The first time I arrived in Buenos Aires I ran a round trip in the morning from Belgrano to el Centro (15 mi.). A trip more scenic than if I had forked over $$$ pesos ($US) and boarded a double-decker. To help pass the time, I came up with a game to play with every passing step.
A bit like an 80s 8-bit NES game, running in Buenos Aires (or any large city) has its own soundtrack, levels, obstacles, points, and characters.
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Back in August 2009, there was a great Daily Show piece on author Christopher McDougall whose book, Born to Run, tells the story of a bunch of Tarahumara Indians down in Mexico that ran hundreds of miles (out of necessity/fear) in sandals. Then there’s the endurance runner from Greensboro, NC, Charlie Engle, who ran 4,300 miles (6,920 kilometers for you metric folks) across Northern Africa in 111 days, and chronicled his (and his two running partners’) journey in the documentary film Running the Sahara.
The last bit of inspiration comes from a plug for BCBSNC. The guy in the commercial had a heart condition and shares how he lost a bunch of weight after taking up exercise (running). Stories like these inspire. They make me want to get my weight-gaining self off the couch and on the road. And that’s what I’ve been doing.
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