– by Michael Forbes –
My wife Lisa is the most disciplined person I know. We could be on the eve of the apocalypse and she wouldn’t miss her exercise workout day, out there running alongside the four horseman dodging lava flows and stuff. The fact that she takes care of herself means that I too have to care about myself, so I drag my carcass out there and run with her about four times a week. Most days I loathe exercise but I do it because I know it’s vital for my wellbeing and to be honest, I’m afraid of her. It’s like I’m enrolled in some lifelong boot camp where the trainer literally grabs you by the wrists and peels you off the couch like gum off a sidewalk. I always grumble to her about going but when I give myself that imaginary high five at the end as I cross the threshold of our driveway, I feel fantastic.
We’ve been running for about 15 years now and it started soon after our son Noah was born. For her it was the best way to shed those few extra pounds of pregnancy weight and for me, I wanted to prevent myself from taking my last breath face down in a Costco size bag of Doritos. The wake up was the time I was at a Heart and Stroke Foundation event and partnered with a female Olympic athlete in a three legged race. It was only one kilometre for fun, but she was so completive, and I so sadly out of shape, she actually stopped in the middle and offered to piggy back me. Time for a change I thought, so now I run.
It’s no secret how blessed we are to live here with hundreds of trails to enjoy. Each path is unique just like the people that inhabit them. Once we saw a guy running while wearing dress pants with shiny shoes and as he was bounding past, you could hear the loose change and car keys jingling in his pockets. Could it be a leisurely stroll turned into a Forrest Gumpian like urge to start running? We had no idea but we definitely started looking around for a bear. Sometimes too you get whiffs of other people’s conversations, like the two women we ran past and all I heard was one word … “vasectomy”. I wasn’t surprised one of them was pushing a baby stroller.
Lisa gets me running for companionship, I’m a good bush bathroom break lookout and because she truly cares and wants me to live a long and active life. It’s always the people who love you that can do the most to save you from yourself. So if you think you need to get more active, it’s with love that I ask you to take that first step … and then another. February is Heart and Stroke month and hopefully one more person will be standing on a trail in their dress clothes and suddenly decide to go for a little jog. For those without the proper motivation, we may have to introduce you to my wife.
