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ITRA Rankings are so silly silly
I woke up to an email this morning. A ‘congratulations!!’ email. Not one where I won a trip. In fact, not one where I won anything at all. But it WAS a congratulations email. A congratulations email where I was ranked 16th in Canada for 2024 based on ITRA’s metrics. That is to say, via…
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The rebound effect
There’s something powerful in the post-injury experience. In the immediacy of the weeks and months following an injury. You’re still weary. You’re still hot dogging every downhill, expecting for every step to hurt. But over time, when you learn those steps no longer hurt like they used to, you gain confidence. Over time, you realize…
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How I fuel for training and races with XACT Nutrition
In the puzzle to become the best trail runner that I can be, I’m often running through the numbers and experimenting with nutrition to identify what works best for my body. High-carb fuelling has been something I’ve experimented with through diligent practice across the past two years, and essential to both my training and recovery…
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Why I use XACT Nutrition
I have now been an ambassador for the brand for almost two years, and write this article as a way of shining the light on the brand that has most rapidly helped to accelerate my own development in the sport. This is partially a love letter, and partially an explanation as to why I use…
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You are not the imposter
For the past two years, I’ve existed in my sport as a professional athlete. The term is loosely defined in a sport like mine. For one, because there’s no clear-cut definition. For another, you can so clearly compare your results to others, thus never feeling good enough. For a double ‘nother, because of Imposter Syndrome.…
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Standing out of the spotlight
As you go through your bucket list to life, or even your resolutions to the year, continue to remember what matters most to you, and where you want to spend the majority of your time. You don’t need the extra meaning in your life in seven different directions. You definitely don’t need the spotlight. You…
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The crystal ball is cracked
The crystal ball is, and quite sadly, will be cracked. And it’s not even your job to repair it. It’s only your job to realign expectations, and adjust. As for the ending? Personally, I don’t want to know the ending. I just want to experience the now, and continue to discover what matters most, no…
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You always wanted me to write one
I’m now in the home stretch of my Christmas Countdown, writing articles inspired by each of my favourite songs to listen to in 2024. I told myself that no matter what, I’d find a way to work in my three favourite songs of this year. So even though this one hits hard as a breakup…
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The past doesn’t matter, you do
You don’t need me to tell you how difficult it can be to truly live in the present. I bet you’ve thought about the uncertain future that lies ahead, or the negatives that you thought you left behind every single day this week. I have too. It’s one thing to say that the past is…
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That’s what time does
Change has been afoot throughout 2024 and it’s been a stark reminder of what Miley Cyrus so often says in her songs – no one stays the same. Who we were yesterday is not always who we are today. But what I might not have anticipated when writing either of those pieces is just how…
Rhys Desmond
Training Theory & Coaching
Rhys Desmond 