I feel a little out of place when I go for a run here. I get a bit of “what the hell is that guy doing” look from some of the locals. Or a “why are his pants so short?”.  In any case, I am sure it is a good way to make it obvious that I am new here.

Obviously there is nothing wrong with the sport of running, I just don't think people do it here. For starters, the hills are brutal, and is a good way to kill any new runner's ambition. Second, there are no sports stores, much less a running store, so you are either buying shoes/clothes online, or what you can find at the North Mart. Third, and the one that I hate, is there is no where TO run! With no sidewalks you are running on dirt, gravel, or sharing the small amount of paved roads with cars. I would guess there are less than 20km total of roads, so you run out of variety pretty quick. Oh yeah, did I mention there is snow on the ground 8 months of the year? I've run in -20s before, but it isn't something I look forward to.

That said, I still love running here. The hills are good for me, and the low altitude makes me feel more fit than I really am. There is a Terry Fox run here in September that I am going to make a point of going to.