There are things our parents tell us in our formative years that you know are complete rubbish. Obviously, I can't think of any now, I probably wasn't listening, great nuggets of worldly advice sailing over my head as I busied myself creating order out of disorder in my bedroom. However, some things stuck. My mums love of colour, for example. Today she was lost in the haberdashery department of John Lewis's. I found her in wool! And earlier, a sensible discussion about what shade of white for my new kitchen.
All this reminded me of a picture I took in a Nike store of different models of trainers. I've no idea what they were, but liked the colours. I stood there trying to capture them, the vision in my head of how I wanted them to look...until inevitably a store guy came to move me on! The staff are far too friendly in John Lewis for any of that, I captured my photo only for mum to redirect me to better more colourful things to snap! But again, I knew better, instead recalling fond memories of the girl in the wool shop where I'd pick up mums supplies all those years ago!
I was reminded yesterday of a phrase my Dad would use repeatedly, constantly in fact, when he was teaching me to drive. 'Always expect the unexpected'. In retrospect, he couldn't loose. Any mistake I made, or obstacle I failed to negotiate, out it would come. Sometimes he didn't even say it, just the sniff of disapproval. There is a tenuous link to my running here. ParkRun on Saturday, I wasn't really in the mood for it. In fact half way during the warm up with Chris and Steve I'd convinced myself that I was going to sack it off.
It was cold, I was tired and hungry, I've not felt so unprepared for an effort for some time. So off we went to the relaxed and familiar 'well, ok, err...go' that somehow manages to catch us all by surprise by the total lack of occasion that is the wonderful spirit of Wythenshawe ParkRun. I've managed small incremental improvements over this 5k course in recent weeks, so part of the anxiety of this was letting that momentum slip. And off I went. Another gut busting effort, again I finished 4th. Not an indication of time, just those who turn up.
But when I regained a degree of composure and manual dexterity that allowed me to fumble with my watch. there it was...19.45. That's a full minute faster than last week and a ParkRun all time PB. Not since March 2011 have I been under 20 minutes. Well Dad, I wasn't expecting that, one of my first thoughts. I know the phrase isn't really applicable to this scenario, but never before in my running have I been so unprepared for an outcome like that. Recreating it is the issue. 12 miles on the country roads and lanes of Cheshire today, the cobbles looking like plump balls of wool, I thought.
