I tend to run late at night when the heat of the day is gone, less traffic is on the roads and there is less chance of people seeing this tired and pathetic figure hauling itself through Brisbane streets at 1am in the morning. I'd forgotten what Brisbane sounds and smells like late at night and how friendly late night pedestrians can be - The last few nights I've had conversations with total strangers in the wee small hours of the morning. Currently I'm on my own in the house for the next few days and will spend most of my time reading and hobbling and waiting to get back out there... the physical can be a great remedy for insomnia of course. So if anyone knows of a great pain killer and muscle relaxant rolled into one, let me know. I'm hoping I can plug in my iPod and hit the Brisbane bitumen again soon.
Running allows me to kill two birds with one stone as I do the physical thing ( which if you saw me, you'd agree I need to do something), but it also allows for the mental sifting and re-evaluating that I'm desperately trying to work through before teaching starts again next year. I'd like to be in shape both physically and mentally for my students and am hoping this year shapes up better than this one gone. Last year, someone who was close to me accused me of being highly competitive - and maybe she was right to a degree - but only with myself. And I have to admit I was quietly chuffed when I saw the academic scores come out the other day and how well we'd placed. So yes, I am a competitor and this is the year I'm determined to wear out rather than rust out. Now its all down to the two questions I ask myself each night after pounding the pavements - "What did I achieve today?" and "How could I have done it better?"
Burn brightly, Pete
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