My memory of last October is of a dark, turbulent time, my emotions in turmoil. The nights and mornings always seemed to be dark, the weather rainy.
This year is completely different. The weather recently has been glorious and even if it’s a bit misty and the car has a slight layer of frost in the morning, by mid-morning the mist has usually burnt off and the sun is warming everything. If I put a running jacket as well as a long-sleeved top to go out running, invariably I end up too warm.
So whilst I stood shivering at the start line of Kielder 10k on October 1st, I was glad that Kerry had advised me to leave my jacket behind and I found I was just the right temperature while running – although the photos taken before show me looking a bit chilly (plus wild hair – I can’t wait for the top to grow a bit as it looks so weird). It’s such a beautiful run and every time I’ve run up there (the marathon 4 years ago; the 10k this year and last) the weather has been glorious. We also knocked 5 mins off our time this year, which was pleasing – and in fact I felt as if I could perhaps have gone a little bit faster. I’m now keen to do the duathlon and/or the half marathon. I should also mention the fantastic picnic Kerry and Kevin brought for after the race, which was really welcome and absolutely perfect. It was a great day.
Mid-week I fancied running through Gelt Woods, which I haven’t done for ages. I didn’t do the entire loop all the way down to the viaduct, but instead ran up the Black Path (a former Reiver droving route), down through the woods along by the river and then back past the former Roman quarry. I then turned to go past the farms and up towards Aaron’s Town, now out in rolling open fields where sheep were grazing under cotton-wool clouds in an azure sky.
This weekend just gone I was singing in Catterline, just south of Stonehaven (Aberdeen). The boys chose to come with me – Edward was keen to see his newest cousin, Baby Mia – I love the photo of ‘Jedi Younglings’ which her Mum, Gulmira, posted on Facebook. While I rehearsed and later performed Alex and Edward spent the day with their grandparents, cousin and uncle and aunt. As I drove down the A90 I wanted to stop to take photos of the North Sea from the hill just north of Stonehaven, it looked so lovely – not the slightest bit inviting as it will be icy cold already I have no doubt – but the waves breaking in the harbour and the blue of the sea under the sunshine-filled sky looking lovely. Sea therapy!
Stonehaven has some great shops and restaurants and I hope I get a chance to explore it a bit more sometime, but Saturday was busy with practicing. I hope Nigel, who organised the charity-fund-raising soiree, won’t mind my quoting what he said about my singing, as it was a lovely comment: “people don’t know how lucky they are to hear your voice”. I look forward to seeing some photos, and I met some great people – Morag, who stepped in to accompany; Orit, who wasn’t well but whom I immediately liked and who I hope to sing with sometime; Sheila, who sang fantastically and who I enjoyed chatting to – as well as seeing people I had met before.
I then went for a run with my ex-brother-in-law yesterday and managed 5 miles with two hills and didn’t walk at all. I was dead chuffed – and again the weather was fantastic. I’m clearly fitter than I thought I was…
As I ran through Gelt Woods the title of this blog came to mind. Funnily enough RunABC North this edition had an article about running being meditative, and Sheila and I were talking about mindfulness on Saturday. I said that running and singing are my mindfulness. With both if you’re not ‘in the moment’ then you’re not doing either to your best – both require full concentration or involvement, but it’s also possible to almost get to ‘another place’ while doing either. With both I feel my feet on the ground and my heart in the air.
And now, with a new head torch sitting waiting for use in the utility room, I’m excited about getting some night runs in; and looking forward to my next singing performance which is in Carlisle in a few weeks’ time.
runningin3time 