Marathon Mann

Its always worth it keeping your eyes open when running.  If you think about it, runners spend much more time outside around and about than average and we have the opportunity to see so much more.  This needs remembering because sometimes you see nothing because you are too focused.

After parkrun this morning, we went to Overton to reconnoiter an off-road running route to by used in our Club league next month.  This route was familiar to us since it is used in a summer race series known as the “Reindeer Romp” (named after the Reindeer Inn rather than implying the presence of any sleigh-pulling antler-wielding animals).  The route is known for its extreme up-hill struggle in the last mile and when you are racing it, there is little on your mind except the focus on enduring the pain which you know will last to the finish!

However, today we ran this course at a more sedate pace and wow, I was taken with the extreme beauty of the spot!   The views are stunning the rolling fields and woodland, green with new growth as we approach summer.

Earlier in the week, I ran a route along the Tyne which I ran a lot during the winter months while staying away from home during the week.  While
running, I realised this was the first time I had done it in daylight and I was able to see so much more.  I was surprised to see some flats and houses on the other side of the river with a riverside path in front that I had missed previously, so I ran back out in the morning to see if I can find a way because the more I can use paths rather than roads the better.  Sure enough I found the way and even was able to take a selfie with the river in the background.

It definitely is worth keeping a lookout while running and even to stop sometimes to take in the surroundings.  You may be surprised what you find.

‘The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.’  Matthew 6:22 NIVUK

 

We parked up in a layby near Methley and ran along a path of a disused railway on the Trans Pennine Trail that we call the yellow brick road because it used to be covered in a yellow gravel which has now worn away.  About a mile along we took a track to the right ignoring the “Danger, Keep Out!” sign which is OK because we do know it’s a public footpath!  The track leads past a new refrigerated warehouse which looks like a giant white cube stuck in the middle of the countryside like something out of a science fiction story.

We then picked up a public footpath up a steep slope to a farm track bridge over the M62.  We know the farm just across the bridge keeps alpacas but we had no luck in seeing them today.  The path then takes a route through the countryside heading for the deer park.  We did however see the deer today but they were far away so we kept on running.

The woodland trail the far side of the deer park is known for its bluebells and we were treated to this intense blue display which meant we just had to stop for a photo or two.

Another path led us to the Lemonroyd Marina and we followed the towpath along the Aire and Calder navigation back towards Methley.  Running through Methley we seemed to be in a scene out of Miss Marple passing the quaint cottages and Church with a game of village cricket going on next to crown green bowling.

We then ran along the Leeds Country Way which leads between fields of Rape in full bloom and this took us back to the car.

That ladies and gentlemen, is what I’m talking about!

11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
    let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Psalm 96:11-12 NIVUK

When I went out running at 5:30 AM last week, a man unloading something at the hotel where I was staying said “you must be mad”.   In my experience as a runner, you do hear this kind of thing quite a lot and I found myself wondering why what we do is so difficult to comprehend from outside the sport.

Now I grant you that running is hard and sometimes you put yourself through discomfort and pain.  The last 6 miles of the London Marathon was one of the hardest things I have ever put myself through yet I found myself desperate to do it again! When I was running the Bedford parkrun this morning, I overheard a man talking to a boy (presumably a father to his son), “it’s got to hurt, otherwise you won’t get your PB, come on, not far now, dig deep!” and the kid wasn’t being coerced, he wanted it!

Of course it’s not all about struggle and most of the time running is a great joy, you experience all the benefits of being active and fit and you see the seasons of nature through the year in a way that passes most people by.  Now I know that some runners have difficulty motivationally at times and need to discipline themselves to get out and I feel fortunate that I never seem to get that.  Sometimes looking forward to my next run dominates my whole day and in the case of the build-up to the London Marathon, even longer!

There is a scientifically understood chemical mechanism that causes the so called “runners high” which can produce a feeling of euphoria following excercise related to that experienced by a drug addict.  This is because naturally occurring endorfines associated to the runners high are related to morphine.  Although I do recognise this sensation I think that the true love of running has more to it than that, because the emotions I get last beyond that short term high.  For me, I remember a time when I lived a very unhealthy sedentary lifestyle and because of that I can fully appreciate now, what it’s like to be fit and active. I think it’s the effect that activity has on all aspects of life that appeals to runners like me who can’t get enough of it!

Am I mad? I don’t think so!

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:19-20‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬