Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Janathon Day 5: more wreckage

Janathon Day 5: Walk 11.76km, Time 2hrs 45min, Weather raw but bright


What do you think of when you are running?
This is a question I constantly ask myself yet never manage to answer. Mostly there is just a stream of thoughts with nothing that can later be recalled.  The very best moments happen when there is nothing - a blank and I am at one with the activity. I like the emptiness but this state is rare and fleeting. However it is one of the reasons I run (or rather, given my dodgy knee at the moment, like the idea of running).
Walking should be different as the gentle pace is meant to induce contemplation, and as there are so many accounts of people having flashes of insight or solving problems, I know this must be the case. But for me - no. It is still the same stream of nonsense punctuated by random observations. However I there are more observations - when walking I deliberately look around, whilst when running I am often looking inward, just keeping going.
Today there was some impressive pet action to look at. An area I walk across has a ring of trees about the size of a running track. As I was approaching a magnificent boxer rushed past on its way to run two speedy laps before trotting off to join his master. Whilst he was running a couple of squirrels skittered about in panic before climbing out of danger but the dog wasn't interested in chasing them he was only interested in his 800 metres.
Now I know greyhounds do this for a living but nevertheless I was impressed.
One of the other things I saw though made me fell a little sad. Today's picture is of a wrecked boat. The same boat I saw on Day 3, when it was a fully loaded home. It is now abandoned, probably after hitting some ice. Our very own Titanic - a casualty of the winter.
I am getting worried that this blog is beginning to develop a theme of wreckage and destruction.  Tomorrow I must really make an effort to photograph something shiny and whole.

3 comments:

Misty2k said...

It's funny. I read your blog and thought, "Oh I know what I think about, I think about... ermm... oh... actually I can't think what I think of." Clearly I am focused and in the zone *ahem*.

buryblue said...

Like the photos and the scuttled boat. I liken what I think about during running to thoughts I have during dreams. Sometimes great problem solving/ sometimes nonsense such as glam rock and high heels today! Recalling the thoughts is the difficult part for me

Anonymous said...

I have a similar boat pic from the weekend. Mine is encased in ice and doesn't look like it's inhabited so not half as sad as this one. May I suggest some kind of fluffy animal for tomorrow?