5 Things I'll Miss Most About Winnipeg

Winnipeg is one of those cities that's very easy to complain about. It's absolutely freezing cold for half of the year (hence the nickname Winterpeg), and you get maybe 2-3 months of nice, sunny weather, it's not exactly a famous touristy city, and the transit system is beyond awful.
But you see, Winnipeg is my home. I was born and raised here and I think it's a beautiful city. Maybe it's because I've travelled that I can come home and really see its beauty. The prairies may be flat and seemingly boring, but all you have to do is try a tiny bit and you'll always find something to do in Winnipeg.
Winnipeg is home. I'm definitely going to miss it while I'm gone.

Skating on the river is one of my favourite things about winter. It may be way too cold, but when the river is frozen, you forget about it all. It's the longest ice rink in the world and you can go whenever you want. I've also run on the river a few times, on the snow trail next to it. The best part? A rum & hot chocolate to warm up afterwards.

Winnipeg Folk Music Festival is my favourite festival by far. I practically grew up at this festival, going almost every year since I can remember, whether it was my dad on stage or some random band from across the globe I'd never heard of before, I owe this festival some of my best summer memories. Some years, it rained so much the week before that we would walk around barefeet in the mud (you can imagine how much fun that is as a child), or you would get the most perfect July weather, with a few sunburns. It's truly a place of happiness and music.

Festival du Voyageur is the outdoors winter festival almost every Franco-Manitoban waits for all year long. Every year, we would go with our class and learn a bit about the fur trade era and our history, all while having a ton of fun in the snow; climbing things, getting lost in the big snow maze or going down the ice slide, and don't forget the tire sur glace! As young adults, we go there to party, see some really great live bands, admire some fantastic snow sculptures and drink some caribou. It's where we get together and pretend it isn't incredibly cold outside. We all know once Festival is over, the summer isn't far away.

Camping season. Okay, so this may not exactly be a Winnipeg-specific thing, but Manitoba in general has so many beautiful places to go to during the summer, that it's definitely something I need to add here. I love going camping and spending time outside. The sunsets, the fresh pine-smelling air, the lakes... Manitoba is a lot prettier than we give it credit for.

The People. If there's one thing I'll miss more than anything, it's the people. Winnipeg has been my home for 21 years, and my roots are deep. I have made some truly great friends over the years, and I am so grateful for the people I have met. You have grown with me, inspired me, made me the person I am today.

There you have it! The 5 things I'll miss most about Winnipeg. Though I'm sure I can find all of these things in Berlin in one way or another, it just won't be the same as good ol' Winterpeg. Until next time!

Winter Jacket

Yesterday, December 16th, the snow finally came! It snowed all night and all day, and now Winnipeg is covered in a beautiful blanket of shimmering snow. That means, it's time to take the jacket out of hiding.

Last year, I finally invested in a new winter jacket. A good winter jacket in Winnipeg is vital, and the difference between freezing to death at the bus stop and only freezing a little bit. I shopped around for a long time before I finally settle on a Firefly jacket. I had one for years and it was a great jacket. It's a  little bit of a cheaper brand, at least compared to Columbia or The North Face, but it's just as good! What I hadn't like about the old one was that it was a two part jacket. This one, is a one-piece and it's oh so warm. I wasn't cold a single time last winter!

My favourite part of the jacket is the storm sleeves. They are built-in sleeves with thumb holes so the wind doesn't run up my arms. Genius! On top of that, on the left arm, there's this patch that opens where you can put your ski pass or ID. Sort of makes me feel like I'm Buzz Lightyear!

The best part of the jacket, the thing that keeps it so warm is the shiny reflective material on the back and under the arms. This material helps concentrate your body heat so you keep yourself warm. If you get too hot, though, there are zippers under the armpits so you can cool down a bit and let some of that heat out.

There are also pockets everywhere. Everywhere! Needless to say, even if I wish it would have been brown or black, it's an awesome jacket.

Fat Ass Full Frosty Beaver Moon Half Marathon

Friday night, I ran a half marathon. As you can see from the title of this post, the total of the race is really, really long, so let's just shorten it to the Frosty Beaver, for the sake of my laziness.
This is a no fee, self-organized trail run half marathon for us crazy Winnipeg runners who run all winter long. Unlike most races, this one is at night. It started at 7pm. It also meant that the roads weren't closed, there were no water stations or big mile markers along the way. It was just us and the run. It was a hell of a lot of fun.

Friday night wasn't very cold. It was only about -15 with the wind chill, which meant that the majority of the run, which was on trail by the river were completely devoid of wind thanks to the trees. The first 7-8km, I was way too hot. I had to roll up my sleeves to cool down! There were some nasty gushes of wind at some points, but all around, it was a really good course. The snow was packed down on the trails and barely icy.

Right after passing mile 9, my phone died. That meant no music, or any way of knowing how many miles left to run.... for 4 miles. It doesn't seem like much, but nearly the end of a half marathon, there's not much that really keeps you going, and music is one of those things. It's a good thing I was running with two great women who really helped me finish the race! I finished with a time of about 2 hours, 34 minutes. That's only 20 minutes slower than my average, which is really good for a trail run that I barely even trained for!

It was such a run race! We all had our headlamps and our reflector stripes made us look like we belonged in a sci-fi movie! Everyone was in a great mood and it definitely helped that we had an "after-party" with cheap beer and nachos! Did I mention how much I love running in wintertime?

Another Scarf!

I made a post about scarves last week, talking about how much I love them, and here's another one! This one is probably my favourite scarf.
Last year or the year before, my aunt got me this amazing green scarf for Christmas. This is a huge scarf, almost as long as my legs and as wide as my arm and chest. It has a zipper right in the middle, which means I have a bunch of different options on how to wear it.

It's such a nice scarf to wear during the winter, since it's so thick and soft. It never runs out! I especially love the back of the scarf. It has a split at the bottom, which makes it sit perfectly on my shoulders and rarely ever rides up like a regular scarf would.

You can find more, really great things made by the same company here.

Halfie Update #1: Weeks 1-4

There it is! The first month of training done. That went by so insanely fast, I can't even believe it! I am three months away from running the Berlin Half-marathon!!

I have been extremely lucky, in that the temperature has been absolutely wonderful and it's only now getting to stupidly cold temperatures, and I do have to admit that I didn't run at all last week because I managed to get the flu, which kicked my butt so much harder than I could have expected. It gave me a nice little break during the holidays, and I'm ready to get back in gear!

This month, I've gotten new running gear, and re-learned how to run outside in the cold again. I haven't exactly been keeping up with my schedule, but I've been on holidays all month, and quite lazy... I have a lot to catch up on.

So far, I ran 26.77 miles (43.08km), and I honestly can't wait to run more! 82 days till Berlin!

New Running Gear!

For Christmas, my mother and I decided that instead of buying me a present, she would pay for some of my running gear. So, we headed to Running Room and went on a shopping spree....

Leggings: New Balance // Shirt: Running Room // Jacket: Running Room // Socks: Running Room FitSok

Let me tell you, running is not cheap. These leggings cost about $100, but oh my, are they comfortable. They are wind resistant, really warm, super flexible, they have a pocket for keys or a small music device, and they have that plastic band at the bottom so they don't rise up and let your ankles freeze.

Leggings: New Balance // Shirt: Running Room // Jacket: Running Room // Socks: Running Room FitSok

I paid for the shirt and the jacket, but also for a pair of socks and honestly, I never thought I would say this, but socks make an incredibly huge difference when you run. These socks have some kind of arch support built in, they are sooooo comfortable and super warm!

Leggings: New Balance // Shirt: Running Room // Jacket: Running Room // Socks: Running Room FitSok

In total, a pair of leggings, a shirt, jacket and socks cost about $250. Whoever said running was cheap, was gravely mistaken. At least winter running (in Winnipeg, no less) isn't... But, this stuff is amazing and totally worth the price. Plus, it doesn't look too bad either ;)

Winter Running 101

Winter is coming... and so is marathon training!

Last year I trained for my first half-marathon and most of my training was done during the winter, which was most definitely a learning experience. Now, winter is coming back around and I thought I would share a few tips I have learned.

1. Roads are safer than sidewalks. The sidewalks are always very slippery, covered in ice, while the city puts sand and salt on the roads, which make them so much safer to run on.

2. Cleats will save your life! You know those strap-on cleats that old people use on their shoes? Well they are absolutely fantastic when it comes time to run outside. They may look and feel silly, but trust me, it works and you'll be glad you have them. Just like an old person, it'll make you feel safe when you go outside.

via

3. You will always overestimate the weather. When you run, you warm up. It's a fact of life, which most of us forget when they get ready to go outside. Wearing 15 layers of clothes will most likely hinder your run more than anything... and do you really want to be that guy with his sweater tied around his hips? Didn't think so. Most websites say dress 15 degrees colder than the weather outside, and I agree. So far, always every time it was really cold outside, I've overdressed WAY too much and was stuck dragging my stupid clothes around with me.

4. Develop night vision. Everyone knows that it gets dark really early during the winter and the sun takes forever to rise in the morning, which means that unless you run on your lunch break, chances are, you will be running in the dark.

5. Running during the winter is actually kind of nice. Not everyone will believe me on this one, but I love running during the winter. Mostly for the "you ran in this weather?!" reactions, but also because there's just something really great about running outside during the winter. I enjoy running in the dark and yes, I do somehow enjoy the burning feeling in my lungs.

(5.5) Frozen eyelashes.... I don't know about you, but I find frozen eyelashes hilarious!

Typical White Girl

So it seems I've turned into a typical white girl!
With the matching scarf and socks, the boots, and legging...  I finally understand! It's because it's so damn comfortable!

Scarf: Garage // Shirt: H&M // Leggings: Suzy Shier // Socks: Kodiak // Boots: Payless Shoe Warehouse

You know what? I wear what I want, when I want, and that's all there is to it. It has nothing to do with fashion for me. I liked the scarf, so I got it. Winter is coming, and I needed warm socks, so I got them, same thing with the boots. As for the leggings? Well my jeans are slightly too big for me and something it's nice to lounge in leggings.

Obviously, this isn't what I wear every day. I'm still the typical t-shirt and jeans kinda gal, but hey, it's nice to switch it up once in a while, right?

Halfie Update: Weeks 5 and 6: Halfway there!

I can't believe I'm already halfway there! Another 6 weeks and it'll be time to run the half-marathon! I don't have too much to update... It's been the same over the past two weeks: super icy roads, cold weather and an injured knee.
For the icy roads, I've been using those cleats you can strap on to your shoes, and they've been amazing! It's not fool-proof, of course, but it's been helping a lot. As for my knee... ice, ice, ice!

Yesterday I went for an evening run (I was a little too hungover to run first thing in the morning... oops!) and though it was a little colder, and I couldn't finish my run because of my knee, I really enjoyed running along a beautiful sunset.

Up to now, I have run about 78 miles! My cardio endurance is much better, my body is leaner and I can't wait to run some more!

Halfie Update: Weeks 1 and 2

Two weeks ago, on February 10, I started training for my first ever half-marathon! I'm following Hal Higdon's Novice program and I'm loving it! It's really been helping me build up my cardio and speed and so far, so good! There's only been one run out of 8 that I had to cut short.

One thing with running, though, is the injuries that come with it. I've been getting horrible shin splints. Like, limping off the treadmill-painful. I've been going to see the Athletic Therapy Centre at the University of Winnipeg, since it's covered by my student health insurance and I am so impressed with them! They have helped me so much! Of course, I still get shin splints, but the exercises they gave me kills the pain instantly.
Honestly, though, I think it's the shoes. I've been running in these old New Balance shoes that I bought like 5 years ago for gym class in high school and that was good enough.

But now that I'm running a lot more, it was time to get new shoes. My mom and I went to Running Room and she got me these beauties:

Nice huh? Bonus: green is my favourite colour! They are soooo comfortable. Right now, I only wear them indoors, and I keep my old shoes for my long runs outside on Sundays.

Speaking of running outside, it's still pretty cold here in Winnipeg! Which means bundling up! I borrowed a pair of wind-cutting pants and face-mask thing from my mom, paired with my octopus sweater (yes, there is a hat on the hoodie! Can you see it?) and touch-screen gloves! The only part of me that was cold were my lungs!

What about the other layers? Well, I only wear two layers: the outer layer and the inner layer which is nice and funky! I absolutely love these leggings, though I wouldn't actually wear them out in public.

Up to now, I've run a little over 24 miles, and I am improving every day! Let's keep it up and kick this halfie's butt!

A Glimpse into the Past

One of the best parts of going to Festival du Voyageur?

The reenactments. Inside the Fort Gibraltar, we have recreated a few of the huts, where people would have worked and did trading.
Every year, I always go check out the blacksmith. I love watching these men work, even if it's basically the same thing every year. It's a lot of fun, every one is in period costumes and you can actually learn a whole lot about the fur trading era of Canada. I learned a lot this year when I went into the Trading post: there was a guy who was talking about the Fort's history, which is interesting simply because it's about where I live, and it's part of our history.
Here are some more things you can visit at Festival du Voyageur!

Blacksmith 

Blacksmith

Woodworking Workshop 

Fur Trading 

Items "for sale" in the Trading Post

A Voyageur's bed in the barracks

A Voyageur sitting by the fire in the barracks

HÉ HO!