Last week after just increasing my mileage slightly, I must have just compromised my immunity and went down with a flu virus....or something....aching all over, joints, muscles, eyeballs. Nothing like the body to tell you enough is enough...so I will honour that. Took the rest of the week off but am back this week on the trails, gently running 45 mins every second day and with three weeks to go for the marathon I will give it a miss - there are plenty more marathons....if at all! But I will go up and watch the race - Jeff is still coming over from Nashville to run with his friend Vince, so I will go and give my support and it will be good to see him again and catch up his news.
But I have to say, it has been really fantastic to get back into running - there is actually nothing quite like it. I started out as a runner, then went onto triathlons, and then this big bike trip, but running is something special. I started to feel again that inner connection when running which I have not felt with any other activity......apart from meditating...... that inner peace and calmness, that freedom and happiness, that feeling of being centred. I remember a couple of sayings from my youth:
"When you run, you're free; no boss bothers you!" and
"To run is to live; everything else is just waiting!"
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I have found it difficult settling into a four walled room to sleep with all the noise around, after the three months on the road with the bike. This is a bit strange as I was always complaining about the traffic noise on the road!! Needless to say, I have pitched my tent in the forest and have been sleeping there for the past three weeks - beautiful and quiet.....and close to nature which I love. Waking up to the sound of the birds and going to sleep with the night sounds and sometimes the patter of rain on the tent top - just beautiful. I would prefer to be in my Tipi with an open fire, but that is still in storage in Zimbabwe.......soon. I had an amazing experience after the flu - was pretty much in bed for three days and on the morning of the third day emerged from the tent at 6.00am to an absolutely stunning day, and felt I was emerging from a cocoon, transformed and re-born. It was a lovely feeling.
Good news from Zimbabwe - the house is now rented out again and the dogs looked after which is a huge relief. I am still thinking of putting the house on the market and buying some land in Europe, but will wait until the New Year which will come soon enough. Will hopefully go back to Zim in December for Christmas and spend time in the mountains with the dogs, and then make a decision from there - will see what the Universe has in store for the transition of our planet around that time. "The meek will inherit the Earth".......and become custodians of it!
The Spa where I work has a little cocktail lounge - yes, strange a Spa having a cocktail lounge.....but anyway it is so. After the inspiration of Joe West at Nashville Airport, I have been playing the guitar and singing twice a week in the Lounge. They are all songs that I grew up with - ballads of the 60's - 80's - but going well and thoroughly enjoying it...and hopefully the people are too, but there have been some favourable comments. Fortunately, most of the patrons at the Spa are of my vintage and so can relate to the music.......mind you they don't make music these days like they used to in that era. That was real music - Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, Eagles, Donovan, Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Diamond, Credence Clearwater Revival, Cosby Stills Nash and Young, Neil Young aaahhhhhh! Music.
Have played a couple of my own songs too and wasn't booed, which was encouraging!!
So keeping the legs turning and the voice box turning over!!!!
