Finishing Strong With Club16 Trevor Linden Fitness

Disclaimer: I received compensation and services in exchange for sharing my honest experience with Club16 Trevor Linden Fitness.

Another year, another Vancouver Sun Run completed! If you’ve followed my fitness journey, you know I’ve been at this for 3 years now as a sponsored runner for The Vancouver Sun. This year, I also partnered up with Club16 Trevor Linden Fitness and let me tell you, I learned something so important about how I run that is a complete game changer.

Getting ready for the Vancouver Sun Run this year was pretty typical! Week after week, I met with the InTraining group and did our usual runs. I felt the same struggles that I did every year, the shin splints, the runners’ stitch and all the other typical things runners experience.

I knew that running alone wasn’t going to be enough. I needed to strengthen some of the areas that help make running possible! There were muscle groups that aid in a successful run that were crying for help but I’m not as educated in that area and I personally learn better by being shown than by reading, so googling is not the best option for me!

 

It wasn’t until the last few weeks leading up to the run that I discovered how much I was in my own head. My mental block was strong this year! I was discouraged by the pain of those muscle groups that were underdeveloped and rather than push through the pain, I would stop. As I was unable to see the timers on my cell phone tucked away in my pouch, I’d give in to the pain. Finally, I purchased a Fitbit Inspire HR and found a bit more of the stamina I knew I had.

However, something still wasn’t right! When I first discovered my shin splints, I did a lot of research and I knew that cross training was going to help, but how? I went for a body & fitness assessment at Club16 Trevor Linden Fitness, where I met with the manager Cazimir. It’s never fun to get on a scale but this isn’t just any scale, this tells you all the information that a trainer will need to know to help put together a custom workout package just for you.

Turns out, I was in better shape than I had realized. In fact, I had lost 10lbs since I began the InTraining program! So why did I still feel so off? One afternoon, I joined in on a group run with Club16 Trevor Linden Fitness the Friday before the run! Luckily for me on this day, due to the time of day the run was scheduled for, there was lower than usual participation, which allowed me some one-on-one time with the group leader.

So how did Club16 Trevor Linden Fitness Change the way I run?

After our warm up and stretches, I was just about to start my run when he asked this one simple question. A question that would be so pivotal for my running game and one that stopped me dead in my tracks. How many breaths in through my nose do I take in to footsteps?

My mind went blank and suddenly it dawned on me, I don’t actually breathe in at all through my nose when I run. My lungs and heart have been working overtime to get the oxygen it needs making my runs 1000x harder. I wouldn’t be able to fully catch my breath, I’d panic and then begin to hyperventilate.

Just like that, it all fell into place, the mystery of my struggle made sense. I should also mention that I do like to socialize and chat when I run so this made not breathing in through the nose thing especially difficult!

The hard part now is re-training myself to breathe in and really monitor my breathing. But thanks to Club16, I have identified one of my biggest struggles and I’ll be able to spend the down season training my breath to make Vancouver Sun Run 2020 truly amazing!

The knowledge that I gained from one running session with Club16 was game changing! Armed with this knowledge, I feel as though I can take on any run that comes my way, of course after a little bit more training! Thankfully with the guidance of Club16, my amazing trainer Caz and everything I learned through the SportMed InTraining clinics, this down season before The Vancouver Sun Run 2020 is going to be amazing!

What are some of your fitness goals? Have you ever wanted to run a big run like the Sun Run but didn’t know where to start? Did you know that each year Club16 Trevor Linden Fitness has amazing group run sessions to help get you Sun Run ready?

Head into your closest Club16 Trevor Linden Fitness and see how they can help you today! Remember Knowledge is power and the trainers at Club16 want to share their knowledge to help you become the best possible you!