Does anyone know?

Congratulation. Reading about your journey with solving it is interesting. You've done a big effort.

But yes, like what you said, the answer to the first riddle is really, really not convincing. It doesn't even fit the context. They should've put something that has a meaning.

"It is difficult when I run, but easier when I sit. Don’t ask me any questions because I will not answer."

Since when "asleep" run in the first place? If he was asleep, he wouldn't run. They shouldn't state the degree of difficulty because "running" originally is invalid for asleep. I don't think they meant "running in dreams" because even if this were the intended meaning, it would still not make sense. Because asleep can run in his dreams and very fast too. That won't be either difficult nor impossible. He even can fly.

Maybe if they reconstruct the sentences of the riddle in another way like, for instance,"It's difficult to run but easier to sit. Don’t ask me any questions because I can't answer." It would be somewhat acceptable. Anyway, the overall idea of this riddle including decoding is awesome. I don't expect them to make double-encrypted. They just should have focused on the constructions of the riddle. The answer"key" should be consistent with the question. When anyone knows the correct answer, he should say: indeed! Thanks a lot for your update. I was curious to know the answers.