Both Were Doing Good

I was rather grimly plodding up a hill when I was passed by two people coming down. The first was a girl, probably about twenty who bounded down with speed and grace. Her whole body was at one as she made adjustments for the uneven surface and moved slightly side to side to find the best place to land her feet. There was grace and natural elasticity in her movements and her face was in repose as if it did not require too much conscious effort. The second person down was a man in his forties running much more slowly. His legs were straight and stiff and the whole of his body was in tension. Whether he was scared to let go, worried that he might slip and fall if he went faster, or whether he was just a stiff runner doesn't matter, the fact was he was not making those micro adjustments needed when going down hill. You could see the effort on his face and his look was serious, a bit grim and full of concentration.

Both these people were doing good (I have this general rule that anybody I see out running is doing good), but oh how I wanted to be like that first person, fluid, at ease with my body, almost gliding but oh how I knew I was much more like the second.

That's what its like you have to accept what you are and work with it but by doing this you are in a better position to appreciate others. I love watching people who run well with good balance and posture. The girl who passed seemed graceful and have a sense of harmony.

“Athletics is still a good sport for the young” Steve Cram wrote, months ago at the height of the Dwain Chambers controversy. At the time I read those words almost as a cry of pain, that he felt he needed to justify his sport when all the talk was about drug misuse, cheating and cynicism. But when I look at someone running well, at ease with what they are doing , their mind and body engaged, it is a simple statement of fact “ running is a good sport for the young”.