New Leaf Running Podcast

On Thanksgiving weekend, a small crew from the east coast (NFLD, NS, NB) made the trip to Bromont, Quebec, to take on one of the most challenging 100's east of the Rockies, boasting 7000m of elevation gain over the 160k course.

I ran the race myself and wanted to share my experience with you, but I also thought it would be cool if everyone else I knew would be up for sitting down to share their experiences. They said yes, and here we are.

This is my first time having more than one person on the show at a time, and it was a ton of fun. Myself, Wilco Cramer (former guest see EP. 15 for more of Wilco's ) , Tim McDonough (former guest see EP. 12 and EP. 23 for more of Tim's Story and his all the details on his last race the QMT 100), Derek Lounder, Corrine Fournier and Chris Michelau each share our very different experiences at the race as well as what we learned from the experience.

I found it super interesting to hear six different perspectives on the same race, not something you usually get without sitting down for a drink after the race with all your friends that ran it, and I know you're going to love it too.

For the full story head to  newleafrunco.com/pod/025.

PART 2

As a coach one of my favourite conversations I have with my athletes is the race debrief where we talk all about the race or adventure in detail and go deep on what when well and what didn't. This is often a missed opportunity that many miss out on, but it is so valuable in processing the experience and actually learning  from it so you can improve.

In the past week I had some athletes do some pretty incredible things and I thought it would be fun to share a couple of these conversations with you so that you can learn from this experience.

In Part 2 I sit down with Mel Rose to talk about her DIY 100 mile adventure. Mel's first 100 mile race was canceled due to the pandemic but she was determined to run the distance on the same day the race was due to take place. This was Mel's first time running over the 50k distance so it was a huge undertaking to plan an execute on an self adventure of this magnitude. 

I hope you enjoy.

As a coach one of my favourite conversations I have with my athletes is the race debrief where we talk all about the race or adventure in detail and go deep on what when well and what didn't. This is often a missed opportunity that many miss out on, but it is so valuable in processing the experience and actually learning  from it so you can improve.

In the past week I had some athletes do some pretty incredible things and I thought it would be fun to share a couple of these conversations with you so that you can learn from this experience.

In Part 1 I sit down with Tim McDonough to talk about his Quebec Mega Trail 100 race. This is a very challenging race with over 6000m of vertical climbing which took place on a very hot day.  We talk all things from training, heat management, starting the race at 10pm amongst  many other challenges that he faced.

I hope you enjoy.

Sarah Lamos is an aspiring ultrarunner training for her first 50k this summer and is also the group leader for the Saint John Trail Runners woman's only trail running group. Sarah has been blogging about her experience, and she is so open and honest with what she shares.  For the full story head to  newleafrunco.com/pod/022.

Mike Peterson is fast, like 2:47 marathon fast, but he didn't run a step until 36! He started running after being inspired by his wife, who is also a pretty awesome runner. His story shows that anyone can pick up the sport of running at any point in their life and excel in the sport. Mike has taken his passion for the sport to the next level and is now the high school and UPEI cross country and track coach; and this all came about because he said yes to helping out the running coach at the school he was teaching at in Halifax. For the full story head to  newleafrunco.com/pod/021.

Sarah Warford competed for Canada at the world championships for canicross. She is also the one who is mainly responsible for bringing the sport of canicross and dog harness sports here to the Maritimes, and she also coaches others in the sport. Many of her athletes have also gone on to compete both nationally and internationally. For the full story head to  newleafrunco.com/pod/020.

There is a lot of feelings out there right now around Covid. Especially right now in Nova Scotia, with the more recent tighter lockdowns and restrictions are taking place. I get it; I miss the running community, I miss racing, I miss my run crew that I have barely seen at all over the past year.

This conversation with Blair hit home for me with all that has been going on over the past few weeks. We have to remember that we all in the same storm, and even though we are experiencing it together at the same time, everyone's individual experience is different. We have to respect others' feelings and generally be kind to one another.

For the full story head to  newleafrunco.com/pod/019.

Laura Gfeller is an accomplished triathlete who has represented Canada at the world championship for her age group and an ultra runner, but she also a physiotherapist, which gives her a unique perspective when it comes to the treatment of injuries in athletes. For the full story visit newleafrunco.com/pod/018.

This week on the podcast, I talk with Rino Levesque about goal setting, managing expectation and confidence.

This is a conversation that every runner who is or is thinking about having a Boston Qualifying marathon time as a goal should pay attention to. Marathon running is a cruel sport. It doesn't care how prepared you are, how fit you are, and how mentally ready you are. Sometimes when you line up to that start line, factors outside of your control mean that it is just not going to be your day. When you are chasing a time standard at the limit of what you are capable of, it will be hard. Someone will rarely get it on their first try, and if they do, then that time standard was that close to their limit of potential. What takes true courage, grit and determination are to keep showing up and trying again that 2nd, 3rd or more times because you've decided that it is truly important to you.  For the whole story visit newleafrunco.com/pod/017.

This is a conversation about filling your soul up outside of your "job". Like me Janna works as a Professional Engineer, but that is not all that defines her. We often get hung up on what we do for a living as our single source of what is most important in our lives and how most of society tries to judge us, and you've probably heard the buzz phrases like your job should be your passion. Even if you do like your job and enjoy what you do for a living, I'd say it is pretty rare to have a job that ticks all of those boxes for you, and that is normal. But it is also ok and normal to seek additional fulfillment outside of this job, which can be extremely rewarding. When you do this, you end up showing up in your life as a better, more whole human. For the full story, visit newleafrunco.com/pod/016.