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RE: What next eh?
I've been asked to write a short blog setting out why I run. This is for an initiative that a chap called Kevin Betts has organised to promote mental health awareness week. He is the same chap who arranged the marathon over 24 hours jaunt that OATR took part in last year.
Rather than the usual frivolous stuff, I decided to write something that captured the essence of what running is about for me. It is a little more poetic than you'll be use to reading on these here pages. But I needed somewhere to put it.
The sun falls through dappled leaves as I wait in the quiet for my running buddy to arrive. The heat is still strong after a day searing away the last traces of winter. Spring is truly here now. With a sense of nervousness I anticipate the run ahead. A path well-trodden, but that is the problem. We know how brutal the hills can be. Chalk paths climbing endlessly to the skies, legs burning, lungs rasping as we head step-by-step to the tops.
We meet and set off. Snatching conversation as our heart rates rise and breathing becomes more difficult. Chatting about this and that, consciousness fading in and out as views, memories, and the moment itself tumbles across our path. The sound of the gate closing with a metallic shudder breaks the spell and suddenly the rain starts to fall. An outpouring of grief, worry and concern cascades downwards as we climb up, up and up. The beauty of our surroundings in contrast to the tears welling up in our eyes.
But as we stand on the top, catching our breath with a sense of achievement that only comes from running, things feel better.
It’s why we run… to escape ourselves.
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