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Photos from the track at Point Grey Secondary with Mile 2 Marathon in Vancouver, BC on May 20, 2017.

When & Why did you get into running?

September 1982–UBC Friday noon hour Intramural 3k fun runs, blue Nike waffle trainers

How do you fit running into your busy lifestyle?

Routinely on the fly, before a kid’s soccer match, between connecting flights, maybe really early in the morning before heading into the office, that sort of thing.

What was the impetus to start working with Mile2Marathon?

My individual situation warranted bringing in a Mile2Marathon coach. I asked myself why am I running and is it simply part of my overall training program or am I serious about competing? After some honest athletic self-examination, I was willing to invest in my running and performance. Dylan Wykes orchestrates a very specific training program which optimizes my performance while simultaneously minimizing any injury risk.

“Jill’s passion for the sport is amazing. She’s been in the sport for a long time, yet she approaches every workout and every race with an inspiring enthusiasm. On the surface she’s all smiles, but once the gun goes off her determination to get the most out of herself is second to none. The stuff she is accomplishing, at her age, with her hectic life is something we should all aspire to” Coach DW

What do you enjoy most about being part of Mile2Marathon?

The group training environment provided by M2M makes training fun by offering a variety of workouts and running routes.  The personal coaching environment – in addition to providing motivation, feedback and planning – provides the “systems thinking” (as in processes and methodology). In other words, the M2M coaches know how to mix the different ingredients to provide a system and a plan to the relationship.  They know their athletes, and their potential. This allows the coach to prescribe workouts, not only for the day, but for the week and months down the road. What has this meant for me? It has allowed me to focus on the actual training with an open mind, knowing that Dylan’s system of training may help me climb upward to a new level of performance.

Photos from the track at Point Grey Secondary with Mile 2 Marathon in Vancouver, BC on May 20, 2017.
Photos by Jody Bailey

Where to next/What’s your big goal currently?

I love cross country running even more than track and will work towards qualifying for the National meet in Kingston, Ontario

“Jill’s passionate about track and cross country. When she told me she wanted to improve her 1500m time and qualify for National Cross Country champs I was thrilled. Her goals are refreshing and a throwback of sorts to the events and races that I grew up participating in and it’s exciting to relive some of that through Jill’s training and racing.” Coach DW

Person that inspires you in running or life?

Everyone in our local running community currently inspires me. We all live complex and challenging lives, yet find our reasons to run. When I first got into the sport in the 1980s, I was inspired by the athletes of the era – Deena Drossin, John Walker, Paul Tergat, Steve Jones, Anne Audain, Thelma Wright, Cathy Shiro, Abebe Bikila (‘60s), Jacqui Gareau and the like.

 

Fav quote (running related or non-running)? “You’re doing okay, keep going” – dad

Favorite book (“Freakonomics” S Dubner & S Levitt) and what are you reading now? (The Woman in the Window” A.J. Finn) and (“Peak: secrets from the new science of expertiseEricsson and Pool)

My fridge is always stocked with: a variety of cheeses, Harp Lager, Okanagan Pear Cider, Tito’s Vodka