My Journey With Health And Fitness – Just Be Happy

Today was probably the best run that I have done this year. I was really energized when I woke up and thought, what the hell, lets do a 10k. While the weather was a little on the brisk side once the sun was fully up it was lovely. The water was kind of in between high and low tide but it was as smooth as glass. I just so enjoyed this run though I am not sure if it was the fact that I have new running clothes, the weather and scenery were beautiful or if it was because I was listening to a really good book. Not sure which it was but ultimately I dropped several minutes off my last 10k and still felt awesome when I finished.

Last Friday I did my 2nd trek along the Seawall in Vancouver having done my first one in June. There is just something not the same about running in a big city compared to a small community where I live. Running in Vancouver I do the same as I do here, I smile at absolutely everyone I pass and wish them a good morning. I also smile and chat with any dogs I see. However, in the ‘bit city’ only about 10% of those I greet respond to me. Most actually look at me with suspicion because someone being cheery and friendly might be some sort of threat. The only decent encounter I had on Friday was with the fellow with the 7 week old golden retriever though I admit that lovely, friendly dog made up for many of the people I greeted.

But today, during what I felt was a perfect run, I realized the difference that I see in my community. I need to start by saying there is at least a dozen of us who hit the beach early in the morning though most of them are walkers. We all greet each other warmly and many of them have given me cherished words of encouragement. Some of us know each other by name. I even had one older woman all worried about me after the 1/2 marathon because I hadn’t been down at the beach but I explained I had taken a week off to recover and that made her happy.

Having said that, there are dozens of other people I see each day when I am on the promenade whether it be during my run first thing in the morning or a walk later in the day. I treat each one of them the same, a big smile and a ‘good morning’. The exact opposite of last week’s experience happens, 90% smile and answer back. Some with a little shock, others with appreciation that it is just good to smile and greet someone. I do this because even on the toughest run, giving someone a smile and a greeting just makes me happy. Nothing can be too challenging to deal with when you have a smile on your face and it is appreciated by someone else. There’s a few new people who have started showing up in the mornings and now it seems to be a competition as to who can get out a smile and a greeting first. Yes, spreading happiness is just that contageous.

And as for the dogs, this morning I met a 3 month old sheprador (german shepherd crossed with a labrador). It was just such a friendly thing and I chatted with his owner on the challenges of teething and socializing. Even better he also owned a chihuahua mix that is the same as ours, it wants to take on any other dog that comes near it.

Yeah, being happy today on that run was jus what I needed to make it perfect.