2011 Streak 78/365: Spring

2011 Streak 78/365: Walk - 4.77 miles, Time 1hrs 30min, Weather - Blue skies

Think of springtime and you might think of lambs gambolling, cherry blossom, or the first cut of the grass. It could be many things but daffodils should definitely be on the list. I love the banks of yellow that suddenly appear. So for today we have a spring picture.

There is very little more to say - the air felt fresh, the sky was blue and it not only felt like spring, it felt great to be outside and breath it all in. I know few people who can resist the pleasure of such days.

The walk itself was very relaxed but it had a purpose. We are about to decorate the kitchen and so needed some supplies. Instead of taking the car - we walked. Before this year that would not have been the case but now the idea is to walk wherever possible

We are now consciously thinking about how we get about. It is one of the consequences of this streak.

2011 Streak 71/365: Not quite Italy

2011 Streak 71/365: Walk 3.5 miles, Time - 1hr 10 min, Weather - sunny and springlike

At the end of the Italian Job the thieves's coach is delicately balanced over the edge of a precipice. Could they save themselves? Could they save themselves and the gold? What was Michael Caine's idea? Who knows (though there was a competition in 2009 to find a solution to the problem)

I thought of that as I saw this line of parked lorries overhanging the canal. Of course, this being Hertfordshire, where we don't go in for extremes, the overhang is very slight. Nevertheless I can idly daydream.

In fact the whole morning felt extremely playful. The weather was mild and sunny and it felt like the first day of spring. It was as if everybody had thrown away their winter coats and come out to exercise, play and have fun. Boys were playing rugby, people of all ages were playing tennis, in the area of the open air gym there was a group of women doing outdoor exercises, along the canal there were plenty of runners and cyclist, and from the playground came the chirrupy sound of children running about and enjoying themselves. 

One of those days where you breath in deeply and think 'it is good to be alive'.

Blossom, Sheep and Being Back Outside

Sometimes writing these posts clarifies my mind. When I wrote about the gym being a fitness factory with an ethos of targets and attainments i.e. being like work, I realised how strongly I believe that treating exercise as an end in itself is wrong. It isn’t. It is a gateway to other deeper, more satisfying pleasures.

I do not run to get fit. I run because it opens my eyes, helps me think more clearly, enhances my sense of self and gives me a feeling of (quite unwarranted) satisfaction. Being fitter helps me run better and is therefore desirable but it is only a part of the experience. The ultimate aim is to unite physicality with imagination (without trying to sound too poncey and pretentious).

A lot of the time this does not happen because either one of the mind, body or surroundings is wrong. But sometimes it all comes together and it makes me feel like a new person (and believe me feeling like a new person is something I really appreciate). Knowing these moments happen keeps me going through the duller times.

Trying to rehabilitate an injury in a gym is one of those duller times and writing about it made me realise that spending too much time thinking about the state of my leg is one of the more futile uses of the brain. The body might be OK with endless indoor rehearsals but the mind will only be satisfied when it is outside, feeling the air, sensing the space, and looking around at the changing landscape. Only outside is there is a chance of rediscovering that feeling of connection, especially at this time of year when things change from day to day. Blossom comes and is then blown away, lambs grow at incredible speed and the trees become full and there are different shades of green.

I am not too bothered about how fast I am running or how far I go. I just happy that I am easing myself back and can bookend this post with two pictures from my last run