It's always a fantastic day when I get to catch up with the incredible Natasha Wodak. It’s been a hot minute since we last spoke, so we had a lot to talk about: her Olympic experience running with Malindi Elmore, the Boston Marathon, and oh just a couple more Canadian national championships under her belt. No big deal. Natasha also now trains with Trent Stellingwerff, and she talks about what it’s been like to make that transition. We also chatted about what her race season might look like after she missed the London Marathon due to injury and illness. Don't miss our rapid-fire questions at the end of the interview. I'm kind of getting addicted to them...

Find Natasha on Instagram @tashawodak

THEME MUSIC CREDIT: Joseph McDade

Kate Ayers originally had a different sport in mind when she started at the University of Guelph, but the running community brought her in, and she has never looked back. Kate has dabbled in many distances on the track, but her heart belongs to cross country. After a tough string of injuries, she’s now training on the west coast with the awesome Hillary Stellingwerff and has had a fiery start to 2023. She recently travelled to Australia to run at the World Cross Country Championship and is now looking to an exciting season on the track. This farm-raised female sets her eyes and heart on her goals and has some great advice on staying grounded. 

Follow Kate on Instagram @kateayers09

Theme song: Joseph McDade

Emelyn Jade is a runner living in British Columbia who I instantly knew I wanted to get to know better. After her fiancé encouraged her to jump on the running train in 2019, she ran her first half marathon and hasn’t looked back. Emelyn agreed to be my test subject to see if I could stay on track to get through 76 rapid-fire questions... But is it 76 questions if I accidentally asked a few twice differently? You be the judge. It was 76 questions about running, life, PRPs, chips, and many reasons to be proud. 

Find Emelyn on Instagram @emelynjade

Theme Music: Joseph McDade

Natalia Allen may have just officially announced her retirement from professional sport, but this brilliant lady has been planning her steps forward for much longer. After going all in and quitting her full-time job to put everything she had into running, Natalia made her dreams come true by lining up in the 1500 at the Tokyo Olympics. After that, she took a trip to Eugene for Worlds and a trip down under to run at the World Cross-Country Championships. We also chat a bit about her wedding and what she sees in her future now that she is entering new adventures. 

Follow Natalia on Instagram @nataliahawthorn

Theme music: Joseph McDade

There is a reason that they call Rach McBride the most interesting person in triathlon. Because they just are. Rach is a five-time 70.3 Ironman champion and a highly accomplished runner, cyclist and gravel racer. Rach is one of a very small number of nonbinary elite professional athletes, and we talk a bit about the weight that comes with that. I loved learning about Rach’s early starts in sport, their parents, their racing style and what makes them proud. 

Find Rach on Instagram @rachelmcb

PHOTO CREDIT: @ironkhem

THEME MUSIC CREDIT: Joseph McDade

Interim Executive Director for Run Calgary, Jon Bird and I are digging into making running more inclusive for families. Jon comes from the world of elite sports: as a former professional triathlete, he moved into coaching and community sports events and joined the Run Calgary family in 2017. Jon talks about his fantastic team and the new programs they are bringing to the 2023 Servus Calgary Marathon, including a day camp for kids to participate in while their moms and dads race!

To register for the Calgary Marathon, visit calgarymarathon.com

Come hang out with me and everyone’s favourite third-grade teacher Lyndsay Tessier.  I haven’t had the chance to chat with this Team Canada athlete since the pandemic, so we get caught up on what life was like remote teaching and her choice to focus on her students over running. We talk about how she worked through plantar fasciitis and the lesson learned with a nagging injury that only patience will heal.  Lyndsay has had the chance to get back to racing for the joy of competition again, and we chat a little bit about what the fall might bring. 

Join me for the latest Krista DuChene Fan Club meeting! Canada's one and only Marathon Mom recently ran the Tokyo Marathon checking the last box for her Abbott World Majors and officially hanging up her “elite” bib. Krista dives deep into all things Tokyo: from travel experience to race start and finish and the miles in between. She also reflects on her previous five star races and how her more than 20 years of marathon experience led her to this day. Krista may be retiring from professional racing, but she still has a zillion adventures ahead of her, and we talk about what might be next. 

It's a mini deep dive with sports psychologist and high performance and leadership specialist Dr. Beth McCharles. When you visit the home page of Beth’s website, you will see the words “be kind, be bold, be great”: which tells you a lot of what you need to know about her work. Beth works with high-level athletes, coaches, artists and a variety of professionals helping them master their mental game. We scratch the surface of some of her philosophies for maximizing your time and efforts as a runner, and I hope it makes you think more about how you can reach deeper into your mental toolkit and be your most connected self. 

The unbreakable Sage Watson is back! I have always known that Sage is a tough-as-nails performer who always gets the job done on the track. But in the last few years, she has experienced a work and personal life overshadowed by an unexplained injury. Sage has worked hard to find her way through this challenge and even turned it into an opportunity for personal transformation and growth. Sage is extremely open in discussing the mental, physical and spiritual journey that has brought her to the person she is today. Now, finally, with a diagnosis of injuries that have been wrestling with her fitness and performance, she discusses how she sees the path forward. 

Follow Sage Watson on Instagram @sagewatson