He just enjoys being outdoors, rain or shine, hot or cold!
He is someone who loves outdoor sports.What is interesting and beautiful, his girlfriend motivated him to go back to running, training and competing after the break he made. Bravo for girl! 🙂
Who is Daniel Bedard?
Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, Daniel is a fun-loving, French-Canadian who loves nature and outdoor sports; running, skiing and swimming. Working in urban forestry, he justenjoys being outdoors rain or shine, hot or cold, and loves to travel to experience different cultures.
Describe yourself in two sentences
I’m a bit of a hyperactive case, hard to keep still and always looking for new things to try, adventures to live or new challenges to complete. My passions include most sports, food, beer, wine and the occasional scotch!
What is most important for you in life?
Making the most of every second I spend on this planet, whether it be with friends, family or by myself.
When did you start skyrunning?Why do you do it and what do you like the most about it?
Technically, I can’t say that I am a skyrunner since the mountains around where I live and run aren’t high enough to make it skyrunning terrain. I would call it trail running in mountainous terrain. I started running (road) more seriously and competing when I was 16 (in triathlons), then took a loooooonnnnggg break to study.
When I met my girlfriend in 2012, running was not part of my physical activity schedule, but she was part of a running club and tried to convince me to start running again. I made a deal with her: if she got her scuba diving certification and dived with me in the Indian Ocean, I would start running regularly again. Well…. she got me good! I’ve been running and racing since 2014.
It started with road races, thenin 2016 I tried my first trail race and got hooked. Then I slowly progressed on trail races in our Quebec mountains and just before Covid hit us this year, I was able to participate in the beautiful TransGranCanaria trail event. I definitely love running in mountain terrain, it gives me a sense of freedom that I rarely get to feel elsewhere, being in the wide, open spaces, always in the wind’s good company.
What are your personal strengths that took to this level of running?
For me, consistency and perseverance are key for getting to any level of running. I have been told that I can be very demanding, but I am also very demanding with myself, which I consider to me one of my personal strengths.
Is Skyrunning a hobby or a profession?
For me, running/trail running is a hobby. My day job consists of managing a team of professionals and technicians who are specialized in urban forestry management. We maintaining and try to increase tree canopy in urban areas to improve environmental and life quality. I love my job…almost as much as running!
Have you always had an active, outdoors lifestyle?
I’ve always had an active lifestyle, although not always running/trail running.
What are the biggest personal challenges you have overcome to get you where you are today?
I really can’t complain. I consider myself to be lucky in life and I haven’t really had challenging life situations that are worth mentioning…. yet.
Do you usually push yourself outside your comfort zone? How does it feel at the time?
I always push myself, I compete with myself. This year has been a good training year and I’m on target to complete all my trail running goals, without any major injuries….yooooohooooo! Training outside (running) in the off season isn’t always easy around here with the cold, snow, ice and blizzards, but all those efforts are definitely paying off.
How did your race plans and goals look like for 2020/2021?
For 2020, I had planned on doing one trail marathon + two ultra distance trail races. I had lined up a marathon trail race in March, a 46 km trail race in June and a 55 km trail race in October. I was fortunate enough to participate in the March trail race, just before Covid threw everything up in the air. My June raced got cancelled, but I still completed the course during the summer as a training session. My October race hasn’t been cancelled yet….so I’m hoping the year will finish off well. Also, thank goodness there was the SkyRunner Virtual Challenge this year!J
What does a normal training week look like for you?
Right now, I’m running between 40 and 60 km per week, with an average of four run training sessions per week. I alternate road and trail training, vary distances also for both trail and road, do interval training on flat and in hills, always have a long run per week and usually one good climbing session per week as well. In the summer, I will add 1-2 crosstraining sessions, usually swimming. In the winter, it will be 1-2 crosstraining sessions of skiing (crosscountry or mountain skiing). Also, before Covid arrived, I added 2 gym sessions for weight training (mostly legs).
What are your best training tips to other Skyrunners?
Mix it up, try to vary your training sessions, add crosstraining to your training schedule. Give yourself sufficient time to recover.
What are your favourite races that you would recommend to other Skyrunners?
I haven’t done an actual skyrunning race yet. However, I would definitely recommend the TransGranCanaria event for an amazing trail race.
Are you involved in any other types of running-projects?
Not at this time
Thank you!
Thank you Daniel for sharing your story with us.Keep running and enjoy in outdoors sports you love :)! And of course,regards for your girlfriend!
/Snezana Djuric
Facts
Name: Daniel Bedard
Nationality: Canadian
Age: 45
Family: Yes, girlfriend and my dog Parker
Country/town: Montreal, Canada
Your team or sponsor now: None
Occupation: Urban Forestry Manager
Education: Master’s degree Environmental Management, Bachelor’s degree in Forestry
Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/daniel.bedard.144