My running this weekend has been unsatisfactory. Last minute has resulted in a couple of solo efforts just to the Mill and back, a kind of consolation run, 2nd prize, runner up, ha ha, yes, that! There is more I could have done, more I would have liked to have done, but today, Pete took my baton, so it was for him I offered my support, by driving down to Bala to watch him take part in the Bala Middle Distance Triathlon.
I'm won't go on about it, you can read it here, but I have to say that Pete was an inspiration today. He didn't achieve what he set out to do, defeated, broken almost, but he gave it everything and yet he feels it has rewarded him with nothing. This is a great quote from Pete "We all go out there and lay it on the line: "here's what I've got; time it". The
race of truth - contra la monta. And ultimately, the clock gives its objective,
scientific, empirical and cruel view: you weren't good enough pal".
Running is an honest sport. You can't cheat, you only cheat yourself, it's raw and tests both the body and the mind, it reveals the real you, and if you race, the clock is your judge. Pete has had an unsatisfactory day. He'll reflect and question, but his friends will support him, even when the evidence suggests we should leave well alone, we'll step in and take the rough with the smooth. You were more than good enough today, Pete. You were in the mix, rightly competing with the best.
There was some consolation for the day, despite hearing about cakey treats elsewhere, I found my own cakey salvation in the form of a little cake stall set up outside the Bala Leisure Centre. A piece of Apple Upside down cake and a cup of tepid hot chocolate hit the spot. It was so cold that I lost the top of half of my THC with the shivers, but that which made it to my lips had a satisfactory warming effect, along with the cake which warmed my soul. Such was my grumpiness when I got home, I somehow managed to knock a minute and a half off my Mill run. Not particularly satisfying.
