I ditched my life in daily news to pursue running and writing on my own terms

It has been two-and- a-half years since I left behind my career as a daily news reporter to pursue my passion for running and freelance writing.

Along the journey, I’ve learned lesson after lesson about what it takes to return to competitive sport and get the most out of myself as a runner. Many of these lessons I have shared with you – the Canadian Running audience – and that has been an honour.

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My hope when I started writing this blog was that I could help inspire others to embrace their passions, to rid themselves of any concerns of the status quo and to pursue their dreams even, and perhaps especially, the outrageous ones.

We all have a story to tell. What these stories look like depends largely on whether or not we find the courage to choose our own adventures. I took the plunge back in 2015. I committed to writing my own narrative, rather than allowing society to script the pages of my story. It’s a choice I’m grateful I made every single day.

Has it been scary? Yes. Have I doubted myself? Yes. Have I struggled? Yes. Have I emerged? Yes, I have. And it’s not over. The journey is never finished – and that’s the beauty. I have run thousands of miles and in doing so, I’ve reconnected with the best parts of what make me, well, me. And I’m a better person for it – a measurement I take by my capacity to give my best to others.

A funny thing happens when we find that capacity (that willingness, that vulnerability, that selflessness) to give our best to others. And we get it all back and so begins this wonderful cycle of mutual support and inevitable growth.

When I let down my barriers and gave myself permission to pursue my passion for running I set myself free; free to embrace those around me and free to embrace my inner-most desires. From those earliest days of transition – perhaps the scariest of them – I’ve found relationships and support barely imaginable to me years ago.

I’m now in a position to give my all to my training. With a flexible freelance schedule and the loving support of a partner, I’m able to pursue this to the greatest degree. I would not be in this position today had I not chosen to stop, look inward, and realize that working as a daily news journalist, I wasn’t on the right path. It was a tough truth to admit. I put a lot of energy into that career but it wasn’t worth losing myself over.

I don’t know how my story ends… and I don’t want to know. I’m content living in this moment and in pursuit of discovering the best in myself as a runner and a whole person.