The phone did not ring, calling me into work and the sun was shining. What better time to go for a run? And who wouldn’t want to run here…?
Inspired by my friend Joanne who successfully completed a half-marathon on Sunday, I decided to have a crack at a 10km run today.
When I run, I don’t usually listen to anything other than the voices in my head (solving problems, coming up with blog post ideas or working on stuck song lyrics) and the sounds of nature (and bicycle bells from passing cyclists, if I’m lucky). But this morning, thanks to my friend M-R who had kindly planted a song in my brain via her morning post, some intervention was required. (By the way, as this is the third earworm she has given me, does anyone know if there are worming tablets for those?)
Musician Me knew that a good solid beat and melody were necessary and she picked a good kick off with All Is Love by Karen-O and The Kids from the soundtrack of Where The Wild Things Are.
Of course, as Writer Me knows, melody is only half of it and good words are important. (Sometimes Musician Me and Writer Me argue the point but they seemed to find some reasonable compromises today.)
Here’s a selection but don’t expect standard inspirational Rocky-type lyrics.
Somewhere back there I left my worries all behind.
My problems fell out of the back of my mind.
We’re going and I’m never knowing (never knowing) where we’re going.
To go back to where I was would just be wrong.
I’m pressing on.
Move up, move on
You blink I’m gone
We only have one life to live
I’ll live it now
You have your doubts
I’ll prove them wrong
This is the only thing I know
So here I go
If you think that hope was left behind
I picked it up a mile ago
And I am running close behind
So don’t give up and don’t let go
Our single lane bridge – a daily exercise in courtesy.
I’d rather forget and not slow down
Than gather regret for the things I can’t change now
And I did it – completed a 10km run. Admittedly, I stopped a few times to take photos, but the point is that I ran the whole 10 kilometres. I won’t be running a half-marathon any time soon but it’s probably reasonable to leave it on the bucket list.
And I may just be a convert to ‘running with earbuds’.
Master of Something I'm Yet To Discover 
Good on you. Lovely photos as well.
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Thanks, Mr G. Always amazes me what this phone of mine can churn out. I think it takes better photos than my camera (which is, admittedly, 5 years old).
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Congrats on the 10k!! I’m guessing you felt pretty proud of yourself 🙂
I LOVE your photos. It looks like a perfect place to run … unlike the city roads I call home. I have quite a drive to get to the lake for a waterfront run.
… and I always run with my iPod. The sound of my own breathing kind of freaks me out and always manages to convince me I’m going to die if I don’t stop
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Thanks, Joanne! I was pretty rapt. Of course, it wouldn’t have happened without your efforts (and M-R’s earworm). 🙂
This is just down the hill from my place. It’s a 20km loop along the river with a series of walk bridges at one end, a breakwater at the other and one footbridge and three car/foot bridges in between. So you can make your walk/run/ride as long as you want depending on which bridges you cross over. Of course, being down the hill, it’s a nice run down but a slow and painful trudge back up it at the end. 😉
It always amazes me that people on the path can’t hear me coming, sounding like a steam train full of stampeding elephants, but I do still seem to take some by surprise.
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LOL – I know what you mean by taking some people by surprise. It shocks me that they can’t hear me coming!
I’m not exactly “stealth”.
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The pedestrian section of one of the bridges has concrete panels that are a bit loose so they bang as you run on them. Yesterday there was a mother, grandmother and small child walking abreast across the bridge (and blocking the whole path) and I actually had to say “Excuse me” (twice!!) to get them to move. How on earth they didn’t hear me banging up behind them, I have no idea.
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Yup – I know that one. What’s worse is when I’m approaching people from the front – they see me coming – but they don’t make any attempt to make room for me to pass. They look rather stunned that I expect them to share the sidewalk.
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And I hate to be parentist about it but it’s often mothers pushing large fancy prams, walking three abreast, chatting with each other while their kids play on their iPhones….
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YES! It’s a universal plague!
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Congrats to you on your 10km! That’s not just a walk in the park! Well done.
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Thanks, Sue! Gotta keep the fitness up for that bike ride in Bhutan in about 10 years time…. 😉
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Let me know if you figure out a company to go with in Bhutan as we would be very interested.
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This is the one I’ve had my eye on for a while: http://www.worldexpeditions.com/au/index.php?section=trips&id=713813
World Expeditions is my adventure company of choice. I did their Community Project trip in Peru in 2009 and loved it. Been busting to do another one ever since.
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Thanks so much for the link. There goes that wanderlust bell ringing in my ear. 😊
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What have I done? I seem to be following a bunch of keep fit fans – you, Joanne, Sue! Still if you take me to places like this I don’t mind, just as long as those earworms aren’t catching!
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HAHA! Hm. I would not really describe myself as a keep fit fan. But spring has sprung and therefore so have I (to some extent). I just need enough fitness to be able to trek or bike in the Himalayas when I’m 65. Or something. 😀
Just be careful around M-R – she’s the one breeding the earworms.
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Gulp! Trek or bike in the Himalayas? Better invite Sue to join you. Perhaps she can organise/steal a couple of electric bikes for you both 😉
Thanks for the warning. I’ll just start posting religious poetry and she’ll leave me alone 😀
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😀 😀 😀
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Good on you, H ! – bloody well done, mate ! Is that path near where you live ? Doesn’t remind me of Newtown, not a bit !
What a terrific way to ease the build-up of pressures it must be, running … I have never been able to, not ever: not even when I was almost a normal size. Something to do with muscles, I think.
ANYWAY !
All I can add to this is to cry ‘LET THE WILD RUMPUS START !”, and remember that all is love …
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It’s just down the bottom of the hill from my place. (Unfortunately, that means that home is UP the hill afterwards…) The bridge photo was taken in Newtown. You just have to visit the right bit. 🙂
I think that’s why I’ve stuck with it – I love the release it gives me. Plus, it’s free and I just walk out my door and go. I was something of a sprinter as a child so I guess the right muscles were there – I just had to learn to make myself keep going past that first 100m.
[laughs] Pretty cool earworm, huh? I love that movie. It was one of those that I walked out of the cinema and would have happily bought another ticket to go back in and watch it again.
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I am going to have to get the DVD now !
I wonder if Sendak would’ve liked it …?
The photos are terrific ! – even if guilty of causing the occasional halt to the activity. 🙂
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It was Sendak who approached Spike Jonze to make the movie. Here’s what he thought. (It was Disney who wasn’t happy with it but I take that as a plus.)
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Me too ! – Disney ? PFUH !!
How lovely, H !!!
Going to find the DVD TODAY.
Thanks heaps, darlin.
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I’m off to look for the DVD too, loved it! Your side of the harbour looks OK too! Admire your stamina!
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I just watched it again today. Laughed, cried, loved it all over again. Hope you love it too!
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Well, you’ve definitely outdone me with this sort of run. My God, I’d be lucky to ride my bike this far! Lovely pix! That looks like an area I’d love to see!
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I feel immensely lucky to have it on my doorstep. That’s also the river that I row on so I know it well. 🙂
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