走る

I am always the last to know anything. At the beginning of the month I discovered the indoor running track at the Shikaoi Sports Center and have been using it often. It is a very nice facility, very convenient for my schedule and is free for anyone to use . (One cannot help but wonder if Canadians would be in better shape if we had such facilities.) The sport center consists of a large gym (with the running track above) and several more traditional wooden rooms for Kendo and Judo.

Call me crazy, but I have always preferred running indoors. For me, besides the excellent cardiovascular effects, running is stress relief and, as such, I want an experience as close to a hamster running on a wheel as possible. Treadmills don't cut it; for one, I like the small natural breeze and secondly, I'm such a klutz if I went anywhere near the thing it would eat me alive.

While at the University of Calgary I had been utilizing their large indoor running track but it was not ideal. That track was always very busy with all sorts of people, sometimes lanes were booked that further reduced the number of lanes for public use. I found weaving through throngs of people less that relaxing. I sometimes do run outdoors, but I'm a perfect weather type of runner. Furthermore, indoors, I needn't worry about curbs or cars and such. It's winter here now and it get dark before I get home. Braving the dark, uneven sidewalks and risking the far worst, darkened icy uneven sidewalks, seems a less then ideal workout.

The best thing about the Shikaoi Sport Center's running track is that I am the only one ever on it. Things have really slowed down here in Town since Dec. and along with badminton I have been able to run four times a week. However, I just found out today, that the last day the track was open before nice days closed for New Years was yesterday! I would have scheduled things better if I had known. So as it stands traditional, I guess I have a good excuse to not run and just sit around stewing in my own juices over the next week.