YourSaskatoon Blogs

The 2016 Saskatchewan Marathon is just days away! As the excitement builds, we thought it would be fun to interview Brian for this week's Q&A to get his thoughts on this year's event.  Before we get to the interview - all the best to everyone participating this weekend!   Q&A with Brian Michasiw  Tara: Having won the Saskatchewan Marathon six times, you have some invaluable experience heading into this weekend's race. On the flip side, there are a whole lot of runners out their eagerly anticipating their first Saskatchewan Marathon. Do you have any advice for first-time participants? Brian: Don't go out too hard. All of us runners, at a certain point in the race, enter our fatigue-form state and if we go out too hard and can't maintain our form we're going to fall apart. It's easy to go out way too fast; it takes a lot of discipline to hold back...

First off this week, thank you to all the participants, volunteers and sponsors (Salomon, Harbor Golf Club & Resort) who helped make the Brainsport Spring Run Off in Elbow a success. We had approximately 170 participants out over the weekend for the inaugural event - way to go! There's no doubt, Saskatchewan is a great place for summer racing. Fast approaching is the Saskatchewan Marathon here in Saskatoon, which a lot of you have been in training for. Following this great event is the Queen City Marathon in September; another marquee racing event in the province.  In this week's Q&A we're speaking with the race director of the Queen City Marathon, Shawn Weimer. He has a lot of information for us, so let's get to it!  Q&A with Shaw Weimer Tara:  As plenty of runners are gearing up for the Saskatchewan Marathon, you're busy in preparation for the Queen City Marathon. Can you speak to the way these two events...

We have a nice shift in gears in this edition of the Brainsport Times. In this week's Q&A we'll be speaking with Stephan Bourassa, a local occupational therapist, who's starting up a very important program here in Saskatoon for children with a wide range of challenges.  There's a lot to talk about, so let's get right to it!  Q&A with Stephan Bourassa Tara: As an occupational therapist you have worked with kids of many different ages and abilities. Can you give us a bit of background about your work? And, your running?  Stephan: You bet! After working with injured adults for 12 years, I needed a change. After seeing the magic of the growth and development of my own young children, I decided to step out on my own and established Milestones Occupational Therapy for Children, a private pediatric Occupational Therapy practice in Saskatoon. I work with children and youth with a...

Interested in going on a beautiful trek in Peru in support of a great cause? This week we're speaking with Mavis Derksen, who's leading the way for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada on a Machu Picchu adventure! There's a lot to learn about this Charity Challenge, so we'll get started right away. But first note, there is also an information session on Saturday, May 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Brainsport. Q&A with Mavis Derksen Tara: This seems like a wonderful opportunity to take on a major trek for people of varying experiences hiking. Is it fair to say it's suitable for those who have very little experience? Mavis: Destination hiking is very popular worldwide. The training for Machu Picchu will begin in mid July 2016. Before that I encourage teammates to walk and enjoy the outdoors. This hike is not a race. The speed you will be...

Technology, technology, technology — what do runners need to know? How can it best serve them? Tonight, physiotherapist, Brad Spokes will be speaking at the store as part of the Brainsport Running Academy's Speaker Series. The topic — yes — technology! We're also inviting Run Club folks to stay after this evening's run to listen to Brad's talk. We hope to see you all there!  In this week's Q&A we're going to get a preview of what Brad will be addressing this evening. Q&A with Brad Spokes Tara: Throughout your career, how have you seen technology change the sport? Brad: Back in the early 90’s from a technology standpoint most runners simply ran with the wrist watch. Time was the only measure. As the mid 90’s arrived the heart rate monitor (HRM) was starting to be used by some elite level runners and triathletes and the rush was on to understand...

If you have ever thought about joining one of our Learn To Run courses, the Brainsport Running Academy is presenting an opportunity you won't want to miss — with coach Dave Stark. This course will provide an ideal environment for those who are looking to start their running journey, or maybe pick it up again after years away. Dave has a remarkable story of his own as a runner, which we'll learn more about in this week's Q&A. Q&A with Dave Stark Tara: You've been running for 34 years, and for 14 of those you've served on the Board of Directors for the Saskatoon Road Runners Association. You're very well known here in the running community, but I'm not sure people know a lot about your coaching experience. Would you mind telling us more about it? Dave: I was treated for prostate cancer nearly five years ago. As soon as possible...

Thanks to everyone who came out to run and volunteer at the Brainfreeze on Sunday — it was a beautiful day! Looking ahead at the 2016 racing schedule, there's a lot to get excited about, including the 38th Saskatchewan Marathon. This race is top of list for many runners in Saskatchewan and beyond. In this week's Q&A we speak with its race director, Kim Ali, to learn a bit more about the event. Q&A with Kim Ali Tara: For those who are perhaps new to Saskatchewan, or new to running, could you tell us more about the race's history and how it came to be such a marquee event?   Kim: We are runners and walkers and we volunteer at races! The dedicated race committee has a vision to improve every year through a strong community focus and ongoing communication with past participants. A small number of running enthusiasts started the...

Looking past today's not-so great weather, we have a beautiful forecast for the upcoming days, and hopefully much more to come! The warmer weather is getting everyone excited about our new spring arrivals. We're starting to get questions about what's coming in to the store. So this week, we thought it would be fun, and informative, to speak with Brainsport Manager, Lisette Schermann.Q&A with Lisette SchermannTara: Excitement is building as people anticipate getting outdoors more as spring arrives. Can you share some of what customers can expect to see coming into the store, and when new arrivals will land? Lisette: We don’t have any control over when spring arrives outside, but inside Brainsport, spring will be arriving in mid March. That’s for running clothes and accessories like Buffs, for shoes, many of the best spring styles are already here. Tara: Running shoes are constantly evolving. You are in a lot of meetings with the companies in...

Welcome to the short work week everyone! Hopefully some extra time away from the desk and computer has served you all well. I'm away this week, so the Times is a bit scaled back — I'll have a Q&A prepared for you next week. In the meantime, you may want to check out, photographer, Steve Gibb's website. He's posted his photos of Brainsport, along with some lovely writing about the store. Here's the link http://www.gibbart.com/  — enjoy! Upcoming Events Strength and mobility; a fascial rolling class with Theresa Ziegler Learn how to optimize your tissue mobility and get a core workout ideal for runners at the same time. Streamline your strength and mobility into one effective workout. This class goes through multi-area foam rolling for tissue health and mobility, as well as intersperses each release technique with core specific strengthening work on hips, abdomen and back. Class size is up to 10...

It's been a very busy time at Brainsport with our 25th Anniversary Sale last week. We had fun keeping up with all the action. Thank you to everyone who came out and kept us super busy! In this week's Q&A we're speaking with Mike McDonald, who's coaching the Brainsport Running Academy Half-Marathon course. We're very excited about all the courses being offered this year by the academy — be sure to check them all out on our website. There's also more information below in "Upcoming Events."Q&A with Mike McDonaldTara: We’ve been getting some background on the Brainsport Running Academy coaches over the past few weeks. Now it's your turn. Would you mind telling us about your experiences as a runner and coach? Mike: Well, to be honest, the reason I got into running was because of my mom. She has run for almost my whole life and has completed many marathons, half-marathons and 10K runs....

Tonight's Run Club is going to be huge! You may have heard Brian is announcing a contest that will "rock you." Coach, Jason Warick will also be making an exciting announcement about a special training opportunity with the Brainsport Running Academy. And, coach Tobi Rempel will be there to answer any questions you may have about her upcoming Beginner/Recreational Marathon course. In addition to all of this, Run Club alumni Ian and Selinda will also be dropping by! The store is going to be open until 9 p.m. with refreshments served after the running is done. It's a perfect evening to bring along some new people to Run Club. And, to take advantage of our 25th Anniversary Sale! In this week's Q&A we're talking to Jason Warick about the Performance Marathon course he's coaching at the Running Academy starting on January 28th. He also gives a tease about the big Running...