On the surface, cross country skiing seems akin to something like running. You primarily work at a steady pace with occassional extra effort on a climb or a brief moment of respite downhill. However, competitive cross country skiers in both sprint and distance events have a much more variable output. In most races, the terrain … Continue reading
I am fortunate that I feel fairly comfortable being active outside on my own, but I know many women who are not comfortable going for a run alone in their neighbourhood, or who won’t go explore the amazing river valley through the city on their own because of safety concerns . This of course isn’t … Continue reading
A couple times on my bike rides over the last month other riders beat me quite soundly going up hills. This is not impossible, I’m not the fastest rider out there. But I’m also not the slowest and various clues lead me to think that there might have been something else at play. I believe … Continue reading
As I continue to ride in support of the Sick Kids Foundation through the Great Cycle Challenge Canada, I’m also continuing to learn more about childhood cancer. Through the challenge I’ve heard about incredible kids and their families and the fights that have been won, lost, and are still in progress. They inspire me to … Continue reading
I’ve been on my bike ticking off kilometers for the Great Cycling Challenge alot this month. This challenge in Canada raises money for the Sick Kids Foundation to fight kids cancer. I realized on one of these rides that I don’t actually know much about kids cancers. So I thought I would do some research … Continue reading
I typically make a few charitable donations a year. One or two of these are to specific causes and organizations that I care about. Some will be in lieu of a gift and therefore meaningful to another person. And the rest are for causes that I care about but associated with some sort of athletic … Continue reading
In the past several weeks I’ve been reflecting a lot on racism and systemic racism. I’ve read Superior: The return of race science by Angela Saini and White Fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism by Robin Diangelo. I’ve added other books to my summer reading list as well. This … Continue reading
So yesterday I completed a sprint duathlon. Just for fun and on my own because we are still in the midst of social distancing due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the morning I got up and had some Greek yogurt and fruit and then I went and did a 5 km run, 20 km bike, … Continue reading
Nature should invite everyone, but it doesn’t. National parks have a long history of excluding Indigenous peoples. A group of teenagers walking through the woods is viewed with suspicion. Women fear being alone in nature because of who might come around the corner or out of the bushes. Dog walkers and cyclists have a long … Continue reading
With the Alberta Government planning to get rid of a long list of provincial parks of various forms, I thought it was worth revisiting the benefits of parks. There are multiple types of parks that vary in the balance between conservation and human recreation. But if the presence of a tree on my street can … Continue reading
