I went running with my club Cambridge and Coleridge yesterday evening and came unstuck! Summer came to an come to an abrupt end for a start. It was cold and raining and I still felt chilled despite dressing appropriately.We jogged over to the American Cemetery to do some hill repetitions and it became dark pretty quickly. Some of us decided to go back early, others opted to do one less repetition and return and I, with mainly young fast runners, chose to do the full set. By this time it was almost fully dark and you couldn’t see the ground you were running over. This didn’t worry me and no-one came to grief despite the bricks sunk into the dirt path and the rabbit holes. Unfortunately when we began jogging back to the home track, my right calf began to twinge and a little further started to hurt in earnest. I was obliged to stop running and walk back about 4K in the dark, wind and rain. I think the problem occurred because I didn’t recover sufficiently from my half marathon two days before. So now I have to rest it for at least 4-5 days and will have to forgo parkrun on September 14. I have volunteered to help, however, and will be the tail runner which does not require much running. I will get to chat with a determined person who has pushed him or her self to complete the 5k course which means they are a clear winner over all those who are still in bed or eating Krispy Kremes or who don’t exercise. I’m looking forward to that.
Benefits of running
Aliveandrunning2013 August 11
Yesterday, my partner Lorna completed her 50th parkrun at Cambridge. Very well done indeed! It’s wonderful that both of us are running and have so many good running friends. Our running styles and mindsets are so different and tend to conform to male/female stereotypes. I run as fast as I can, don’t talk because of the supreme effort I’m making, can only wave acknowledgement to the marshals, knock slow people and children into the nettles if they get in my way and double up when I pass the the finish line, completely out of breath and exhausted. I do recover quickly, however. In contrast, Lorna frequently chats her way round, always verbally thanks the marshals, does take a big interest in her time but friendliness and sociability take precedence and often runs with or supports newer runners. After the run we usually have a coffee with friends in the park cafe which helps to acclimatise me to normal and healthy social interactions. The men seem to be in a more supportive role while the women talk animatedly and continually. It’s all good fun and a powerful antidote to feeling down. That’s the benefit of running with others of mixed ability and particularly women. You take your performance less seriously and enjoy yourself more. Men tend to be more fixated with performance, times, distances and superlatives. Anything to help us achieve a healthier perspective must be a good thing.
WE have been talking about Peter Tatchell, the human rights and gay rights activist. His lifestyle is rather less than luxurious and is completely commensurate with his ethical beliefs and values. He has created the Peter Tatchell Foundation ( PTF ) which is well worth looking at online. We’ll probably make a monthly donation. The man should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Alive and Running 