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25 Reasons I Didn’t Go For a Run Today (Winter Edition)
When we were kids we got my dad a “Fisherman’s Excuse Mug”, which cleverly outlined all the reasons the fishing was bad. Which was useful, because the fishing often was bad. This time of year it’s important to probably prepare a list of excuses reasons you might not make it outside for your daily run.…
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Seven things every Manitoban needs in winter
These thanks to the Manke Product Lab (aka the dinner table). Number 8 was “cheek muffs”.
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Seven Signs of Winter
Winter has hit in Manitoba. Here some of the signs you or those you love might be suffering from winter.
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Winter Trails
It’s winter trail season. I’ve highlighted desire lines before, as well as some of the cool things winter reveals, but the phenomenon is new to discover every year. Some methods of moving through the world occur only in this season, only when the conditions are right. Some for essential transportation, others for the pure joy…
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Desire Lines
Winter is the best time to observe “desire lines”, those trails designed and enforced by repeated use. Like-minded and like-footed travelers, if they agree on a destination, can combine forces over time to create trails to benefit all future travelers. A few weeks ago I stumbled upon these deer highways cut through the deep snow…
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Man Versus Winter
It’s been a wild few weeks in winter-land. Storms on a twice/week basis, snow drifts up to the chin, and temperatures often plummeting down below -30°. As someone who enjoys winter endurance sports, I’ve had a few weeks of self-reflection. Last week I read iRunFar’s article “When is it too cold to run?” which got…
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Winter Reveals
“Summer conceals, winter reveals.” – Annie Dillard A few short months ago, the forest trails were but a thread through the lush green tunnel. Without a trail, in fact, travel through the woods in summer would prove nearly impossible. After a rain, the crowding branches leave you drenched. At times the undergrowth is so thick,…
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To Know a Place, Run It: Reflections from the 2019 Polar Bear Marathon
As a runner, I believe that the best way to get to know a place is on foot. Sure, you can cover ground more quickly in a car or plane, but to really know a place, you need to get out of your vehicle, plant your feet on the land, and feel the air on…
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The Minimalism of Winter
Last week while eating lunch and gazing out the window at the -30° cold, we noticed a small bird in the cedar by our deck. A pine siskin or similar sparrow, its gray, brown, and yellow-hinted feathers puffed out to capture each bit of warmth. Our kids jumped to the window to salute this brave…
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Silence has found me
When snow begins to coat the ground, as it’s been doing this week in our neighbourhood, every noise is muffled, creating a new world of silence that is breath-taking in its unexpected minimalism. Every sound that you do hear feels intentional. Somehow the birds’ songs have become clearer and more distinct, have you noticed that?…