Berlin is approaching. Through various group chats I’m reminded almost daily. The countdown has well and truly begun and, as the miles decrease, the ‘maranoia’ increases. I’m not alone. Far from it. In this case, Shellie is also going through the same motions.
On a recent night out and after a ‘proper’ introduction, we discovered we live fairly close by. We promised to get a run in soon (ideally before Berlin whilst we were both motivated!) and that time finally came this week.
We met at Herne Hill with the plan to cover about 6 miles, casually making our way over to Dulwich and Sydenham Woods before looping back to Brockwell park.
It’s no surprise we spent a lot of the time talking about our ‘readiness’ for Berlin. We couldn’t escape the inevitable talk of the pending marathon, nor our backgrounds and how we started running and why we continue.
This is one of the things I like about talking to other runners. We all have different reasons. Different backgrounds. Different stories and aims. We all have a different purpose that pushes us to continue and different desires once that purpose has been achieved/ I think underlying it all there is often a desire to improve ourselves and seek that moment where we find we keep running simply because we enjoy running.
During our run in Dulwich woods we were welcomed by a London Wildlife Trust event. An open day if you like, activities for all the family with tours, trails and games taking place in the woods. It was so good to see such a beautiful place buzzing with activities!
We promised each other that we’d enjoy Berlin. That we’d remove any artificial pressures we might place upon ourselves. Berlin, we are coming for you!
Run With Dai 