Happy beacons

Day 99. Went out much later, and on my own, this morning after my early business breakfast club.

I ran past Happy Valley and the Beacon, which got me thinking.

What would it be like to live in Happy Valley? I know for certain that the sun doesn't always shine there.

What an inspiring thing a beacon is, showing people the way, lighting their path!

Maybe that's why I find running uplifting?

So, my intention for today is to be a beacon for others and to spend my day in my own hypothetical happy valley. What fun I hope I'm going to have.

Running is possibility

After my run this morning I was remembering back in 1987 (a couple of careers ago) when I made the jump from a permanent IT role into a freelance one.

I knew then that if I hadn't been doing my lunchtime runs in Regents Park that I most definitely wouldn't have had the courage, the belief, the energy and the vision of possibility to take the leap and the risk.

So if I hadn't run, my life would look very different to how it does now. Running definitely helps me look at the world through the lenses of possibility.

Brushing teeth and money

A couple more miles this morning, dodging the potholes and across the deserted golf course. Haven't seen the almost-barefoot runner in the Vibram Five Fingers again although I'm keeping my eyes open.

My five miles yesterday morning don't seem to have had any ill effects, even in my worn out running shoes with little to no cushioning or stability support.

It's funny but I would almost rather not brush my teeth now than forfeit my morning run.

Only three more days until my 100th consecutive day of running a mile, assuming I can negotiate any obstacle that may arise.

I started an enquiry this morning about my relationship with money. What I found interesting was that I realised it is very similar to some early relationships (about 40 years ago now) with rather unreliable girlfriends.

I wonder what the impact of that is?

Rosie's off again

Easter behind me, my 55th birthday too, and my 96th day of running a mile each day. In fact I totaled just over five and a half miles this morning and my legs felt it.

I can't believe that Rosie Swale Pope is off again, this time running 27 marathons in 27 days around England and Wales to raise money for children's hospices.

1st day of 4th month

OK. This feels like a milestone.

Today was my first run of my fourth month of running a mile each day, so if a mile each day was a business I would have achieved my target for Q1 of 2010. After tomorrow I will have completed over a quarter of the days in the year. I had never really worked out before that the 4 quarters of the year have 90, 91, 92 and 92 days respectively (assuming it's not a leap year).

A beautiful, if cold, morning and I really enjoyed the respite from the fairly constant rain of recent days.

I'm looking forward to a fun, family-oriented Easter and birthday weekend.