Michelle Leduc, RMT

12/31/2025

Dear 2025,
I didn’t get the year I planned.
I got the year I needed to face.

Dear 2025 We were supposed to crush it.In the end, you absolutely disappointed me. The 2024 racing season ended abruptly. […]

12/20/2025

Day 50 of 112 🎰
There are benchmark distances and mileage that quietly tell you you’re ready. Ready to build. Ready to trust the training. Ready to say the injury is, finally, behind you.

This week, mine are clear: a 30+ km long run and more than 80 km of weekly mileage.

After many years of playing this game, this is the real work. Finding the sweet spot where risk and reward shake hands instead of fight.

A few years ago, my body couldn’t handle long runs over 30 km or weekly mileage north of 100 km. Life stress piled on, recovery thinned out, and there simply wasn’t room to go further. Still, the years of training carried me to the start line ready enough. But, those races weren’t about speed. They were mental. Strategic. Survival.

Last year, I came back stronger. Focused. Fifty-kilometre runs clicked off with ease. With joy.
And then I 🤬 up my hip pulling a tire. (Did I tell that story yet?)

Now, with two months to go, I feel that body from many years ago again. That drive. But I’m also staring down a January stacked with stressors. The kind you don’t schedule but still have to carry.

This is the balance I’m chasing now.
Not just physical load, but mental and emotional weight too.
What can I handle?
What can I recover from?

The goal hasn’t changed.
Toe the start line fit. Strong.
Mentally and physically intact.

12/15/2025

Registration for the 2026 Russell Run Club is OPEN.

Our group runs are always open to everyone. But membership helps us do things the right way.

✔️ Registered with Athletics Ontario Running
✔️ Trained run leads & certified coaching
✔️ Safe, inclusive programs (including youth)
✔️ Insurance, events, partnerships & perks
✔️ A generous volunteer appreciation program

And yes… there’s value too 👀
🎽 Member discounts
🎉 Social events
🤝 Local partner perks
✨ Club swag

Sign up before Jan 31 and you’ll be entered to win one of TWO Garmin watches, courtesy of Garmin & the Trans Canada Trail

🔗https://athleticsreg.ca/ #!/events/russell-run-club-2026

11/10/2025

🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ Spring Training Clinics — Registration Now Open! ❄️✨
Whether you're building toward your first 10K, aiming for your strongest Half, or training for the Marathon, we’ll train together every Thursday night this winter. Training leads up the the St. Lawrence Marathon

🕛Time: Thursdays • 6:00–7:00 PM
📍Location: Russell Park & Ride (End of First Ave)
(Locations may vary depending on workout/conditions.)

🎽10K Training Clinic (12 Weeks)
For runners who are already running consistently and want to comfortably build toward the 10K distance — with confidence and support.
Dates: Jan 29 – Apr 23, 2026
🔗 https://www.russellrunclub.com/programs/spring2026-10km

🎽Half Marathon & Marathon Clinic (20 Weeks)
We’ll build endurance gradually, learn pacing strategy, dial in fueling, and train the mental side of finishing strong.
Dates: Dec 11, 2025 – Apr 23, 2026
🔗 https://www.russellrunclub.com/programs/spring2026-marathon

Questions? Email michelle@russellrunclub.ca

10/22/2025

The Russell Run just wrapped up its 14th year — and what a milestone it was. Nearly 300 runners registering, endless community spirit, and an incredible team of volunteers who made it all possible.

Every cone, water cup, and finish-line medal has a story behind it — one of dedication, teamwork, and heart. This event continues to grow because of the people who show up — to run, cheer, and lend a hand.

As we celebrate another record-breaking year, Race Director Michelle Leduc shares a reflection on how far we’ve come, the volunteers who make it happen, and why keeping events like the Russell Run alive takes all of us.

Read the blog here:

The 14th Annual Russell Run was a huge success! Congratulations to all who participated in this year. Your training paid off!

10/03/2025

This is not the first weekend of October I had in mind. I wanted to do some epic s**t.

Instead, I’m staring at a messy house, endless laundry, and a body that feels more wrecked than ready. Physically and mentally, I’m exhausted.

And yet—I’m at peace with it.

I spent the morning coordinating the dozen Russell Run Club members who jumped in when I put out the call for volunteers for the Russell Run in two weeks (I guess they’ve forgiven me for the chaos of last weekend?). I replied to a high school XC coach who asked us to host a practice and promote our club to their students. I read a profile of our club on the Trans Canada Trail website: Hello, Canada 👋, we’re the Russell Run Club and we’re awesome!

Then I scrolled through Norm Fortin’s photos from last weekend: smiling runners, beautiful scenery, the excitement of new distances and even top-3 finishes. And, of course, that photo of me—bagged, unable to string a thought together, let alone a sentence.

So maybe the first weekend of October isn’t about epic miles. Maybe it’s about quiet time—sewing, sketching, reading. I’m okay with that. Maybe it’s even a sign of how I should step into this next phase of life.

09/27/2025

🏃🍂 We’re creating an opportunity for people to do something epic 🥇. That’s what I remind myself, and what I hope our volunteers carry with them too.

As we count down the last hours of planning the Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail Challenge , I could focus on my own tired mind and body — but instead I’m thinking of the runners.

They’ve trained hard, shared their excitement in emails and conversations, and tonight they’ll go to bed imagining tomorrow’s finish line — just like I’ve done many times before. Some are friends I’ve watched prepare, others are strangers who will soon become part of this community.

I’m also thinking of the volunteers who gave their time to support this crazy adventure. They’ve put up with my scatter-mindedness and my obsession with details. Tomorrow, like me, I hope they’ll shift their focus fully to the runners.

Because tomorrow is about the runners. For some, it will be just another race. For others, it will be something they never thought possible. At the finish line, there will be tears of joy — and maybe even of struggle.

And on Sunday morning… when they open their maps, their Strava, or their Garmin file, they’ll see that red line stretching across Prescott-Russell. They’ll look at it with wonder, amazement, and pride, and say: I did that.

That’s what makes it epic. ✨

Athletics Ontario Running
Sentier Récréatif Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail
Trans Canada Trail
Russell Run Club

09/22/2025

Who's more likely than me to roll out of bed and decide to run 50 miles 😆
https://prescottrusselltrailchallenge.ca/

09/10/2025

What’s tougher?
🏃 Running 50 miles across Prescott et/and Russell
🙋 Or coordinating 15+ volunteers to make sure every runner is supported and cheered on?
You can find out either way:
👉 Registration is still open for the Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail Challenge on Saturday, September 27, 2025.
Choose your adventure: 25 km, 50 km, or 50 Mile — solo or relay.
Or, better yet, sign up to volunteer and be part of the fun!
www.prescottrusselltrailchallenge.ca

Athletics Ontario Running

09/04/2025

If you can't or don't like to run....volunteer!

📣Volunteers Needed 📣
We’re just a few weeks away from the Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail Challenge on Saturday, September 27th, and things are starting to come together. We’ve got strong registration across all events.

We’re also still looking for a few more volunteers to join the team. The most important roles are at aid stations along the 72 km route — handing out water, snacks, and plenty of encouragement to the runners.

It’s a fun way to cheer, hang out with the community, and be part of the action. You don’t have to be there all day — even a short shift makes a big difference. We will work around your availability.

If you’re interested in helping, please send us a quick message or email us michelle@russellrunclub.ca

https://prescottrusselltrailchallenge.ca/
Sentier Récréatif Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail

08/27/2025

I’m sitting in the Township office during the monthly meeting, listening to the mayor read the history of the Russell Run Club. In reality, it was the last eleven years of my life poured into a speech written by the current board. I knew what I had done, but hearing it read out loud in public was surprisingly emotional. And having my husband there to listen finally felt like some justification for all those long hours and days spent on something that pulled time away from him and never brought much income.

Seven years ago, I was waking up at 10 or 11 a.m. (you read that right). I was depressed, having just left a 15-year career. Instead of feeling accomplished, I felt like a failure—desperate to escape an environment that was crushing me. I was only days away from going back to school, stepping into a career I wasn’t even sure would fit. For months—years, really—I lived day to day with no real goals. Just waiting for something to fall into my lap. An opportunity I could grab and give 150%, the way I once did years ago.

The last few years have been defined by people showing up in my life at exactly the right time. Megan approached me to set up parkrun. Yves and Mel helped with the kids’ program. Jamie told me I should hold running clinics. Tammy offered to help with clinics and with running the club. Tara and Jen supported me in starting group runs. Derrick pulled me out of burnout, showed me how a coach should be, and gave me the chance to train his clients. Sarah became my sounding board on how to organize the club. And so many others who came into the club, saw the vision, and supported me along the way.

I am no longer waiting for opportunities to magically appear. I no longer sit on the sidelines watching things happen. Now I’m on the sidelines observing, looking for the opportunity—and jumping out to go after it. Not alone, but with a team. I no longer drift day by day. I wake up with vision, with goals, with a community beside me.

https://www.russell.ca/en/news/two-residents-receive-community-awards.aspx

08/23/2025

One of the blessings of injury is being forced to slow down. To pause. To rediscover a hobby or passion that had been sitting quietly on the sidelines.

This summer, I literally dusted off the sewing machine and finally finished The Watcher, a design by . Now I find myself sneaking into the sewing room whenever I have a few spare minutes. A few minutes that somehow stretch into an hour, where the rest of the world slips away… and maybe, just maybe, I let myself daydream about what could have been 🙄.