I love seeing and experiencing different places, it is the schlep of getting there that is puts me off.
I’ve got marvellous memories of places where I’ve run … and recollections of tedious journeys.
I experience discomfort not being sure I am on the correct road, and battling with map interpretation while driving quite nerve-wrecking. Added to that the worry if I’ve allowed enough time, can really turn me into a nerve ball. I found Google Maps to be a comforting blessing, provided the 100% correct destination has been specified, providing both direction and estimation of time required.
I find the monotony of white lines passing tedious. Nice scenery helps, but only to an extent. Good music adds a dimension of pleasure, but with limitations.
I dislike the anxiety of being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic while the clock is ticking; of fellow travellers taking chances, pushing in ahead, etc. The rush for available parking space can really escalate my anxiety levels.
I prefer to sleep until I naturally wake up, which is relatively early. Inevitably, depending the distance required to travel for a race, that could be one, two or more hours earlier. Instead of just cooperating, my body goes into resistance-mode.
I much liked the trail runs arranged at or near a reserve (a 'runcation'). This enables upfront travelling, arriving the day or night before, and ideally sleeping within walking distance of the start. (However, not keen on shared ablutions. Prefer a self-catering unit, within which to exercise my personal preferences and peculiarities pre- and post-run.)
I seriously considered the 2020 Run-your-City in Durban, which unfortunately got cancelled due to Covid. I would have flown, rented a car, and stayed on the Golden-Mile in order to walk to the start.
I treasure the freedom of a neighbourhood run (especially if it includes some park); at a time that is convenient to me; with zero wasted time travelling (or worse sitting in traffic).
myrun relaunched Sunday 14 February 2021, yes Valentine’s day, under the 1 February amended level 3 Covid-Disaster Management Act Regulations. We agreed to participate at a nearby venue. Set the alarm on Saturday night, but I woke up fifteen minutes before it went off. I started preparations, but when I woke Martie (my wife), I mentioned my ever-so-slight reluctance. She offered that we could do a neighbourhood walk instead, and asked what would I prefer. I weighed up ... and balanced … we slept further and done our previous (prior to blockwatch patrolling) walk, looping/snaking through an adjacent suburb. Unfortunately, Martie tripped and fell on a reasonably even, narrow tar-strip, on a sidewalk. She is experiencing serious discomfort from her bruises, as I am composing this post.
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