I went downstairs to leave yesterday for my long run with Fi and it had just started to rain – I was tempted to just run in my vest and shorts anyway, as I was a bit late! But then raced upstairs to get a rain jacket at the last minute – a decision I was glad of as within 15 mins of the heavens opened to a torrential downpour – that didn’t let up! It felt very cleansing and was a run we will both remember, because of the warm summer rain and the beauty of the Downs, wild and expansive – but also a memorable run because of the dialogue – Fi and I tend to have conversations of the ‘working it all out’ variety, a characteristic that was often criticised in me in the past, when I was working out how to be comfortable being me - ‘You think too much/analyse too much/are too much!’ But with Fi (@runningfreemag) I never feel too much and it feels like we might well have been working things out for lifetimes! I have been passionate about the human condition and the stories we create – interested in literature and writing since I was a child – and I love running because the act of moving along allows for accessing the deepest self, surrendering away from the thinking mind and allowing the ideas to simply flow, letting go any internal editing. We grow through authentic truthful one-on-one dialogue and we need relationship for our essence to connect and be seen and understood by another. When we are running there is no other distraction – no TV or computer or ‘things to do’ – no exit from the other or from yourself if you are alone.
Twenty-first century living offers much opportunity for exit, from one another, but essentially from ourselves and people will go to great extents to avoid facing the truth about themselves and being present and with themselves and others and the planet – the buddhist Jack Kornfield observes it thus: ‘In a society that almost demands life at double time, speed and addictions numb us to our experience. In such a society it is almost impossible to settle into our bodies or stay connected with our hearts, let alone connect with one another or the earth where we live.’
That’s one of the reasons why I love to run! It is impossible to forget the earth on which we live and respect her power but also remember her need for respect and be open to receive her gifts, remembering that we ignore the universal and natural laws at our peril! I am fortunate to live on the edge of the South Downs – which yesterday were empty except for a lone fellow near Birling Gap, two other runners changing in the loos at Birling Gap having finished their run, a couple of people walking their dogs – and then as we ran up the hill towards Friston Church, Julie @Jchrisho and Matt appeared – Julie hadn’t gone back to get her rain jacket and was dressed as I would have been! But she looked very happy and like she was loving her running and relishing the warm summer rain on her body!
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