On yer marks… 11.09.08
I’M not sure if it is a
sign of some crisis or other on their part, but many of
the newspaper reporters I know like to go running…a lot.
In fact some are even serious runners and are members of
athletics clubs even though they haven’t always been. I
remember when some of them began running I thought they
were crazy. I mean they were running at lunch-time and
that was a time for eating.
Some, I know, thought they were spending too much time
eating and not enough exercising and so they took to
pounding the roads.
It wasn’t such a problem for me. I was so skinny when I
went to the park the ducks would throw me bread.
Still I did admire their dedication and I still do – but
so far they have never managed to persuade me to join
in. |
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I once even told a serious
runner I know that I’d rather pull all my finger nails
out than go for a run because quite frankly I can’t get
my head around to even thinking about doing it, never
mind actually doing it.
The reason - well I’m not sure, but maybe, just maybe,
it reminds me too much of football training when I was
younger.
You know hours and hours of a lifetime spent running
around the outside of football pitches, it can be
disheartening you know.
Especially when you are getting lapped several times by
the one boy in the team who actually can run and who
should really be in an athletics club.
At this stage I’d better explain that I only hate
running if it means I’m doing it.
I like to watch athletics on television - the Olympics
and stuff - but I’m not such a great fan of the thought
of taking part.
Even all the new technology like ipods cannot attract me
out onto a road where I will run and run and run and
well, run.
I mean ipods are cool and all and I’m sure they might
help take your mind off the running a bit if you had
something good playing on it, but they don’t actually
help you run any better.
And I’m pretty sure they won’t stop your brain from
constantly flashing red alert signals in your head
saying – ‘Why are you doing this – you do have a car!’
Having convinced myself over the years that I’m no fan
of running, I think I’m also afraid that if I were to
take up jogging now that I’d end up like one of those
old guys you sometimes see who shuffle along, kitted out
like a jogger, but who moves slower than a walker.
A bit silly looking perhaps, but the thing is I totally
understand why they would do this as opposed to say,
just walking.
Because the whole walking thing is kinda over-rated as
far as exercise goes. I mean it’s fine if you are going
somewhere, like walking to the shop for a loaf of bread,
but walkers I know will go walking for an hour and then
drive 2,000 yards to the shop for the bread.
And as exercise strolling along apparently doesn’t
count, because as exercise it has to be ‘a brisk walk’
which I always thought makes you like you were too lazy
or too old to run. And as for that athletic walking
event – come on now folks, it looks like you are trying
to dislodge something that got stuck somewhere it
shouldn’t be. |
So I can completely
understand why, even if the legs are too tired or the
knees are too sore to actually run any more, some
runners as they get on, will still keep their dignity by
shuffling along in something that can’t be described as
walking.
I think I’d need to chalk up a few more years though
before I could get away with that and for now and
perhaps until they can invent an ipod that actually does
make it easier on the legs it remains for me on the list
of things I might try and take up one day.
If I do though I’m pretty certain I’d need to make sure
I get out early in the morning before my brain wakes up
and figures out what I’m doing… |
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A DROP OF
PORTER is
the weekly
column of
Inishowen
Independent
editor,
Liam Porter. |
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