A running coach? I have been a co-owner and coach of the C30M women’s kickboxing circuit in Sorel-Tracy since July 2018.<\/p>\n\n
I have always been into sports; in my youth, I swam competitively, reaching the provincial level. Later on, I discovered snowboarding\u2014a sport I still practice, albeit very occasionally. I spent ten years working out in conventional gyms using weights and machines, but in 2009, I discovered running. Like many runners, I found the early days tough and progress slow, but with a bit of perseverance, I completed my first timed 5K race that same year. That was the moment\u2014once I had run a full 5K without stopping\u2014that I really got hooked.<\/p>\n\n
I am not a fast runner; my personal best for the 5K is 26:06, set in 2013 during the H\u00f4tel-Dieu de Sorel Foundation race. I ran my first timed 10K in October of that same year\u2014finishing in a respectable 57:24 at the Parc Lafontaine Classic\u2014but that is a far cry from a podium finish! Reaching the podium isn’t why I run; I run for the joy of the activity and the sense of well-being it brings me.<\/p>\n\n
In the meantime, I also started trail and mountain running\u2014it\u2019s very different from running on pavement! There\u2019s more elevation change\u2014both uphill and downhill\u2014and less impact on the joints. That\u2019s when I realized that different types of terrain call for different running techniques and shoes\u2014not to mention gear\u2014and that it\u2019s possible to reduce impact and, in doing so, prevent injuries!<\/p>\n\n
The book *Courir mieux* by kinesiologist Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Harvey had a major impact on my running. I still refer to it today. Reading it enabled me to keep extending the distance of my runs.<\/p>\n\n
I ran a half-marathon in 2013 with a time of 2:09:22 (21.1 km\u2014it\u2019s no small feat; believe me, 21 km is 21 km. It requires preparation, and the race strategy is different from that of a 5K or 10K). Then, on October 18, 2015, I ran my first and only marathon in Bar Harbor, Maine; the scenery was magnificent, and running along the coastal road was a unique experience. I was poorly prepared: I hadn\u2019t done enough long runs, I hadn\u2019t anticipated so many hills, the wind coming off the sea was cold (remember, it was October in Maine), and I was dressed inappropriately. In short, I finished “on my knees”\u2014as they say in the running world\u2014in 5:46:09. I had foolishly thought I\u2019d finish in 4 hours 30 minutes… and the next morning, I had to walk down the motel stairs backwards. I was truly ill-prepared. Yet, even though I consider it a bad race, it\u2019s the one I\u2019m proudest of\u2014precisely because it was so incredibly tough, but I finished it! The best part was finishing alongside Chantal (my partner, who completed the 21K), as she crossed the finish line with me! Unforgettable!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A running coach? I have been a co-owner and coach of the C30M women’s kickboxing circuit in Sorel-Tracy since July<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[219],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-other-interests"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t