I am in the midst of a Leadership class as part of my degree.  Last night, I had to complete an
assignment.  Here was the first question.

Assignment 2: Building Trust, Leveraging Diversity, and Strengthening Others

February 27, 2015

Part A: Building, Maintaining, and Regaining Trust

How do I inspire trust? (16 marks)

Let me briefly tell the story of who I am. I am a 35 year old mother of two young girls, who juggles a part time paramedic (and acting supervisor) career, a sole proprietor holistic nutrition consulting business, a university student schedule, and an ultra trail running training/racing schedule.  How do I do it?  With the right support system, and impeccable time management, I am able to do all of the above exceptionally well.  What I take away from all of experience is what I truly value the most: inspiration and trust.  I’ve been told that I inspire others.  I am sincere and have established the trust of friends, family, patients, co-workers, clients, and fellow athletes/competitors.  What’s my secret?  I take the time with each and every person that I can.  I listen and thus gain their confidence and trust.  I am honest and express my views through one-on-one talk, group talk, seminars and social media.  I work with sound ethics, integrity and am consistent with my words and actions.  I lead by example and follow up with my commitments.  

(I have this letter from a friend that I keep to remind me of the person I am:

“Words cannot describe what an inspirational individual you are for me.  You are the most beautifully determined girl and I feel truly blessed to be your friend.  You give unconditionally, selflessly and whole heartily. What you do for those around you defines your true character.  Your personal determination and mental fortitude will take you anywhere you can dream, if you first believe.” )

I really like this class cause it forces me to take moments and look internally. I really do like the person I have  'grown up' to be :)  I am so fortunate to have such wonderful friends, family and extended family. #feelinggrateful

Sometimes you just have to schedule in a 'staycation'!


My good friend, Kat Tupling, turned 30 in December so what's the best thing 2 athletes can do?? That's right: a staycation!  It was a great combination of exercise/training and relaxing.  We didn't need to go far to get what were needed.  45 minutes west of us had the perfect playground.




So we packed up Kat's car and hit the road.  Collingwood, here we come!

So how many things can we fit in 28 hours? The answer is lots!

Afternoon of Day #1

We started with a 4 hour snowshoe hike at Castle Glen and Pretty River Provincial Park. 

The hike started in some cold temperatures,  but at least the sun was kind of out.  As we went along however, the wind picked up, and the forecast of 'blowing snow' became a reality.  The last hour was FRIGID!  We covered up and trudged along....still having fun.

Evening of Day #1

After the hike, we got hot drinks, food, and checked in our hotel room at Cranberry Resort.  As we drove to Scandinave Spa, we couldn't believe that the sky opened up to expose this beautiful sunset.

Time to relax and enjoy the baths, sauna, steam room and massage!  Ahhhhh! Just lovely. 

...  ended the day with some delicious sushi and the movie Wild.

Morning of Day #2

After a great night and a much needed sleep in till 9am ( I have kids. 9 am is like sleeping till noon lol), we took part in a relaxing stretch in a local yoga studio.  Namaste!

The fun continued with a latte, and a drive to Horeshoe Valley for 90 min of skate skiing.  The hills and valleys of the resort was the perfect ending to my 28 hrs of 'sans children'.

 Hugs, kisses and a nice cuddle upon my return.   Home, sweet home!  Even the dogs missed me :) Thank you Kat.  Happy Belated birthday!  "30, flirty and fabulous"  ;P

(family picture is not from today)

Roses are red.

Violets are blue.

I can't wait to start racing hills and mountains.

How about you? 

http://www.pickyourpoison.ca/

http://www.thenorthface.com/en_CA/endurance-challenge/bear-mountain-ny/

http://www.bighorntrailrun.com/

http://www.goldenultra.com/

use discount code "GoldenDays"  for 5% off

The weather in Barrie, Ontario has been quite cold!  To be more specific, it was -38C with the windchill today.  Eyelashes, eyebrows and peach fuzz were frozen.   With 4 layers of clothing on, my friend, Kat Tupling and I hit the trails for some hill repeats.   

When conditions are tough like this, I remind myself of the races I will be doing in the upcoming season.  Today, I focused on the stage race I will being doing Sept 18-20 in beautiful Golden, British Columbia.  This 3 day stage race will be my first time doing a multi-day race.  I'm quite excited to take part.  This is how they describe the race:

Day 1 - The Blood

Friday, September 18

Run uphill until you are sure you're sweating blood.  The first day of the 3-day Golden Ultra involves a 5 km uphill challenge.  This one is going to hurt.

1000 m elevation gain.  0 m loss.

0 km pavement, 5 km of dirt. 

Day 2 - The Sweat

Saturday, September 19
You're going to sweat.  "Enjoy" one big and beautiful 55 km loop with fantastic mountain views.  Running from the Town of Golden to the summit of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort... and back again...
2500 m elevation gain... and loss.
5 km of pavement, 45 km of singletrack, 5 km of fire road.

Day 3 - The Tears

Sunday, September 20

Tears of happiness or tears of pain?  This last 20 km of "flat," "flowy," and "fun" single track may be the best of times... or it may be the worst. 

375 m elevation gain.

4 km of natural surface town trail, 16 km of single track.

Now that looks like FUN!!!  Check out their website at http://www.goldenultra.com/.

Don't want to do the the whole race? No problem...you could put in a relay team or do any of the 3 races.  Visit their website for more details.

Sign up and get a 5% discount by using the "GoldenDays" discount code. 

Follow my journey.   Be sure to LIKE my Facebook page!

Gear that I love!

To be successful, you have to have the proper tools/gear.  Here are some of my favourite things that I use daily/weekly.


Running Skirts
www.runningskirts.com

Urban Pink, Mountain Stars, Honeycomb, Cerise, to name a few of the many many patterns runningskirts offer.  Their super light sweat-wicking fabric, with reverse seams and velcro side pockets are beautiful, and practical.  I have been training and racing in running skirts for ~6-7 years now and I can't imagine my life without them.  They are that comfortable!!

UD's Jenny Vest-   Voted TrailRunner's Gear of the Year in 2014
http://www.ultimatedirection.com/p-612-ultra-vesta.aspx

This women specific vest is ergonomically shaped to fit perfectly!  This vest, like all of UD's products, have many great features.  Here are some of my favourite:

• Bottle pockets fold flat when not in use or accommodates a camera or phone
• Large storage pockets are located below the bottles for phone, gels, ect.
• Two sternum straps slide for custom fit
• Cool Wick Air Mesh wicks away moisture and is soft to the touch, and is lightweight.
• Side adjustment straps allow for customized fit
• Easily accommodates a 2 liter reservoir or any bottle
• Trekking pole loops (2)
• Reflective accents for easy visibility

Specs:

• Volume Capacity: 245 in3 / 4L
• Fluid Capacity: 2 x 10 oz. bottles / 2 x 295 mL (plus optional reservoir)
• Weight: 9 oz. (11 oz. with bottles) / 255 g (312 g with bottles)

(It was so bright out, I could hardly keep my eyes open for the photo ;) )

Icespike 

www.icespikes.com 

No straps, coils or chains! Lightweight! Great on Multiple Terrain and Durable!   These icespikes has given me confidence to train safe in optimal conditions without sacrificing my gait, and pace.   Want to try them out, give me a shout...I'll hook you up.  Don't live in my area, Icespikes offer discount codes often...such as the 'sweetheart deal' below.   

Check out their facebook page for 'Tip of the Month'.    www.facebook.com/icespike

Petzl Nao

http://www.petzl.com/en/Sport/PERFORMANCE-headlamps/NAO#.VNrOa2TF94k

With the long winters in Canada, and the long races that I run...a good quality light is essential.  The Nao is everything I want, need and much more!!  My favourite thing is the 'reactive lighting'.  The brightness adapts instantly to my lighting needs.  How cool is that?

The Nao is the brightness light I've ever ran with.  With the max brightness at 575 lumens, I'm sure to see everything on the trail.

Here are other wonderful things on this light:

-Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery, with USB connector.

-if can be changed, if necessary, with two AAA batteries. 

-performs great at low temperatures. 

-it's very comfortable

-weather resistant

Specs:

• Weight: 187 Gram
• Technology: REACTIVE LIGHTING or CONSTANT LIGHTING
• Beam pattern: wide, mixed
• Energy: Lithium-Ion 2600 mAh rechargeable battery (included) or 2 AAA/LR03 batteries (not included)
• Recharge time: 5 Hour