Jogging 1

 

Jogging

 

I had my first jog shortly after I got married.  Since then it has never ceased to amaze me that when I pass people I feel like the invisible man.  I may smile and nod, but most people just ignore the poor jogger.

 

We lived in rented accommodation in Edinburgh for several months after we moved back from England, then we moved temporarily into my sister Isabel’s flat also in Edinburgh before moving to East Calder. When I used to go out jogging in Linlithgow and Warwick, I managed only about one to one and a half miles, and I hated it.  I persevered believing I was building up my stamina.  After we moved temporarily into my Sister Isabel’s flat my brother-in-law Gordon (married to Pat’s younger sister) who trained in Karate too, went out for a jog with me.  You have to understand Gordon could run whilst the best I could manage was slightly faster than a smart walk so it was difficult for him having to slow down for me.  It was nighttime when we went out and off we set.  We were talking as we were jogging which was unusual for me being used to going out on my own and being really tired after my usual one to one and a half miler.  I lost track of the time and could feel myself getting quite tired. When we got back I felt the colour draining out of my face with the effort and much to my surprise we had been out for over an hour.  Next day I followed the route in my car and much to my surprise discovered we had done over 6 miles.  I realised then how much the mind responds to what we do in a positive or negative way and how effective positive distraction can be.

 

When I lived in Warwick, Gordon had moved from the karate club we had both trained in, and he went to train with Jimmy Pace who I had only once before met briefly at a joint training session in Leith, Edinburgh. The reason I mention this under jogging is that Gordon trained at the club every session that was available and in these days, they used to train on a Saturday, finishing off with a jog for those who were interested.  The first time Gordon went out on the jog he took his bus fare with him just in case he couldn’t manage back such was Jimmy’s fitness and stamina.  When I moved back to Scotland, I too started training with Jimmy who was a superb Instructor and a genuinely nice person.  I made the mistake of meeting him and Gordon for a jog one summer when the club was closed for the holidays.  The first time was at Newhaven Park in Leith, there was Gordon and I who were both wearing running shoes and then there was Jimmy.  In the comics I used to read as a boy there was a man called Alf Tupper who if memory serves me correctly  was a brilliant “working class” sportsman who had absolutely no airs and graces about him, happy to tuck into fish and chips out of a newspaper, he wore boots, baggy shorts and whatever he had when he trained.  So here was Jimmy wearing a big pair of boots and baggy shorts, he didn’t care what he wore, his heart and mind were in whatever he was doing, the ultimate test to push himself as hard as he could.  He to me was just like Alf Tupper.  We set off on our jog, Gordon was as I mentioned a good runner, he just danced about whilst old puffer me got going.  Jimmy jogged beside me, and I thought maybe I wasn’t as bad as I thought until Jimmy just opened up his stride and left me as if I was just standing still.  Of course, they didn’t abandon me much as I am sure they wished that they could.  I went out with both of them again (fool that I was), this time we went around Arthur’s seat.  Arthur’s Seat is a park beside Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, it is a beautiful Park which has a steep road and paths.  Off we set heading up the steep road and I have to tell you it was for me very hard work.  We got to the top of the hill where the road levels out and eventually starts to go down hill.  I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief knowing the end was in “sight” and I could manage without disgracing myself. Of course, this was as it turned out purely wishful thinking on my part.  We were reaching the part of the jog where the road started to decline and all I had to do was relax and let the decline do the work when Jimmy pointed out a path on our left which much to my chagrin headed up! I had read about joggers and runners hitting the ‘wall’. This is where they come to a psychological wall where they feel they cannot go any further and I felt that, it was a horrible feeling and I had to wave to Gordon and Jimmy to tell them to continue as I slowed to a fast walk.  I soon managed to start again but it was a most unpleasant feeling.