Category: My Personal Journey
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Trail du Coureur des Bois de Duchesnay 34K Race Recap – Mud Wars & Water Slides
If you combined all of the mud and water on every single one of my trail races so far and tripled the number, it wouldn’t compare to Trail de Duchesnay on Sunday. And I’ve run on some super muddy courses. Falling Water was torn apart and super slippery; The Bad Thing rained throughout, turning bridges…
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Weekly Newsletter – The secrets to my recovery in 2025
As someone who is forever injury prone and forever punished by simple recovery mistakes, I’m always scrutinizing over recovery. Recovery is the single most important facet of training. Way more important than the training itself. It’s not only where those key adaptations take place. But it’s your body’s chance to allow you to continue to…
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Gorge Waterfalls 30K Race Recap – Penguins 🐧
I wasn’t meant to be in this race. I mean, to the extent where my bib still said ’50K’ on the day. While 30K might not ever be my race distance of choice, I felt fortunate to even make it to the start-line. Seven months of dealing with this injury on and off has taught…
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Injured again: But life’s not about the short term, anyway
My injury has come back! But any kind of catastrophizing any more isn’t going to help. Instead I have to channel all my anger over the situation into genuine smiles and laughter, and hope for better in the long-term future, even if not the short-term. Life’s not about the short-term anyway.
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I can remember when birthdays felt like the biggest deal in the world. When for that entire day, my normal veins had been replaced by ones bursting with invincibility. When East Side Mario’s’ all you can eat salad and bread still hit so hard. This year, no one even knew! If it hadn’t been for…
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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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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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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…
Rhys Desmond 