I was a little late for my Junior parkrun duties this Sunday gone. Timing was a bit critical, not to suggest any major planning had gone awry, simply that circumstances ensured delay. A route I'd not run in a while, across one field in particular that doesn't normally present a problem, until I arrive to find it full of 2m high corn. I went 'in' and emerged the other side almost on target, but drenched. I giggled all the way through, feeling a little Ray Mears (not Bear 'the cock' Grylls) as I picked my route across, using the sun for guidance...and the path!
And the other real reason for my delay, I stopped to take loads of photos to try and capture the childish fun I'd just had. Photography is a bit like that...capturing the moment, or not, as the case seems to be! Not much running around last week, and now it seems this week is almost over. I've been snapped at by dogs twice, once on the hand and the other on my shoe. The first was accompanied by a "sorry, he's never done that before" and the other "it's ok". I suggested it wasn't. It's becoming a little tiresome and makes me just avoid the park.
Which brings me back to Junior parkrun. Once again I was accosted by two people, dog walkers actually, one of whom told me how "disgusting" it was that we make kids run, the other moaning that it interrupted her walk. It's fair enough that people have their opinions about stuff, yet parkrun is such a modest and innocent intrusion. Maybe it's just the flip side of my moaning about the dogs. But as a rule, most runners don't show their teeth, snarl, bite and make you genuinely fearful for your safety...or shit on the path. But it's ok.
