Day is night and down is up.

Folks, I love running. Okay, it's more of a hauling of carcass but I'm loving it anyway. If you'd have told me that I'd feel this way even a month ago, I'd have pushed you down and called you a big fat liar.

I've run every weekday this month. Believe it or not I started because I read in an old diary entry that I used to do it before work. Funny thing is, I don't remember but if it's in my diary, it must be true. Also, I found a really cool app on my rapidly becoming indispensable iPod that helps you run to your music. There are different levels that you can follow and right now I've graduated to "Intermediate 1 - 43 minutes". You run for 8 minutes and walk for 3 for 43 minutes. It's made running easy and fun because who doesn't want to run when the song "Runnin'" by Doman and Gooding comes on?

I want to tell you about my route. One day I'll run off to the right (east) through the big park. The other day I'll go west to the sailing club. Both routes take me along the river and are stunning at sunrise. I see more people at the park but more animals at the sailing club.

Today was amazing. I went through the park and saw a lot of the people I see everyday:

• the elderly couple that walks fast (so fast in fact that they stayed about 200m ahead of me the whole time I was running in their direction... told you I run slow)
• the elderly couple that runs but the man runs ahead and shouts at encourages his wife to keep up
• the man doing old school callisthenics 
• the bald man swimming in the river
• the Indian man with the red baseball cap
• the Arab woman with the pretty hijabs
• the man with the lassie dog that runs with me for a bit (the dog, not the man)
• the biker smoking a cigarette (?!)
• the construction workers

Something interesting happened today, though. I realized that the callisthenics guy and the bald headed swimmer are the same guy and what's more (and I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt, here)  he was wearing a skin tight, flesh coloured bathing suit with a dark seam up the back. Yup.

Animals were cool today. I saw:

• countless squirrels and chipmunks
• too many geese and shithawks seagulls
• tons of chickadees and sparrows
• a groundhog
• 3 (the most ever) blue herons
• a great egret
• a bluejay
• a woodpecker
• brown and white shorebirds (I think they're plovers but I couldn't get close enough)

I got a rare gift today, too. When I was done running and was stretching on a bench. I saw a heron about 6 metres away. I walked slowly so I wouldn't scare it and sat on a rock to look at it. It stayed perfectly still and I had time so we hung out together. Suddenly it took 2 giant steps toward me and stretched out it's wings. Holy shit! How undignified to be pecked to death by a giant bird. And I'm not even wearing makeup. Then it stabbed its head into the water and pulled out a big juicy frog. So cool! I was proud that I got to witness that because it was like they were performing that little show just for me. Nothing like a little justifiable amphibianicide before breakfast. My breakfast, that is.

Wow, this post got long. See what happens when I have nearly 45 minutes to compose a blog in my head?

kxx