A Run in the Park

Every Sunday morning, pretty much without fail, our running posse hooks up at 8:30 a.m., and heads into the trails of Stanley Park for an hour of exercise and getting/giving advice. For years we ran, but last year was marked by an assortment of injuries, so our "runs" became walks, with the odd burst of jogging. In essence, we've spent the last year moving at a more gentle pace.

Yesterday, fueled by the energy that's brought on by a good vacation (and yes, perhaps due to the over-consumption of delicious vacation-type food and the ensuing guilt and the extra paunchy bits that weren't there a month ago), we actually found ourselves running again. (By other people's standards, it may have looked as though we were crawling, but trust me, we are making our little hearts go pit a pat. We were huffing and puffing and red in the face - all cussing and sweating - you know, the stuff that's brought on by running).

It's been incredibly hot in Vancouver (though we did manage to dodge the heat wave while we were away). And it's been brutally dry throughout the province (ergo the 800 plus forest fires that have been burning all over BC). 

But yesterday it finally started to rain after weeks and weeks of clear skies and blazing sun. And when we set off in the morning, the rain wasn't pounding down or anything - it was simple drizzling. And as we ran up that first hill, I had this lovely thought: It's like we're running through an Evian water spray. Mother Nature was applauding our effort and gently misting us. I felt a bit like a kid again, running through a sprinkler in the height of summer. And it made me giggle.....