Like most student athletes, fifth-year cross-country runner Kate Milne is no stranger to simultaneously balancing the demands of academics, athletics, and work, but this year the UBC Okanagan Heat representative is taking multi-tasking to the next level.

Milne is not only a committed student and a dedicated member of the women's cross-country team, but she's also working as a nurse full-time. Working with the surgical unit at her hospital, Milne finds her new career rewarding: "I really enjoy nursing and I like the unit that I am working on," she shared.

It's no secret that full-time nurses have intense schedules, and Milne's own schedule is no exception. "I… do shift work which means that I typically work four days on and then have four days off. In a rotation, I work two day shifts followed by two night shifts."

Of course, keeping up with such a demanding schedule requires careful organization. Milne's time-management skills are nothing short of impressive. For Milne, planning her schedule out in advance is critical because it allows her to fit in time to train for her sport. Rather than choosing specific days of the week for her workouts, Milne prefers to plan around her shifts in a way that works for her: "It is definitely busy so I will always look ahead at my schedule to plan my training days… I will do an easy run before work on my day shifts and then run after I wake up from a nap post night shift. I will do my hard-effort workouts on my days off."

Milne's coaches, noting her determination to continue running, have also been instrumental in accommodating her full calendar. "My coaches are…very supportive and will give me the workouts earlier in the week so that I can do them on my own time if I am unable to make it to practice because of work," she explained.

Luckily for Milne, attending practices and events doubles as family time. Milne's younger sister, Lys Milne, is also a member of the UBCO Heat women's cross-country team. Both sisters are originally from Salmon Arm, B.C. Lys joined Kate at UBCO in 2021, and they have been running alongside each other ever since. Sharing their sport helps the sisters keep in touch despite the hectic lives they both lead. "It has been really fun running together for the past few years. Running is a great way for us to catch-up with us both having busy schedules."

Working with a close-knit team is actually one of the things that Milne values most about running, especially after five years with the Heat. "For me, running has always been social and I really enjoy it for this reason."

Although this is Milne's final year running for UBCO, her passion for the sport and the connections she's made with her teammates clearly won't end at graduation. "Running is definitely something that I see myself doing in the future," she confirmed. After having been a part of the team for five years, "going for a run has become a part of my routine… [and] I'll definitely continue to use it as an opportunity to catch-up with teammates."

When it comes to competing, Milne is more prone to excitement than nerves, and she manages any pre-race stress she might experience with the same commitment to routine and organization that she uses to manage her packed agenda. The same is true as Milne approaches the end of her career with the Heat, already setting new goals and looking forward to the next chapter:

"[Even though] this is my last year on the team… I still see myself continuing to train for races outside of the varsity program. I would be interested in training for different race distances like 10km or maybe even a half marathon!"