2006: “It’s OTMH calling. We have your son’s scan results and the doctor would like you both to come back to the hospital to go over them. Bring a bag with clothes as we are probably going to send you by ambulance to Sick Kids tonight for more testing.” My…
During the summer, I took part in the CMTR Summer Scavenger Hunt and had a blast. Most simply explained, it was a set of fitness challenges to complete, with each one being rewarded with a badge (and I’ll do almost anything for a badge!). Of all the challenges that I…
The past year has been a turning point for my 14 year old. He has become confident, reliable and concerned about his school work. With this maturity came his desire to work part-time but, for most 14 year olds, finding that first job seems like a next-to-impossible task. Just…
In the past decade, there has been a huge decline in volunteers. I see it in schools where it is almost always the same parents helping at events. I have also seen it at my sons’ activities when, at the beginning of each soccer season, emails were sent to parents,…
In the past six months, Ontario universities have lost students who took their lives. We can’t begin to wonder why or guess the circumstances. But what we can do is find ways to improve. We, the adults, we need to do better. The stress that our youth face is no…
Like most runners, I finish a race and I either mark it for my ‘to race’ list next year or I consider it as a ‘maybe’. With that decision come goals for improvement or goals to adjust my training. This year, I think it’s safe to say that I don’t…
One of the things that this injury has given me is extra time with my son. For years, during a typical school week, I would get home from work around 6:00 and head out the door to run. For the past few months, though, since I have been side-lined, I…
It’s been three years since my parents died and holidays are still tough, especially Christmas. Growing up, Christmas was extra special; my mom spent months planning and baking, we got dressed up for two family dinners (Christmas and Christmas Eve), sang songs and built memories to last a lifetime. Fast…
Gastro-intestinal distress. It’s a secret ailment that most runners share and, like childbirth, unless you have experienced it, you really don’t know what it is all about. Well, for those of you who have been fortunate enough to escape the horrors of GI distress, running means that you are pounding…
