Mobster Blog

GET THOSE GOALS When it comes to just about anything in life -...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:24:00 -0400

GET THOSE GOALS

When it comes to just about anything in life - including fitness - we all usually have some sense of where we want to be. We see ourselves happy, in love, running 10k in 35 minutes, holding Crow pose - whatever. We know what we want but we tend to get stuck on the road that leads there. That road is paved by goals.

Many people don’t like the idea of goal setting, fearing that it’s too calculated, that it puts too much pressure on ourselves. But goals can actually be really liberating - just ask this guy. They provide us with the focus and the framework we need to have a clear vision of what we want to achieve. Running a 35-minute 10k ain’t gonna happen from the couch. It might not even happen in your first year of running. But with a plan; steady, measurable goals and a little elbow (knee?) grease, it can happen. Same goes for anything else.

So you mean I actually have to do something?

We’re not even going to dignify that question with an answer – even though we wrote it. What we will do is show you how to set and achieve your goals. You can set measurable, achievable goals in six steps:

1. Spoilers only suck at the movies. When it comes to setting goals, you have to know the ending before you start. Begin with the end in mind and visualise what you want to achieve. Example: “I’d like to run a half marathon”.

2. Be specific. “I’d like to run a half marathon” is nice, but let’s add some colour to this picture. “I’d like to run the Malibu Half Marathon” is starting to look a little more enticing, no?

3. Best before. Give your goal an expiration. For example: “I’d like to run the Malibu Half Marathon on November 11th, 2012”. And now it’s a date.

4. Stuart Smalley that sh*t. Use positive, active, affirmative language. “I’d like - “… Nope! “I run the Malibu Half Marathon on November 11th, 2012”. Now that’s a goal statement if we ever heard one.

5. Chunk it out. With the big goal in mind, it’s time to divide and conquer: break it down into measurable chunks. You can’t know if you’re getting closer to your goal if you can’t benchmark it against something. “I will run one extra kilometre per week until I can cover 21km”. Measurable progress is tangible progress.

6. Know how toddlers always want something NOW? You haven’t changed. Remember those chunks you just outlined? They’re designed so you can act on them in the present and enjoy some wins in the short term. Thinking about goals as something that get done in some far-out distant future almost guarantees that they will stay there. Be here. Now. And those kilometres aren’t going to run themselves. Time for today’s training run!

Living with a sense that you should be headed somewhere but not knowing how to get there is hella depressing. But setting a goal, breaking it down into measurable chunks and approaching it positively turns it into something that, little by little, day by day actually becomes something. And before you know it, it’s November and you’re crossing that finish line by the beach in Malibu. In Crow pose.

Photo credit: Angie Torres on flickr

Meet the Guinea Mobster. Our Guinea Mobster is – you guessed it...

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 15:08:00 -0500

Meet the Guinea Mobster. Our Guinea Mobster is – you guessed it ‘cause we’re original like that – a guinea pig for Training Mobs. The Guinea Mobster is not a fitness professional – hell, she’s not even that fit, frankly. She is the Everymobster: just a regular person who has agreed to take one for the team when it comes to trying out new mobs, new gear, fun events and crazy challenges. We’ll keep her real identity a secret for the moment since she’s still kinda mad at us for roping her into this.

The Guinea Mobster’s first order of business will be to head down to New York City in March to run the NYC Half Marathon. Her challenge? To beat her last half marathon time (Guinea Mobster note: and meet a dashing, yet sassy New Yorker.). Got a challenge for the Guinea Mobster (within reason)? Throwdown to hello@trainingmobs.com and we’ll add it to our list of ways to test her limits. Got a Mobster you’d like to suggest as a backup Guinea Mobster? We’ll accept those too!

Nothin’ like runnin’ through fresh pow. A bunch of...

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:00:43 -0500

Nothin’ like runnin’ through fresh pow. A bunch of Montreal Mobsters hit up local landmark Mount Royal every Saturday for an awesome distance run followed by a well-deserved brunch. Even the 20 cm of snow this week didn’t seem to deter them. In fact, it kinda made the run even better. Probably because they were joined by an Aussie who was kid-in-a-toy-store excited to see the white stuff. Thanks Jonas, for reminding us that snowstorms aren’t all shovels and traffic jams. They can be gorgeous if you get out there and enjoy them! Check out the video to see how gorgeous it was up there.

RACE REVIEW: Hypothermic Half-Marathon, Montreal – “Look...

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 22:58:00 -0500

RACE REVIEW: Hypothermic Half-Marathon, Montreal – “Look Ma, I Still Have All My Fingers and Toes!”

Winter running inspires a special kind of devotion. Even some of the most dedicated runners are all like, “Screw this” once the temperature drops, so we have to tip our hats to the participants who turned out for the Hypothermic Half Marathon on February 18. Especially the dude who raced in full Batman garb. Mad respect, brother. Check out what some Mobsters had to say about the race in the video.

The weather was much better than it could have been, with bright sunshine and temperatures flirting with zero degrees Celsius. There was a brisk wind but overall, conditions were about as pleasant as you could ask for in the middle of February.

It wasn’t a huge race, which might have accounted for the relatively calm overall vibe. The crowd of supporters did their best to keep participants’ spirits up, but the course was designed in a seven-kilometre loop that runners and walkers had to circle three times, which made for lots of downtime. From the participants’ perspective, that made for plenty of time to crank up their iPods, set their pace and try not to kill themselves on the ice.

Oh, the ice. The not-so-hidden hazard of winter. Just navigating your driveway can be risky enough between November and March, so you can imagine what it’s like in a little-travelled park. Yak Trax and other types of shoe grip aids helped for runners who had them. The others just had to be extra careful – and judging from the fact that we didn’t see any stretchers, apparently prudence pays off.

The ice didn’t seem to have a huge impact on finish times, though. The first runner sprinted across the finish line at an impressive one hour and 18 minutes and within an hour; the bulk of the racers had joined him.

Entertainment along the course was a little scarce. Aside from sporadic music and a very enthusiastic Training Mobs cheer station; this wasn’t the race to turn to for fireworks.

Overall, if you’re looking for a race to carry you over until spring or just to provide some midwinter incentive to keep training, this is a good one.

And to finish, our breakdown of Rants, Raves and the Rest of it:

Rants:

- The black ice: many runners thought the course was insufficiently salted
- The windbreaker that came with the race kit was neither functional, nor fashionable; not many people actually wore it on the course

Raves:

- Official finish times were available online within three hours of the end of the race, so for the runner eager to see how he or she did, there was no wait
- Race started more or less on time, important when it’s cold out!

The Rest of it:

- Fees: between $60 and $75, depending on when you registered
- What the fees got you: post-race snacks, windbreaker
- Race kit pickup: conveniently from the Running Room at Place Ville Marie (downtown), or onsite, race day
- Location: Parc Jean-Drapeau. Bit tricky to get to by car; metro / subway was the best bet. Parking was plentiful as was the $16 price tag
- Charity: proceeds benefitted Le Phare/The Lighthouse, a charity that provides support and guidance to sick children and their families

We hope you enjoyed this race review. See you at the next event!

Mobster Monday with Steve. Steve’s a member of the Army...

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:22:00 -0500

Mobster Monday with Steve. Steve’s a member of the Army Reserves, an employee at Bombardier and an all-around fitness junkie. We caught up with Steve at a free “Muscular Endurance” circuit training mob he was leading and found out what he loves most about Training Mobs…

“‘I’ve never seen so many minimalist running...

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:58:00 -0400

“‘I’ve never seen so many minimalist running shoes in my life!’. That was my first thought as I arrived at Francois “Flint” Bourdeau’s Barefoot Running mob and saw this pile of colourful shoes which everyone was standing around. Turns out they were a part of the instructional segment of the mob, where Flint (who’s been running barefoot for over 2 years) gave us a solid run down of barefoot thinking and principles, along with advice on how to get started. In short? Start sloooowly and listen to your body: pain = stop. Then we literally ran barefoot around the track for a total of 1.6km. Even those who - like me - had arrived sporting their Vibram FiveFingers, took off our shoes, and put skin to track. Felt great. As we finished up, Flint took some action shots of our running posture to help us see where we could improve. All in all - a very well put together mob and I’m hoping to see more like these!”

Thanks for the post, Jonas

“Hill sprints. Hill intervals. Running zig-zag up hills....

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:44:58 -0400

“Hill sprints. Hill intervals. Running zig-zag up hills. Detecting a common theme? Our running mob this morning started with a 3km warm-up, which finished at Murray Hill in Westmount. Then we did a variety of sprints and intervals running every which way up and down the hill! Props to everyone who came along - beginners to regulars!”

Thanks for the post, Jonas!

“We love it when Mobsters from other cities join us and...

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 12:42:50 -0400

“We love it when Mobsters from other cities join us and today, we had Alison from Calgary, Alberta drop in to our weekly Saturday morning running mob! We took her along the scenic route by the Lachine Canal and enjoyed the perfect morning out that it was. Thanks for joining us, Ali!”

Thanks for the post, Jonas.

“BAM! Running Mob: Up Peel St., killer stair workout,...

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:37:06 -0400

“BAM! Running Mob: Up Peel St., killer stair workout, 2.2km sprint! ‘Nuff said.”

A short and sweet description of what sounds like a short but tough workout. Thanks Sarah!

“We’re a puppy friendly run club and on this outing,...

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 20:00:39 -0400

“We’re a puppy friendly run club and on this outing, we had a canine friend along for our run down to the Lachine Canal! The group split into two with the pace bunnies doing an extra 2k loop in the middle of the run. Then we all re-grouped at the Atwater market and cruised back home”.

Thanks for the post, Jonas!

“The parkour community in Vancouver ain’t playing...

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:57:05 -0400

“The parkour community in Vancouver ain’t playing around when they get together. Yesterday a group of approximately 40 “traceurs” gathered to literally jump off everything they could find. From the sounds of it, this is a regular Sunday get together. Music pumping, people doing flips and a great crowd doesn’t sound like a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.”

Thanks for the post, Dave!

What’s an awesome way to spend your Saturday? Why, getting...

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:06:00 -0400

What’s an awesome way to spend your Saturday? Why, getting your downward dog on with several hundred yogis, of course. Lululemon’s “The Big One” event happened on Saturday, inviting hundreds of yogis to roll out their mats on the lawns in front of the Parliament buildings to enjoy a special, hour-long practice led by instructors Mark and Yasmin. The Training Mobs crew drove out from Montreal to join in the fun, which happened to be rather well timed - the yoga finished and the rain started!

“We turned the bleachers at Park Lafontaine into an...

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:06:06 -0400

“We turned the bleachers at Park Lafontaine into an instrument of sweat and torture. Once we made sure that everyone was drenched in pure, salty joy, we headed to some benches that seemed to have been built especially for PK-X. Everyone picked up all the basic parkour vaults: Simple, Speed, Monkey, and some even nailed the Reverse Vault! We broke the Law that day: The Law of Gravity! Well done guys and hope to see you next weekend!”

Thanks for the post Pat!

“When you have a Texan in town you have to do something...

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 08:53:05 -0400

“When you have a Texan in town you have to do something special for run club. When it happens to be that Texan’s birthday you have to do something extra special. That is why we went up to the stairs on Mount Royal and after a little bit of active stretching completed as many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of running up and back down the stairs and then performing 10 pushups and 20 situps. Sound easy? Give it a shot…

Big shout out to all those that did this workout. It was short, but crazy intense. Also, thanks to TK for joining us on her birthday!”

Thanks for the post, Dave!

“The Splash Bootcamp Fundraiser went down without a...

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 20:34:00 -0400

“The Splash Bootcamp Fundraiser went down without a hitch, and we couldn’t have asked for better weather for working up a sweat! After a dynamic warm-up in Westmount Park, the team got to work. At first everybody went through the exercises together so they knew what to expect, then we paired up and sent everybody to a station so we could start the circuit. The plan was fairly simple to accommodate first timers, but the vets were jumping on the upgrades that were available at each station, turning simple lunges into jump lunge and plank walks into push-up walks, everyone was up for the challenge!

“We raised over $350 at the bootcamp with donations still coming in, contributing to the $3500+ raised from other fundraising events. I want to give special thanks to Samanta Pena and her Splash Project team (who raised over $6000) last year for bringing myself and Joel into this project and giving us the opportunity to give back to those in need. Also I couldn’t of had a more enjoyable time working with the group that showed up, their enthusiasm made it such an enjoyable experience.”

Great bootcamp for a great cause Dylan - thanks for leading it!

“Sometimes slow and steady jogs just don’t cut...

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 10:57:00 -0400

“Sometimes slow and steady jogs just don’t cut it”. Sometimes we need to break into interval sprints to get the heart pumping. Sometimes those interval sprints need to be uphill and accompanied by lunges, burpees and pushups in order to get peoples’ muscles really working…

For all those going to do the Montreal Oasis marathon in September - “train hard, compete easy”.”

Thanks for the post, Dave.

“Team warmups always get Mobsters feeling good. This time...

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:43:00 -0400

“Team warmups always get Mobsters feeling good. This time the group had to perform team squats, holding a deep squat position until everybody completed one rep. It’s not as easy as it sounds when there are 25 people at the mob and you have to all wait your turn before performing the squat! Once the dynamic warmup and stretch were complete, we had to complete 50 reps of six different exercises including lunges, reverse burpees, broad jumps and a bunch of other fun stuff. Oh, and just to make things interesting between each exercise we had to complete a hill sprint!”

Thanks for leading a great mob, Mike!

“Pat and Caro, the amazing owners of CrossFit St-Hubert,...

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 09:04:05 -0400

“Pat and Caro, the amazing owners of CrossFit St-Hubert, in collaboration with Jason, Andrew and Mike hosted a special CrossFit mob. After the warm-up, 5 teams of 5 had 20 minutes to do as many reps as possible of a 400 meter row, wall balls (max reps), kettlebell sumo squat to upright row (max reps) and sit-ups (max reps). This was an intense workout, but when it was over the mobsters took full advantage of watching the coaches suffer during their workout. Then we all refueled with an awesome BBQ!”

Thanks to: Jason, Andrew and Mike for setting up the mob; Caro and Pat for letting us use their studio; and Syl for the BBQ!

“The day after an awesome lower body endurance workout by...

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:12:43 -0400

“The day after an awesome lower body endurance workout by David Mackey, Peter held his weekly primal workout at Jarry Park adding two giant 53 lbs kettlebells to the repertoire. With ropes, kettlebells and sandbags, we hit our upper bodies hard! After a dynamic warm-up and working on the kettlebell swing technique, the workout began with supersets of weighted push-ups and kettlebell rows. We then pulled 100 lbs on the rope using the arms and upper back with a double kettlebell clean and press in-between catching our breath (or not: depending on whether you train with a gas-mask!) Finally, we battled with the 50 foot rope and used renegade rows to finish off. Warriors, it’s time to rest and prep for the next session. By the way, this workout was scalable and everyone is welcome next time!”

Thanks for leading the workout, Pete!

“‘Geez man, you got a great job!’ - comment...

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 12:38:00 -0400

“‘Geez man, you got a great job!’ - comment from a bystander at the Atwater Market, as I led my group of fit ladies down to the Lachine Canal for a run to the Old Port. It was a beautiful morning out and indeed, I have a great job!”

Thanks for the post, Jonas! You can see the route they ran here.