RunnersConnect Team Member: Alexandre Charest

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Lives: The beautiful little town of Rimouski by the St. Lawrence river in the province of Quebec, Canada. But since the river is  salted, has tides and is 30 miles wide we often say that we live by the sea.

Works: I am a 39 year old father of four. I was in computer programming but I left my work to take care of my children 6 years ago (we had only two back then).

Interests: I’m an avid reader. I almost always listen to audiobooks when I’m running. I love to read fiction but also history, nutrition, fitness and even spirituality, philosophy, personal growth or finance. Also spends active time outdoors with family hiking, downhill skiing, biking and family even participates in running races.

How long have you been running?

I was running on and off since elementary school up until 2005 but without structure. In 2005, I registered for the 10k race part of my home town marathon. I was then hooked.

I had periods where I had to stop running since then either because of injuries or lack of time due to new born babies but I’d say I became a dedicated runner of the day of that 10k race.

When and what was your first race?

The marathon of Rimouski takes place on the first sunday of October. There is four events: 4.2k, 10k, half and full marathon. All events start from the same place and are round trips on the St. Lawrence river shore.

I did the 10k in 2005 after spending most of the summer running too hard always on the same pace. I then began to read more about proper training and formed the project of running the full marathon the next year. And although I got plantar fasciitis in the training process, I managed to do it.

What is your favorite race?

Three of my four marathons were in my home town. So I’d say this is my favorite race. This is a small race of about 300 marathoners. For the first quarter, we run with the 300 half-marathoners but once they turn back, it gets very lonesome and quiets.

The course is very flat although it is often windy. And usually, we have face wind on the way back but the three times I did it, we had the good fortune of light cross winds.

What are your goals? Goal races? Any bucket list running goals?20x30-QCMH5696

My main goal is to lower my marathon time under 3 hours. My current PR is 3h38 and last october I came about 2 minutes shy despite a not so good spring and summer running season. I’m confident that with a good 2014 and 2015 I could come really close.

Although I run since 2005, I never had two good running years in a row having to reduce the volume for the new babies or some overuse injuries. But now that the family is complete and that our baby is nearly two years old, I can train a little harder.

I have a really long list of race I’d like to do mostly marathons like Boston, New York, Chicago, Paris, London but also crazy things like the Dopey challenge (5k, 10k, HM and marathon at Walt Disney World in 4 days) or some ultra marathons.

But in the shorter term, I’ll try to tackle two marathons in the same year for the first time. I choose two small marathon nearby both in their second year only. Should be around 100 marathoner each so it won’t be too crowded :).

What were your biggest struggles before joining RunnersConnect?

Before joining RunnersConnect, I was writing my own plan based on some books. The biggest problem I had was the load of contradictory advice that I’d get from all these books.

So every time I went out for a run, I was doubting that it was the best run for me and that it was a good workout to make me progress.

What did your training look like prior to working with us?

In the spring of 2013, I had a surgery not related to my training but that prevented me from running or making any exercise for five weeks.

I than read a book in which the philosophy was oriented on precise rhythm and low volumes. Maybe I was too impatient after some months, I felt that it wasn’t getting me anywhere.

What prompted you to start looking for a better solution?

I first heard about RunnersConnect when my Garmin failed and I started to use the RunKeeper app to track my runs while waiting for my watch to be repaired. That is where I found running plans from Jeff Gaudette and began to read the blog.

I really connected (pun intended) with the scientific approach to training I could find on the blog with all the research review and analysis and I seeing that the low volume solution that I tried was not giving the expected results I decided to give RunnersConnect a try.

How has your training changed since you started working with RunnersConnect?

There is two major point about my training that changed. First, my easy days are now real easy days. I think this is the most important point that changed in my training. If I feel off one day, I listen to me and slow down. Before, I was focused on hitting the paces even on easy days.

I think that it enabled me to get through my higher volumes ever not only injury free but also feeling more fresh and strong than ever. The second point is that every single workout has a detailed purpose. I really like the fact that when I get out, I know why and what is the goal of the session.

What has been the biggest surprise or most interesting revelation about either the training or your own abilities that you’ve had in the last few months?

I always been fascinated by the long distance and always had a dream of running a marathon even in the nineties, years before I actually managed to do one in 2006. And I always thought I was an endurance runner and better at long distances. But lately, I had some 5k, 10k and 16k results that make me doubt this.

Maybe I’m more on the speedster side than I think. Lately, I had more easy workouts on short speedy repeats as 400s than lengthy ones like 4k. So for me to run a 3h20 marathon this year and maybe a sub 3h in 2015 or 2016, I think that this is more my endurance than my speed that needs improvement…

Did you have any doubts or fears before joining RunnersConnect?

I always ran by myself and always made my program myself so I was not sure being told what to do by coaches would work with me. But RunnersConnect is not like that at all. Most of the time, you have to look at the icon to know whether the comments come from a coach or another member.

Nobody thinks himself above anybody and everybody is very supportive whenever the going gets tough. It doesn’t matter whether you are attempting to complete your first 5k or a seasoned marathoner, we’re all runners and we understand each other.

It is really cool to have a community of people that understand what you talk about when you say that you felt like having lead in legs or that you had a great race.

What is your favorite part of RunnersConnect now?

The two best part about RunnersConnect for me are the flexibility of the program and the support of the community. I can rearrange my program with the supervision of the coaches whenever life intervenes and I have to skip a workout or change a race date.

And I had some rough workouts lastly due to the tough winter we have and the support of the community really helped me getting out there when this was windy and below 0°F…

What recent results have you been able to attain since joining ?

I came shy of a 5k PR by 5 seconds and since this record was 5 years old, I was really happy about that result. The day was cold and windy and I think that with a little luck, I’ll be able to tackle a new 5k PR in 2014. I also ran a 16k recently and although I missed my goal by 4 minutes due to snow, it was my third fastest time in seven race on that distance. I also recently posted my third best time on 10k, only 90 seconds shy of my PR. And it was my 24th 10k race.

AC2

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