No Excuses

I can't see the sun. I can't see the sun because, although it's shining right now, I'm sitting in my small bedroom in Ottawa and my only window faces the brick wall of the house beside mine. Not the greatest view.

I'm not outside running. I'm not outside enjoying the relatively warm November weather and the sun and the joy and health that running gives me. There are no excuses for this.

I could say that I have too much work, too many essays to write, articles to research, dishes to clean. I could say that I'm not feeling the best or that I don't have proper running clothes for this weather. I could say those things, but really there are no excuses.

A ten minute run would do me good. It would rejuvenate me, help me relax, help me to appreciate the amazing circumstances I find myself in, which is having streets I'm able to run in and weather that is great. Most importantly running would help me to get back to something I love to do and something that would help me to be happier and healthier. And ten minutes a day is really all it takes.

Running is not the only thing I take for granted and make up excuses for because it is easier to turn it aside than work for it. I haven't written a blog in two weeks. I love writing, but with all the deadlines, errands and seasons of Weeds I need to catch up on I have become lazy with writing my blog.

We all have things that we want to do, should do and love to do in life that seem to always fall behind other supposedly more important and time consuming things. Whether it's that dream to travel to a different country, learn how to drive, help the homeless or even just talk to a friend, we often seem to make excuses to not do these things.

Yes it's hard to get up out of your comfort zone, routine or busy schedule and do something that won't earn you money, awards or a higher GPA, but in reality the things you put off doing are the things that will make you and those around you happiest. Plus, many of these things do not take that much time out of your day.

My dad always told me, especially around exam or midterm time, to get out for a ten to 15 minute run and that it would help me relax and come back to my study material fresher and more focused, helping me in the long term. When you do something you love, when you go after your goals, when you help people, this makes you a better person, mentally, physically, spiritually or emotionally, and benefits you in all you do.

So when crunch time comes around again, and it inevitably does, look stress, laziness and inactivity in the eye and tell them you're going to do what you love, that they have failed and you're not going to except any excuses anymore.

Breathing in the Rochester Rain

My first cross-country race in high school could not have been any more exciting.

I lined up in the largest race I had ever been in, by far, in Rochester New York just as the rain began to come down. I had never had a team of more then two or three lined up beside me, but that day I had around six or seven braced for the opening gun around me. It reminded me of that scene in the second Lord of the Rings movie when the army is about to battle the bad guys. In other words, it felt epic.

The tense few seconds before the race may have been exhilarating, but as soon as the starter's gun went off I began to struggle. I was breathing heavily 100 metres into the race and my legs were aching already. Only three kilometres left.

But then one of my dad's golden nuggets of wisdom popped into my head: Concentrate on your breathing.

I did just that, focusing not on the pain and nervousness I was feeling, but on breathing properly in through my nose and out through my mouth.

This method calmed me down and gave me a boost of energy like jump cables would to a tired car battery.

This strategy doesn't just fit into running though, but also in stressful situations in life.

Everyone feels the stresses of this world, whether it's strenuous homework assignments, dealing with a dwindling bank account or facing discrimination or bullying. Add in the fact that in this day and age we tend to multi-task every activity and making a business deal while shaving and cooking tonight's dinner goes from a funny Three Stooges skit to a physically and emotionally draining reality.

We often forget, in the hustle bustle of life, how to the do the simpler things. By focusing on these things, like breathing in running, the whole process becomes easier, more productive and dare I say it, more fun. Figuring out the more complex issues are still hard and arduous, but in more of a fun, how do I beat this level in Super Mario kind of way.

For example when you are trying to campaign or advocate for a human rights issue you may stress yourself out to the point of no return. Protesting an unjust law, getting the word out to different neighbourhoods and volunteering at different places all in one day is crushing. This is noble and no doubt possible for those with drive and determination. But it may also stress you out, leaving you disillusioned with your passion.

Simply focusing on helping people as opposed to how can I fit more stuff into one day, will lead you to being happier, healthier and achieving your goal.

This doesn't mean stop what you are doing, give up and stop caring, hoping everything turns out alright. It means keep striving hard for what you want, for what you believe in, but do it in a way that allows you to see the whole picture in a straightforward manner.

Remember, you can't see your passion or find your way to a goal if you kick up too much dust trying to get there too fast. So take a deep breath and take the plunge starting with the simpler things and soon you'll be making waves.

Sometimes Bees Sting Twice

My brother Matthew and I had left the group of three or four behind and were flying down the gravel road. We had pushed ahead of my dad, my other brother Paul and the one or two other kids who made up our little unofficial, off season running club. One of us would rachette up the intensity every few strides, prodding each other on, and we were making great time because of it.

We came over a slight hill in the road, the evening sun glowing at our backs, neck and neck. The only thing missing was an epic soundtrack, maybe something from Chariots of Fire.

Too bad real life isn't a whole lot like movies.

Matthew suddenly yelled out in pain and dropped to the ground. I reversed and started running towards him to see what was wrong. That's when I felt a sharp pain on my thigh and I too crumpled to the ground in pain.

It must have been a pretty bizzare scene for Paul as he reached us, both brothers rolling on the ground trying to muffle swears and groans.

It turned out a bee had stung both Matthew and I. Yes, I know bees aren't supposed to be able to sting twice, but this one must have been a super bee because it did.

So in the midst of all the pain, grass stains and inevitable post sting embarrasment I managed to learn a lesson about life from all this.

There will be days as you're going through life or towards your goals when you feel amazing, when everything is going well, when you can picture yourself as a character in a Hollywood blockbuster about your extrordinary life played by Owen Wilson or Brad Pitt or Blake Lively. And then you'll hit tough times.

It might be that your entire 15 page essay just got totally erased and it's due tomorrow or you injured yourself badly or got news of a personal tragedy or loss. These things hurt and can stop you in your tracks, just as the pain of that bee sting sent be to the ground in pain.

I was lucky that day to have my brothers right there with me. Matthew was litterally beside me rolling around in pain from the sting and although he couldn't offer me much physical or verbal comfort it was good to know that someone else was sharing in my pain and could understand the situation with me.

My brother Paul was there right after it happened and got the stinger out of me. He was there to help and comfort me when I needed it.

In tough times, whether it's being bullied or being dumped or some other emotional or physical obstacle it is important to realize that you are not alone and that there are people who care enough to help. The key thing is to surround yourself with these people, realize that the opinions of these people far outmatch any one else's and to help each other stay strong in adversity.

It isn't always easy to find people who will be there for you, but they are out there, trust me, so don't lose hope. I learned one spring day that bees sometimes sting twice, but that's what brothers, or sisters or parents or friends or whomever, are for.

Here is a video made by students at my school, Carleton University, letting everyone out there know that even though life is sometimes painful, there are people who love you and that it gets better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzRs3ApCLkg

A Difficult Choice

Standing on the bleachers at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke I had a big choice. A choice that would determine the rest of day and maybe the rest of the month. A choice so important my stomach was rumbling with suspense.

Ham sandwich or apple?

You see I had a big race in about an hour and I was hungry. My dad had advised me to eat the apple about an hour before the race to keep up my strength and fuel my body. He also told me I shouldn't eat the sandwich because, well, undigested meat and bread don't feel very good when you're running.

But that ham sandwich was calling to me.

After looking at the two suitors to my stomach for about 10 minutes I settled on the apple, deciding to go with the tried and true wisdom of my dad before my own desires.

I ran my race, did well and most importantly didn't feel the slightest twinge of pain in my stomach. That day I learned that deciding what to eat before a race was crucial to my success.

And, as it often does, a lesson learned in food and running can be applied in life as well.

We have goals in life, but they require hard work, and just like a gruelling race in the middle of the day in the heat of summer, this work can be tiring.

So if the path to our dreams is so hard who wouldn't want to deviate from this path once in a while? Who wouldn't want to go to a party instead of studying or doing that essay? Who wouldn't rather be at a movie instead of building a house? Who wouldn't want to be lying in a hammock instead of eating disgusting volumes of pie in preparation for a pie eating contest?

There are definitely temptations that are hard to ignore. They are the ham sandwich to my apple. And there is nothing wrong with doing things that make you happy, especially if it means spending time with family and friends. I mean I have had some pretty awesome ham sandwiches in my life.

But before you go off and do these things consider the consequences they could have on your goals and dreams and try to balance achieving these things with enjoying life and different experiences.

Just because I couldn't have my ham sandwich before my race doesn't mean I could never have it, it just meant I had to wait till I completed my race. When you sacrifice things in life for a goal it may mean that you have to wait to enjoy them.

But waiting can make the thing you desire all the more sweet, especially when you are enjoying it stress free. I can tell you this from experience, because that ham sandwich tasted pretty good after running a good race.

Now don't get me wrong, that apple I ate was very good as well and I enjoyed it. I didn't starve myself. When your working hard for something don't starve yourself of all experiences in life or you will lift your head up one day and realize that some awesome things and people have passed you by.

So next time you're pursuing a goal, enjoy life, but stay focused. Striking that balance seems simple, but can be quite hard to put into practice. Just remember that an apple a day means life, and your dreams, aren't far away.

The Case of the Stray Shoelace

Grade five was my time to shine.

You see I had been working hard for months that year to get ready for the big cross-country races. This year was the year I was going to get past the divisional and regional meets and get all the way to the city race. I just knew it.

Boy was I wrong.

I started the divisional's hard. I came sprinting off the starting line and was with the top runners going into the first turn, about a hundred metres in.

That's when it all fell apart.

As I went to turn the corner my foot got tangled in my undone shoe lace and I took a tumble face first into the mud.

I got up dazed, in last place and covered in mud. I'd been dazed before; I'd built enough forts with shoddy workmanship to tell you how that felt. And the mud didn't bother me, I mean when you're an 11-year old boy, what's better than a mud bath. But being in last place, that had never happened.

I finished the race, coming in 25th overall, well short of my dream of reaching the all-Toronto finals.

But it all goes to show that even in grade five you can still learn some valuable life lessons.

You see I had trained for months and never missed one practice. But in the end I didn't do everything I could have done to be successful.

In life you can work hard and cover many of the angles, but many isn't all. I got lazy that day in grade five and figured an untied shoelace wouldn't matter much, but it did.

When you want to do something well, don't do it half way, or even 99 per cent of the way. Do it all out and more. Sometimes we do a homework assignment or a project for a business client and tend to do the bare minimum. Other times when we're teaching someone something we skip a lesson because we're tired and we don't think it's all that important anyways. And sometimes when we're cooking we drop something on the floor, but call it on the ten second rule and put it back in the pan.

I'm guilty, like everyone, of these sorts of things and believe me I've paid the price and learned from them. And when we do this we aren't being fair to ourselves or others.

We are capable of doing great things when we put our minds to it and doing the things we love and that we are good all the way to the finish, with no detail left out can only help improve ourselves and those around us.

In the immortal words of running great Steve Prefontaine, "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."

You wouldn't throw away your brand new x-box, designer Coach bag, blackberry or Ottawa Senators jersey (well maybe the last one), so why would you throw away your most precious gifts, your talent and passion, just because the lazy part of you whispers for you to so. Your gifts don't just help you succeed, but can make a fundamental difference in the lives of those around you.

So next time don't settle for what is good enough, strive for the best and the only time you'll find yourself in the mud is when you mean to be.

Over the Hill We Go

Five hundred pairs of feet grabbed at the dirt, grass and caked mud on the slopes of Centennial Hill one warm October afternoon. A thousand shoes pounded the sides of the hill, trying to reach the top, trying to get past the agonizing burn in their legs and the screaming in their minds to slow down.

Some began to walk up the big, steep hill, others seemed to sprint to the top. I tried to run as fast as I could (not very fast) up the slope, repeating one thing to my self, "Always run fast up a hill, always run fast up a hill."

This mantra was one of many given to me by my father, the same marathon runner that made "the legs feed the wolf," a common encouragement as well.

But Centennial was no normal hill, it was the largest I had ever come face to face with in a race. Add in the fact that there were five hundred other runners acting as a sort of reverse avalanche up the hill and it was quite daunting.

The saying worked though, and I felt the same spark of energy mixed with the painful fire in my over worked legs as I always did after reaching the top of a hill.

The hills I have faced running and the metaphorical hills we all face in life are different, but also have more similarities than you may think.

We all face problems and obstacles in life, some that seem too big to overcome or too dangerous to confront, just like runners face monstrous hills in a race.

We may seem too tired by previous legs on our journey or be discouraged by the number of people that have or are still struggling with the same mountain of problems.

But remembering the piece of advice "Always run fast up a hill" can make a big difference.

Many times I have stopped a certain journey through life short by ending it at the foot of a big, hill-like problem. Other times I have walked up the hill, giving a lacklustre effort or struggling with the problem or wishing someone would climb the hill for me.

But when faced with hills in life, big or small, like a challenging home work assignments, a medical concern, a financial woe or a plugged toilet, we should try to remember to confront the problems head on, defeat procrastination and avoidance and be strong in the face of adversity, much like a runner can choose to run fast up a big, tiring hill.

By confronted our problems and not avoiding them or trudging through them we can solve them faster, learn more, help others and be empowered.

We can also be buoyed, not shaken, by those struggling up the same hill as us. Instead of seeing this as a discouragement or threat, we should see this as a chance to help each other, to understand that no problem affects only one person and to realize that confronting problems, and solving them, is possible.

So next time you come to a hill, on a training run or in life, muster up that little extra you have and show the mountain who's boss and when you reach the top admire the view, even if your legs don't let you forget the lesson.

Don't Judge A Runner by Their Garbage Bag

The weather was terrible for the annual Billy Taylor 5K race in Guelph. The sky opened early in the morning and continued dumping water on the racers throughout the day. The wind howled and the air was bone-chattering cold, even for April. But I couldn't have cared less.

I was running one of the best races in my 12 year old life, and, besides being a little cold and wet, I was feeling great. I was feeling invincible. No one could match me, not the runners in their professional looking garb or the 'big kids' with their long strides, no one.

And that is when I learned a very humbling and very important lesson.

As I was trotting along, I caught a flash of dull green out of the corner of my eye. I looked sideways and saw a running garbage bag. That couldn't be! A garbage bag running? I looked closer and saw the garbage bag had legs and arms and a head. And the garbage bag, or should I say the person in the garbage bag, was pushing a stroller. The runner whizzed past me without even looking like she was breaking a sweat.

I was shocked. How could someone in a garbage bag and pushing a stroller beat me, the invincible kid, the running phenom?

However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I must have eaten a bad pre-race banana or something to think I was that good and to really believe that just because someone isn't dressed like the front runners in the Boston Marathon doesn't mean they can't run like one.

My run in with the running garbage bag is similar to all sort of situations in life.

Sometimes we get too arrogant and believe that just because someone doesn't act the way we do or look the way we do or have the same lifestyle we do that they can't possibly be as successful or righteous as we are. They can't possibly get the deep meaning of a James Joyce novel or care as much about the world and its issues or get those pasta noodles to the same firm, but flexible consistency.

In short we're blinded by our false sense of superiority.

Sometimes we also get complacent. There's nothing wrong with being happy and proud with what you've done and standing back and admiring you're effort. There is something very wrong, however, with doing something well and then thinking that you're finished improving yourself and the world. Continuously improving yourself and those around you is the only way to make this world a better place.

If we fail to keep these things in mind and fall into the traps of over confidence and laziness you could end up the way I did in that race all those years ago and at times since; passed by those who are working harder and helping others more.

You can be great. Scratch that, you're already great, but keep going, keep running the race the best you can, pushing youself and those around you every day and one day you might just become the greatest ever. And remember, don't ever judge a runner by their garbage bag.

Air Guitar Solos are Better then a Six Pack

A little less then a year ago my girlfriend Kelsey embarked on a quest to find out if what the health and fitness magazines said was true; could you actually get a six pack of abs in six weeks. She followed a strenuous workout regimen full of early morning gym sessions and instituted a blitz to purge all unhealthy foods from her diet.

Kelsey documented her adventures on her blog (http://kelseyatkinson.blogspot.com/2010/01/under-construction.html, her journey begins) and I learned a lot of lessons about running and life from her stories and observations.

While running one day, Kelsey was so in the zone, so charged on a runner's high, that she absent-mindedly started playing air guitar in the middle of our university's indoor track. What is even better is that when she noticed she was doing it she didn't stop until she was done her solo.

I loved this story because although Kelsey's quest was hard, painful and discouraging at times she found enjoyment, euphoria and freedom in the midst of it.

Too often when people finally reach their dreams or goals they have forgotten why they even had that certain ambition in the first place. We can become too occupied with reaching the top no matter what and on the way there negative feelings, obstacles, stresses and bad experiences can leave us hating the very thing we once loved.

I've encountered this studying journalism at university. I love to write and ask questions, meet people and be a witness to amazing events, but amongst the stresses of weekly deadlines, tough competition among my peers and discouragingly rude sources I sometimes forget the good I can achieve from reporting and the thrill that comes with it. Same with running. I really love it, but sometimes I forget the joy it brings me and instead my mind and body grow to hate getting out of my comfy bed to run in the pouring rain or chilly air.

But now I always think of the Air Guitar Lesson to help me remember to be thankful for the simple joys in life and the things I love to do, like running or writing, instead of dreading them, like chores I have to do before I can watch more TV.

Instead of growing to hate running, one of the things she loves, Kelsey used the simple joys that it gave her to help her out of the traps that cynicism and stress laid out for her.

I won't spoil the end of Kelsey's quest for you by saying if she was successful in getting a six pack in six weeks or not, although to me her journey, air guitar solos and all, taught me more than the final destination did.

So break out your guitar and turn up the music because doing what you love, and remembering why you love it, will make you feel like a rockstar.

The Radio's Advice

On a hot summer's day, about six or seven years ago, I received the weirdest running advice I have ever been given.

My Dad and I were driving along on the suburban roads of my neighbourhood, I forget why, but it probably had something to do with errands, when we flipped on the radio to a baseball game. The game was more or less background noise as my dad and I talked, but suddenly the announcer was screaming and shouting like he had been placed barefoot in the middle of a hot desert.

Me and my father stopped to listen to what the hullaballu was all about. It turned out the center fielder made an excellent catch to perserve his team's lead. The announcer wouldn't stop praising the player who had made the catch and that is when he uttered the advice that will stay with me forever, "And that's why you run on the balls of your feet, so your eyes dont bounce up and down."

It sounded like weird advice, advice that upon experimentation proved true, but weird nonetheless.

I have not really needed it in my running career yet, save the one time I used it to avoid meeting any trees face to face when going down one particularly steep hill in a forest. But I've tried to wring some sort of life lesson out of the radio's strange tip.

The more I thought, the less anything I came up with made any sense. It may have been the fact that I had been pushing buggies for six hours and I was going slightly buggy (pun attack), but it probably had more to do with my overthinking of the wise words.

I realized that I shouldn't just try to get something out of the words that just wasn't there. What I should have really been doing was appreciating the quarkiness and yes, wisdom and strange beauty of those words that described the amazing way in which a talented player caught a ball.

It is important to draw wisdom or knowledge from things in life, like a radiant sunset, a literary masterpiece or a giraffe's kiss. However, at times, simply appreciating things for what they are turns out to be the way we can truly get something from that piece of advice or amazing novel, instead of overanalyzing it or manipulating it to be something it's not.

If you wonder constantly about why Mr. Bean never talks in his movies and try to figure out if it's an allegory for some social injustice in society instead of laughing at his wacky antics then you'll miss the whole movie and the whole point.

So simply enjoy the simple things in life and if you ever want to track down that fly ball in life, make sure to run on the balls of your feet.

The Stretch Theory

Grade four was a big year in my running career; it was the year I learned the deep importance of stretching.

Every day after school, from late February to mid April, my elementary school's cross country team would practice. Before every training session the team would gather in the gym to do our stretches and this is where I was to learn a vital lesson.

Usually my friends and I would break into not so quiet "whispering" and tomfoolery after the first few leg stretches while the coach tried to get through a decent warm up. The only time we stopped to actually stretch was to see who could balance for the longest while pulling one leg up behind us and standing on the other.

On this particular day though our coach finally became fed up with our antics. He stopped the warm up with nothing more than silence and a piercing stare at our rowdy group. We froze and a multitude of punishments our coach could inflict came to my mind, each worse than the last.

Suddenly the coach broke the silence. "You think this is a joke boys?" he said, "Well do you wanna know what happens when you don't stretch before a race?"

It wasn't really a question so much as an introduction and our coach proceded to tell us a handfull of squirm-inducing stories about kids who had neglected to stretch and had torn all sorts of muscles and ligements and popped knee caps and such in horrifying ways.

Suffice it to say, no one in that room that day ever forgot to stretch again.

Now although I was scared that day into seeing the importance of stretching I later realized the positive payoff of stretching on my own and although I haven't always been the most vigilant in doing a warm up, I've always run better after completing one.

I have also recognized that stretching isn't just an important tool in helping you run a better race, but also in helping live a more fulfilling life as well.

When you stretch before a race you sometimes reach for a part of your body, like your toes, in an attempt to loosen muscles, and become for flexible so you can use those muscles in a race and decrease your chance of getting a cramp or an injury.

In life you can also stretch, but in a different sense. You can stretch to achieve your goals and dreams.

You may not reach your goals the first time you stretch for them. For example you may not be elected the first time you run for student council or toast your marshmallow to a perfect golden brown the first time you make a s'more, just like you may not be able to touch your toes the first few times you stretch. But if you keep on working and stretching outside of the what you can certainly do to something you want to eventually do then you will finally achieve it, as well as improving yourself and learning lessons and skills along the way.

Just as when you stretch you prepare muscles used in a race, when you stretch for something in life that isn't always easy, like a big promotion or reconciling a broken relationship, you learn other skills and lessons about yourself that can help you in other areas of life. Perserverance, time management and the importance of forgiveness are just a few of these.

Stretching for the hard goals in life may take you outside of your comfort zone to try to achieve objectives that you have never reached before, just like in stretching when you use a muscle that hasn't been used as much or when you can't reach your toes as easily. But in doing this you lift yourself out of the ordinary into the extraordinary and prevent yourself from falling into a rut or routine of laziness or self-pity which can lead to harm or missed opportunities just as in stretching you decrease your chance of getting hurt in a race.

Now injury in running may happen even though you have prepared as much as humanly possible, and life is the same. You may fail, lose or fall down, but getting right back up and out onto the course is also important and stretching is a key part in getting yourself back in the game.

Stretching may be hard work, an arduous exercise that seems unnecesary at times and painful at others, but once you take the time, reach out and grab hold of that vision and plan you'll be ready to jump up and track down your dreams.

If the Shoe Fits...

I've tried many a shoe on in my time as a runner. From the latest and sleekest New Balances and flashy Nikes to cushy Asics.

I've measured my foot from all different angles, from the length and width to the arch and where the pressure is when I push off.

I've run, jumped, kicked, splashed and muddied dozens of training shoes, from my first pair in grade three to my well worn trainers of the present, in order to see which shoes fit me right.

Now after years of searching I have found that New Balance is my favourite brand, but one of the best running experiences I've ever had were in a pair of beat up, neon yellow, cross-country spikes.

Our cross country team had a bag of spikes ready for runners to use if they wanted them and could find two of the right size shoes. I never ran in the communal spikes, mostly because our top runners would snatch them up before I could. But one day there were a pair of size sevens sitting in the bag and I decided to wear them for a race.

They were tight, scratchy and smelled like a gym sock that had been bathing in bad milk. The grimace-inducing thought of dozens of other sweaty teammates wearing the same shoes popped into my mind a couple times because no one wore socks with them, including myself. They were really an amazing pair of shoes.

For all the initial discomfort and their bad hygiene track record, the shoes gave me the best feeling while running. They fit snuggly, conforming to my foot. They were as light as air and made me feel more free and natural than I ever had. I felt pretty great in those shoes.

They felt great, and I ran a decent race in them. And I only ever wore them on occasion after that. Now you may be thinking, well if they were so amazing than why didn't you wear them every race you oddball? The fact is, while the spikes felt great, in my New Balances I felt as if, no matter what the weather or the course, those New Balances and I could get through it and reach my personal goals. They just felt right and they made me smile every time I laced them up.

Now while all this wrangling over shoes may seem crazy, I think the whole process of picking the right fit can be seen in life as well.

As we grow up there are hundreds of paths we can follow. Some people pick paths that lead to adventure at every turn, who would be happiest venturing into a foreign environment with nothing more than the shirt on their back and a thirst for adventure. Others pick what seems like the more conventional route these days, at least in the Western world, which is to go to university, get a degree and then find a job.

For me the first lifestyle seems like those spikes I ran in those years ago, refreshing and a very worthwhile experience, but not something I would do every day, while the university route fits me, is comfortable, seems to me to be the best path to my goals and dreams and makes me happy, just like those New Balances. For others it would be the other way around.

The path that is best for you may not neccesarily be the path people are telling you to go on or the path most people travel. Too often people will follow a path in life only because they assume it is the only path to success and thus happiness, just as many people believe Nikes are obviously the best shoes to run in because they the most popular and recognizable brand.

But I say try different paths and see which ones are best, just as you should try on different shoes and see which ones most suits your needs and wants and goals. Only then will you be most comfortable and feel like you can get through anything and arrive not only at success, but also, most importantly, happiness.

If you want to become an actor or an artist don't listen to those people who tell you it's just not practical and follow the path that will lead to your dreams. If you want to become a business person then follow the best path for that. If you want to become a clown go to clown school and become the best clown you can be. Any of those paths will probably include risks and hardships and might include formal education or something else, but the key is to be happy in the end by finding the right fit.

So strap on those spikes, tie up those sneakers or do away with shoes altogether and feel the happiness beneath your feet.

The Narrow Path

Of all the paths and hills and streets I have ever run on, a section at Boyd Park remains one of the only places I would say is dangerous.

I would find myself faced with this path four times every year in high school, twice a race, when running the annual contests at Boyd. After running up over a short steep hill and crossing a paved road runners would come to three foot wide dirt path, with rocks embedded in it. Tall, thistley growth was waiting to scratch you up on the right and a five foot drop straight to a little river yawned open to the left.

Even on the best of days it was hard to keep your footing on the path and avoid the obstacles on either side of you, but when the rain was falling and 200 runners were trying to squeeze through the path all at once, getting along the path unscathed was something to be proud of.

So when I came to this slippery, slick path in a race in grade 10, right on the heels of another runnner, I was a little apprehensive, but I was confident that the path wouldn't get the best of me. Besides, I was more concerned with passing the runner in front of me.

As I reached the path I went to pass my fellow runner. As I made my move the other runner yelled. "I think there's only room for one," he said. I was shocked for a millisecond, and then spurred on by the guy's assurance that the path was too narrow for me to pass him. I did overtake him on the path, without falling or being torn to shreds of the thistles, and finished the race ahead of him.

That race was a lot like some monumental moments in people's lives. When reaching for a big goal or dream the path there is going to seem narrow, similar to that path at Boyd. And just like that actual path, the road to your dreams is going to have obstacles and there's always going to be a chance that you may slip, fall and hurt yourself on the way through, especially because others may be using that same path.

Getting to the end of that path may be hard, scary and dangerous and full of competitors, but once you emerge at the end, it will all be worth it, something to be truly proud of, as long as you don't hurt any of your fellow travelers along the way.

But there probably will be people who tell you that the path is too narrow, that you can't get through or that there isn't room for you on the path at all. There will be those that tell you the path is too dangerous to run on.

But don't listen to them. Don't let those people get you down, or tell you what you can and can't do, because with focus, determination and action you can do anything. Let your own dreams and your friends and family push you forward along that narrow path.

One narrow path may lead to another, but in the end the fact that you even started through on that path in the first place will be worth while, the journey and the scratches and bruises being stories and lessons. And when the narrow path ends and the finish line nears, you will not be able to hold that smile back.

Always Stop to Watch the Deer

There are not many places I have run that are more beautiful than along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa. With its scenic views and runner friendly paths it makes you feel free even in one of Canada's biggest cities. Add in the fact that it is a world heritage site and the only cooler feeling you can get is to skate on the Canal itself. If you can get over the horrible smell of months old sewage and what I can only hope is algae, then the Canal can be an interesting and refreshing place to run.

One spring day, a year and a half ago, my girlfriend, Kelsey, and I decided to throw off the shackels of a long and arduous Ottawa winter by running along the Canal and enjoying one of the nicest days of the year. We set a goal and started out at a quick pace.

About ten minutes into our run I spotted movement on the other side of the Canal and suddenly a baby deer wondered out of a group of trees. I pointed it out to Kelsey and we stopped to watch it. We stood there panting and sweating and admiring the deer who was staring (I like to think admiring as well) at us. For me, somewhat of a city boy all my life, seeing a deer so close in the middle of a city was pretty amazing and just one more thing that added to the magic of the Canal.

Now I've run many routes in many cities in my life, but this run sticks out because I stopped to watch the deer and because Kelsey was there to watch it with me.

I think life works a lot like that one run as well.

In this day and age, probably more than any other (although I can't vouch for this cause I've only been alive for 20 years) ambition and action are prized over almost everything. People work more than ever before. From the day we are born we are bombarded with strategies and programs that are supposed to make us smarter or stronger. The rush for the top starts early and never seems to stop (although when I beat the last level of Space Invaders at the age of nine I thought I had finally arrived on top).

Now there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be the best there is at anything (except a Senators fan) and doing anything you can (legally) to achieve it. However, i think there is a problem with letting this ambition blind you from seeing other valuable things in life.

If on that run that day on the Canal I had not stopped to watch the deer because doing so would have disrupted my training schedule then I probably would have not very much of a memory of that run. If Kelsey wasn't there with me as well then I would never have remembered it at all. The run would have been lost amongst all my other training runs.

Similarly, in life we can chose focus soley on getting that new promotion at work or getting straight A's in school or becoming the hot dog eating champion of the world and disregard some of the smaller, but beautiful things life has to offer. Achieving your goals takes sacrifice, but once you reach the top it also doesn't feel very good if you can't remember the jouney or didn't participate in any fun school events or didn't really savour the taste of a good hot dog.

So on your way to becoming the greatest (which you will be) stop and look a round once in a while and discover the little, but immensely beautiful, things around you, like the rising sun, the singing bird or the calm lake. And also look at who you're sharing these things with, your friends, family, significant other or colleagues, because they make it a million times more special. And if you ever cross paths with a deer, always stop to watch it.

Dabbling in Ecclesiastes

It was a typical cross country race day in my high school career one October afternoon. It was overcast and wet and everyone was trying to fight off the slight wintery chill that seemed to have come a bit early. The race was a tune up for our provincial qualifiers in a couple weeks, so everyone was trying to size up the competition from other schools.

My race ran as it usually did. I came in the top half of the field and our top runners seemed to have gotten off to a good start. But when I crossed the finish line and wondered over to the water table a team mate told me something that flipped this ordinary race on its head.

My teammate told me how our best runner hadn't even placed in the top eight or nine (which doesn't sound bad, but it was a big surprise when your top runner has continually placed first or second in every race the last two and a half years). What's more was the lead pack finished about 10 minutes ahead of anyone else! A huge gap in a seven km race.

I thought that was a little suspicious and later I found out that the top eight runners had been disqualified for skipping a whole portion of the race course. I'm pretty sure it was by accident though (there weren't a whole lot of sign markers or marshalls).

Years later I was reading AJ Jacobs' book The Know It All and came across this quote from the Biblical book Ecclesiastes that Jacobs finds interesting, "the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong...nor favour to the men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all"

This paragraph, after I thought about it a bit, reminded me of that race back in high school. The swiftest runner in the race was not the winner and favour was not with the runners with the most skill. Instead, through an unfortunate and lucky set of events these other runners were the winners. At least until they had been found out.

The quote from Ecclesiastes doesn't only fit the literal meaning of the words though. I think what the author was pointing out was that in life even though you may try as hard as you can and be the best at something, not everything is always going to go your way cause things happen that are out of your control.

Jacobs concludes, and I agree, that this quote means we should accept that these things happen and enjoy the goods things in life instead of dwelling on the bad.

On the same track, this quote is saying, it's not what happens in life, but how you deal with it.

Our top runner could have let the frustration and feelings of being cheated get to him in the next race, but he did not and won the provincial qualifiers two weeks later on the same course.

It's like in life. When you get sick and can't go out or complete your work you can sulk and get sicker or you can eat chicken soup, get lots of rest and get better. When you get a harder teacher than everyone else you can complain about it or work extra hard and get those good grades. When you happen to see a movie where Paris Hilton is the main character you can denounce films forever or keep your faith and rent another one.

In the end things are not always going to go as planned because humans can not control everything, so work hard and enjoy the things that are given to you, like that beautiful sunset, those amazing family and friends or those 10 minutes you have before work to run. Maybe one day you'll cross that finish line in first.

The Legs Feed The Wolf

"Push it! The legs feed the wolf!"

I can hear my dad yelling at me as I come around the last corner before I reach my house, the finish line of my run. Running a few paces behind me, he's yelling at me to give it all I got in the last hundred metres or so. I start sprinting full out and upon reaching my driveway crumple to the grass.

This isn't the first time I've heard the ol "the legs feed the wolf" encouragment from my dad, and it probably won't be the last. I like it, mainly because in my run-addled brain I envision wolves are chasing me to the end of my route, hungry wolves who have a particular taste for Canadian teenagers. In reality it's only my dad who I have to fend off in the last stretch, no easy feat considering he's a 4-time marathoner.

I first heard the saying back when I watched the movie Miracle and Herb Brooks barked it out to his team. I have a feeling my dad was well aquainted with the phrase, having put in a good several decades under similarily wise, and gruff, hockey coaches, and he has become fairly fond of using it to motivate me and my siblings while running.

Although my brain may not use the saying as it is meant to be used I think it is tremendously relevent and even, dare I say, inspiring.

What I get from "The legs feed the wolf" is just that, for wolves to eat they must be able to catch their food, and to catch their food they need scary-fast legs.

Although I'm not as fury as a wolf and I don't generally chase down deer and moose for dinner, I think this saying can be translated into life really well. When you have a passion or a goal, like writing a book, learning how to speak French or annoying your friends and family, you have to do more than just think about it, you have to take action. You have to start writing short stories or character sketches. You have to take French lessons and maybe travel to Quebec and practice. You have to buy a vuvuzeula and play it continuously in your backyard. The point is, planning and thinking is important to achieving any goal, but to actually get it done you have to really want it and then act on that desire.

But no wolf is born the fastest hunter in the pack, they must practice and develop their legs, just as runners must train and push themselves to pass that competitor in front of them in the last seconds of a race or to beat their personal best time. Nothing comes easy, but practice goes a long way to achieving your goals.

So next time you want to get something done or are just hungry just remember, the legs feed the wolf.

The Noble Pursuit of Frisbee Golfing

My favourite place to run is the park. I'll take a good park, or even a bad park, to run in over a new stadium track or quiet suburban streets anyday. And definitely over any treadmill ever!

One of the greatest, most fundamental aspects of running is the freedom I feel while doing it and feeling the grass beneath my feet, the gravel in my shoes and smelling the musty pond water in my nostrils makes it feel all the more natural, freeing and exciting. Now there's not a whole lot of untamed wilderness where I live so parks have become one of my best friends.

I've seen a lot of things in the parks I have run in, some I would rather not have seen and some that make my legs pump faster (more on those things later). One of the most constant things I have seen while running in the park near my house (in which I have logged hundreds of kms) are frisbee golfers, or disc golfers.

Frisbee Golf is almost exactly like regular golf, only instead of a ball it's a frisbee, instead of a hole it's a metal poll and basket and instead of Tiger Woods, there's, um, well to be honest I don't think there's too many scandalous figures in the world of frisbee golfing.

The reason for the lack of Tiger Woods-like figures in frisbee golf is probably due to the fact that, to be honest, the sport isn't exactly the most popular. But to me it's just as noble as any other sport out there exactly for that reason. These frisbee golfers don't play for money or fame or girls, but simply for the love of the game and to hang out with their friends. And guess what, they look happier then a lot of the pro sports guys out there.

I always felt that there was an unspoken bond between frisbee golfers and me when I was running. Both activities are similar in that most people don't do it for attention, but to achieve their own goals and for the pure love of the game. Me and the Frisbee golfers had to climb the same hills, get soaked by the same rain, deal with the same wind and side step the same goose poop, but I have a feeling that all that never mattered to either of us because we were doing something we loved. We understood this and would nod and smile at each other every time we passed ways.

It's the same in life. We all have good days, the equivalent of a nice sunny day with no wind and 20 degree weather for runners and Frisbee golfers, but there's always going to be massively tiring hills, cold rain, fierce winds and, unfortunatley, goose poop throughout life too. And we won't even get put on Nike commercials or have over 100,000 fans on facebook for dealing with it. But I figure that as long as we do the things we love and surround ourselves with people we love, that love us and understand us, then at the end of the day we'll all be able to smile when we come to a hill, let the wind give you a push and have the rain refresh you while really enjoying those sunny days all the more.

The First Stride

Have you ever tried to stuff a closet or a cupboard or for that matter a fajita with things and it has all come spilling out? Well that is kind of what my brain feels like right now.

You see, I'm a runner. Not a professional runner or even an avid runner, but I love the sport. It's bread in my blood too. My whole family runs and I have had the pleasure and honour of running alongside all of them. To me running is one of the best feelings in the world, probably one of the closest things to a drug I'll ever get.

So after 12 years, about 25 races and over a thousand kilometres running for cross-country teams, track and field squads and just for fun I have gathered a lot of lessons and advice from teammates, family members, friends, an amazing girlfriend, coaches, nature and countless other individuals.

One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that running is a lot like life.

Just as running is full of hills, heat, wind, rain, sweat, tears and glory so is life and those tidbits of knowledge I picked up, and am still picking up, about running has helped me navigate both the terrain in the park and through my life.

So I have decided to embark on a jouney to get these lessons from my head to paper. Just like running, everything in life starts with the first stride. My journey may be full of pain, cramps, dehydration, euphoria and pride. But for now, this is MY first stride.

See you on the way to my second!