Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 28, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE C1 JUST as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did last week, today I need to address a burgeoning national crisis. For the record, I am not talking about the global COVID-19 pandemic. No, I am referring to an even more shocking situation — Canada’s rapidly declining beer consumption. Q: Is that shocking, or what? A: Yes, it is, because we, as Canadi- ans, live in a nation that is built on two important patriotic pillars: We watch a lot of hockey and we drink a lot of beer! So I was just a little stunned when I got my mitts on the 2020 Industry Trends report produced by Beer Canada, which represents more than 50 Canadian brewing companies that account for 90 per cent of the beer made in this country. According to Beer Canada — and you might want to rest your brew on a coaster before reading this — Cana- dians of legal drinking age consumed on average 71.2 litres of beer in 2019, a decline of 4.6 per cent from 2018. In Manitoba, where this golden elixir borders on being a sacred libation, per capita consumption was down 5.5 per cent from 2018, to 67 litres for an average drinker from 70.9 litres. For those of you who are good at math, that means we Manitobans each drank (hold on) 3.9 litres less beer last year than the year before. For the record, Newfoundland had the highest per capita consumption at 87.4 litres of beer, whereas Ontario had the lowest per capita consumption of all provinces at 66.1 litres. Ontario’s beer consumption seems surprisingly low, considering how lousy the Toronto Maple Leafs are every year. This decline in consumption came even though the number of brewing facilities in Canada increased by 12.9 per cent from 995 in 2018 to an all-time high of 1,123 in 2019. Sadly, Manitoba at 1.5 breweries per 100,000 drink- ing age adults had the lowest rate of increase. Before you shrug off the importance of beer drinking in this country, allow me to point out that Conference Board of Canada figures show beer supports 149,000 Canadian jobs, with a labour income of $5.3 billion while contribut- ing $13.6 billion to Canada’s GDP. I am raising this deeply concern- ing topic now because today, Sept. 28, happens to be one of the most sacred days on the calendar — National Drink Beer Day. Seriously, take a moment to Google it, because it’s an actual day wherein — and this will come as a surprise — we are encouraged to celebrate this malty elixir by hoisting a brew or two. “The best way to celebrate is by enjoying a glass of beer. As always, cel- ebrations are better when surrounded by others who celebrate with you. So, invite friends, family, co-workers, too. Join them at a local pub or tavern. Or invite them to your home,” says nation- aldaycalendar.com. Or, on the other hand, you could just raise a glass to them over your fence in a sincere effort to comply with social- distancing protocols and to get them to buy their own (bad word) beer and support the industry. As a student of Canadian history, I will point out that beer is the bever- age of choice of some of this country’s greatest heroes. For instance, we must never forget the golden performance of ice-dancing superstar Scott Moir at the 2018 Win- ter Olympics in Pyeongchang. C’mon, hosers, crack a cold one ARTS ●LIFE ARTS@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM MONDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 CONNECT WITH THE BEST ARTS AND LIFE COVERAGE IN MANITOBA SECTION C▼ I CAN’T do it. This is hard. My legs feel so heavy. It’s too far. Welcome to the mental script of many runners, at least once in a while. A lot of people have a good idea of what running should look like. Keep- ing a consistent pace, trying to beat your time or going a certain distance. But that’s not the case for everyone. Running is more than exercise — it’s a way to unplug, get outside and separate your headspace from the rest of your daily routine. It leaves you feeling accomplished and energized for the rest of the day. For many, running is a way to get some alone time. For others, it can be a way to partner up with a friend or get involved with a running group. Alternatively, the first time you run (and likely the second and third), it may be none of these things. As much as running can be an amazing stress reliever, it can also be very challeng- ing, both mentally and physically. It’s tough and leaves you out of breath. It’s no wonder some people claim to hate it. But it doesn’t have to be this way. More importantly, it shouldn’t be this way. Lindsay Somers has always run for the enjoyment of it. However, after participating in the 2013 Manitoba Marathon with her mom, something struck a chord with her. “Once (my mom) found out her run time and compared it to my aunt’s time — who’s a slightly competitive runner — it just completely dimin- ished her entire achievement and experience in that moment,” Somers says. “It was disappointing to me that all that hard work that (my mom) put in was crushed.” Somers says a lot of running cul- ture is driven by the notion of feeling successful once you beat a certain time or run a particular distance. She wanted to change that. She realized that a casual approach to running — where the numbers don’t matter — didn’t exist in Winnipeg. So, she created it. Somers created her Learn to Run outdoor programs in 2017. Since then, she has encouraged hundreds of Win- nipeggers to take their first steps and find joy in movement all year round. (Yes, that includes a Learn to Run program in the winter). “I found a space for people to run because it feels good, not because you’re trying to beat a time,” Somers says. “The motivation isn’t to get faster. The motivation is to get out and move your body.” The local lifestyle health coach co-ordinates her Learn to Run ses- sions — two runs a week for eight weeks — during the fall, winter and spring. Somers has her group meet at The Forks because of how easily they can access different neighbourhoods on foot. “I love seeing the city through the lens of running. It’s a great way to connect to architecture, people and the seasons,” she says. “The city has wonderful active transportation trails and routes. It’s an untapped gift and resource that you don’t get to experi- ence until you get out of your car or your own neighbourhood. It’s on foot that you really get to see it.” When learning to run, Somers in- corporates walk/run intervals to ease into things and starts the group on a three-kilometre loop in St. Boniface. “There are four bridges in that loop. Anytime we go over a bridge, we dance-walk and pick up our pace,” she says. “They’re short little bits and we extend the distance over time. It’s a different connection to running when we’re not looking at numbers all the time,” she says. S OMERS designed her Learn to Run program specifically for people who don’t typically see themselves as runners. “The people that hated gym class are my target demographic,” she says. “The biggest achievement for me is when people believe in them- selves.” Leanne Lucas never considered herself a “runner” and was always intimidated by the idea of it. “I always thought runners were people who put on their shoes and just go run a marathon,” Lucas says. “Anytime I had tried running, it felt like it was something I wasn’t natu- rally good at and that was discourag- ing.” But a post on Somers’ Instagram about her running program caught Lucas’ eye. “It felt very refreshing how non- intimidating it was,” Lucas says. “(Somers) presented it in a way of ‘We don’t care about time or how you look. We’re just going to enjoy some time outside.’” SABRINA CARNEVALE FITNESS Leanne Lucas never considered herself a ‘runner’ and was always intimidated by the idea of it before joining Lindsay Somers’ Learn to Run program in 2017. JESSE BOILY / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS From left, Leanne Lucas, Lindsay Somers and Sarah Wilton have a warm-up dance before their run at The Forks. Somers started her Learn to Run outdoor programs in 2017. Run to feel good and connect with city, not to beat a time Ditching clock culture Somers says the city’s active transportation routes are ‘an untapped gift and resource.’ ● CONTINUED ON C2 DOUG SPEIRS IN THE DOUG HOUSE ● CONTINUED ON C2 C_01_Sep-28-20_FP_01.indd C1 9/27/20 4:13 PM ;