-Comers and our shiny new timing system. I'm crazy excited for XC because as you may have heard, our club will be hosting Club Nationals in 2024 at Chamber's Bay just south of Tacoma! If you haven't been involved with the club for some time, but have thought about coming around again, consider this your year. More to come on that, but we will be putting a lot of energy into this event as well as into our training and team building programs leading up to this event.

Additionally, we want to know what you are doing! Be sure to join our new members only slack (all members should automatically have an invite), and add your training/racing plans into the Club Northwest Athlete Schedule so we can train and race together. It's the best source of support you can get as an athlete. 

And finally, save the date for our Annual Meeting to be held on March 9. Look out for the invitation to arrive in your inbox soon, and start to think about who you would like to nominate for the President's Award.

I can't say this enough - thank you. Thank you for being a member, for showing up for yourself and each other in training and for bringing your talents to the club to make it the best running club on the West Coast and beyond. This is a special club because it's built by and made up of very special and dedicated people. I'm so thankful for you all, and look forward to big things in 2024. 

My best and run happy,

Danielle Henty

Club Northwest President

2023 club XC wrapped

The leaves have fallen and the ground has grown frosty in the mornings signaling the shift from fall to winter, and heralding the end of another successful year of Club Northwest XC.

Bill Roe Classic Invitational

The season kicked off in mid September in Bellingham with the Bill Roe Classic. On the women’s team, the Club finished 7th overall. The team was led by Lana Lacey, Melissa Phung-Rojas, and Alison Maxwell running tightly as a pack with a mere 17 second spread between the three teammates. A similar story unfolded on the men’s team with Bobby Baraldi, Tyler Van Dooren, and Will Thompson leading the team to a 5th place overall finish, crossing within 18 seconds of each other.

Women’s open and masters race, PNTF 2023

Early October brought the 23rd annual running of the historic Emerald City Open Invitational hosted by Club Northwest. As anyone there can attest to, it was a tour de force of orange jerseys and good vibes on a sunny, crisp fall day. It was a full field with the attendance of Lake Sammamish Run Club, Seattle Run Club, and a number of collegiate teams as well. The women’s team solidified a 4th place finish, with Lyndsey Eisenbach leading the team and finishing third overall. Meghan Lyle and Deborah Fletcher were the other team top finishers in 14th and 18th place finishes respectively. The men’s team rallied from their previous meet to secure a 1st place team finish. Leading the charge were Mac Franks and Colin Monaghan finishing 2nd and 3rd overall respectively. Not far behind was teammate Will Thompson with a 7th place finish.

The championship season kicked off with PNTF at Lincoln Park in West Seattle. The day would end with a clean sweep across both Master’s and both open teams from CNW winning the team championship outright. Well done, Club!

In the men’s Master’s division, Adam Schroeder won the race outright, followed closely by David Simmons in 3rd and Emmet Hogan in 4th. In the women’s Master’s division, Megan Heuer, Meghan Lyle, and and Laura Breyman led the charge in 5th, 10th, and 15th place finishes respectively.

Open Men’s Race, PNTF 2023

In the open division, the men’s team made a clean sweep of the top 6 finishes for the day, led by Mac Franks, Colin Monaghan, Bobby Baraldi, Tyler Van Dooren, Ben Li, and Brian Comer. In the women’s open race, four of the top 5 finishers were Club Northwest athletes, led by Erin Wagner, Alison Maxwell, Lana Lacey, and Melissa Phung-Rojas.

Mitch being Mitch. In his reliably endearing way.

The team continued to excel using the steam built from PNTF at the Regional Championship in Portland. The women came away as a team with a 2nd place finish. The top three performers included Erin, Lana, and Alison yet again finishing in a spectacular 2nd, 4th, and 5th place overall. On the men’s side, CNW finished 1st as a team, with Tom Anderson breaking the finishing tape. Mac and Bobby continued their dominance seen at PNTF as well, finishing with a 2nd and 4th place finish. It was another excellent team performance in a championship event.

Erin Wagner, Club Nationals

With the completion of Regionals, the final preparations began for Club Nationals. Thousands of miles had been run. Numerous hours of core work, yoga, and reassembling schedules to keep pace with the demands of training culminated on December 9th at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, FL.

On the women’s team, nine Master’s athletes and six open athletes competed for CNW. On the men’s team, sixteen Master’s athletes and seven open athletes made the trek to Florida.

Lana Lacey leading CNW women’s open team, Club Nationals

On the women’s side, Lana Lacey, Alison Maxwell, and Melissa Phung-Rojas executed gritty racing strategies achieving consistent progression in finishing place from the start to the finish line. They were followed by teammates Erin Wagner, Sarah Paquet, and Ashden Personeus who gave Club Nationals their best as well. As a team, CNW Women came away with a 13th place finish of the twenty assembled teams.

Open mens division, Club Nationals

In the men’s race, Mac Franks led the charge. In a blistering 15:55 for the first five kilometers of the 10k, he would go on to finish the race in 35th overall, followed closely by teammate Bobby Baraldi (55th). Next to the finish line was teammate Ben Li (76th), followed by Mitch Rees-Jones(93rd). Finishing in a pack were the final three teammates including Tyler Van Dooren (118th), Logan Singer (119th), and Brian Comer (129th). The Men’s team finished 12th as a team of the twenty-five competing.

In the Master’s races, twenty-five Club Northwest athletes competed. Nine represented in the women’s race, and sixteen men competed between the 10k and 8k distances.

Sophia Liu and Meghan Lyle leading the Master’s Women team.

In the men’s 8k, Club Northwest was represented by David White-Espin (19th), Leslie Sharpe (77th), David Longmuir (87th), Dennis Foster (110th), and Ray Leone (105th)

In the women’s 6k, the assembled team included Meghan Lyle (24th), Sophia Liu (31st), Deborah Fletcher (59th), Holly McIlvaine (63rd), Judith Puzon (70th), Jennifer Saam (82nd), Michelle Neal (85th), Gail Hall (91st), and Kay Pinkstaff (117th).

Club Northwest Men’s Master’s Teammates

Club Northwest masters athletes in the men’s 10k included Adam Schroeder, who finished 8th in the race. He was followed by teammates David Simmons (29th), Emmet Hogan (48th), Jordan Anderson (50th), Paul Mannino (70th), Jason Hect (72nd), Mark Bloudek (73th), Blair Cossey (77th), Sean Messiter (152d), Brian Houck (172nd), and Craig MacLean.

Luke Contreras, 15th place National Junior Olympics

A little to the east in Louisville, the Club Northwest Youth Team arrived to the Junior Olympics championship in a show of force from teammate Luke Contreras who finished 15th in the nation for boys aged 11-12. Luke completed the 3 kilometer course in 10 minutes and 20 seconds. Well done!

And so ends another season. Well done, Club Northwest! Now to look forward to hosting XC Nationals here next fall. Thank you to all our athletes for their participation and performances. Thank you to all teammates and volunteers without whom, we couldn’t put on races. Thank you to all our sponsors for their continued support. And thank you to all families, friends, and community members that continue to support us as we strive to make Club Northwest the best running club it can possibly be.

-Written by Steve Harris

-photo credits: Zeth Peterka, Matt Huerta, Aimee Nogoy

The self titled “Silverbacks”: Men’s 70’s Master’s Teammates at Club Nationals

January Blog: motivation and goal setting

Their ebullient voices carried through the coffee shop, lifting those in its wake with energy and positivity. Faces flushed, water bottles emptied, and gear slightly sweaty even in the December morning chill, these 6 friends had just completed a Saturday morning run. Embodying the most powerful motivator, social connection, they could have easily turned their 6 miles into 12 should they have desired.

Motivation can be described in many ways. It is the “why” informing human behavior, spurring us to action, propelling a course forward, and allowing us to maintain the trajectory. It moves us from intent to actualization. It brings form to actions needed to help us reach our goals. Comprised of a complicated set of biological, emotional, social and cognitive factors that initiate behavior, it is not only the process of activation, but endurance through barriers of which will undeniably arise. For many goals, it is a combination of both intrinsic factors (autonomy, mastery and purpose) and extrinsic factors (compensation and reward) that compel action.

As the New Year takes hold, fresh goals emerge, but along with them, the sparkle of the holidays – and the endorphins that accompany – fade. Celebrations come with sleep deprivation, changes to usual habits (perhaps, a skosh – or quad-shot – more of caffeine), and illness, lethargy, and malaise settle in where luster had been. It is beyond a doubt that runners are incredible architects of motivation, resilient in the most harsh of setbacks, but even so, a little tailwind is always welcome. When the chasm between intent and action in reaching our goals seems insurmountable, what are some ways to bridge the gap?

Tips for setting goals

The start of any effective running season requires that we set out with an intended outcome. We need a goal. So what are the tenets of good goal setting?

Although originally applied to business or academic achievement, the principles hold true for running too.

Confirm Commitment: what is your goal?

Bring Clarity: what is the roadmap to progress toward your goal? What are the steps in progressing from where you are presently to achieving the stated goal?

Engage Challenge: what inspires achievement but does not feel out of reach? What is a realistic, yet sufficiently challenging goal to strive for?

Gauge Complexity: does the roadmap match skill? Is this realistic and possible?

Reflective Feedback: how are you progressing toward the goal?

**I would add, Optimistic Flexibility: how do you overcome obstacles, as they are sure to arise? What can I do to plan for the unexpected so I can get back on track?

Tips for maintaining alignment with goals

Firstly, remember to phone a friend. “My first piece of advice is to find friends to do fun runs with,” says CNW Masters competitor, Danielle Henty. Having a support system – be it a one-on-one fitness buddy, a group, or romantic partner – ensures the greatest success in consistency. And not just in “showing up,” as the data shows that gentle competition can super-charge a work-out, and encouragement can carry you through when losing momentum.

Secondly, find ways to lower the barrier to entry. Align your day-to-day tasks with your goals:

-This may include scheduling exercise (take a look at your weekly calendar and slot time for training).

-Sleep wearing your work-out gear (we have all heard it before, and it works!) or lay it out the night before.

-If affected by the winter weather, consider a light box to energize your mornings.  

-Level load stress to approach each work-out with maximal (may or may not dovetail with optimal) energy (prioritize restorative and reparative sleep, avoid alcohol, focus on hydration, check cortisol with deep breathing exercises several times a day).

Leverage dopamine. Otherwise known as the “feel-good” neurotransmitter it is central to the “reward center” of the brain and operative not only in mood regulation, movement, focus and attention, but also, motivation. The “Premack Principle” illustrates the power of this relationship and suggests that by coupling a something you “should do” with a something you “want to do” the behavior becomes more approachable. For example, pair the listening of that new Beyoncé album you’ve been waiting for with a treadmill work-out. Additionally, you could pair this week’s most recent installment of your favorite podcast with the time needed to complete your long run.  

So turn that rainy and bone-chilling Seattle wintery morning into an enticement: gossip, laugh, jam, daydream, groove, and dance those miles away. Even as your T-shirt may be a little rumpled from overnight slumber. Beyoncé couldn’t care less.  

-Written by Milah Frownfelter

-Edited by Steve Harris

Bill Roe All-Comers 2023: A Finale for the Ages

So ends another season of the Bill Roe All Comers summer track and field series! This 54th edition was far and away the largest year in All Comers history - we recorded 9,331 total race results by 4,512 participants in twelve weeks, and broke 1,000 entries in a single night for the first time ever! Thank you to all who participated, and a special thank you to our tireless volunteers - 112 individuals who contributed an estimated 2,500 hours of work to make All Comers 2023 happen. 🍊 

In addition to the traditional track and field events, a series of specialty events were hosted as well this year including PR attempt races, the Beat the Coach Mile, and the ever popular Blue Jeans Mile. The image of a baker’s dozen athletes barreling down the home straight in denim for the honor of accepting the golden GOAT trophy is one not easily forgotten. Nor is the fact that Aimee Nogoy and Alex Vuyisich casually dropped winning times of 5:44 and 4:39 respectively in a pair of JEANS. A job well done. 👏  

In the final meet of the 2023 All Comers series, Club Northwest may have outdone itself in its quest for quirky track fun. Last Wednesday featured three special events. And as far as special track events go, these were three to see firsthand.

The Mysterious Relay

It began with the Mystery Baton Relay. The instructions are pretty straightforward. It’s a standard 4 x 100 meter race. However, the usual baton was replaced with random items. What kind of random items? The official batons provided included at least one seemingly feasible option: an intact Pringle. The other unfortunate seven teams were relegated to carrying everything from loose sand to a cast iron skillet complete with a spatula to a fully constructed backpacking tent that Club Northwest’s own Sheridan Grant impressively managed to wield overhead with a grace none thought possible. Other items not previously listed include a 22-inch zucchini weighing eight pounds, pasta and pasta sauce (yes, this constituted a single baton), a 5-gallon bucket of water, and a pair of Nordic skis.

Upon seeing the hilarity of the assortment, and to ensure enough “batons” were available to span all teams across all heats, an array of unofficial batons was used including a pole vault pole, a broom, a javelin, a live selfie stick, and a small child. Well done to all our Mystery Baton relayers and the small child who very enthusiastically performed his role as baton. 

Carbonation carnage

The excitement did not end there! As beer miles continue to gain popularity, the lack of liquor license did not dampen this spirit (pun intended). In place of the usual malt beverages was substituted the lightly flavored, yet fully non-alcoholic La Croix, whose excess of bubbliness would prove a novel athletic challenge for athletes and absurdly entertaining belch source for the spectators to hear. 

The rules are simple: one 12 ounce La Croix must be consumed before starting each lap of the one-mile race. One 12-ounce, carbonation laden La Croix every 400 meters. Off went the gun, pop went the cans, and so began the 48-ounce journey. Six minutes and 48 seconds later, four hundred and eight seconds characterized by belchy strides, a dozen assorted flavors, a handful of vomits, and at least one expletive laden decision to pull out of the race for the sake of their stomach’s well-being, Aaron Ly would cross the finish with hands held high as the winner of the event. Well done, Aaron. 👏 

A scorching, lactic finale

The final event of the evening was the Elimination 2 Mile, wherein each lap, 1/8th of the field (per gender) was eliminated, leaving just two heavily-lactic runners left to duke it out on the final lap. From the beginning, it was a hair-raising kick to the line in the last 50-100m, the intensity growing each lap until the penultimate lap with a scorching final sprint worthy of an Olympic 800m final, leaving just two men and two women to wearily muster up one more lap. Times were not collected for this race, but in the end, Club Northwest’s Mitch Rees-Jones and Seattle University’s Lili Hargreaves came out on top.

Just like that, we are once again at the end of another summer series. Thank you again to all who volunteered at All Comers. We can’t do it without your help. Thank you to the organizers of this event and those who tirelessly planned and orchestrated to ensure the success that it was. Thank you and congratulations to all the athletes who competed this year, and we hope to see you in 2024! 

Written by Steve Harris and Mitch Rees-Jones

Photo credits: Zeth Peterka

Pride 2023 and Calls to Action

Pride Month has historically been a time to celebrate victories in queer rights, and while celebration is important, in the current legislative landscape featuring a litany of attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community, joy and celebration aren’t enough. Particularly with regard to allies, it feels more vitally important than ever that Pride include collective action in support of the queer community at the local level and beyond. The community, especially trans people in particular, have been targeted with violence and legislation that limits their rights, freedom, and safety in sport and in life.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, since the start of the year 2023, over 540 legislative bills have been introduced to state legislatures, a record for any single calendar year. Of these bills, over 220 specifically target transgender and non-binary people, also a record for any single calendar year. Additionally, in this year alone, a record 70 anti-LGBTQ laws have been put into effect. These laws include:

• 15 laws banning access to gender affirming care for transgender youth

• 7 laws that permit or outright require the misgendering of transgender youth in school

• 2 laws targeting drag performances

• 3 laws that create license to discriminate

• 2 laws permitting censorship in school curriculum and books available to students

Faced with this information, how can we get involved? The short answer: any way that we can. Many believe that the most impactful way is to get involved locally. Here are a few actions that we recommend:

• Register for and participate in the local Run & Walk with Pride organized by the Seattle Frontrunners

  • the event occurred on June 24th this year, though it is an annual event and a great way to get involved in future years

• Proceeds benefit Peer Seattle

• Donate to or volunteer with a local queer organization

• Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network

• Diversity Alliance of Puget Sound

• Queer the Land

• Gay City

• Lambert House

• Rainbow Center

• PFLAG

  • several chapters of PFLAG exist throughout Washington state

• Email the local USATF Pacific Northwest Chapter to express your support for the addition of a Non-Binary category in local USATF sanctioned races

• More info on Nonbinary inclusion in races available here

• Lend your support to national efforts to support access to sports for all:

• Get involved with Running Industry Diversity Collective (RIDC)

• Take Action at Transathlete.com: https://www.transathlete.com/take-action

• Sign petitions on AthleteAlly.org: https://www.athleteally.org/actions/

• Write/Contact your Congressional and State Legislators

You can find your representatives in the state of WA here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

Additionally, attempts to bar trans girls and women from athletic participation are frequently portrayed as efforts to “protect women’s sports.” Underlying this characterization is an attempt to hide the discriminatory intent and impact of such legislation. There currently exists a proposed update to Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs, to include protection based on gender identity. Cisgender women and men advocating for the inclusion of trans girls and women in women’s sports will be necessary, particularly as these discriminatory practices are specifically marketed as intended to protect cisgender athletic performances, though it is not openly stated as such by proponents of these bills.

It can be easy to view the current wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation as somebody else’s problem, but it should not be forgotten that the laws detailed above are not something in the periphery. They affect your teammates. They limit their ability to participate and compete in a sport we collectively gather weekly to train for as a team. They limit many of your teammates’ ability to exist and live freely as they are.

“Club Northwest members are competitive runners and race walkers—of all ages, abilities, races, and sizes—who are passionate about improving their times, improving their age-group place, and/or training to reach a specific athletic or personal goal. We are committed to providing a safe and inclusive space for all athletes and representing the wonderful diversity of the running community while doing our part to dismantle barriers to the sport of running.” Club Northwest Website: “About Club Northwest”

-Written by Rachel Leftwich and Steve Harris

Mental Health Awareness Month

Trigger warning: Before continuing any further, it needs to be stated that this post will include references to depression, anxiety, mental illness, and suicidal thoughts/ideation. These topics may be triggering to some readers. 

In recent years, mental health has become an expansive discussion, and the resources available regarding the subject have increased significantly. It’s encouraging to see the importance of it in society being recognized. At the same time, I fear that in the world we live where social media abounds, highlight reels and catchphrases have been substituted for action. Additionally, the very concept of mental health has become so multifaceted that it now encompasses common wisdom in daily habits from getting a quality night’s sleep to consuming a healthy diet. This is not to say that any of this shouldn’t be a part of the discussion, and they’re excellent practices for anyone looking to improve their overall wellbeing and mental health. However, I do have concern that it distracts from the difficult conversation of mental illness, the conditions that often get referenced only when a tragedy occurs and still carries with it much stigma. 

I want to share my own experience with mental illness. It’s a topic that’s personal to me, and I hope through sharing, we might be able to reduce stigma and offer validation to those who experience similar struggles.  

It started in the middle of 2017. I had just moved to Boston to pursue my dream of training with a historic track club as I started my professional career in healthcare. I never expected that this simple act of moving across the country would ignite a pattern of neural chaos that I would be beholden to for over a year. 

It was perplexing. I’d been a military kid, moving every other year until my late teens, and subsequently every few months as I completed my schooling with a series of internships. The experience should have been familiar to me, but something this time was different. 

The best I can convey is that it unleashed an unrelenting thought spiral of fear, further strengthened by a harsh inner critic that continually berated me for being less than perfect, unable to help myself, and clearly crazy for this continual doom loop I couldn’t break free of. I’ve been told this cluster of thought patterns is called anxiety and depression, possibly PTSD. The lived experience of it can only be called hell. 

It became a dirty little secret. I had an inkling that something wasn’t right. Unfortunately, I had not been supplied the benefit of an emotionally safe home life as a kid, and, when coupled with a family system that fostered covert forms of abuse, hiding unpleasantries was second nature to me. It seemed practical even, given the standards of what was considered “normal” in the environment I’d grown up in. Never let them see. Never let them know. You’re the same old you, regardless of what you feel inside, because if you’re not him, you’re not enough, and “not enough” is shameful.  

It took a drastic toll on my physical health. I couldn’t tolerate training the way I used to. My body injured easily, and I was unceasingly tired, yet still giving everything I had to maintain the facade that I was the same racehorse I’d always been. Regardless, the mileage dwindled, unbroken sleep grew rare, and race performances fell flat. This only strengthened the voice chanting ever louder that I wasn’t enough. I can recall numerous nights where the anxiety grew so bad, I’d have to end my run after a mere 3 minutes to calm my constricted chest and try in vain to slow the whirring thoughts.

This continued for fifteen months with brief bouts of feeling marginally better, only to descend further into the rabbit hole. Fear was replaced by panic. Depression gave rise to despair. All the while the extent of my pain I never revealed in full to anyone. 

There came a day in August of 2018 when I awoke, and even by the standards of the previous months, something was very wrong. It pains me to write this, but that morning it dawned on me that I was experiencing empathy, if not a little jealousy, towards cases of suicide I was familiar with including Robin Williams and Chester Bennington. It hit me like a brick that on this day I could understand why they did what they did. I didn’t want to die, I just wanted to not have to think or feel anymore. 

I was a mess at work. My boss could tell, and she did what she could to figure out what was wrong. I couldn’t quite convey what was happening, though I had the wherewithal to send an email to a Therapist I had been intermittently seeing. He promptly sprang into action and urged me to see my PCP. Fortunately, I arrived a few minutes before closing and was greeted by a friendly nurse who had just hung up the phone with my Therapist a moment prior. 

She asked all the right questions. I answered them honestly and was shocked to hear some of the responses I gave. Though it was certainly a tough place to be, the efforts of a few people who recognized the signs led me to the first step in what would be several years of healing and growth to find my way back to a life I love. I cannot thank them enough.

Here is where it commonly gets written off as a fairy tale ending. Someone got the help they needed. All is well. Now they’re back to normal, and it’s great. If only it were that easy. 

“Getting help” for mental illness is not an overnight process. You don’t go to a hospital, start to feel better, and then call it good because now you love life again. It’s slow and arduous. It’s as much or as little time as it takes to get yourself into a safe frame of mind before you can begin to address all the experiences that brought you to where you are.

It often entails medication that, while altering your brain chemistry and affecting your overall disposition, comes with side effects that leave you feeling less like you, including weight gain, general numbing, and loss of emotions. Don’t get me wrong, it can be necessary. It makes it no less of an uphill climb on already tired legs, only to find a mountain awaits you at the top. 

“Getting help” entails learning new paradigms of what it means to engage with the world, relate to others, and love yourself. Attempting to love yourself feels foreign and weak, until the moment you first succeed, followed by grief that this most basic need of acceptance and safety was never a part of your lived experience until now. Healing often involves letting go of people who’ve long been a part of your life, and then coping with the gnawing love you feel for them that conflicts with the unrelenting anger for things they did, didn’t, and continue to do. It involves letting go of versions of yourself that you built an entire life and purpose on to make room for one that is more fundamentally “you”, often as you’re not sure who you even are.

It takes sheer determination with a sage patience to confront the well-worn patterns of thinking that, while they may be the source of your misery, also may be the only path your mind has ever known. There’s comfort in ease. There’s resistance to change. You’ll have to get comfortable with vulnerability, as you revisit memories you’d rather forget and open yourself to letting the tears happen no matter how shameful you feel for having them. It’s awkward. It’s uncomfortable. It goes deep into the thick of uncleared cognitive paths, skirting the ones you’ve run for decades which, despite their danger, are at least familiar. It’s long, far longer than what is portrayed in television, and it’s usually an ongoing endeavor, although it does get easier as the layers are examined and the foundation is built. 

My foundation started with running. As I began to grasp the extent of the challenges that lay ahead, I was adrift. I anchored myself to the good memories of what brings me the most joy in this life, and that’s running. These memories supplied the proof that a version of my life exists where I can run with joy, something to latch onto when my brain would revert to its old patterns on the harder days. I held those memories dearly like a talisman that could brighten the toughest of days on the road to recovery. I would reminisce on throwing down in Eugene with Ari, running stride for stride from start to finish with him. I remembered plodding along forest trails with Rivs, with his beardy wisdom softly reminding me that running is just that, and speed is rather subjective and meaningful only to the extent you allow it to be. 

There were certainly days where despair found me again. Days that I thought I’d never love to run again. Days I thought I was wasting my time pursuing a sport that should have been dead to me years ago. Maybe it was time to retire from it all.

What ensued was a new beginning in a sport I’d only ever considered as a means to measure one's self worth. From this beginning, novel opportunities began to arise. They took me up and down mountains for hours at a time as my brain endlessly chomped at rearranging the old patterns into new ones. It took me from Boston to Seattle where I believed, and time confirmed, my community and chosen family would be. It gave me the opportunity to step away from the fragility of my need to always be the best, and explore roles supporting other members of the sport that gave me back my life. To put it simply, it gave me a pretty freaking amazing life, and a profound appreciation every time I lace up and can feel the joy course through me, no longer absent and muted.

I’m one of the lucky and privileged ones that had access to the care I needed, and specific features to my illness where recovery was a possibility. Unfortunately, in many cases, full recovery is not a certain outcome, and barriers to access remain steep. All the more reason these conversations need to be had, and our Club needs to be ready to offer support where it can when we are faced with someone needing our help.

The fact is that current statistics are staggering. It’s estimated that 1 in 5 people in the United States will experience a mental health condition each year. 1 in 20 will experience severe mental illness. 1 in 10 will experience a severe depressive episode. The key here is to recognize that as a club, we are not exempt from these statistics. 1 in 5. Of 564 registered members of Club Northwest, statistically 112 of our athletes will experience mental health conditions this year.

If you’re suffering in silence, please tell somebody. Tell a teammate. Tell a friend. Tell a coach. There’s no shame in needing help, and you shouldn’t have to go through it alone. 

If you’re suffering in silence, please consider finding the necessary care. There is help available and there are great Therapists in Seattle who care deeply for their patients. You can find contact information for some of these providers below. Additionally, medication isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s often a necessity that can greatly improve quality of life and the ability to enjoy it. 

To those who are approached by another regarding need or concern about their mental illness, please hear them. Listen. Validate. Recognize that there can still be shame in having to ask for help. The nature of mental illness is sometimes rooted in shame and/or a sense of worthlessness. The juncture where someone asks for help and they are truly heard by another is critical. I cannot overstate this. 

Additionally, not every individual in need of help will openly ask, or possess the presence of mind to convey their needs. I highly recommend, should you find yourself feeling concern regarding what someone might be indirectly hinting at, ask the direct questions. “Do you have thoughts of hurting yourself? Are you considering ending your life?” If the answer is yes, find out if they have a specific plan to do so. If that answer is yes, it is now a medical emergency, and EMS should be contacted (specific numbers below). In my own experiences working in healthcare, it has surprised me the number of times I ask directly when I have even the faintest inkling that something is wrong, and their answer is yes. It can be uncomfortable to ask these questions, no doubt about that. It’s far more uncomfortable to wonder later if you should have.

Furthermore, when someone is experiencing mental illness, especially when in a mental health crisis, activities of daily living become significantly harder to perform. Memory can decline as well. With that in mind, when someone does ask for help, consider that they may need physical support in getting the help they need such as making the necessary phone calls, getting a ride to a clinic, or ensuring they safely make it back to their home.

These struggles are common, much more than we’re led to believe. The nature of mental illness can create the overwhelming sense of being alone. You’re not alone. It can feel like you’re not enough. You’re enough, my friend.  

-Written by Steve Harris

If you are in a mental health crisis, and/or experiencing thoughts of hurting yourself or committing suicide, listed below are several crisis lines. For those not actively in crisis, it can be helpful to save these to your phone should the need ever arise.  

If you or a loved one are seeking care and aren’t sure where to turn, listed below are several Psychiatry and Therapy groups in the Seattle area. Also remember that the conversation can be started with a Primary Care Physician who can direct you to resources as well. 

Contacts for when experiencing mental health crisis

• Suicide Prevention Hotline: 988

• King County Crisis Line: 866 427-4747

• Local Crisis Line: 206 461-3222

• Emergency Medical Services: 911

Therapy & Psychiatry Providers

Lifestance Health 

253 579-0134

Numerous locations throughout the greater Seattle area

They offer Psychiatry as well as several forms of therapy

*note: they accept numerous different insurance plans

https://lifestance.com/

Northwest Psychiatry and TMS

206 933-0699

1511 3rd Avenue, Ste 415

Seattle, WA 

nwptms.com

Brett Yamane, MD, PLCC

206 755-8899

1817 Queen Anne Ave N, Suite 406

Seattle, WA 98109

Offers Psychiatry and talk therapy

*accepts Regence Blue Shield and Premera Blue Cross insurance plans

http://brettyamanemd.com/

Dayspring Behavioral Health

425 295-7697

195 NE Gilman Blvd #100

Issaquah, WA 98027

https://dayspringbehavioralhealth.com/

Club Northwest Does Boston 2023

The World’s Oldest Marathon

Boston Marathon Survivor Memorial

There’s no shortage of words to describe the world’s oldest marathon. Iconic. Pinnacle. Energy. Resilience. The common person’s Olympics. For 127 years, the race has stood as a symbol of perseverance and dreams made real.

The events of 2013, horrible and tragic to say the least, further galvanized the running community into its commitment to the event and the spirit of the Boston Marathon. Resilience took on a new form. Des Linden put it best in her now famous advice to “keep showing up.”

Fenway Park

True to tradition, the athletes approached the line in Hopkinton on the third Monday of April. Nearly 30,000 runners, 14 of them clad in the neon orange jerseys of CNW, left Hopkinton for the 26.2 mile journey to the city they left mere hours ago. The Club runners included Malia Cali, Turner Wiley, Susan Ashlock, Summer Wu, Nitin Bhardwaj, Mollie O’Leary, Matt Weissenger, Rachel Morris, Josie Gray, Erin Wagner, Bridget Keaton, Adam Schroeder, and Danielle Henty. Mark Bloudek was there on his bike, supporting the Club's runners throughout the race.

Marathon Weekend

From the upper left corner of the country, 14 of Club Northwest’s athletes made the journey to participate in the world’s most historic footrace. For many, it would be their first. For others, it was another chance to pursue their goals. 

The buildup to the event was palpable. Boston was abuzz with marathon festivities, an influx of athletes and their families, and much excitement as the annual tradition arrived yet again, complete with the world’s fastest marathoner joining in the journey. There was much to be excited about.

Little remained before the big day. A shakeout run as a team on Sunday (shout out to Mark Bloudek for organizing), some more sleep, and all the preparation was completed.

Marathon Monday Arrives

Patriot’s Day dawned cool and wet in New England. The Pacific Northwest climate seemed to have followed our athletes to Massachusetts. Early Monday morning, scores of runners made the usual trip to the Boston Common, loaded onto the buses, and made the deceptively long ride to Hopkinton.

The bus ride and pre-race wait in the Athlete’s Village afforded new connections with runners from across the world. Susan would become acquainted with an ultrarunner from Tennessee who had completed a 300 mile endurance race sometime previously. Additionally, she’d meet some runners from her hometown while in the Village. Summer would get to know a man who had completed a marathon eight days prior, another a month prior to that, and this was to be his last in completing all the Marathon Majors. Additionally, he was planning to do another in Antarctica in the coming months.

The Village was damp, and maintaining dry feet became a priority. Then came the waiting, the walk to the start line, the national anthem, and the final warm up. During this time, Turner would warm up alongside Eliud Kipchoge and the other deep field of professionals assembled. Finally, the start. With that, 14 of our own took off into the rain and wind on the journey from Hopkinton to the finish on Boylston.

The Race

Turner Wiley: 7th American finisher

Turner kicked it into high gear early, coming through the first 5k in 14 minutes and 40 seconds, a mere 21 seconds behind the man who would go on to win the race, Evans Chebet. Turner would go on to finish in eighteenth place in a time of 2:13:58 as the day's 7th top American performance. 

Fan Zhou was next finishing just after the 2:30 mark.

Shortly after the 2:40 mark, a pack of the men’s team arrived, led by Matt Weissenger, followed closelyby teammate Adam Schroeder, who had aided teammate Erin in pacing the first half of her race, Richard Waters in a new personal best, and Steve Purugganan.

Leading the charge on the womens’ team were Erin and Bridget. Bridget ran a steady pace through much of the day and finished mere seconds past the 2:58 mark.

Josie Gray 3:06:05, first Boston Marathon

Erin had set a blistering clip early with Adam’s pacing assistance, coming through the halfway mark in 1:21. She and Bridget would finish nearly together.

Shortly after the three hour mark, three more CNW runners would finish in a pack. Malia and Josie both approached the day with the goal of enjoying the experience in light of their injuries, and both managed to exceed their anticipated capabilities. Nitin would successfully complete his second Boston in a time nearly surpassing his personal best. It should be noted here that prior to this, Nitin had trained consistently for 12 years to qualify for his first Boston Marathon which he ran last year. All three finished right around the 3:06 mark.

Malia Cali 3:05:57, first Boston Marathon

Rachel finished shortly after 3:10. After a solid training build, she encountered a side stitch in the first mile that persisted through to the end of the race. Undaunted, she executed her race plan, finished in a new personal best, and even got a few laughs along the way as a giant chicken-costumed runner offered her gels on the Newton Hills. 

Next was Elizabeth Earle in a new personal best of 3:10.

Shortly thereafter, Danielle Henty, despite months battling a foot injury, managed a new personal best in a time of 3:13. Through some ingenuity on the part of Danielle’s coach (Erin Wagner), she had managed to maintain fitness with some creative means that involved much less running than usual with investment in other avenues of training. Additionally, as anyone who knows her well enough can attest to, she has an unending positivity that would carry her past the doubt. “That morning, I woke up and my heart told me that anything at all is possible.”

Shortly thereafter, Chris Maske finished as well in 3:14.

Danielle Henty 3:13:19

Mollie finished shortly after the 3:20 mark. Ten minutes later, Summer Wu would finish her second Boston Marathon after battling a knee injury for weeks. She entered the day looking to have a good time and to enjoy the experience. “I really enjoyed it more than the first time.”

The final CNW finisher for the day was Susan Ashlock. In the same fashion as three of her other teammates, she managed to complete the race despite a foot injury. Moreover, it was her first Boston Marathon in a town that had been her home as a child. “When I was a kid, Boston was THE marathon.”

Congrats to all of our Boston Marathon finishers. We’re beyond proud of your achievement and your commitment to demonstrating what it means to be Boston Strong.

Summer Wu, second Boston Marathon

Malia at the finish

Josie’s obligatory lobster rolls.

Fenway Park (pronounced pahk)

Club Northwest Boston Marathon Results

Turner Wiley: 2:13:58

Fan Zhou: 2:30:22

Matt Weissinger: 2:41:42

Richard Waters: 2:44:24

Steve Purugannan: 2:45:20

Adam Schroeder: 2:46:39

Bridget Keaton: 2:58:07

Erin Wagner: 2:58:20

Nitin Bhardwaj: 3:05:51

Malia Cali: 3:05:57

Josie Gray: 3:06:05

Elizabeth Earle: 3:10:03

Rachel Morris: 3:10:28

Danielle Henty: 3:13:19

Chris Maske: 3:14:39

Mollie O’Leary: 3:20:49

Summer Wu: 3:30:14

Susan Ashlock: 3:37:42

Many thanks to Coach Mark Bloudek for supporting the athletes in Boston along the course and in their final preparations. 

Boston in their own words

“Growing up in Boston, it was THE marathon. I didn’t know there were any other ones.” -Susan Ashlock

“Boston is one of the best race experiences ever.” -Nitin Bhardwaj

“It’s a course that requires running up and downhill. Downhill in particular. You have to prepare for undulating hills and a steady downhill at the beginning.” -Mark Bloudek

“If you have the chance to do it, I think you should. The energy is a unique part. From the runner’s around you. From the crowd. From the finish. It’s something I’d never experienced before.” -Malia Cali

“There’s so much energy, culture, and history. It’s not just the runner. It’s Boston. It’s the spectators. It’s the energy.” -Josie Gray

“The Boston Marathon is more than a feeling. It's the pinnacle event for a huge percentage of runners worldwide, and it's also a massive party for the greater Boston area. There aren't many cities that would let 35,000+ runners take over their roads on a Monday, but Boston does so with open arms. Getting to the start line is a gift, and being able to pin a Boston bib to my Club Northwest singlet is an honor that brought me so much gratitude that morning.” -Danielle Henty

“To me, the Boston Marathon symbolizes resilience and the attitude of "keep showing up" (to borrow from Des Linden). Whether it's the resilience to qualify for a BQ in the first place, for the Boston Marathon running community to persevere after the 2013 bombings, or to race through all the curveballs that the course and weather conditions can throw at you.” -Rachel Morris

“I have a lot of reverence for the Boston Marathon. It actually took me five years of running before I could run a qualifying time. For the longest time, it was the big goal. I think it’s the same for a lot of runners. I really appreciate how the town transforms and so many people wear their jackets from prior years. It’s a real celebration of running.” -Adam Schroeder

“One of the ones (memories) that stands out is getting to warm up and race with Eliud. Another really amazing thing was the level of crowd support. Boston was, by far, the most electric marathon I have ever seen or been a part of. The amount of support from the fans was absolutely amazing.” -Turner Wiley 

“It’s everything I’ve been striving for in distance running. The pinnacle.” -Summer Wu

-By Steve Harris

Recovery and Injury Prevention for Cross Country

It is the time of year when the air grows crisper, the smoke begins to clear, leaves turn neon, and the pumpkin spice aroma wafts from cafés, which can only mean one thing: the Cross Country season has returned. Soon will follow weeks of numerous miles, beautiful scenery for long runs, team activities, and racing on the weekends.

As we enter this fun, yet taxing time, I thought I’d share some thoughts on a topic near and dear to my heart: running injuries and prevention. I am sure the mere mention of it got a few hearts racing (mine included). As training volume and stress increase, the risk of injury does as well. Though it need not be an inevitable outcome, and there are plenty of simple safeguards we can practice that reduce the risk. While being truly “injury proof” in running is an unrealistic goal, training smarter is one we can achieve.

Easy days easy

The goal of the recovery run is to allow our body to reset and recover without applying too much demand that would overload our bodies. This is where athletes often end up injured: too intense a recovery too frequently, negating the intended effect of that day’s run, resulting in injured tissue. 

For some additional perspective on the matter, one need only to look at the practices of the professionals in their own recovery. Numerous athletes boasting marathon performances under 2:10 routinely log recovery sessions slower than 8:00 pace, and not uncommonly as slow as 9:00 among several of these athletes. Our own Mike Sayenko, capable of 2:13 in the marathon, recovers at an 8 minute pace on his recovery days.

Sleep enough, and well

An additional aspect of the recovery process is sleep. It is during deep sleep that our body undergoes restorative processes rebuilding cells and tissues stressed during training. Additionally, it is during this time that our body replenishes its energy stores to allow us to have it for the day’s tasks, including our upcoming training. 

There are many things that impede both our ability to fall asleep and sleep quality. These include ingested substances, primarily alcohol and caffeine, exposure to screens near to bedtime, and poor sleep hygiene. 

With this in mind, consider limiting caffeine intake later in the day. The effects of caffeine impact the ability to fall asleep. Alcohol is best enjoyed in moderation, if at all. Curiously, while alcohol induces the feeling of sleepiness and can result in an easier ability to fall asleep, studies on alcohol and sleep quality have concluded that the quality of the sleep is significantly reduced, especially at higher alcohol volumes. Some studies have demonstrated a 9% reduction in sleep quality with low alcohol intake before bed (1 drink for men, less than 1 drink for women). This increased to 24% for moderate intake (2 drinks for men, 1 for women) and 39% for high intakes (more than 2 drinks for men, more than 1 drink for women).

Blue light from our screens has the effect of impairing our natural sleep/wake rhythms, making it harder to become sleepy and fall asleep. Fortunately, there are numerous applications available that reduce blue light from screens. Iphones now come with a “night shift” setting which allows the owner to manually turn on a setting for reduced blue light emitted. Computer applications like f.lux and redshift do the same and are free to download. Consider setting your screens to reduce blue light exposure as the evening and night hours approach.

Sleep hygiene refers to practices as we approach the end of the waking day that promote regular sleep routines and quality, uninterrupted sleep. The previously mentioned aspects of alcohol usage and screen usage in proximity to sleep both negatively affect sleep hygiene. Additionally, erratic sleep schedules and environments that result in awakening during the sleep cycle further reduce this. Simple steps such as placing electronics to not awaken us during the night, sleeping with earplugs should we have some noisier neighbors, and keeping to a fairly consistent fall asleep/awakening schedule will improve upon our sleep hygiene.

Eat enough, and well

Nutrition is another key ingredient in recovery. Ensuring that we are consuming enough fuel and of good quality ensures necessary fuel to burn, protein to rebuild, and nutrients to keep all functions of the body running smoothly.As the winter months approach, Vitamin D becomes an area of increased risk as sunlight availability reduces. Supplementation in this area may be necessary.

Minimize and manage stress

Lastly, the aspects of mental function and recovery as a key part of injury prevention should be mentioned. More recent inquiry into the effect of stress on the physical body demonstrates that emotional and psychological stressors both result in physical stress on the body, leading to more rapid tissue breakdown and impaired ability to recover from the demands of training. This aspect overlaps significantly with all of the other factors listed above as less alcohol usage, good quality sleep, physical activity, and a healthy diet are known to reduce our stress levels and improve brain function. 

When things go wrong, ask a professional

What if we do find ourselves with pain? What’s the difference between generic pain and something we should recover from more thoroughly? A good rule of thumb is that pain lasting ten days without resolution or pain that affects the quality and quantity of our runs warrants some more targeted treatment to recover from. In this scenario, consulting with the proper provider which may include Massage Therapists, Physiatrists, and Physical Therapists is a good step. If emotional/psychological stress becomes a barrier to recovery, consultation with a Therapist or Psychiatrist should be considered.

While not all encompassing, I hope this offers some helpful insight or reminders as we continue in the Cross Country season. Good luck to everyone in training and competition. Go Club Northwest!

By Steve Harris