It takes seven weeks to realize you can’t last a whole year not running.

In Switzerland there is no shortage of hills, trails, and mountain views. Outside of Fribourg I have discovered kilometres and kilometres of quiet country roads and trails. The other day I came across a bubbly little brook and an ancient stone bridge and thought immediately of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. I stopped to peek under the bridge, but no troll in sight.

My exchange to Switzerland has been amazing on many levels so far. As a geography student, studying in a mountainous region is a far cry from flat old Ontario. Driving to Milan we snaked our way over the Italian Alps. It was incredible.

As a Canadian, living abroad has confirmed that our classic stereotypes are recognized worldwide. My roommate illustrated this perfectly when he told me that as a boy he believed Mounties rode moose. “Oh yes,” he said, “when I was little, Canada was a magical place.” I assured him that it is indeed a magical place, but that Mounties (unfortunately) don’t ride moose.

These first impressions were predictable. The one that has thrown me for a loop is the experience of being an athlete living abroad.
It’s because at the moment I’m not living the life of an athlete. I mean unless you qualify marathon cheese eating as an expression of athleticism, nothing I do here is exactly sporty. I do climb 76 steps to my apartment multiple times a day though. In my mind I equate that to about 5 x 400m at a brisk 1.10 pace with very little rest. Would you say so, Normand?

But let’s be serious: no track athlete can survive off long runs only. The countryside is nice and all but it has got nothing on the runner’s high you acquire from the track. This coming to terms with my inexorable dependency on running occurred in two steps. First, I realized the importance between runners and joggers.

When asked: “Are you going for a jog?” I cringe. No offence joggers of the world, but track athletes are proud non-joggers. I vented this to my parents: “Am I now a jogger and not a runner?! I won’t survive a year as an average jogger.” They told me to relax. I ignored them because as joggers, they don’t quite get it.

But the real kicker occurred when I made the ridiculous decision to try a new sport.

I signed up for mountain biking to get rid of energy. While speeding down a steep rocky hill, I was distracted by thoughts of how cool mountain biking is, hit a rut and went flying over the handlebars.

The next day I contacted the Club Athlétique Fribourg and begged for help.

We runners have one problem and it is that we fear mediocrity. This is why we don’t jog and it is the reason we go to practice on Saturday mornings. But this dissatisfaction with all things mediocre is what drives us in competition and in practice to outdo ourselves and each other.

I can’t wait to hit the track here.