216 results for author: Colin Harris

Day 262-264 – 103.6 km (total – 6928.7 km)

On  Wednesday after the run, Jen and I drove down to Invermere for some  school presentations on Thursday.  Eli Baker, a friend from school had  set up these visits and asked me to speak at CBEEN’s (Columbia Basin  Environmental Education Network) AGM in the evening.  It was a great day  with students!  First, we went to A.J. Laird Elementary and our jaws  dropped as we walked into the gym.  They have a full size climbing wall  that, as you can see from the picture, is quite impressive!  And when  students aren’t using it, they open it up to the public.  Right next to  A. J. Laird was Kevin Thompson Secondary School, where I chatted ...

Day 257-261 – 185.1 km (total – 6825.1 km)

Since  running into the mountains, it’s been a busy few days.  My deepest  thanks to Rob and Chloe Vance for taking me in and helping me to have a  good day off!  It was just what the doctor ordered.  And thanks to John  and Erin Krohe… they took Jen in for the day off.  I had just met John  the night he came to pick up Jen and he ended up running with me the  following day for 10k as I ran out of Canmore!  As I was running through  Banff, an old Outward Bound friend saw me as he was driving by, so it  was a chance encounter in the Rockies!  Thanks Derek!  My friend Liza  came out to run with me yesterday morning, which was great! ...

Explore Online Magainze: Trail Mixings

Running nearly a marathon a day. Every day. From St. John's Newfoundland to Vancouver, BC. Just typing those words leaves me... amazed? in awe? inspired? ... exhausted? Yes, even thought of running each day, let alone running a marathon each day, exhausts me, yet that's what Colin Harris of Take Me Outside (TMO) has been doing each day since January 2011. And he's taken on this extraordinary challenge with the purest of intentions: To encourage the youth of today to get outside. As he runs his way across the country, Colin is making appearances in schools and communities to spread the organization's message and to introduce to students, ...

Day 255/256 – 33.1 km (total – 6640 km)

Yesterday was a side trip up to Red Deer to visit some schools set up by my friend Todd Nivens.  It was a busy day… 2 schools in the morning, a radio interview, a trip to the nature centre that Todd works at, and another school in the afternoon.  As usual, I drove back to Calgary feeling energized from the interaction with students! An old friend from my Outward Bound days emailed me and we ended up exchanging some thoughts around “selling” the idea of being outside.  I shared with her that I sometimes feel like non-profits, OE’s and those who care about this issue have to convince those who don’t that this is an important issue. ...

Day 252-254 – 96.1 km (total – 6606.9 km)

Although the prairies had a brief heatwave last week, fall is definitely in the air here in Calgary.  As I was driving back from a school visit this afternoon, I could see the yellows and oranges of autumn making their mark. This afternoon I was at Sherwood School in Calgary visiting some grade 5/6 students.  Jen, a friend from school who lives in Calgary was able to join me, and we sensed the energy and enthusiasm these students had.  Although elementary students are just below the age bracket for which research points to for screen time, the students are still surprised that the average hours spent in front of screens in a given week ...

Day 247-251 – 178.7 km (total – 6510.8 km)

Just a quick update… I am a bit behind on my schedule coming into Calgary.  My mind and body are quite fatigued these days, and so today has ended up being a day off which I had hoped would be a running day.  After 8 months of running and living in an RV, I am really starting to feel the affects of doing this.  I am appreciative of all the emails and messages of support as I near the end… although it is only about 4 weeks until I finish in Victoria, my brain can’t seem to process or even fathom being done.  I’m not sure when that moment will come, but for now, it seems like a long time to go.  And a lot of distance to run! Hav...

Day 242-246 – 177.1 km (total – 6332.1 km)

Throughout  Canada yesterday, people ran and cycled.  They ran and cycled in  support of Terry Fox and the continued effort to raise money for cancer  research.  A new sculpture by Douglas Coupland was unveiled this past  weekend near Stanley Park in BC to commemorate Terry Fox’s journey.  It  is the park where Terry hoped to finish his run.  Over half a billion  dollars has been raised for cancer research since Terry collected the  first few dollars at the side of the Trans Canada highway when he  started his run in Newfoundland. As I ran yesterday, I wondered what Terry Fox would have thought of running through the prairies… ...

Day 241 – 47.2 km (total – 6155 km)

Did you know that Justin Bieber’s Baby video is the most watched video EVER in the world?!  It has over 620 million views on youtube and has been officially recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records.  Roger Ebert, the infamous movie critic has half a million followers on Twitter.  Companies are spending as much time trying to get consumers to “like” them on Facebook as they are trying to actually sell  a product.  It seems as though we are back in junior high, where everything has become a popularity contest.  Or maybe it’s always been that way! Today while running, I listened to some CBC.  One of the programs I enjoy is called ...

Day 238-240 – 117.6 km (total – 6108.8 km)

The  words above are my friend Audrey’s way of describing the prairies.  And  over the past couple of weeks, I think I quite agree.  My favourite  moments have been lying in the tall grasses eating my lunch, looking up  into the vast sky or watching train after train glide along the horizon.   Land of Living Skies is  etched on each Saskatchewan license plate and it’s not hard to see why.   The sunsets are breathtaking and cloud systems stretch enormously from  one horizon to the other.  I’m not sure if there are many places in the  world where you can see the amount of sky that you can see in the  prairies. A rich and ...

Day 235-237 – 123.7 km (total – 5991.2 km)

It’s been fun going back into some schools and feeling the energy of a new school year.  The students at St. Michael School were full of questions and we had a great time together!  One of my favourite moments was running a lap with Matthew after the other students had gone back to class.  Matthew’s autism certainly didn’t stand in the way of beating me in a race – he was quite fast! It was another hot day in the prairies.  I have had issues having enough water, but just made it today, getting in about 51 km.  My good friend Audrey had commitments this weekend, so it was back to hitchhiking today.  I think people wonder what I’m ...