I wish... I was a cross country runner (part 3)

Put an appointment in your calendar to do the thing you wish you could do.

"I can't wait to go running again" were my exact words after The Eliminator Race last weekend. I envisioned pulling on my running trainers on Monday evening and leaping into the woods near my house.

On Monday my trainers were still drying out (I had washed them on Sunday).

On Tuesday they were nearly dry.

On Wednesday there were dry at last (hooray) but didn't have laces in them (boo). I tried to thread the laces back into the trainers but the ends were frayed and I couldn't do it, so I threw the laces away. I borrowed some from an old pair of shoes. The new laces were fat and brown and horrible but they were going to get muddy anyway. By the time I had done all this, of course, I couldn't go for a run because it was time to drive to work.

On Thursday I forgot to run in the morning and I couldn't be bothered to get sweaty and muddy again after my shower.

On Friday I started work late and finished work late and decided it was too late to go for a run.

Then it was the weekend again.

Six days. No cross country runs. Poor. Very poor. At that rate I wouldn't achieve my goal of running ten times in February.

So on Saturday I went for a run. Straight after work. I put on my clean white running trainers with the pooey brown laces and I ran into the woods. And I slipped around in the woods. And I stopped running in the woods because I couldn't breathe properly. And I ran nervously past spiky slivers of tree trunk in the woods in case I fell and impaled myself on them.

It wasn't as much fun as The Eliminator Race. There was less screaming and laughing for a start. Nobody made appreciative noises when I nearly slipped over but recovered my footing. And nobody wrapped tin foil around me and fed me cupcakes when I finished. 

I know. Unbelievable.

But it was fun in a different way. The countryside looked beautiful in the winter sunshine, a huge wild rabbit barely moved as I ran past it, and I got the same buzz from skipping over puddles and rocks as I did last weekend. Overcoming obstacles. Dashing between the trees. Breathing in the fresh air. It felt good.

It would feel even better if cross country running was a regular habit in my life; something that I do a few times a week without hesitation. 

What do you wish you could do that you keep putting off? Put an appointment in your calendar to do it.

I wish... I was a cross country runner.

I need to get back in the habit of going for a run.

I don't run very often. Occasionally to catch a train. Sometimes to catch a young person with special needs when we're playing chase. Now and then, after a few beers, I'll do a Usain Bolt and sprint home from the pub.

Last April I started going to Park Run at Clair Park in Haywards Heath with my best friend Anthony and his Dad, Steve. I went twice. Here's a photo of me overtaking a Dutchman.

It was fantastic. But I haven't been back. Not entirely my fault; I have a job that requires me to work most Saturdays.

I got into cycling instead. Which is great, and it kept me fit (until winter set in), but there's something about running that I miss: the freedom of going wherever I like, and being able to switch between the street and off-road. So much more interesting to leap over puddles and dodge rocks than pound tarmac.

I used to be a cross country runner. It started in secondary school when cross country meant four laps of the school fields. Anthony and I would train on the school grounds at the weekend. Talk about competitive! He would always finish in the top 10 and I'd finish in the top 20. 

I carried on running, or jogging at least, into my early twenties. Then adult life got in the way and I had less time and I moved to a city and excuses excuses excuses... The usual.

Fast forward twenty years (crikey) and this month I wish... I was a cross country runner.

I must confess though - I have ulterior motives...

Number 1: I am taking part in The Eliminator race on Saturday to raise money for the Barnardo's Sunrise Project in Kent, so I'm going to be a cross country runner whether I like it or not. Probably not. Not only is it off-road, it's also off-the-scale in terms of mud, water and freezing temperatures.

Number 2: I want to be fitter. I've hardly done any exercise over the winter, except walking a bit and lifting pies to my face, so I feel out of shape.

Number 3: I already love walking in the countryside, so why not run in it too. I get a boost from fresh air and views and the rawness of nature.

Number 4: I'm in good company. Virtually all of Anthony's family run. So does my sister Rachel and brother-in-law Terry. And my friend Michi has just resumed marathon running after years away from the sport. It would be nice to occasionally run with people I care about.

By the end of February I will go on 10 cross country runs. It doesn't matter whether they are long or short or muddy or dry - as long as I get back in the habit of going out for a run.

What do you wish you could do this month? Tell me, and get started today.