Day 18 - Running ... you cold hearted b@!#$

So, for anybody who knew me when I was a kid, knew that I used to be pretty good runner.  Cross Country, Track & Field, Sprint or Distance, it didn't matter.  Around the time I was 15 I was doing the 10km Sun Run in just under 50 minutes.  I'm not sure what changed, but somewhere around the age of 16 or 17 I began running less and less.  Probably had something to do with getting a license and absolutely nothing to do with the fact that, oh yeah, running is kinda sweaty and requires effort.  I was still physically active, I still played sports like hockey, I just didn't really run anymore.

Now, why am I rehashing this fascinating history from yesteryear.  Because, two days ago I tried running, and then today, I tried it again.  And I've come to the conclusion that ... wait for it ... running is hard.  I've learned two key details and come to one clear yet subtle conclusion, all of which some of you may be unaware of.

Observation #1: Running downhill seems easier
Observation #2: Running uphill seems tougher
Conclusion: All runs were all downhill, people would probably do it more.

Unfortunately, I've yet to find a running route that departs from my house and then arrives back at the same house that meets this all downhill requirement, but I promise to keep searching.

The only bad news that resulted from this is that I'm afraid I'm going to have to disown my dog.  She seemed to take far too much pleasure dashing ahead of me, turning around and looking back at me as I gasped towards her. She is impertinent and needs to know her place ... show-off. (I'm only kidding, I could never get rid of Fiona, she does too much good work cleaning up after the girls)

In all seriousness, even though I was unable to go for more than a couple hundred meters at a time without needing to walk for a stretch, I was still really happy just to be out there moving.  And I know if I work at it, it'll only get better and better.

So with that being said, I'm going to lay down the public smack down gauntlet on myself.  It is March 4th today, the Vancouver Sun Run is on April 15th.  That gives me 42 days or 6 weeks to work towards a point where I can complete it.  I'm not saying I'm going to run the whole way ... in fact I'm saying right now that's probably not going to happen, but I will complete it and do my best to run for as much of it as I can.  There is only one out that I will provide to myself that will prevent me from doing this.  I'm still waiting on my Hernia surgery date, so provided that that date does not fall between now and the Sun Run, I will be taking part and anybody can see how I do by reading a copy of the April 16th Vancouver Sun Newspaper.  I may also let people know on here as well ... if I'm still moving afterwards ; )