Seeking Together...
Today was another blowy, blustery day. We woke to grey clouds, and even some rain! I reckon this wind will chase the clouds away, I commented, as we set off to run...
'Do you...?' Anadi sounded doubtful....
Today I was also glad to have decided 'not to run a race...'!
Some months ago, I had entered the 13k ridge run, which was taking place this morning...
Yesterday when we were on our beautiful blowy, wild and windy walk, I said, 'do you know, the absolutely last thing I want to do in the morning is race a 13k ridge run!' Anadi was very happy, he doesn't like racing, and takes part sometimes as a way to see the scenery, and because I am racing... His reckoning is that he might as well...
So when retuned from our hike yesterday, I withdrew from the race....
Phew...
I was reminded of the occassion of not running the Medoc marathon, some years ago... It is a marathon where 'wine tasting happens' along the route... This seemed a good race for me to run, and my friend Simon to wine taste as he ran!
Si is a wine expert, a sommelier, who owns Ten Green bottles in Brighton where we are launching 'Girlfriend for a year', which Si also edited...
I couldn't go to the medoc race at the last minute... So our friend Athena Jane took my place, with the intention to go along 'not to run a marathon'...!
I am not sure when the next 'not running' occurred, but the plan shifted to them going to watch rather than run the race...
But they got lost en route and missed the start...
So in the end all of us 'did not run' the Medoc Marathon....
Today, as we set off for our training run, we met the runners coming the opposite way to us, all making their way to the stadium for the start. There was a lovely atmosphere of anticipation, music playing, a PA system set up, with announcements ringing out...
And still not one part of me wanted to be taking part!
I am happy to have my own plan, my own a goal, it means I choose races that support this, and I train in a way that suits me...
Today I thoroughly enjoyed my run with Anadi; and as we ran the wind did blow all the clouds away and the sun came out!
We finished our route down the last 2k of the race, which meant we could spectate and cheer the runners in, as they battled into the head wind!
I was inspired watching the runners...
I could feel the fun of the stretch, seeking to attain the best possible performance my body can do when I choose to put it on a start line...
YesterdayI looked up the 2015 5k rankings, and I discovered that my race on Saturday has ranked me equal 41st in the UK for over 55 year old women...
I am much encouraged... it feels that I have only just begun...
This is why I find living on this planet such fun...
It is just a game, everything is an illusion and we are creating and making it all up from the inside out...
And so a new line in the sand... Trying to run faster than before, can give the same delight and focus and fun whatever time we are trying to beat...
In the same way when we were young, we might have been with a friend, and just for the fun of it said
'I'll race you to the gate...'
It is always remembering that we are choosing this, that if we don't want to run a race, or any type of 'metaphorical race...'
Be that a job or a relationship or anything at all...
There is no 'have to'...
This is our life, we are creating it, if there is a 'have to' this is our own mental creation..
The flow within will never feel like a 'have to'...
It will feel fun to stretch to discover, to find out...
Competer in Latin means to seek together...
This is what we are doing, when we endeavour to attain the highest possible outcome... We are seeking together to find out what is possible...
