Interruptions Welcomed

We spent the weekend in Manchester but getting there was something of an ordeal as we were caught in not one but two tailbacks caused by multicar crashes. A three and a half hour journey took five and there was nothing that could be done, except listen to the radio and look at everyone else as we inched our way along.

So it was back home and out into the open for the freedom of a run. No hold-ups no limitations apart from the frailty of my body. But then I came to this sign on the canal. Traffic control - what is this?

Beyond the sign were two men sat a couple of hundred yards apart, each dressed in a high viz yellow suit and each holding a long stop/go lollipop pole. They were just waiting for any passing barge to stop it whilst other people were working on the overhead electricity cables. I stopped and had a brief chat with one of the men, commenting on what seemed like a pretty stress free job. Controlling a boat travelling at walking pace is just a little less fraught than the M6 on a busy day. "yeah" he said "it is a bit of health and safety gone mad, though if one of those cables did slip it could whiplash back and kill you." I took my chance and passed underneath - nothing happened.

Except that in a way that interruption and a later attempt to take of photo of a heron saved my run. Before then my legs had felt very heavy. I don't know why but everything was an effort and all my attention was focussed on the struggle to keep going rather than the pleasure of being out and the beauty of my surroundings. After the first stop a I smiled internally and remembered my road trip and compared it to my peaceful surroundings. I stopped worrying about my aches. After I saw the heron I stopped and tried to stalk it. It flew away a couple of times but I eventually got a picture. I then realised that I was having fun being outside and the run was just a means of getting me there and so I looked around with more attention. Later on a jay flew across my path and my enjoyment meter ratcheted up a little more and so all in all I had a good time.

It just goes to show how much of your running is done in your head.