A Hole in the Road

Have you heard the one about the guy walking down the street who falls into a hole in the road?

This guy’s walking down the street when he falls into a hole in the road.  The walls are so steep he can’t get out.

A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, “Hey doctor!  I’ve fallen into this hole and I can’t get out.  Can you please help me out?” The doctor looks at him, sees that he’s only got a few minor scrapes on his leg, and writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and walks on.

Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, “Father, I’m down in this hole can you help me out?”  The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on.

 Then a friend walks by, “Hey, Joe, it’s me!  I’ve fallen into this big hole!  Can you help me out?”  And the friend jumps in the hole.  Our guy says, “Are you stupid? Now we’re both down here.” The friend says, “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before and I know the way out.”

--The West Wing, episode #210 “Noel”, when Leo tells Josh this story.

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve checked in on this blog and for good reason...there’s been a hole in my road. We moved house last week and it was a momentous job to say the least. Pretty much everything in my life has taken a back seat to the move, including this blog. But we are now “in” and I am anxious to get out of this hole and back into my life.

Speaking of my life, it’s funny how my running often imitates it.

 In spite of the fact I am loving the new house, going for a simple run has proved to be a little more challenging than at the old house. I no longer have a giant neighborhood just steps from my front door in which to run in a dozen different directions. In fact just a 2-minute jog from my front door is the twisty Sea-to-Sky Highway; a beautiful stretch of road that hugs the coast all the way to the top of Howe Sound. I’m sure running this stretch of road would make for a picturesque run, but the thought of running it on a dreary, dark winter morning conjures up frightening images of being mowed down by a speeding vehicle or two. Basically, there’s a hole in my running road too.

Hwy 99 - The Sea-to-Sky Highway

We all have our own different ways of dealing with holes in the road. There is no wrong or right way. There’s only our own way whether that might be thinking on it for a while, jumping in with both feet, or sitting on the fence indefinitely. I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge, but I’m not a “jump-in-with-both-feet” thinker either, this tends to get me into situations I don’t care to be in. I guess I prefer to think about the situation for a little bit, and try to come up with a plan. A good plan.

I will admit I was a little worried at first that not having the perfect running situation right outside my front door would cause me to just not run anymore. Not good! So I pulled out Gmaps Pedometer and spent a little time exploring some new routes just a short drive from my house. The results were good. Less than a five minute drive away I was able to map out several routes that would work well for good sized runs, both on road and trail. Things were looking up. After running a couple of the routes I found access to even more areas that were not that apparent on Gmaps Pedometer. Even better!

Heading out for a run now in the morning is not quite the same as before...I have to get in my car first and drive for a few minutes, then there is the jingle of my car keys in my pocket as I run which is a little annoying, and then of course the sweaty drive back home...but at least I am out there running and just about out of the hole.