When life talks, listen. When a theme makes itself apparent repeatedly, take note. When the universe has something to say to you, offer it the microphone and pay attention.

Over the past few months, I would say that I have been listening to the universe and attempting to derive a message from its mutterings at that very microphone. I try to embrace the concept of “seek first to understand, then to be understood” - but sometimes, that premise can be a little unruly and difficult.

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There are really only two choices in life. You can run towards something, or you can run away from something. I guess you could just stand still and let the world revolve around you (or leave you in its dust), but I like to think we’re always moving.

In the running world, athletes are always focused on their training efforts. Are they getting all the workouts they need to optimize their performance and be successful? As a coach and physiotherapist, I get asked these questions routinely. They’re not so difficult to answer based on what the sport sciences have provided us over the past 30 or 40 years.

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Thanksgiving is upon us once again. Thanksgiving always provides us with a day to eat turkey, catch some lovely fall weather (fingers always crossed), and take in another University of Texas football game against some unspecified cross-state rival (Texas Fight Texas Fight Yeah Texas Fight).

None of my family live in Texas. They are all still in Canada, so they celebrated Thanksgiving Day in October, otherwise known as Columbus Day in the United States. I don't mind celebrating two Thanksivings, especially if doing so provides the potential for more turkey.

Thanksgiving Day is followed by Black Friday, a day of retail specials and sales. Ugh. The best part of Black Friday is that it reminds me of a great song by Steely Dan, but I digress.

But with all kidding aside, Thanksgiving is a day to Give Thanks.

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I will be the first to admit that I am probably the last person to quote a singing cowboy by the name of Gene Autry. However, the eloquence of the song title is a fitting sentiment today. Here I am, long-lost readers, returning from what seems like an abyss of time, academia, and … life.

I promised myself that silence on these pages simply wasn’t going to be an option again. However, when I uttered those words, I didn’t have a road map for what was ahead of me. As I have written many times before, life brings us challenges and changes and opportunities. It also provides us with epiphanies and reflections which can be incredibly valuable if we pay heed to the lessons that can be learned. Two years on from my last post, I am back in the saddle again.

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