Motivated to Move

How I discovered my passion for running

By Tracy Lynn Stretch
Photography by Alanna Jankov

 

I never intended to fall in love with running – it just sort of happened.

In the beginning, it was a chore. I started running as a way to build endurance and stamina for my sport, boxing. I wasn’t fast, and I was discouraged by always trailing behind the pack.

Now, I love it! I call myself a “hobby jogger”. I don’t worry about speed at all. It’s the activity that makes me feel the best about myself, both physically and mentally.

My number one reason for running is fitness. Of all the sports and activities I’ve done, running has contributed the most to inches lost around the middle. The second reason I run is for the psychological benefits. Runners typically report being happier and less stressed. Plus, it reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke, and is beneficial for slowing down the aging process. It’s because of these reasons I’ve made a commitment to run for life.

Last summer, I became a Run for Life Ambassador. Run for Life is a non-profit organization whose mandate is to bring accessible running programs to diverse audiences. The Run for Life Ambassador Program engages individuals with a passion for running who connect and support runners in their communities.

I enjoy spending time outside, and my commitment to running gets me away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Typically, I burn between 700 to 900 calories doing it. And, for me, it’s social. I run with friends, two of which I met while training at BootCamp with Rita in Cornwall. My new friends, Zoey Mossman and Kelly Kennific, were looking to add more cardio to their workouts, so the three of us started running together on our off days from bootcamp.

That was over a year ago, and we’ve been running together ever since. It’s the accountability we have to each other that keeps us committed; motivated to move. We never worry about speed. It’s not about how fast we go – it’s about reaching the goal of distance. Last fall, we set our first running goal and together, we ran the Terry Fox Confederation Bridge Run. Mission accomplished!

Now we have a new goal. The three of us are currently training to run the Scotiabank Blue Nose Half Marathon this May in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Our training consists of a 14-week plan – three short runs and one long run per week, ranging between 3km and 18km. Two days a week are dedicated to cross training, where we are free to do almost anything; fitness classes, skating or weight training. Of course, we also allow for a day of rest.

With a simple goal to finish the 21.1km race (and not qualify for the Boston Marathon), there is no real pressure on our minds or bodies. The only requirement is for us to have fun, inspire others to be motivated to move and run for life.

Running offers many benefits and requires the least equipment and planning of all exercise. Grab your shoes, a couple of running buddies and head outside. Best part, it’s FREE!

To those of you just starting your own personal running journey, never feel pressured to run faster than you’re able. Repeat weeks and move ahead only when you feel ready, and always be sure to walk for a bit before and after your run. Do it for yourself and pretty soon, you’ll find yourself “accidentally” falling in love with it too!
Tracy has been “hobby” running on and off for 12 years; first for sport, and now for fun. When she’s not running, she’s reading, dining with friends and family, laughing lots and having fun.

Fun Facts:

Since July 2010, I have run 464 km, burned 12 lbs, used enough energy to power 999 TVs, and burned off 245 donuts!

Tracy’s Favourite Ways to Cross Train:

Adult Boxing Fitness Classes – Ko-ed Boxing Academy
Basic Bosu – Studio Nine
Strength and Endurance Circuits – Island Performance Elite Strength Training Centre
Zumba – with Rita Sark
Hot Yoga – Pilates Dynamic Fitness Centre
Snowboarding – Brookvale Provincial Ski Park
Hockey – Cornwall APM Flammin’ Mamas
Soccer – Cornwall Soccer Mamas
Cycling/Spinning

How I discovered my passion for running By Tracy Lynn Stretch Photography by Alanna Jankov   I never intended to fall in love with running – it just sort of happened. In the beginning, it was a chore. I started running as a way to build endurance and stamina for my sport, boxing. I wasn’t [...]

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Moulding Beauty Straight From the Source

The Potter’s Daughter builds on her artistic roots

By Ellen Egan
Photography by Alanna Jankov

 

Most Island children discover this skin-staining “mud” by getting their feet stuck in it along the shore.

Suzanne Scott, on the other hand, has been elbow deep in clay since she was two-years old. All thanks to her parents, Daphne Large and Ian Scott, who have been running Village Pottery in New London, PEI, since the 1970’s.

 

 

Although she grew up surrounded by artistic influences, Scott was 15-years old before developing an interest in the whole pottery process. Even so, it wasn’t really until she was introduced to the work of a family friend at 17 that she became interested in creating actual jewelry from this earthy substance.

“I remember discovering pottery jewelry made by Nicole Balderston,” says Scott. “I remember thinking ‘I could easily make this’. For the first few years, I just kind of played around with it.”

While completing her diploma in Tourism and Hospitality from Holland College, she left the quiet pace of the Island to explore the European lifestyle.

As luck would have it, she was seeking shelter one day from the blistering sun in Florence, Italy, when she came face to face with her “Ah-Ha” moment (excuse the “Oprah” reference).

“This beautiful French woman from Paris had the most amazing pottery, and she had this little table with Pottery pendants – I just fell in love,” says Scott. “I was like, I need to be back in New London making jewelry.”

And so, she bought a couple of particularly inspirational items and took them home with her to explore what she considers an untapped market.

“You know, there are people making all kinds of jewelry, but it’s rare that you actually see pottery jewelry,” says the young potter.

Now, working out of the family studio, she infuses her traveling experience into every piece.

“I definitely got a lot of inspiration out of being in Europe, especially the colours,” she says. “We’re experimenting with a lot of glazes right now, so that’s really fun. Some turn out really good; some are really bad. You just never know.”

The Potter’s Daughter credits a lot of her recent success to the online community. Etsy.com, in particular, is an online handmade marketplace where people can easily buy and sell handmade or vintage items, art and supplies.

“I found out about Etsy last September, and thought I might as well try it out and see how it goes,” says Suzanne. “Looking back now, it’s been a total success. I think social media has also played a huge role in it. It is totally crucial for any small business right now.”

She has taken the Etsy experience as a learning platform to build the family’s Village Pottery website. They hope to launch it in early May where they will have jewelry and pottery for sale available to clientele on PEI and across the globe.

Suzanne says the support she’s received from her family and other artists has given her an extra leg up.

“Basically, my Mom is my mentor; I wouldn’t be doing this without her,” says Scott. “She gives me everything, supports me and teaches me how to do it. It’s amazing the resources from the artistic community, too. You just ask around to other artists and they’re always willing to give advice.”

The Potter’s Daughter is about to enter a really exciting phase. She’ll have much of her jewelry line on display at Village Pottery this season. She’ll also have some product available at Northern Knitters on Victoria Row in Charlottetown, which is open year round and displays a wide selection of product from local artisans.

“I would definitely like to keep expanding my collection, but also work on making the more popular items better,” says Scott. “I’m working on keeping these consistent while still maintaining their uniqueness. They turn out a bit different each time.”

To find your own unique piece:

Like: www.facebook.com/thepottersdaughter
Follow: twitter.com/potterdaughter
Read: thepottersdaughter.weebly.com
Shop: www.islandpottery.etsy.com

The Potter’s Daughter builds on her artistic roots By Ellen Egan Photography by Alanna Jankov   Most Island children discover this skin-staining “mud” by getting their feet stuck in it along the shore. Suzanne Scott, on the other hand, has been elbow deep in clay since she was two-years old. All thanks to her parents, [...]

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SiFTcast in Print: Quarter Back Issues?

NFL players learn about saving their pennies

By SiFTcast

 

2011 sure is a rough year to be a pro-football player.

On a recent episode of SiFTcast, we discussed how players are dealing with the 2011 NFL lockout by team owners. Not so much what they would do with all their new free time – no, it was how they planned on saving money now that their million dollar salaries have taken a time out.

The NFLPA (National Football League Players Association) has given players a sixty-four-page guide full of tips on how to watch their spending (i.e. how to live like everyone else in the country) in an effort to make things easier and more manageable during the lock out. Yes, we said sixty-four pages.

Now, most people would think that this would be common sense – if you don’t have any real income at the moment, the last thing you want to do is “make it rain” on a constant basis. But just in case this wasn’t 100% clear, thankfully, there’s a list of things to do and/or not to do.

So while SiFTcast have a hard time relating to what it’s like to bring in millions of dollars a year, we all can agree that these money saving tips all made sense, so we figured we’d share some of these tips with you so you could get a laugh out of them as well.

* Eat at home, don’t go out to restaurants

* Wash your clothes in cold water instead of hot

* Lower your thermostat to save on heating costs

* Hold off on buying any “motorized toys” and expensive jewelry

* Reduce the size of your entourage

* Say “No” or “Not right now” to people or family looking to borrow cash

Now, most of these are common practice 95% of the time for any and everyone living on a normal income. We were kind of shocked that these “money saving tips” had to be printed and handed out to the NFL when in most cases, with the state of the economy as it is, this all should have been happening already!

So what have we learned here?

1) Most football players had little concept of or no worries about “saving for a rainy day”.

2) Maybe we should have all looked into being football players!

As Kris says, that will do it for another article of SiFTcast.  You can check us out at SiFTcast.com, send us an email at info@siftcast.com or follow us on Twitter: @SiFTcast . We’ll see you next month!

NFL players learn about saving their pennies By SiFTcast   2011 sure is a rough year to be a pro-football player. On a recent episode of SiFTcast, we discussed how players are dealing with the 2011 NFL lockout by team owners. Not so much what they would do with all their new free time – [...]

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