Genius Hour 10

12 weeks later at the end of the genius hour, what a journey it was! 


When I first began reading the outline of this project I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. It oddly felt like the beginning of the pandemic when everyone was picking up a new skill or hobby! There were 1000 different directions I could have taken this project in which was slightly overwhelming. I decided I wanted to continue to develop a skill that was already a big facet of my life. 


I landed on the subject of running. I had registered for the Toronto half marathon and really wanted to dive into the science and how to best set myself up for success. I have been running for over 3 years now although I have never taken it seriously enough to really dedicate myself to doing research. So I was excited to see what this genius hour would bring me. 


Now on the other end of the genius hour I am overjoyed that I had landed on running. I have learned so much about my own body and the sport of running. It has helped me make leaps and bounds that I never thought I would see. I had a preconceived notion that running was a simple sport and I never saw the purpose of actually sitting down and researching, but I was wrong. I have learned a variety of training methods each with their own purpose and use depending on what type of run that you are doing. Secondly, I have learned the best way to diet for my upcoming race while still hoping to maintain lean muscle I have accumulated at the gym. All this has led to a massive improvement within my running abilities and is reflected within my increased pace during my runs. 


In addition to the real tangible changes, I have also developed various intangible skills as well. This begins with time management, prior to beginning this endeavor I was unsure of how I was going to implement my training schedule into my already busy schedule where I have to juggle two jobs and school. Although through this experience I learned how to really value my time and stop procrastinating, something I have struggled with throughout the entirety of my undergrad. In addition to this, I also learned to become more disciplined. Training during the winter months posed a big challenge with the very unpredictable and harsh winter that we experienced. There were a large percentage of the days where the last thing I wanted to do was go for a run. Although I made a promise to myself that I wanted to see myself succeed in the upcoming race so I stayed discipline throughout the training sessions 


I am very thankful to have gone through this experience, it has not only made me a better runner but a better student. This will certainly be a project that I bring into my classroom in the near future. 


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