Saturday 30 December 2023
I ventured out in my car today to a friend's birthday lunch. Although I'm almost reluctant to leave the animals in my care for too long, I managed to keep the visit relatively short and break the almost cabin fever.
When I started running in 2005, it was going to be a means of getting fit for a 100 mile hike with my sisters. Running always seemed like a lonely sport and I was more of a team player. But little did I know that I would meet life long friends. And some unlikely ones too. The birthday boy is one of those type. He's a loud, opinionated German who has a heart of gold, if he likes you. I think I passed his test. Through the years my sister had a lot more to do with him that I have, but he's one of those who I can immediately chat with, so he's a keeper.
He introduced me to the concept of tree surgeons, and yes it's a real thing. He studied in Germany and in Britain where there's some parts of woods and forests which are no-go areas due to lodged 'live' bombs in the treetops from the Second World War. Unfortunately his skill has become defunct in South Africa where anyone can wield a chainsaw, so he's studied coaching.
The guests at his party were all runners, and a lot are his clients. It was interesting hearing all the different stories of races and goals, and I thought about friendships formed while building up a sweat in lycra. I often feel like an imposter when these runners chat and talk about crazy distances and their speed, but it's still fun for me. Right now my focus is on building up my fitness though and I don't have any big races planned. Other things, like travels and road trips have taken priority the past few years.
Rusty was super happy to see me on my return and gave me a lopsided grin. Pity he's aware of the camera lens pointed at him and ruins the perfect shots, haha.
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