6 Things I've Learned from Running

Running seems so easy, one foot after the other right? Not exactly, I’ve been running for a while now and have learned there’s much more to it; so here are 6 of the things I’ve learned.

1. Starting is always the hardest

The biggest hurdle for anything is always starting, it’s that big obstacle that stands between what you want to achieve and where you actually are. I know when I started running I used an interval training program to work me up to where I wanted to be, and once I found my rhythm it became easier.

2. You need to Push Yourself

The only thing holding you back is your mind; we mentally quit long before our bodies do. One of the ways that helps me get through is setting mini-goals. Taking my main goal and breaking it up, for example today I’m running 8km, while I’m running I may say “okay from here to the next road I’m going to pick up the pace.” Once you complete that goal you’re already closer to your next and/or big goal and feeling good and knowing you can do it again.

What do you when you’re tired and want to go faster?

3. You’ll Learn to Enjoy the Journey

You just finished running, what did you think about? Only 5 more blocks, I’m halfway done, doesn’t matter you got the job done, but did you enjoy it? We tend to solely keep our eyes on the prize but not always value the moments that happen during.

4. Setbacks Happen

Listen to your body always. Things happen whether that is the weather or an injury we need to learn how to manage them. Nothing ever goes as planned just adjust to the effecting factors and what our body needs, then turn our setbacks to moments of growth.

5. Be Patient

When I first started running I was awful, but I knew if I kept with it, it would eventually come and it did. The first few runs may feel rough and exhausting, but keep with it you’ll get to where you want to be. Be happy with small results, start slow and build up over time, just focus on the process.

Do you ever do any visualization when you run?

6. Music Helps

I will never go for a run without music, it instantly boosts my mood, and listening to my favourite up-beat EDM and rap tracks/artists always encourages me to work harder. In an interview with Women’s Running Dr. Costas Karageorghis says music can enrich positive moods of happiness and excitement, with a more positive mindset runners are able to move towards higher levels of performance.

So there you have it! Those are some of the things I’ve learned over time, I find that I can relate these lessons to other parts in my life not only running. What do you think?

My Most Memorable Vacation

In the summer of 2015 I embarked to Calabria, Italy to what I would definitely consider my most memorable vacation. I was 16 years old and I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Italy for 3 weeks in the summer with some of my closest friends; all through a program called Centro Scuola. This program gave me the opportunity to travel to Italy while attaining a grade 12 history credit. Throughout the course of this trip I got to visit tourist landmarks such as Rome, Tropea, Reggio, Pizzo, Taormina, and The Amalfi Coast. But what really was special about this trip was the two weeks me and my group of other students got to spend situated in the small town of Serra San Bruno. This place was what some would describe as “nothing special”, but the experience of being able adapt to and somewhat live the Italian lifestyle was incredible. It was real eye opener to see how different cultures vary around the world, and the different lifestyles they live. There I felt a new sense of relaxation and simplicity that I would say is uncommon here in Toronto, where everyone is always stressed and on the go. This trip gave me the chance to build not only a new appreciation for my own Italian culture; but it gave me a chance to build friendships and memories with people that are incomparable to any others. I’ll always remember this amazing experience I got to embark on at such a young age, and I know I will appreciate it for the rest of my life.

Some memorable photos from my trip are: 

The Amalfi Coast

 

Tropea

Taormina, Sicily.

Last visit to the town pizzeria 


By: Alexandra Ristagno

Adventures in London

London. The world itself sparks feelings of excitement, joy and adventure....at least for me. I have had the desire to go to England for as long as I can remember, possibly due to the fact that I am a huge Harry Potter nerd, and this past summer that dream finally came true.

In August, I travelled to London for a week with my mom and aunt. The flight, being overnight, was not ideal, as none of us slept a wink. However, we had such an adrenaline high the next day (or at least I did) that we were kept fuelled until we made it back to our hotel room around 5pm for a power nap. The whole day, despite encountering a bit of rain that first afternoon, I had tears of joy and excitement in my eyes, and could not keep a smile off my face.  This attitude, no matter how sleep deprived I was, displayed an accurate representation of how much I loved it, and continued throughout the trip. 

We were staying in Earl's Court, a suburb not far from downtown London, and it was absolutely beautiful. We walked down the main road later that first evening to find a place to eat, and it was something out of a movie....the cobblestone sidewalks, typical English pubs (where we ended up eating) and both tourists and residents all around.

Having slept pretty well that night, we mapped out the events of the upcoming week in order to make the most of it all, and decided what the desired destinations for that day would be. We had gotten a somewhat good idea of downtown London, and had the knowledge of my aunt who lived in the city for a year, so we continued - hyped up on caffeine, and in my case, sugar - to find all the gems, both hidden and obvious, of the city. 

The rest of the week was taken up visiting significant British landmarks; Buckingham Palace (where I have decided I would like to live), Kensington Palace (a good second option for a home), Hyde Park, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and London Bridge to name a few. We also travelled around Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, rode the Tube, explored King's Cross Station - which I LOVED as they have a Harry Potter shop, as well as having participated in a bus tour and a Beatles walking tour. There were also many little shops to be visited; candy shops filled with traditional British sweets, little pubs full of locals and cute souvenir huts, for example.

You know how when you really look forward something and you build it up in your head, a part of you examines it and thinks, "well it can't be THAT great"? For me, this whole experience was MORESO. I had it built up in my head and it exceeded expectations.

Needless to say, the whole trip still seems surreal to me, and looking back on photos I still ask if I dreamt it all, as I was so lucky to have such a great time, despite jetlag. If given a ticket to a destination in Europe, I would choose to return to the beautiful city London. Of course I'd love to explore new places but my time in London wasn't nearly long enough, and I'll scoop up the next chance I get to return and continue my seemingly storybook adventure.

3 reasons no one should love Marineland

Thanks to the popular documentary Blackfish (if you haven’t already watched it, check it out!), awareness surrounding the horrors of sea mammal captivity has grown immensely. While SeaWorld is the main attraction featured in the film and receives the most attention for their inexcusable behaviour; we as Canadians have a responsibility to also hold Marineland accountable for their similar actions…occurring right in our own backyard.

Here are three reasons Marineland should not be the home to some of the world’s most beautiful animals:

1) Tanks or bathtubs?

Marineland confines orcas, who can swim up to 160 kilometers a day in the wild, to holding tanks that, to them, are the size of a bathtub. They would need to swim close to 1,500 laps around the tank or close to 5,300 lengths of the tank to equal what they’d swim in the wild. Even then, they are still constrained to a tank only 100 feet in length and 20 feet in depth. Thanks, but no tanks (ha ha ha comment if you laughed).

2) Poor water quality

Have you ever walked into Marineland and smelt an overwhelming stench of chlorine (yes, even I use to visit the theme park before I was lead into the light)? 

As explained in a Canadian documentary, by former employees of Marineland, the sea mammals live in extremely poor quality water with a “chlorine concentration that is way too high”. Many cetaceans have suffered from their skin falling off in chunks, skin discolouration, and loss of eye-sight. Many seals, sea lions, walruses, and dolphins continue to have health issues associated with the water quality.

3) Gone too soon

Orcas in the wild have an average life expectancy of about 30 to 50 years—their estimated maximum lifespan is 60 to 70 years for males and 80 to over 100 for females. The average age of death for orcas who have died at Marineland is 14 years old.

After reading these facts, let me know in the comments if any of you feel your perception of Marineland has changed or if your opinions remain the same.

If you have been moved by the content in this post, I highly encourage you to continue to conduct your own research on the topic. To get you started here is a great article that was published in the Toronto Star.

Moved by the content above? Got two minutes? Sign this petition the help save the animals in Marineland!

"LAINE'S BETTER" - Jets Fans Get Cocky Early in the Season

Toronto Maple Leafs fans have been anticipating this 2016-17 season since April, when we knew we would get Auston Matthews, first overall, in the 2016 draft. 

Auston Matthews is a 19 year old American superstar that the Leafs drafted out of Zurich, Switzerland. This guy was getting all of the buzz from media, analysts, and fans, but there was one player in the draft class who was considered just as good: Patrik Laine, who went second overall to the Winnipeg Jets. 

Everybody knew that Maple Leafs vs. Jets games were going to be entertaining, to say the least.

The first of many games between the NHL's star rookies was on October 19th and, well, if you bleed Maple Leafs blue there's a chance you don't have a functioning TV after that game. 

The Leafs led 4-0 until late into the second period, but then, Tyler Meyers came in and kicked off the Jets' scoring and all Leafs fans just knew. It's just what they do; they can't keep a lead if they have one.

Classic Toronto Maple Leafs, blowing a 4-0 lead and losing in overtime. Sound familiar? If not, let me bring you back a few seasons:

Game seven vs. Boston. The Leafs' first playoff run in nine years. They led 4-1. They blew the lead and lost in overtime.

Okay now that that horror flashback is over...

The Leafs, aka Auston Matthews, lost to the Jets, aka Patrik Laine. Matthews only had an assist in the game while Laine had a hat trick, the third goal being the overtime winner. This loss led to frustrated Leafs fans and "LAINE'S BETTER" chants filling the air of MTS Centre in Winnipeg. 

I personally think Winnipeg fans are getting a little cocky. This was only the Jets' fourth game of this 82 game season. Give it some time guys. 

Whether or not Jets fans are getting ahead of themselves, a Leafs fan's feelings on this game could be summed up by one picture, this screencap from a Steve Dangle YouTube video:

I ask you, the reader, this:

Are the Jets going to have a good season or was this just a lucky game for them?

I Will Follow Where you Lead

As you may or may not know I loved a little TV show called Gilmore Girls. Maybe you’ve heard of 

it, or maybe you’ve been living under a rock for the past 17 years. If you have no idea what I’m 

talking about go onto Netflix and binge watch all 7 seasons, because this is a show that 

everyone needs to know about.

Netflix recently announced that Gilmore Girls was coming back for a 4 episode reunion and let’s just 

say, I’ve been counting down the days ever since (37 as of October 18th). 

Now you would think that just the fact that we were finally going to be able to see Luke and Lorelai 

(and hopefully Rory and Logan) again would be all the promo they’d need, right? Well that just 

wasn’t the case because on Wednesday October 5th thousands of fans (myself included) woke up 

insanely early to get a free cup of coffee from Luke’s Diner. 

Luke’s Diner is the Central Perk of Gilmore’s Girls, and I for one wasn’t gonna let a little thing like

 waking up at 5:30 am stop me from getting a free coffee from Luke Dane’s. So I woke up, got on the

 bus and got my coffee on. All of the little things that they had around like the “no cellphone’s 

allowed” sign and their own personal Luke Dane’s made the experience completely worth it. 

For anyone saying, that’s insane, why would you wake up so early just for that? I say, this show was 

my life for 7 years and it’s very nostalgic to me, so yeah I woke up early just to get a free cup of 

coffee from a fake cafe and I had the time of my life doing it.  

Are you excited for the Gilmore Girl’s revival? and if not What show do you wish would come back?

Blog post: My favorite spot in Aarhus, Denmark

Is there an actual goldmine at the end of a rainbow?

They say that there’s a goldmine at the end of a rainbow, but have you ever been inside one? That’s where you find the real catch and this is a real thing located in the city of Aarhus, Denmark.

Not a real rainbow, but still...

Okay it might not be an actual rainbow and more like an art exhibition and it is located at a museum. However, I dare to say there’s even more gold 

inside this one than you will ever find at the end of an actual one. 

The art exhibition called “Rainbow” by the artist Olafur Eliasson is a permanent installation build in 2011 on the top of AROS art museum, providing a panoramic view over the city of Aarhus which you can see right here.

Home in a new perspective

Inside the ”Rainbow” 

This exact place is my favorite spot because I can go here despite any noise and weather condition and admire my beautiful city in different, spectacular colours. It provides me with a breath of fresh air to the often grey sky we have in Denmark and makes me love the place I call home even more.
For me this is even better than finding a goldmine at the end of an imagery rainbow – this is the real deal and probably why I got an annual membership card for this place!

Still wondering if the myth about a goldmine at the end of the rainbow is true? Go and check it out for yourself at AROS!
Where is your goldmine at the end of the rainbow and what’s your favorite spot at the place you call home? Mine is located right inside the “Rainbow”.

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