Therefore with Angels and Archangels

I miss Park run. I miss it for lots of reasons. The collegiality, the dogs, the people. But there is something else.

Maybe it's because I am just a little older but I have discovered that I am not running as quickly as I did when others were there. When park run was happening I could do the 5 kilometres in just under half an hour. I have been unable to repeat these dazzling times of late and I think that it is more than just old age.

I need others to spur me on. My pride was piqued because I saw people half my age going twice as quick and that was a catalyst  for me to find that extra something. To put on that little burst of speed.

But the Park-run folk did something else. As I toddled around there were numerous murmurs of encouragement. The odd nod or ‘Hello’. Breathless, I could only grunt and hope I didn’t sound rude. As you got to the end there was always someone there to say ‘Well done… Good job’ and give you the magic bar code which helps record your time.

I am firmly convinced that it was this positive invigoration that helped me get such great times in the past. Of course, like any child or adult I’m going to do better when I get a hearty cheering on.

In my little life there have been many times when I have been convinced that others have cheered me on from their place ‘on the other side’. This has been particularly potent in my darker patches. Always this cheering comes unbidden, as a welcome surprise. But then I should not be astonished. After all I am the guy who several times a week says ‘therefore with angels and archangels’.