With no bounce, this has become my go-to hydration waist pack for long training runs when water is a necessity but I don’t want to carry a large hydration pack. The ergo logical bottle holds 18oz of fluid and has an easy to use push-pull cap, which does not leak. In addition, the bottle holder sits on an angle on my back to not only reduce bounce, but to make one-handed access a breeze. The belt hugs my waist as I run. Very cozy! The expandable zippered stretch pocket keeps my house key and gels safe, sound and compressed so they aren’t a bother. If you need a bounce free waist pack option, this is a great choice.
What is your favourite thing about Bushtukah?
I love meeting active people and sharing race stories and experiences with customers. I also love helping to answer people’s questions when they are unsure what to purchase for certain sports (such as winter running). Often the customers come back and tell say ‘thank you’ to me, and that the item works like a gem! It always makes me smile.
How did you come to running? What brought you to the sport?
I came into running after I over-trained during a cycling season. I used to do a lot of road bike racing but needed to mix it up after I lost all desire to ride. I was over the moon when I ran my first 5k non-stop. I recently just completed my first full marathon in Montreal and my 4th 1/2 marathon in Brooklyn, New York. Running can take you to so many amazing cities. I also love that it isn’t as competitive as cycling. If you have a bad day, it doesn’t matter. I love racing against myself and seeing myself improve.
What is your running mantra?
‘The body achieves what the mind believes’.
On many events, my personal success and growth has been from keeping my mind strong and positive.
What is your favourite running distance? Why?
My favourite distance has got to be the 1/2 marathon. It is challenging, you need to train for it and devote some time. You can settle into a great pace and still feel strong, satisfied and be happy with the accomplishment at the finish line.
What is your “desert island” running item?
Icebreaker merino wool socks! They always keep my feet happy and blister free. I couldn’t imagine running with different socks.
What is your must-have winter running item?
A buff! I pull mine up over my chin and ears and then pop a hat on. It is easy to pull down if I get too hot. They come in so many fun bright colours (very easy to grow a large collection). You can also make them into a hat, a bandana in the fall and spring to keep the ears warm. I love my buffs!
Saucony Canada and iRun magazine teamed up to give away spiffy new Everun sneakers to two deserving runners. Response was overwhelming, as has been the response to these shoes!
Every runner has a story and every runner has a reason for suiting up. We’ve loved your motivational tales on social media using the hashtags #FindYourStrong and #iRunSeeker! Thank you to everyone who participated — we hope you enjoyed supporting fellow members of the running community. And we hope you learned a thing or two about the next great step for running with these hot new Saucony shoes.
Without further ado, we would like to pay a big congratulations to the Saucony contest winners Allison and Roman!
Allison is a 25-year-old runner from Toronto, Ontario who opts for running to stay fit, explore the city and connect with the community and work off stress. A member of arrive Fitness, Allison is training for her very first half-marathon in March, a summer of triathlons and Seawheeze in August.
Congratulations & good luck Allison!
Roman is a 48-year-old living just outside of Toronto, in the suburb of Etobicoke. An enthusiastic runner for the past five years, Roman originally took up running for health reasons. He says, “At first I wanted to join into more competitive running, but soon realized the training I was doing combined with my age would not get me far.”
Today, Roman runs several times a week for its simplicity and energy-boosting benefits — and even encourages his family to join him on occasion!
If you’re like me, healthy living and fitness are gifts you want to share with your family and friends all year round. With the holidays coming up, this is the perfect time of year for some fresh ideas and inspiration.
I am insanely passionate about clean eating, training right and using only the best products. When it comes to gift giving, I like to share my tried and tested favorites with the people I care about, so they can reap their benefits too. This year I have narrowed it down to my top 9,which is sure to include a little something for everyone.
1) Rooted Goddess Natural Skincare Products ~ Luscious natural products made from coconut oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, carrot seed oil, avocado and vitamin E, plus healing essential oils, makes these body products a staple in my home and my gym bag. With so many products to choose from, such as natural soaps, coconut coffee scrubs, cocoa body butter and lush lip balms, Rooted Goddess gets two very soft thumbs up from me. http://www.rootedgoddess.ca
2) Manduka Eko Lite Yoga Mat ~ I have gone through many mats over my 16 years of practicing yoga but have fallen in love with my Manduka Eko Lite Yoga Mat. It is eco-friendly, offers great cushioning and fantastic grip support so that you can flow through your practice without slipping all over the place. If you’re going to invest in a mat, choose that one that feels great and protects the planet. SPORTING LIFE
3) Yes Peas! Chickpea Snacks and Bites ~ OMG these delicious treats are incredible. I have to hide them from my kids and my husband too! They are 100% non-gmo, organic, vegan, gluten-free, peanut-free and made with no msg or artificial flavours. Yes Peas! get a Yes Please! from this Holistic Nutritionist and mom. http://www.yespeas.ca
4) Yoga Tune Up Balls and The Roll Model Book ~ Pain has become an epidemic but it is also preventable, treatable and within your grasp to heal. In the book The Roll Model, author Jill Miller gives you the tools and techniques to change the course of your life in 5 minutes a day. Your main tool of healing is the Yoga Tune Up balls made of a special rubber that grips at your skin, grabs at multiple layers of muscles, and rubs out adhesions and tension, providing a deep tissue massage. I am not kidding when I tell you that ALL of my family, colleagues and friends own a pair due to me throwing them down on the ground when they come to my house or my old studio and me saying, “ trust me you have got to try these…seriously life changing!”. www.yogatuneup.com
5) One Week of Meal Prep Already Done For You ~ How amazing would it be to open your fridge each day and see your personal meals already prepared, portioned and packed up, waiting for you to enjoy? In the GTA we have quite a few businesses that offer this time-saving service. One I’ve heard quite a bit about is One Life Meals which I’ll be trying out myself over the holidays to stay on track.
6) Kleen Kanteen Water Bottles ~ Choosing the right water bottle can make all the difference in meeting your hydration goals. These bottles are durable, chemical free and insulated to hold either hot beverages for up to 12 hours or cold for 24 hours! What I love the most is that they have a lifetime warranty and are available in various sizes so you can find the right bottle for everyone on your list! SPORTING LIFE
7) Panasonic Sport Ear Buds ~ These are the best ear buds to train with because they feature clips that comfortably slide around your ears for the perfect fit and will never fall off. Whether you’re running, walking, strength training or out for a bike ride, these ear buds won’t irritate by falling out all the time. Panasonic.com
8) iTunes gift card ~ The gift my family buys me the most…music! I am huge lover and often change my playlist for the classes that I teach. But what I love about iTunes is that not only can I buy the latest hit song but I can also purchase great audio books too!
9) Book Worm – I LOVE Meghan and all the she represents; healthy, happy clean eating and living. Her recipes are both delicious and simplistic in their approach and ingredients. I have made dozens with my family in our home and we can barely stops ourselves form eating the whole recipe before it’s even on our plates. This book gets 2 thumbs up and a serious holistic high-five from me. http://www.meghantelpner.com/
For more great tips and ideas on everything holistically living and being, connect with Jenn Pike through facebook, Instagram @jennpike, Twitter @simplicityjenn and be sure to sign up for your twice weekly newsletter full of videos, recipes and tools to get you from where you are to where you want to go!
Jenn Pike is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Medical Exercise Specialist. She is also the Best-Selling author of The Simplicity Project ~ A Simple, No-nonsense Approach to Losing Weight and Changing Your Body Forever! Jenn is a regular guest expert on Global, CHCH, Breakfast Television, Rogers and contributor to various publications. She is available for one-on-one coaching via her website www.jennpike.com and by emailing her jenn@jennpike.com
Running is beautiful because it requires so little: a decent pair of shoes and some free time and away you go! However, the running world offers loads of bells and whistles to help a runner stay comfortable and (perhaps) get the most from their runs. Also: once some of us start running, we immediately get hooked. Hence the urge to purchase some products. From now until Christmas, iRun editors, running shop owners and iRunNation tell us what they want this year for the holidays—move quick, us runners sure do.
There’s lots of watches for runners to choose from, all which provide a variety of functions. For most of us, the main tools we seek are current pace, distance elapsed and some variation of a timer. I want to know how far I’m going, how fast I’m going and how long the whole thing takes. Also: the watch should feel comfortable and look decent—even in the age of omnipresent cellphones, it’s sometimes nice having a little wrist bling.
Since first trying the Fitbit Surge, I’ve become a convert. It’s not so much what it does, there’s lots of watches that more or less do the same thing, and I’ve been using the Apple Watch and the Nike+ SportWatch, with relative success. But what makes the Surge so awesome is that it’s more accurate than my Nike+ watch and easier to use than the Apple Watch. I keep things real simple on my runs. And with two little kids and a full-time job, I don’t really want to get into advanced level programming when figuring out how to use the thing. I’m not looking to launch a space shuttle.
The Surge is easy to pause at traffic lights and I’ve never had trouble finding a signal. The buttons are big, which is nice, because I can use it with gloves, and it has a heart rate tracker that I’m going to start using in 2016. At $300, it’s a piece of equipment not to be taken lightly—the Nike+ SportWatch is $100 cheaper on Amazon—but if there was a watch I had to recommend, and price wasn’t the main concern, I’d pick the Fitbit Surge.
Scratchy throat, sinus congestion, warm body, achy head and overall fatigue… The telltale signs of when a cold of flu bug is taking up house in our body. Here are my top five tips for immune boosting and cold treatment.
BY: Jenn Pike
ONE: Heal your gut!More than two-thirds of your immune system lives in your gut and depends upon the right balance of key bacteria and flora to fight off the bad bacteria’s and invaders in order to stay strong and vital. Reducing the most common digestive offenders like dairy, wheat, gluten, corn and GMO soy plus sugar in your diet will have a MASSIVE impact on this but also taking a daily probiotic is essential to overall gut health and immunity.
TOP PICKS: Probiotics for an active athlete of life are, Genestra HMF Forte, Pure Encapsulation and Natural Factors.
TWO: Choose incredible quality food for your body.Consuming more organic fruits and vegetables should be part of our daily routine. A healthy diet is one that mainly consists of plant-based foods; raw nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, organic poultry, organic eggs and small amount of grass-fed beef. I also recommend non-dairy milk alternatives such as almond, cashew, rice, hemp, coconut and Brazil nut to use in smoothies, cereals, baking etc.
When you are sick sometimes the best thing is to stick to soups, bone broth, smoothies or cold pressed juices. It can be hard to give your body the micronutrients it needs without over-taxing your body with digestion. One way I ensure to get in my vitamins and minerals daily is by taking Juice Plus. With a nutrient profile of 30 non-gmo fruits and vegetables plus vine ripened vineyard berries each and everyday I am good to go. TOP PICKS: Supplement our bodies with 4000iu-5000iu of Vitamin D in a liquid form each day. I also add in extra Vitamin C – between 2,000mcg – 8,000mcg, if you induce loose bowels simply back off 2000mcg at a time until bowels regulate. And finally zinc lozenges are a must-have for everything from sore throats, to body aches, fevers and chills. One of our bodies key antioxidants zinc is extremely immune and boosting and supporting.
THREE: Stimulate your lymphatic System.The primary function of your lymph system is to transport fluid containing infection-fighting white blood cells, throughout the body.
Simple daily steps would be to exercise and sweat, to use a dry-brush and gently slough the skin and body waking up and moving the lymph and using great quality skin care products that are free of chemicals. TOP PICK: A homeopathic remedy that I stock year round for my family and I and swear by…Lymphdiaral by Pascoe. It is used to relieve symptoms of swelling, inflammation and infection, such as pain, fever, swollen lymph nodes due to injury it even great for recurrent or chronic conditions including ear infections, tonsillitis, and sinusitis. What I love most is that it comes in both tincture and ointment form so you can take it orally and apply topically.
FOUR: Sleep.I cannot stress enough how vitally important sleep is to building and maintaining a strong immune system. Our bodies do their best work when in a state of rest and digest and there is no better place or time for that level of healing and internal cleaning up to happen than when we are sleeping. Aim to be get at least 7-9 hours each night and in bed by no later than 10:30/11pm.
FIVE: Stress. My final and most important tip yet one that feels the most challenging: decrease your level of stress. We have become so completely over-scheduled as a society it is insane. We overschedule ourselves with too many commitments, working late, staying up to search Facebook or watch the latest Netflix program…it’s a big problem and must stop.
Take a breath, slow your pace, find your chill zone and visit it often! To book a private consult or purchase holistically life enhancing products visit jennpike.com.
What was the deep down motivation behind your triple at STWM? I understand the greater cause behind it, but why?
Sincerely,
Charlotte F.
Dear Charlotte:
For as long as I can remember, I have been a runner. I ran track and cross country in school, but towards the latter part of my teens, I literally went ‘off track’ and fell headfirst into the world of drugs and alcohol addiction. Running found its way back into my life in my mid 30s, when I entered a treatment program for my addiction issues. Since that time, running has evolved in a somewhat ‘mystical’ way for me.
My first decade back to running was really all about running away from myself and all the unresolved issues from my past that were bubbling to surface. Around 5 years ago, my running practice became less about ‘escaping’ and more about ‘reconnecting’ with myself, and by this, I mean psychologically rather than physically. More recently, my running has evolved yet again, and now I view it as akin to a spiritual practice in my day. I describe it this way – The best thing about running for 3 or 4 hours is that you are alone with your mind, and conversely, the worst thing is that you are alone with your mind. Somewhere in the middle of that dichotomy lies the sweet spot, the place where in losing yourself, you actually come to find yourself.
Now, returning to your question… I decided to run the Toronto Waterfront Marathon three times in the same day (126.6 km) because for me, running is the canvas on which I paint my life. I could think of no better way to illustrate to the world the resiliency we all have inside of us – something that most of us rarely have the desire to tap into, yet it is always waiting for us when we need it most. Running has delivered me from addiction, depression, and trauma, so my ‘triple marathon’ was my way of acknowledging that: “I’m stronger than my past”, and in fact, “I’m stronger because of my past.”
Dear JP:
I am an average runner, and I usually run about 50 km in a week (short runs through the week and do half on the weekend). How do I increase my speed? My best time for a half marathon is 1:58, and I really want to improve my time especially now that I’ve signed up for a full next October. Any tips, and what kind of watch are you using?
Sincerely,
Ellada
Dear Ellada:
Let me start by saying that, to my mind, there is no such thing as an “average” runner. I’ve been around our sport for many years now, and I’ve watched my running practice change throughout those years. I’ve also witnessed our sports’ tremendous growth in terms of participation. Running marathons and half marathons is somewhat ‘unique’ compared to other sports, in that we get to line-up in the same field as world record holders and Olympic medalists. Long distance running is a great ‘equalizer’, and it can and will ‘humble’ us all at some point of our running practice. So, my first advice to you would be to consider dropping that word “average”, and instead, think of yourself as one among many, ‘runners’ on this planet.
Now, getting to your question about increasing speed, and hopefully that will translate into faster racing results. I’ve mentioned in previous articles that I’m not a huge fan of track workouts, but having said that, I know that they do produce incredible results in those dedicated to incorporating them into their training regimen. When I do hit the track, and let me be clear that with the longer distances I’ve been logging lately, those track visits are few and far between… but when I do hit the track, I typically run Yasso 800s (Google this, and you’ll get an explanation and suggested workouts).
For me, my speed sessions are peppered throughout my weekly runs. One morning a week, I’ll do a 5k warm-up at 5 min/km pace, and then I’ll do a tempo ladder: the next 5k at 4:45 pace, 3k at 4:10 pace, 2k at 4:00 pace, and 1k at sub 4:00 pace. I follow this with a 3k cool-down, and a big breakfast! Another good workout is to run the last 10k of some of your weekly long runs at ‘race pace’. This is an excellent way to simulate running hard on tired legs. Whatever you do, introduce the speed work slowly into your training, and make sure you listen to your body. The goal is to make it to the start line of the race happy and healthy –
Everything after that is a bonus!
Dear JP:
Clearly, you are older than dirt. (No offence, I’m in the same neighbourhood and it takes one to know one…)
You run ZILLIONS of miles and yet you don’t seem to be plagued by injuries like the rest of us mere mortals. I’m getting suspicious that you may be part Cyborg.
What’s up with that?
Sincerely,
Bent Outta Shape and Falling Apart,
Dear Bent Outta Shape:
I’m turning 50 in the New Year, and I’ve never felt better… except for the fact that for some reason, I need my wife to help me put my socks on some mornings! Not to mention, freaky though it sounds, I seem to have less and less hair on my head, and more and more hair growing out of my ears – What the heck is that all about, anyways!
The secret to my logging lots of miles is that I consistently log lots of miles. I discovered about 7 years ago that the best way for my body to recover from Sunday’s long run, or a marathon, is to go out for a 90-minute easy-pace run on Monday morning. I guess my body is just like an old car… as long as I keep it moving, everything is okay.
Dear JP:
When it comes to running, what are you a little bit embarrassed that you don’t know more about?
Sincerely,
MAB
Dear MAB:
This is a great question! Having run over 120 marathons, and lots of half marathons and ultras, the one element of my running and training that has yet to fall into place is my big ‘pre-race meal’ the night before a race. I’ve tried every combination of carbs and protein (and that includes excluding the protein), and I still haven’t found what works consistently well for me. I probably own 8 or more books on nutrition for athletes, but that hasn’t seemed to help either. So, maybe this is where “Ask JP” gets to shout-out to all of you reading this column – Any advice on what might work best for me?
The Christmas countdown is on! With the holidays comes family, friends, and of course, food. But thats not reason to let your fitness or running slack.
We’ve enlisted the help of the running apparel experts over at BlackToe Running to help you hit the street and log some miles – no matter the temperature!
We have you covered with full head to toe outfits, from temperatures ranging from 0 degrees to -20 degrees celsius.
All of these items can be found at the BlackToe Running:
PARALYMPIC ATHLETES TAKE WINTER’S BEST CLOTHINGOUT FOR A RIDE
From left, on Isaiah Christophe: Brooks Running Drift Shell in Marathon Nano. $135, Mountain Equipment Co-Op Instinct tights, $90; on Renée Foessell, Old Navy half-zip top, $29.94; on Curtis Thom, Under Armour Launch Run ¼ zip in Blue Jet, $79.99; on Jessica Lewis, Under Armour Storm Layered Up Hoodie in Veneer, $114.99; on Austin Smeenk, Mountain Equipment Co-Op Nitro Thermal run jacket, $95, Mountain Equipment Co-Op Core Shot short-sleeved top, $21, Mountain Equipment Co-Op Mercury 2 tights, $75, HOKA Clifton 2 Road running shoes, $155.
PHOTOS BY: Darren Calabrese, STYLED BY: Karen Kwan
HUNGRY FOR MORE
Austin Smeenk, standing in the blue MEC jacket, is an 18 year old with cerebral palsy who has been training as a wheelchair athlete since he was 12. This summer, he was registered for three events at Toronto’s Parapan Am Games, when suddenly he learned all of his events were cancelled. “You don’t even know what to do or feel — it just sucks,” says Smeenk. “All that time training and then to have it all disappear — yeah, I was pissed.” Smeenk let his bad mood simmer for exactly one week (the events were cancelled for lack of participants in his disability class). “I had to do something to avoid feeling powerless. What am I going to do?” he says. “I got back in my chair and started to train.” The following pages are a tribute to our Parapan Am athletes and Paralympians — to athletes who overcome obstacles while finding new finish lines and breaking barriers of what any of us can do. Here, they’re modelling winter’s best cold-weather running clothing. We’ll see you outside. Button up.
A GOOD LOOK
Isaiah Christophe considers himself lucky. Born with Spina bifida, he’s never taken a step in his life. Still, the 21 year old, pictured right, focuses on what he has, not what he’s missing out on. “Honestly, I’m grateful,” says Christophe, who counts Curtis Thom as a role model. “I’ve been all over the world and met extraordinary people and I’m just not sure that would’ve happened had I been born like everyone else.”
Christophe came to track after playing hockey and basketball and he’s looking forward to a busy training period before the 2016 Paralympic Trials in July. “I’m a nice person. I’m a quiet person. I like to smile and have fun, but I’m also a very, very competitive person and when I show up to race, I come to work,” Christophe says. “I’d love to represent Canada in Rio. I love showing people what I can do.”
A GOOD LOOK
Clockwise, from left: on Renée Foessell, IZ Adaptive Leather Biker Jacket Easy-Zip Back, $599.99 USD, IZ Adaptive Open-Snap Back Tee, $34 USD, Lolë Burst Leggings in Black Snowstorm, $100, Skechers sneakers; on Jessica Lewis, H&M jacket, $49.99, Old Navy Active Compression Leggings, $34.94, Under Armour sneakers.
“I use track as a way to cope with things. If I’m having a stressed out day I’ll work out and refocus and come back to the situation and find I’m not being as emotional about it,” says Jessica Lewis, pictured, bottom right, who took bronze in October at the IPC World Championships in Qatar. “It helps me to focus on my abilities instead of my disabilities.”
Lewis, 22, was born in Bermuda and had her spine split as the result of a born spur before she was one. It never stopped her from rock climbing or riding horseback. “My mom was always super supportive and I was raised believing that there’s nothing that I can’t do,” says Lewis, who’s studying Therapeutic Recreation at Brock University. “Besides sports, where the big prize is Rio, I’m dedicating my life to working with people with disabilities and letting them know that having a disability doesn’t mean you can’t do anything that you want.”
Most of us don’t make bold decisions until we are pushed to the wall. Mine came in October 2008. The severe economic crash had shattered our business and my confidence. I had to find a way to regain my health physically, emotionally and spiritually and went looking for a transformative project completely outside of my comfort zone. I started running. Five months after I took my first steps, I ran the 2009 Gobi March in China. “If I can run this I can handle anything including the recession,” I thought. My journey had similarities to some of the 300,000 Canadians who had just lost their jobs as they too embarked on their own challenge. I had never run 42 kilometres before. The race was 250 kilometres, running six marathons in five days in some of the world’s least hospitable terrain along with runners from 25 countries, each of us carrying all of our food and survival supplies on our back, unaided. I hoped to finish; I won the 40-50 age group.The experience was indeed transformative; I would write a book, join the speaking circuit, and ultimately help raise $175,000 for individuals in need. In the Gobi, I also raced against teams of three, where runners complete the full distance shoulder to shoulder. Curious to explore the team concept, we ran as a team in the Atacama Crossing in Chile, the Sahara Race in Egypt, and The Last Desert in Antarctica. Next is Namibia in May 2016. Here, I share three lessons I learned running deserts. On the opposite page I invite you to find your own Gobi.
MAKE YOUR GOAL A PROMISE
When faced with a challenge, wanting to overcome it is a great start. The next and more difficult step is committing to that want.
Private goals we set for ourselves many times have a way of falling short, amounting to little more than good intentions. Initial excitement wears off, apathy sets in, self-doubt follows and ultimately we give in and our minds rationalize the decision.
As soon as I chose to tell everyone about the Gobi project I realized backing out would be impossible. Making such a public statement was in effect a declaration, and a declaration is the highest form of promise. The law of diminishing intentions may drain our willingness to go after goals, but rarely will it have the same effect on a promise we’ve made. Even today, for most people, giving their word still means something and breaking a promise is unacceptable. When you promise something, it serves to not only draw you closer to your goal, but also eliminates any escape mechanism.
FIRST TRAIN YOUR ATTITUDE
When facing a challenge, we typically dedicate the majority of our time focused on acquiring a new skill, rather than training our attitude so that the new skill can flourish.
After signing up for the Gobi, the best advice I got was that it wasn’t a marathon, but a race that was more mental than physical. That simple statement would drive everything I did. Yes, I had to learn to run half the distance. But I would need to rely on my mind for the other half. How should I train my attitude?
I decided to run ONLY when I didn’t want to.
I ran at midnight, after a meal when I felt full, during storms and blizzards, when I was ill, or whenever my voice inside said: “I’m tired.” If there was beautiful sunshine outside with perfect running conditions, I did strength training inside instead. My training would add up to less distance than most, but every time I ran I received the compound upshot of slowly building the mental attitude and immunity required to deal with the adverse conditions the desert would unleash.
CHOOSE UNREASONABLE
Life hands us all opportunities yet we perceive most of them as outside our comfort zone. A big project comes up and the standard response is “no, this is not reasonable.” As we age, it gets worse as our risk tolerance decreases, and decision making hovers between protecting ourselves and what we have, and avoiding the sting of potentially failing at the expense of taking on something new. When faced with that decision, think of being unreasonable.
When the Gobi project appeared, my immediate response was obvious: I had no experience! And even if I thought I could, I didn’t have enough time to get ready. I had so many reasons not to do it. “Be unreasonable,” I thought. I stopped listening to the “voices” and went ahead. The rest is history.
Reasonableness is a standard against which we make most decisions. It typically yields a predictable outcome: playing the game of life not to lose. Being unreasonable opens up the option of playing to win.
Meet Melissa Bishop, the small town Canadian runner whose positive attitude and iron will has translated into a gold medal career.
By Anna Lee Boschetto
For just a small town girl, Melissa Bishop is unexpectedly good, if not great, if not poised to become, perhaps, the greatest of all-time. Bishop’s hometown of Eganville, a small eastern Ontario village that’s now part of a township with a population of less than 4,000, isn’t exactly a hotbed for elite athletes. In fact, when Bishop was growing up, there wasn’t even a track facility. Instead, her parents, grandparents and the families of other runners drove two hours to the nation’s capital so that she could train with the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club. But that didn’t hinder Bishop’s ability or passion for running.
“I was lucky growing up, my parents were so supportive,” the 27-year-old Bishop says. “There was a whole community that supported me and I’m happy to be able to share this entire experience with them.”
Bishop is a mid-distance track athlete, specializing in the 800 m. She went to the Olympics in 2012 and this summer, she won gold at the 2015 Toronto PanAm games. She currently holds the national women’s record in the 800 m distance. “No matter what, you have to remember that you’ve earned a spot to be there,” she says about performing on the world’s biggest track stage. “That’s where you need to call on your mental and emotional side to keep you in the here and now.”
She didn’t always have an iron will. On a phone call from Bishop’s childhood home, her mom Alison recounts the scope of her daughter’s athletic ambitions. An avid athlete herself, Alison and her husband nurtured a sports mentality, one that focused more on having fun and spending time together as a family than winning Olympic medals. Not only were the training facilities for Olympians not so easily accessible in such a small community, but Alison and her husband were also encouraging (rather than pushy) parents. “Whatever people have a passion for, that’s inherent,” says Alison. And Bishop is proof that when you want it as badly as she did coupled with passion, hard work and drive, anything is possible.
Participating in team sports including soccer and hockey, Bishop wasn’t always the star athlete, but her parents and coaches would agree, she was the hardest working one. “She wasn’t the best player,” explains Alison, “but she had this internal drive, she put her best out there all the time.” As a parent Alison could see the difference between her own children, and the one point of difference was Bishop’s level of determination. She has always had what some would call true grit, and it’s the stuff that helped her get the job done for her team and eventually, helped her nail an Olympic standard faster than perhaps she had even anticipated.
And was she ever fast. Her first soccer coach noticed her speed. “He was bound and determined that I was going to be an Olympic runner,” Bishop says. By the time she was in grade four, Bishop was representing Canada at cross county events and eventually she joined the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club, growing her passion for the sport. “I’ve always had the drive to win,” she says. “I think that I loved the competition, and I had a lot of success at an early age.”
While success may have come early, this past winter her career hit more than a few bumps in the road. So much so that after this spring, Bishop questioned her ability to participate in the PanAm Games. “I’d been injury free my entire career, so this year was really tough for me,” she says. After recovering from a sport hernia in January, then spraining her ankle before the opening race in May, she felt the pressure to hit the PanAm and World Championship standards. It was tight, but she did it. She credits, in large part, her intricate network of family and friends.
“They put me back together, there was no option to quit,” she says, adding that as with many athletes, bouncing back from an injury left her feeling fragile and doubtful. “I honestly didn’t know what would happen. I just feel so grateful to be back.”
IAAF World Track & Field Championships Beijing 2015. Day Five AM. August 26, 2015. Photo: Claus Andersen
Among the throngs that kept the faith for Team Melissa were her former University of Windsor teammate Heather Krupe and their Coach Dennis Fairall. According to Krupe, it’s Bishop’s ability to rally back from a less than optimal finishing time that may be her greatest strength. “She always took something positive away from a race,” shares Krupe, “and she always gave herself 30 minutes post race before moving onto the next.” She also trusts Coach Fairall’s training program, one that he says isn’t necessarily what she wants to work on. Fairall readily admits that he and the Olympic athlete don’t always see eye-to-eye, yet he admires her dedication and drive to improve despite their differences. Even with her level of skill and experience, Bishop can still go into a race nervous, yet wanting to have fun. As Krupe attests, Bishop is the first to focus on the positivity of the race experience, often telling her teammate to trust their training and enjoy the time to shine. No matter what you’re goal, whether you’re a weekend warrior or training in an elite field, Krupe says that Bishop’s ability to cheer on others to achieve their goals is what makes her such a positive and popular athlete.
Throughout our conversation, there’s no doubt that Alison is quite proud of her daughter. “Like any parent, you see a neat piece of your kid’s artwork, and think that it’s incredible, but this is just on a different level,” she says. A different level indeed, one that has taken Bishop onto the world stage, moving away from her home in Eganville and competing with (and defeating) some of the best athletes in the world.
“Now that she has been to the Olympics, for Melissa, it’s about believing that you’re equal and you can do this,” explains Alison. That means, even during a tough year, like the one that’s just past, her parents, family and supporters rallied around her, confident in her ability to hold her own on the track. Yet as proud a parent as she is, Alison says it’s most important that her daughter is proud of herself. And that’s something that Bishop seems to continue to learn: “I love running and still appreciate the opportunity to get out and do it,” she says. “It’s a job, but it’s also something I love.”
Anna Lee Boschetto is the managing editor of iRun. She interviewed Kathrine Switzer, Jeff Galloway and Dick Beardsley in the last issue of the magazine.
Our Magazine
