June: Tall grass and birds of prey

[twittenkitten]

Hot, hot, hot. I went out at 17:30 for a run yesterday (Weds) evening in the blazing sun and by god I got hotter than I ever imagined possible.

I'm stressing about a freelance contract I'm pitching for at the moment - its something entirely different to what I've done previously. A Writer in Residence role that involves encouraging and gathering audience responses to a museum exhibition, and then creating a written response. I'm no published writer, but I do have a lot of experience in gathering people's stories and views and tidying them up into something other people can relate to. But I'm anxious. So heading out for a run seemed like an EXCELLENT idea.

Highlight was when I met a chap going the other way. Feeling angsty and stressy I looked down at my feet to avoid saying hello - some days I'm just not up for it. He got my attention though, he flung his arms wide and shouted out to me "Who'd go running on a day like this?". The camaraderie of it really cheered me up and I called back "You'd have to be mental!" 

Funny how a small, unexpected thing like that shift perspective so dramatically. The rest of my run was hot and difficult and it was glorious to be out in the sunshine, avoiding the rapidly grown hedgerow nettles and looking for birds of prey overhead as I went.

I am keeping the running really easy at the moment and doing more cycling and walking to increase my overall fitness as my physio is gently trying to dissuade me from running. I've settled on a short run out once a week, which makes my ankle ache and swell up a bit, but calms down in a couple of days well before the next foray out.