I am exhausted thinking about what I have done over the last 10 years. Besides moving cities and changing jobs three times, I settled into my identity as a runner.
I continued writing my newspaper column, which I started writing in Grande Prairie thanks to a sports editor who wanted to document my 10K training. At the time, I had no idea how running would play a significant role in my journey.
In the last decade, I also shifted this blog to focus on running and my vegetarian/vegan/plant-based lifestyle. When I moved to Red Deer, I coached a learn-to-run group through the Running Room. I met some great people who I still call friends (Laura, Sona, Brent to name a few) today.
It took a few years before I was given the go-ahead to write a column for the Advocate. The previous editors weren’t sold on the idea so I was happy when there was management change and I was back to interviewing runners in the community and sharing their stories. Red Deer is not that big so I would often run into supporters who read my column. (This was the case in Grande Prairie too.) Many weren’t even runners!
I ran my first marathon in 2011 in New York with my friend Audrey, who I met in Grande Prairie. Subsequently I unsuccessfully started chasing a sub-four hour marathon. Two years later I finished my marathon career in Tucson (again with Audrey) with a 4:02 personal record. After running five marathons, my body said enough with the marathons.
Around this time I started listening to the Trail Runner Nation podcast, which piqued my interest in trail running. I couldn’t read enough books and articles about the sport. I ran my first 50K near Edmonton in 2013.
I have to say I grew up near the Atlantic ocean so I didn’t spend much time in the mountains. But when I worked and travelled overseas, I fell in love with hiking in Korea (yes Korea) and New Zealand. It wasn’t until 2017 when I started spending significant time in the mountains and connecting with nature.
My first big trail race was the 29-K Moose Mountain Run in Kananaskis in 2014. This became the gateway to the mountains for me. I didn’t know the area very well so every chance I had I ventured up Moose Mountain from West Bragg Creek trails because I knew I wouldn’t get lost.
The drive to West Bragg Creek from Red Deer, clocked around two hours. I didn’t want to spend anymore time on the road then I had to so the distance was perfect. For a couple years, I was up Moose Mountain at least twice a month. Sometimes my friend Rachel who I met through being an ambassador for the Calgary Marathon from would join me. Eventually I began exploring more trails and routes on my own. And as I did, I became more confident.
It took me nearly three years but I also earned a NAASFP Marathon Running Coach certification in 2017. I haven’t been doing much coaching lately but I hope to get back into it in the new year.
Crossfit and yoga in the last decade
For a couple of years I was going to Crossfit, which I loved but eventually couldn’t afford. All those 6 a.m. classes really improved my running and I never felt stronger. I highly recommend giving Crossfit a try if you can afford the hefty monthly fees. I admit my legs were tired ALL THE TIME because I couldn’t quite get the handle on balancing Crossfit with training for a 50K race. But I have to say when I was doing Crossfit – I never did hill repeats and I was never injured.
I tried Bikram Hot Yoga for a year. I’ve never done yoga before in my life so it was all new to me. I loved the heat. I think that’s why I enjoyed doing the same 26 poses over and over again. Eventually the heat didn’t bother me at all. I completed a 30-day challenge which proved challenging at times to make it to every class. But I did it and I loved how my body and my mind felt after the classes.
What I have learned from a decade of racing
You know when you start something new, you get crazy excited? Every thing is shiny and you want to DO IT ALL. That’s how I felt when I started trail running. I wanted to do all the races. Run in all the places. See all the mountains.
My race calendar was stacked in 2018 – four years after I ran my first “trail race.” I signed up for six races and a 100K race. I am tired now thinking about it. I also quit my job and moved to Calgary. It was a stressful year as I tried to fit running around my life changes.
These days I have taken stock of my running – how it brings me joy and manages my stress and anxiety. It’s obvious but I realized I don’t have to do all these races feel like a runner.
Since that first trail run in 2014, I have run/hiked in Banff, Canmore, Montana, Lethbridge, Yellowknife and parts of British Columbia. It’s been had a great run.
Running has taught me so much in the last decade. It has taught me that I can do hard things if I focus and put my mind to it. I have taken this lesson and applied it to other parts of my life.
For that I am forever thankful to that sports editor who challenged me to write about learning to run 10K because I have learned and I continue to learn and grow as a person and a runner.
As the 2010s come to a close, it’s normal to reflect. What have you learned in the last decade?