The Running Bug

Run for your lives!

Running, as it turns out, is extremely contagious.  A few years ago, I caught a bad dose of it when I got too close to a bunch a runners in Ottawa.  They were taking part in the Run for the Cure 5k and, not knowing how dangerous it was, I neglected to use universal precautions and caught the running bug.

I caught it bad and I now have two chronic conditions: Type 1 diabetes and running. 

The running bug is a sly little thing.  Sometimes it jumps out of the bushes and launches a full on attack but other times it waits in hiding for just the right moment to pounce. It’s been incubating for a while but it turns out that I may have infected my workplace.  At first it seemed like everyone I work with was immune.  It didn’t matter what I did, no one else seemed to catch it.  But then one person came down with it. And another. Then a third.  Now there is a small but growing number of people who seem to have been infected.  

Sometimes, people get sick for a while, recover and go on with their pre-running lives. 

Other times, people develop a chronic running condition that makes them want to run in all weathers, constantly pushing themselves to run farther and faster.

At work, we’ve formed a bit of a support group.  Sometimes we exchange email updates commiserating about the cold, the heat, the humidity, how long we’ve run or how hard the hill was.  Other times, someone will saddle up next to me at the photocopier and whisper: “I’ve started running!” “I’m not very good and not very fast but I love it!”  I’ve received out of the blue phone calls from people asking for advice on how to start and then follow up calls with updates on how they’re doing.

One co-worker burst into my office this morning and announced that she ran the equivalent of four times around a track! And felt fabulous!  She was so excited and couldn’t wait to share the news with someone who ‘gets it’.

Running is one badass bug so be warned.  Once bitten, you’ll never be the same.