Growing up, I never considered myself the athletic type. Focusing on video games and low-hanging fruit was more my thing, and after a bad experience at a track meet, I saved my annual jog for the Terry Fox Run. At this point, not only did I not like running—it completely boggled my mind that someone would be up at 7am on a Sunday to put in 20-plus kms (by choice!) before I had even gotten out of bed.

As a young adult, personal heartbreak and the death of a loved one were the catalysts that made me desperate for change in my life. It started with a mid-pandemic 5k. That task seemed impossible from the comfort of my couch, but, to my surprise, when I actually started, that 5k didn’t seem so hard. When I got home from that first 5k attempt, my running app showed I had actually gone 11km. I couldn’t believe I had just accomplished that. The seed had been planted.

So, I started running farther and farther . . .

Every time I hit pause on my watch at the end of each run, drenched in sweat, I am reminded that I am becoming a better version of myself. Running has been the means for positive, definitive change in my life, and I am continually enthralled in the pursuit of finding my limit. I am forever grateful for the lessons I learn each time I lace-up. I wish I had discovered this part of me when I was younger, which is why this September I’ll be raising funds for CASA Mental Health, an organization focused on providing much-needed mental health services for Albertans aged 3 to 18.