You never know

I ran past a bus stop this morning, and someone had drawn two Snoopy dogs, one big and one small (with their finger I guess) in the condensation on the glass.

It made me smile.

It got me thinking that whoever drew them must have known that the condensation on the glass wouldn't last long, only until it warmed up a bit. They therefore had no idea whether anyone may or may not see their little piece of art.

But I did, and it made me smile, and brightened my morning.

That reminded me of a conversation I had with someone earlier this week. They told me that the last time we spoke (last week), I listened to them and asked a couple of questions about a challenging relationship they were having.

They said that after our chat, they went back and saw the person in question, and on the spur of the moment they decided to do something that I would say was extremely compassionate and a gift to their challenging friend.

Now I don't know how much my questions and my listening helped cause that generous act of compassion, but maybe they did.

My point is that you never know how much your little artistic gesture or your gift of being interested and just listening to someone else, can make a difference to someone else's day, or even life.

Freshen it up

Another blog post on a weekend run.

Wet, but really enjoyable this morning. I was surprised how many people were out on the golf course in less than ideal conditions.

My thoughts on my 2-miler this morning drifted to how I need to freshen things up every once in a while.

Even when something is working really well for me, if I just keep doing it and forget to check in every now and again, it becomes a bit "ho hum", and the same old same old.

So, on my run I came up with the idea of keeping a freshness gauge of between 1 (distinctly stale and past its "use by" date) and 10 (just picked and bursting with flavour).

I realise that this is quite a topical post, as the UK government have just decided to get rid of "sell by" dates, as manufacturers have been using them to get people to throw away perfectly good food and buy more of their products.

But "use by" dates, which stop people consuming produce that could negatively affect their health, will still be very much in evidence.

My freshness gauge can apply to my runs, my relationships (family, friends, clients and colleagues), my writing, in fact almost any aspect of my life.

What about you?

What in your life is slipping down the freshness gauge and nearing its "use by" date?

What could you do to freshen it up?

What will you do to freshen it up?

More than one answer?

It occurred to me on my run this morning that I have more thoughts, ideas and "stuff" that I feel inspired to record in my blog on my weekend runs than on my weekday ones.

Is it because I generally go out a bit later on my weekend runs (this morning it was almost 10 o'clock)?

Is it because I often go a little bit further? (Although today, for example, it was only just over two miles.)

Is it because I tend to vary the route slightly more on a weekend run?

I don't really know the answer, but then I don't think that it's necessarily that important to have the answer.

The most important part, I believe, is to have the initial spark of awareness, and then to feed it by being curious enough to leave the question open.

After all, once you think you have an answer, in my experience it becomes "the answer", and you lose the openness to realise that there might actually be more than one answer.

600 in the bag

So, that was run number 600 and a damp mile-and-a-bit at that.

It seems funny to think that my 14-year-old daughter, who is now closer to her 15th birthday than her 14th, was still twelve when I started my run a mile each day experiment.

My running log on my iPhone also tells me that although it's a mile each day, I have actually run over one thousand three hundred miles since the year 2010 started.

So, while the rain continues to fall, it can't dampen my mood.

It definitely feels like a milestone and one worth celebrating. I think I'll do that with a cappuccino with a good friend of mine in my favourite coffee shop shortly.

Roll on 31st December. I think that two years feels like the next major milestone.

Well done indeed

I was shuffling up a steep(ish) hill on my run this morning when I said hello to a man walking down the hill.

His response was "Well done".

Just those two words gave me a lift.

Isn't it amazing what a simple little thing like a smile, a word of encouragement or congratulations can make?

Anyway, it got me thinking that it is well done to get out there and run in the morning. There are so many people I come across who say "I must get out and run" or I really should exercise.

Each day I go out and run is an achievement. Although I don't want to break my "run" (which is currently at 597 days), there is always a reason why "I would rather not go now", "maybe later" or "what would it matter if I missed one day?".

So, if you've run today, even if you've never run before, well done to you. You have done something worthwhile and I, for one, congratulate you.

"Well done indeed!"

Anything is possible

It was day 591 this morning, which is quite exciting.

600 consecutive days, which I should complete on 23rd August, all things going to plan, feels like quite a big milestone.

After my fairly downbeat post on Friday, this morning I had a really nice (slow obviously) run to pick up the car, which we left at a friend's house after having dinner there, and going slightly over the alcohol threshold whereby it was safe to drive.

Anyway, rather than go the most direct route I chose the more scenic one, down unmade roads, across the Tunbridge Wells Common and through a couple of small parks, which took me just over 2 miles (long distance for me these days).

Despite the slowness of my pace and the niggle in my knee, I felt terrific.

I remembered this morning why it is that I run, and how important it is to my life.

I just had the feeling while I was running that anything is possible. It's something that running gives me probably more than anything else.

I couldn't put a price on that.

Slowly does it

It's been a very long time since I last recorded my progress, thoughts and challenges around my Mile Each Day experiment.

I'm still going, although not strong, at least without a break, having completed day 589 today.

It's all been quite frustrating as the damage I did to my left knee way back in May is still with me, if anything worse now than it was in the first few weeks after I hurt it.

So I'm plodding on, doing my minimum mile-and-a bit, very slowly every day.

I'm just waiting for some physiotherapy that should be starting in the next few weeks.