Athlete of the Day
Leslie Morrison from New Brunswick
One foot in front of the other, look forward and don’t trip and fall. Enjoy the journey. As they say down east: BE MIGHTY!
Did you walk, jog or run this challenge?
I walked this challenge.
How did you start running and why?
I don’t run unless I am being chased by a BIG hungry animal!
How often do you walk and run?
I walk with my wife Debbie and our two dogs every morning, a 5KM dog walk. In the afternoons, we go out for a bushwalk and take photos reaching an average distance of 5-10KM. We also go out for an evening dog walk, usually 3-5KM!
What was your greatest obstacle while aiming to reach 1000KM?
My greatest obstacle was my weight and physical fitness. I had let myself go a bit (a lot) and it was too hard to recover from even light exercise. Last December, some friends shamed me into entering a charity walk-jog, run called the Santa 5KM Shuffle. I started out walking 1KM a day for a week, then 2KM the next week. I completed the 5KM (dressed as a Santa, beard and all) in 56 min. I received my first finisher’s medal and I was hooked!
How do you stay motivated and find the time to walk and run?
My sister-in-law from Manitoulin Island ran a 5KM at the Toronto Marathon, and my niece did the full marathon! Being near the same age, she consistently reminds me that she can outdistance me anytime because I am old. This is an excellent motivation for me. We find the time to walk because we live on the beautiful Island of Grand Manan NB with over 75KM of hiking trails. I want to photograph every spectacular scene on the island, and many areas are only accessible by walking. Owning a seasonal rental business on the island means I have a lot of spare time to walk and enjoy my new found freedom.
What advice would you give someone to stay focused on reaching 1000KM in 2020?
Running, walking, jogging is terrific for your physical health! If you combine a hobby with your exercise, you can feed you mental and creative health growing stronger every day, i.e., painting, photography, bird watching, exploring nature or just going for the bling and bragging rights. You will make it.
Leslie completed 1000KM in less than 5 months and is very close to reaching 2000KM! You can follow his progress here.
Great work Leslie and thank you for sharing a part of your story with us!
