With every ending comes a beginning

I don’t want to know what it would feel like to not be able to run free, to explore, to allow a burst of energy to carry me for as long as the moment lasts, through the trees, over the dirt, down cliffs and under branches, landing wherever my legs may take me.

I don’t want to know what it would feel like not to be able to set out on an early-morning long run, or to not train for weeks on end working towards a peak race.

I don’t want to know what any of this would feel like, and thankfully I don’t have to. However, over the past couple of months, slowed by breathing problems, I’ve seen a glimpse of it. Only a glimpse, but enough to reflect on what it may feel like not to be able to run free. Fortunately, my asthma is being treated and there’s no reason to think it’s going to negatively impact my training long-term.

Still, the idea of running free has been at the forefront of my mind. It was brought forward once again when I found out our favourite off-leash dog park to take Skylar, our nine-year-old Alaskan Malamute, is going to become restricted for dogs. No longer will she be able to run free in the place she’s known since she was a puppy. And, selfishly, no longer will I feel the joy of watching her rip through the dirt trails down to the river, bounding here and there, wherever her heart and nose desire.

Chief Whitecap Park is 261 acres of vast and varied terrain, punctuated by stunning views of the South Saskatchewan River. Every trip is a new adventure. There are few places in the Saskatoon area with this kind of accessible, natural and scoping beauty. It will be sad to see a fence go up and rules for dogs implemented. It will be the end of what we’ve always known as a place of total freedom and exploration. On the positive side, if there’s one thing I know about endings, it’s that there’s another beginning just around the corner.

I’m reminded of this as my current training block nears an end. This upcoming weekend was going to be my peak race at the Flatlanders Half-Marathon in Regina, but coach Jason Warick and I have decided it’s not for the best. I’m just starting to get my asthma under control, after having gone through the tests and diagnoses two and half weeks ago.

The treatment is starting to settle in, but I’m not 100 per cent. This past week my training went relatively well but we’re still not pushing the faster paces. Over the next couple of weeks things will be touch-and-go as we test my lungs to see if I can push faster paces again. At the end of the month I’ll be seeing a respiratory specialist as well.

As this training block comes to an end, I look to the weeks and months ahead with anticipation and excitement for what’s to come — with every ending comes another beginning — and the journey continues.