A year on from retirement and it is noticeable that Monday looms large in the minds of those who are working. We said goodbye to the offspring and their partners last night and they made for the cities to start the week ahead. Monday doesn't hold those fears for me and to be honest, it never did; work-life balance required the stimulus of work. Mondays in retirement are probably more threatening.
Today started with grey skies and rain much like the last couple of weeks. After coffee at 7:00 a.m., I decided that I should make that faster run I had been putting off all year. So iPod loaded with the new running playlist that I had created a couple of months ago, I set off in a drizzle which was ideal for running. It was warm enough for shorts and a threadbare T-shirt. By the time I left the village half a dozen folk had waved to me probably surprised to see me back doing what I had done on hundreds of mornings over the past twenty years. The music provided the perfect soundtrack for the run, I selected the first tune and then trusted the shuffle mode.
For an uplifting start, there is little to beat the Walker Brothers with The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore! is a lot more upbeat than the title suggests and jogs you into an easy cadence. Then Radio Ga Ga, I'm on Fire by the Boss, and on to Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood - at the 3kilometre mark, I was both relaxed and on fire setting my best time for the year. He's a Rebel by the Crystals came next, a record given to me by an early girlfriend on account of my teenage behaviour, and as a peer work colleague observed a couple of years ago still apt for a sixty-something! Then Roll With It, Last Dance with Mary Jane by Tom Petty, Cafe del Mar which upped the tempo, and Spirit on the Water for some tempo with Bob Dylan's calloused throat vocals almost drowned by the stride easy backing rhythm.
As I turned and started heading back to the village, on came Cream with I'm So Glad which I had heard live in Sheffield in 1968 (the best live performance I have ever been at) and I was glad. The sun was burning a hole in the clouds to the east, the rain had stopped and I was still going at a decent pace after 9km. As I hit the asphalt, or what goes for asphalt in these parts, Keep on Running by Spencer Davies did just that and prompted another set of happy memories. I collected the newspaper and as I ran home, it was Gomez with Free to Run and the lyrics were spot on 'I've been walking for too long' which was my feeling at the end of the GR20 but..' always wanted to run'. I managed 42 minutes for 6 miles which will probably allow me to start dreaming about the 2012 Olympics. If only!
As I removed my shoes, the Mamas and Papas chorused 'Monday, Monday it was all I hoped it could be.'
Today started with grey skies and rain much like the last couple of weeks. After coffee at 7:00 a.m., I decided that I should make that faster run I had been putting off all year. So iPod loaded with the new running playlist that I had created a couple of months ago, I set off in a drizzle which was ideal for running. It was warm enough for shorts and a threadbare T-shirt. By the time I left the village half a dozen folk had waved to me probably surprised to see me back doing what I had done on hundreds of mornings over the past twenty years. The music provided the perfect soundtrack for the run, I selected the first tune and then trusted the shuffle mode.
For an uplifting start, there is little to beat the Walker Brothers with The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore! is a lot more upbeat than the title suggests and jogs you into an easy cadence. Then Radio Ga Ga, I'm on Fire by the Boss, and on to Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood - at the 3kilometre mark, I was both relaxed and on fire setting my best time for the year. He's a Rebel by the Crystals came next, a record given to me by an early girlfriend on account of my teenage behaviour, and as a peer work colleague observed a couple of years ago still apt for a sixty-something! Then Roll With It, Last Dance with Mary Jane by Tom Petty, Cafe del Mar which upped the tempo, and Spirit on the Water for some tempo with Bob Dylan's calloused throat vocals almost drowned by the stride easy backing rhythm.
As I turned and started heading back to the village, on came Cream with I'm So Glad which I had heard live in Sheffield in 1968 (the best live performance I have ever been at) and I was glad. The sun was burning a hole in the clouds to the east, the rain had stopped and I was still going at a decent pace after 9km. As I hit the asphalt, or what goes for asphalt in these parts, Keep on Running by Spencer Davies did just that and prompted another set of happy memories. I collected the newspaper and as I ran home, it was Gomez with Free to Run and the lyrics were spot on 'I've been walking for too long' which was my feeling at the end of the GR20 but..' always wanted to run'. I managed 42 minutes for 6 miles which will probably allow me to start dreaming about the 2012 Olympics. If only!
As I removed my shoes, the Mamas and Papas chorused 'Monday, Monday it was all I hoped it could be.'
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