Chariots of Fire

Vangelis is a genius. I defy anyone who hears that definitive synethesised opening score not to feel that the world lies at their feet for the taking. That they are 10 feet tall and that they are invincible.  Even if you'll never be an Olympic Champion, you feel an obligation to be your own Champion - at whatever it might be. But more than that, on hearing this score, you already are that Champion. Like I said, Vangelis is a musical GENIUS.



On Wednesday, I finally felt a little bit like Abrahams and Liddel winning their Olympic Golds in 1924 - OK so my journey is NO WAY near as epic or heroic and the stakes are not so great - but yet I am finally starting to feel a little like a little Running Champion - I am mastering the Art of the Sprint - in so much as others can recognise that I am now actually sprinting and even more so, are suitable impressed by the speed. YAY!!

I don't know whether the threat of just starting at The Running School in 8 days is making me up the ante on my running, whether I am just naturally starting to get better at running with ALL the effort and practise, or whether just getting booted out of my training funk has finally made me realise that I can and critically MUST do better, if I want to realise my ambition of looking and feeling like a TOTAL HOTTIE on my Birthday for once, which is now just 10 weeks away {never mind survive Commando Challenge - now just 6 weeks away} - eek!!

What I do know is that I'm definitely running harder; consciously running on the outside track and simultaneously trying to overtake the person in front of me, then the next runner, then even the next; even if it is only the warm up jog! Sorry ladies, not very sociable, I know, but every little counts.

It's a bizarre feeling to know I could easily coast the runs and not need to pant to recover, but instead I'm actually choosing to run faster and push myself WAY OUT of my running comfort zone, just to test what I am actually capable of now running-wise. Who am I? Whoever I am - I'm on FIRE (oh yeah - feeling the burn!!!)

I'm also relishing this exhilarating feeling of being able to overtake someone, that is someone who is abled bodied and has a full compliment of limbs, but not in a "I can beat you way" - just in a "WOW- this is what it feels like be able to overtake someone, rather than having to accept that I'll be overtaken ALL the time."

It's just how I imagine those Running Champions of old felt with wings on their feet. Lucky things - unlike they, I cannot pretend that I'm still not totally knackered by the effort involved.

Now if only I could look like so, whilst running? Pretty please!!! x

One of these days very soon I hope, I'll get back to St Andrews, but this time I plan to be running along the beach in a re-enactment of the opening sequence of Chariots of Fire. Oh yeah!!