Welcome at Canadian Running Magazine September-October 2023 Issue

I spent decades telling people I had undiagnosed asthma, citing that as the reason I couldn’t run more than 20 seconds without crumpling to the ground gasping for air (and somehow neglecting to mention my pack-aday cigarette habit). Quitting smoking for good 15 years ago and sporting a new supersized waistline, I took up running, figuring it would be less annoying than getting a gym membership. I was more surprised than anyone to learn I liked it, so much so that I entered my first 5k, and, after a few years, progressed to the marathon.
After struggling to complete a particularly difficult marathon, I picked up a book on meditation written by a Buddhist nun, hoping it might have some tips for improving my mental strength while running. Unexpectedly, that book became my first step in developing a Buddhist practice. Rather than Buddhist meditation serving as a tool for running, for me, running has become an important part of Zen daily life practice, which has made running more engaging and vital to me than I could have imagined.
The challenge of running, and the insights that arise from meeting that challenge, are what I find most engaging, and these have stoked my evolving interest in trail running and ultrarunning. I’ve been known to target distances well beyond my abilities—more than once sputtering out at the 100-km mark of a 100-mile race—but find satisfaction in knowing I’m not opting for goals that are too easy.
As a staff writer for the Canadian Running Magazine website, I especially enjoy sharing stories that speak to running’s power to transform, from elites who apply their passion and discipline to set new records to new runners taking their first steps on a path toward greater mental and physical well-being.—Paul Baswick

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