Rhys Desmond

You have to be the one to make the change

If you know someone or something is a good actor, or that the devil’s inside of them, don’t wait for them to change. You have to be the one to make the change.

Only just the beginning

After the most challenging summer of my life, battling severe stress and burnout at the culmination of my job, I left the city lights for the remote lands of La Malbaie, Quebec. This is the story of how what felt like the end of my year at the time has only served as the beginning.

Back to the ocean

Sometimes the life you had envisioned for yourself doesn’t pan out the way you thought. Sometimes you’re forced to change everything. In fact, sometimes, that’s exactly what’s needed.

Remember me by

I’ve read a countless number of self-development books this year, and each of them discuss a common thread about being abundantly clear on what you want your 80-year-old to 100-year-old self look like. The idea is that if you know what you want to be like in the far far, almost unimaginable future, you will…

The art of saying “yes”

Saying “no” is great and all. But there’s a missing piece to the NO puzzle. The most profound “no’s” in life often only arrive as a result of previously saying “yes”.

Relationships aren’t meant to be toxic

Regardless of your relationship status, you’ve probably heard this same phrase: “Relationships are hard work.” I’ve said it myself. For the longest time, I thought I thrived in chaos. It’s all I really ever experienced. I thought it was the only way to live. That being at peace would simply be boring. But as it…

Lessons from my latest injury

I know how difficult it can be to cope with both the physical and mental pain of an injury, and how difficult it can be to avoid the mistakes that make everything worse. Here are the lessons I’ve learned through this injury block, and how you can avoid falling into the same traps.

How to maximize your potential as a trail runner in Ontario

After two years of trail running in Ontario, I have officially joined the club of people that have moved away from the province to gain greater access to mountains and competition at the highest end of the sport. But after going through the trials and tribulations of gaming the system in the province, I wanted…

Letting the body heal

When you’re in the thrust of the season, injuries quickly become a stressful part of the training process. This can lead to not only more stress, but trying to push the body past the point of pain either through continued running or cross-training. This is what I did for months in order to try and…

The smartest runner always wins

In trail running, it’s not always the fastest, fittest runner that wins. Quite often, it’s the smartest runner. The one that knows how to use a course to serve their own strengths. Here is why Elhousine Elazzaoui remains the front runner to win the Golden Trail World Series this year, and why smarts often outwit…