running man

I ran to work today. And by the time I got to the Bridge I was really enjoing myself. Strange, because typically I do not like morning runs. But I do them because most races start early and the option to delay a start by, say, 9 hours, is never on offer. I was running over Sydney Harbour! On the Harbour Bridge! Watching ferries and sailing ships! The Opera House to my left! And the sun overhead warm, but not yet nasty hot. Though nasty hot would not have made much difference. As with early runs versus late, I take a strange, masochistic pleasure from running when the weather is bad and it would be easy to stay at home. Bad weather as in bad-bad, such as pissing with rain, freezing cold or snowing, hail even; or bad-good, such as too hot and sunny. In London it was not unheard of to arrive home from a long run with a light dusting of snow atop a frozen beanie. In the summer I did a lap of Richmond Park in 32 degree heat. And that is what it can be like in a Sydney summer (and some; western suburbs today are expecting 40 degrees.) With no choice as to weather or not (weather - geddit?) you run on race day it is my opinion that you should not be too choosey with training days. Not that you can be tha chosey when you run 6 day a week. So I tend to run, early or late, rain, hail or shine. Though a big hail storm, one that destroy cars, or 40 degrees here on the coast would reveal the liar within. I guess the bottom lin is hat if a race event would be held then will run, and if it would be cancelled then I'll have a think.

London was great for running too. I've run past Buckingham Palace, The Houses of Parliament and the London Eye, The Tower of London, over Tower, London, Westminster and loads of other bridges, through the docklands and the royal parks. And in my less grumpy moments I realise, as I did this morning, that life is very sweet. And sweat (baddum cha'.) I tried (and, I admit, failed fairly misereably) to run in Aspen village. On snow, at altitude. Won't try that again in a hurry. I've run along the seafront at Brighton, around docks in Stavengar in Norway. I've run around piers and the waterfront of San Francisco Bay. I ran my first marathon in Paris and my second in New York. I ran along the boardwalk in Santa Cruz and the beach at Carmel. And I think I appreciate and enjoy these places more for my running. I feel somewhat like an explorer, more than I would if was walking, and certainly more than if I drive or take public transport - though those modes of transport all have their place for me. I ca now run for quite a long time at a reasonable pace. So if I see a path I've not been along before or a tun that looks interesting I will take it. I enjoy running through bush trails. I enjoy running along waterfront. I enjoy running thorugh industrial areas. Warehouses offer plenty of shade and shadey characters. If I walk I rarely stray far from mainstream paths. But I'll run anywhere. Or I'll cycle anywhere. I used t walk a lot, somrthing my bro is geting into and I follow via his blog. And I think, for me, this is a progression. Walking and running and cycling allow you get a greater experience of your environment; in hippy-speak they connect you. Or something. Damn I feel good right now.