Toronto's Pan Am Potential

In honour of Throwback Thursday, I wanted to take a few moments to relive one of my favourite events of 2013, the Toronto International Track and Field Games. For those who aren't as familiar with the world of athletics, the Toronto International Track and Field Games (TITFG) is one of 5 meets held across Canada during the late spring, which collectively comprise the National Track League (NTL) The NTL events are held from coast to coast--Halifax, Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria--and serve as the only elite track and field opportunities in Canada, outside of the Canadian National Championships.

With its inception in 2011 the TITFG helped to establish the NTL, and I have watched it grow tremendously over the past 3 years. I have competed in the 1500m each year, winning the event twice (2011 and 2013) and placing second in 2012. Each year the calibre of competition has improved, the crowd has grown in numbers and enthusiasm, the prize purse has expanded, and the Games have developed a renowned level of prestige and excitement.            

From an athlete's perspective, the TITFG is arguably the most ideal and elite track and field meet in Canada: Toronto is centrally located and easily accessible, the weather for the past 3 years has been close to ideal (unlike Halifax the week before when the weather is very unpredictable or the West Coast in July when the pollen is very high), it is an exciting destination for out-of-towners, the facility is in the heart of the city and therefore has tremendous visibility, and it is always 2-3 weeks before both the Canadian and USA National Championships and is therefore used as athletes' final preparation leading into their international qualifying meets. It is highly valued on the pre-Championship racing circuit, as evidenced by the 40 Olympians who competed this year.

For those of us in the GTA, The TITFG is the only event of the year that our entire support base (family, sponsors, friends, teammates, coaches, fans, etc) are

able to attend. With Nationals being held in Moncton, and other high level meets only found either in the USA or Europe (or NTL events in other provinces), this event in Toronto is the only opportunity for our community to see us live, in action. As anyone who has been to a live sporting event can attest, nothing can repliate the real-life experience of being there in person, feeding off the excitement of the other spectators, absorbed in the thrill of feeling the competition unfolding before you. This simply can't be imitated by watching a race online or reading about it after the fact.

My amazing rabbit Vanessa McLeod

The 2013 TITFG had an enormous personal impact: it is the meet at which I ran my first "World B Standard" in the 1500m, helping to secure my position as a member of the Canadian team competing at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia. Crossing the finish line in Toronto in front of my home crowd and seeing my time flash across the scoreboard was one of the most exhilerating moments in my athletics career. It simply wouldn't have been the same--nor do I think it would have even been possible--had it not been for the hundreds of supporters whose energy propelled me around the track faster than I had ever run before, and who celebrated this victory with me. It felt like a

giant, loving hug enveloped me at the finish line. Two weeks following the TITFG I won my first Senior National Title in the 1500m at the Canadain Championships, solidifying my spot on the World's team bound for Russia. The confidence I gained from the TITFG undoubtedly aided in my win at Nationals, and this confidence continued to translate throughout the remainder of my most successful season to date.

Toronto is in an incredibly exciting position: we are poised to be at the pinnacle of international sport in 2015 as host city of the Pan Am/Para Pan Am Games!

We will welcome athletes from 41 countires competing in 65 sports, and will be given the opportunity to showcase not only Canada's athletic prowess but also all that Toronto has to offer as an athletic, economic, political and cultural powerhouse. However, in order to make the 2015 Pan Am Games all that they can be, we desperately need events like the Toronto International Track and Field Games to build a strong fan base within the GTA, and give international athletes and supporters a taste of what they can look forward to in 2 years.

The TITFG serves as that major attraction for both die-hard fans of the sport and those who are looking to check out an awesome event on a beautiful June evening in the heart of Canada's largest city. There is an untapped appetite for amateur sport in Canada, and events like the TITFG are how we uncover that potential leading into 2015 and beyond! Check out what elite athletes at the 2013 TITFG had to say about the anticipation of the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games HERE! (*NOTE: all photos in this blog post are courtesy of the official Toronto International Track and Field Games Facebook page)

Steady as She Goes

As much as I wanted to, I wasn't able to attend the CIS cross-country championships over the weekend. I would have loved to have been out on the course, cheering on the competitors and soaking up the energy of so many runners performing at the highest level of Canadian collegiate athletics. Alas, earning rent and grocery money took priority so instead of spending the day as a super-fan, I worked a shift at the Running Room, staring out the window during lulls, imagining myself at the meet.

My first CIS XC experience occured when I was still in high school. As a member of the Mississauga Track and Field Club, I had developed great relationships with my teammates over the years, and continued to follow their athletic journeys into their collegiate careers. Several former MTFC members were competing in the 2004 CIS XC Championships in Guelph, and my coach Joe Sax

Joe leading the pack at Around the Bay

encouraged me to go watch the races, cheer on my teammates, and get a taste of what collegiate championship racing was like. Joe had coached me through my first three years of high school, to several PB's and to my first OFSAA and Canadian Jr. National titles. He espoused a training and racing philosophy that was predicated upon the balance between recognizing and appreciating where you were and what it took to get there, and envisioning yourself achieving far beyond your current ranking or results. He put this philosophy into practice by organizing a weekend trip each year to the McQuaid Invitational in Rochester, NY--a major high school cross-country meet attended by hundreds of east coast American schools and a handful of Canadian club teams. Joe always selected a small group of his top athletes to travel to McQuaid in order to gain the experience of racing against huge, competitive fields that just wasn't avaliable at the average Ontario meet. He also frequently recounted stories from his own racing years, when he respresented Canada at major events like the Pan American Games, Commonwealth Games, World Cross-Country Championships

Joe (bottom, middle) at the 1981 World XC Champs

or the World University Games. He was always incredibly humble and rarely talked about his success at these events, but rather shared with us the tales of grit, guts and (occasional) glory that he and his teammates accrued throughout their years as international competitors. Joe had a fierce fighter's heart, never settling for anything but his absolute best, and instilling the same mentality in us, his young, wide-eyed athletes. His approach was: train hard, smart, and patient, but when it comes to the race, compete with every ounce of fight you can muster, leave everything on the course and walk away with no regrets. This was epitomized in his 2 famous catch-phrases: "steady as she goes" and "never say die".

Joe's continual determination to expose us to high-level running and push us to discover our own potential is what led me to those 2004 CIS Championships--an event which he himself had won in 1975--as an eager and inspired spectator. My dad and I had agreed to meet Joe in Guelph that morning and go for a run on the course before the races got underway. The three of laughed and chatted through the first 20 minutes of the run, our conversation flitting back and forth between predictions for the day's races, and our team's preparations for the upcoming

Pushing for home, 2004 OTFA XC

Provincial and National XC Championships. 2004 had been my first real breakthrough year in track, and we were hoping to carry the momentum through the xc season; the week prior to the CIS meet, I had won my first OFSAA XC medal, placing second behind my high school rival (and friend) Tarah McKay. Joe had talked with me throughout the fall about my goal of qualifying for the World Junior Cross-Country Championships, and we had been focusing training towards preparing me for a strong top-6 performance at the Canadian Jr. Nationals. We were jogging along, mid-conversation about the season when Joe collapsed. True to form, Joe had kept quiet for months--maybe years--his heart condition, not wanting to worry anyone or draw unnecessary attention away from the team and towards him. My dad and I accompanied the ambulance to the hospital, learning hours later that Joe had passed away after suffering a major heart attack, and likely hadn't felt any pain. The tragic irony was that the fierce heart of this fighter would ultimately be his undoing.

I was 17 when Joe died, and although I had developed a deep respect and admiration for him during our time together, it wasn't until the months and years following his death that I truly began to understand and appreciate his prowess as an athlete, his intuition and expertise as a coach, and his tremendous contributions to the Canadian running community. In addition to

Eddie + Joe, my coaches present and past

his plethora of National team experiences at international games, Joe was a 6-time Canadian National medalist, 2-time National Steeplechase Champion, and set the Canadian Record in this event in 1977. He excelled across a wide variety of events, exhibiting his dominance on the track, trails and road, in distances ranging from the mile (OFSAA Champion) to the marathon (2:17.12). Following his outstanding athletic career Joe became a teacher and track/cross-country coach for Iona Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga, as well as the distance coach of the Mississauga TFC. He also acted for several years as the meet director for the Iona CSS Cross-Country Invitational, one of the largest meets in Ontario. Joe's passion for our sport and the people in it was nearly unparalleled; he was deeply committed to the success, health, and happiness of every student and athlete that he taught and coached, and this was clear through every interaction with him. Joe had a wicked laugh, a tireless drive, and one of the gentlest spirits I have ever encountered. I am so grateful for all I learned from him, and all that he gave us.

Joe Sax

Yesterday, November 13th, 2013 marks the 9-year anniversary of Joe's death. I think about him every day, but especially this time of year, when the winds blow, the leaves swirl, the temperatures drop, and the ferocity and beauty of cross-country season is upon us. For Joe's sake--for all of our sakes--I hope that everyone reading this post will take time to appreciate the wonderful people in their lives, and enjoy a run in the memory of those we've lost too early.                                                             Steady as she goes.

MTFC Crew with coaches Joe Sax and Mark Christie at Fall Training Camp: "Live for the Moment".

Mississauga Singlet with "Joe Sax" next to my heart. I am forever a proud MTFC alumn.

The Joe Sax Memorial ROPSSAA Steeplechase Trophy: one of the greastest honours I've ever received.

Nick Corrigan and I, winners of Joe Sax Trophy at ROPSSAA 2005. My amazing dad Jim (middle) continued Joe's middle-distance coaching legacy with MTFC for 8 years after Joe's passing.

Running Happy

With the arrival of November and "falling back" comes chilly mornings, shorter days, swirling leaves and the end of the fall road racing scene. Ontario autumn is one of my favourite times of year, and the past 2 months have proven no exception to the beauty and excitement that I always associate with the fall. After returning home from my 8-week summer racing tour of Europe I was riding the high of my "breakthrough" season, but was ready for a short mental and physical break

Hiking the Niagara Escarpment

before getting back to building mileage and a solid strength base. Unfortunately, it seems that my body was ready for a longer break than I offered it, and so, by the second week of October (the most BEAUTIFUL time of year to be a runner, in my humble opinion) I was dealing with a rather angry and inflamed posterior tibial tendon. Imaging confirmed tenoitis and (thankfully) not a bone issue, which was a relatively positive diagnosis, although it did mean forgoing the last 3 weeks of frolicking about the streets and parks of Toronto in glorious weather. It also meant reluctantly ditching my fall racing plans, including the NYRR Dash to the Finish Line 5km this past weekend in NYC.

Although I'm bummed that I didn't get a chance to take full, unbridled advantage of this season, I have been thriving off the race energy of the last

Canadian marathon record women!

several weeks, including the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and the ING New York City Marathon weekends. The Canadian Running Series events are always a thrill, whether I'm there as a competitor or spectator; the Toronto Marathon weekend was no exception. Being present to witness Sylvia Ruegger's 28 year-old Canadian record get broken by TWO phenomenal women was one of the most exciting things I've seen in my athetic career. While Lanni Marchant and Krista Duchene were busy making history at the finish line, Natasha Wodak was nearing the end of her outstanding marathon debut, Eric Gillis and Rob Watson were catching their breath after each setting personal bests, and seasonsed veterans and first-timers

NYC Dash to the Finish Line 5km

alike were gutting it out along the streets of our fair city, each linked by the sheer joy and deep satisfaction of their running pursuits. Traveling to NYC last weekend to cheer on Peter Corrigan and the plethora of elites and weekend warriors in the Dash to the Finish Line 5km was also a blast. Cruising around 5th Ave and Central Park, and soaking up the energy of thousands of runners was magical and inspiring. These experiences give me so many reasons to love the running community, and get me PUMPED about returning to racing and training!


While being forced to take time off running is always frustrating, I have been trying to see this little injury as a blessing in disguise. Any time our bodies break down or fail us in some capacity, we are forced to take a step back and figure out WHY. So often the temptation is to treat the issue at the point of the symptoms; I have tendonities in my left posterior tibial tendon so soft tissue work, accupuncture, icing and compression around that area of my body makes sense. But so does re-examining my biomechanics, identifying deficiencies and weaknesses elsewhere in my physical make-up, and working to eliminate these through comprehensive strength training, form corrections, and the goal of obtaining a more complete understanding of my body.

Brooks Shoe Box of Shoe Boxes!

One of my rookie mistakes was running too many miles in my last shoes, so that by the time I returned from France in September, my treasured Green Silence were beyond dead. Thanks to the arrival of my new Brooks kicks-- Gycerine 11, Ghost 6, PureFlow 2 and PureConnect 2-- as well as treatment and a revised strength plan from my amazing chiro and strength/conditioning coach Kris Sheppard, I am back running, and can enjoy the rest of the fall in my NEW GEAR! The awesome folks at Brooks sent me a big box of apparel and accessories to keep me warm and dry as the winter approaches, and I'm very excited to try out my new swag! Stay tuned to my blog for the inception of "Kate's Kollection" of Run Happy clothing, apparel and shoes, where I'll put together outfits from my new gear, complete with what are sure to be super dorky photos, and I'll review key pieces. There may be promotions and even the occassional give-away so check it out over the coming weeks!

Now that I'm injury-free and decked out in new shoes and apparel, I'll spend the next 2 months getting back to full run training, and start looking towards the indoor track season! My main goal this season is to represent Canada at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland in March. In the meantime, I'll be enjoying hot apple cider, running through Toronto's gold and red leafy parks, and cozying up with a good book in Peter and my new Hypoxico Altitude Training tent! However you celebrate fall, I hope you're all finding ways to stay warm, healthy, and joyful.

Run Happy, my friends!

NYC's Central Park in Fiery Splendour

Guru Sarah and I as Halloween Brooks Fairies

High Park- Athletics Toronto's Fall Training Hub