I was fascinated recently with Josh Kerr and his attempts to rewrite athletics history and run a mile in 3.42. He called it Project 222. That is unreal and he publicly declared he would do it. 222 seconds to run a mile. 3 x 60 and + 42. Do the math.
The world record of 3:43.13 had been held by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj ( hero of mine when I actually could run 😃 ) since 1999.
For 27 years, some of the greatest runners we have ever seen had attempted this and failed, he succeeded.
What is that to do with us mere mortals. Not a lot really or maybe if we plan and dream we all have no limits. I don’t have the answer but to dream is good and to see the completion of a fantastic record attempt is just mind blowing. It beats sitting on a couch.
So Project 3664 was a work in progress that was never planned properly, but was completed today. Not sure if Josh knows about this.
I decided to volunteer at my local parkrun as the tailwalker, the last man home, the sweeper upper, the marker collector, the official broom wagon driver. Time to give back something to the running community.
What fun exists at the tail end of the run. The buggies flying along, the dogs sniffing one another, the dog-owners looking at one another and trying to be sociable while thinking their own dog is the chosen one. Also we have those whose competitive days are over and want to take part in something pleasant and fun. Have the chats and be supported while walking. ' There will be coffee '
Be part of something bigger. Have a reason to get out on a Saturday morning. Volunteering can be good for your overall self esteem and give you a reason to be, a purpose, a sense of importance and involvement. Life exists on many levels and in so many different ways for everybody. I had a lovely morning. Thanks to my partner Aoife for the company. In Ireland a stranger is someone you have not met but after walking the 5k parkrun I now have another friend.
We were last home in 1.01.04 so I actually completed project 3664. Do the math…..!
The other volunteers were thrilled to see us. They could finally tidy up and go home..
Like El Guerrouj my days of glory are long past but my days of participating and supporting hopefully have many days ahead.
#pwr #keepsmiling
No comments:
Post a Comment