Rule The World...
Saturday
I was standing choosing my pud, hot figs in syrup with cream cheese... Which I have developed a penchant for while here...
When Katie appeared to give me my 'winnings'
'Rule the world' had won on the grand national... I had the horse chosen for me by Malcolm this morning, and wasn't there when the results were announced!
The last time I collected winnings on the grand national was when Corbiere won in 1983
I haven't even watched it for years and years...
But winning with 'Rule the world' feels a good omen... When Corbiere won, it also felt significant ... Because he set a record 'first' for his trainer Jenny Pitman, and she was the first woman to train a Grand National winner.... Since writing my blog, I have been alerted by Mel, a fellow runners from the 80's who I re connected with at the master X country champs in Bath recently, that having written Jenny Pitman was the only woman to train a Grand National winner, that this isn't true! Many apologies to Venetia Williams who trained the 2009 winner, Mon Mome...
It is fun to find meaning in things, in the chaos of this world we are navigating! Where in truth nothing means anything at all... But we can look at things through whichever filter we choose to and take our life this way or that...
Ha ha... Rule the world - the way to go...! But then we are all living in our own world, and ruling our own world is empowering, as I often say to my clients, and anyone who will listen, let's become the chess board rather than a piece on it which can be moved hither and thither...
Let's all rule our own world...
On Friday seven of us clambered into the mini bus with Malcolm who drove us to Cala Mesquida, the other side of the island...
Francis Emily and Louis came along for the ride, and Catherine, Tony, Gary and I were all set for a session on the legendary sand dunes...
We journeyed for two hours in driving rain, beautiful Mallorcan countryside being washed clean as we splashed along the highway to our destination
Piling out of the mini bus we felt frozen!
Francis and Emily went for a coffee, and the rest of us made our way in the wind and cold - thankfully no rain now - down to the sandy dunes beside crashing turquoise waves... The scenery was spectacular...
Over a wooden slatted bridge, which crossed the river , clambering under it to make our way to the sand dune circuit and the forest...
We warmed up through the woods and along what seemed like a river bed... Louis had run the circuit with us and decided to head back to the bus, Tony went to run his own extended dunes and Malcolm, Gary, Catherine and I were left to run our sand dune relay....
I loved it...
I followed Malcolm on the first interval, and got the giggles sinking into the sand, running as hard as I could, trying to step in his foot steps...
'Stop giggling' he called, as I giggled until the challenge to breathe became too much to giggle as well!
Malcolm handed over to Gary and I handed over to Catherine... A rest while she ran and then my turn again...
Three reps was plenty...
I am still recovering... Saturday evening...
And I have to run a 10k tomorrow....!
Race Day....
The atmosphere was wonderful... A women's race!
There were some men, but they were meant only to pace the women, so essentially there were thousands of women all running along the road together...
The sun shone, the course was flat and fast... But I wasn't!
I know from days gone by that I don't respond well to running hard sessions close together, and so this morning when I woke up I knew I didn't have a fast race in my body...
Anadi hasn't been well, and he could feel it in his chest this morning and so I left him at the hotel and ran around the course in just over 46 minutes...
There was simply nothing more in my body!
But I had a lovely morning and it the slower time was worth the fun of the experiences last week... Afterwards Katie, Tony and I sat in the sun chatting and having a drink...
They were going straight to the airport...
'I don't want you to go' I said ! 'I have become used to you'!
We laughed about my 'separation anxiety', one of the hazards of my nomadic existence is always saying goodbye...
But the positive of this is that this means I am always meeting new friends on the path...
I am also always saying 'hello'...
