Not having my winter running gear with me n T.O., I layered t-shirts and pulled on English style running slacks hoping that would thwart the cool weather. Silly me! The first day heading out east to Cheri Beach, I rounded one corner along the harbour and with an old freighter staring down upon me, an old Gordon Lightfoot tune implanted itself in my consciousness: “when the winds of November come early”. That silly line about the lake they call “Gitchy Goomy”, became an ear worm and accompanied me for the balance of the run.
Twice a year I am summoned to London, England as a member of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Coordination Commission where we participate in three days of meetings regarding the progress and challenges of staging a behemoth sporting event. Although I have routinely flown around the world for quixotically brief sojourns, I do try to take advantage of these impractical but requisite journeys by adding on a few days of “R’n’R” if at all possible. This trip was a typical example.
My Mum was an English ‘war bride’ -- which simply means that my Dad as a good ol’ Canadian lad in the army during WWII, scooped himself a lovely English lass to bring back to the prairies – and she hailed from the sleepy seaside town of Bognor Regis in West Sussex. Fortunately for me, that means I have family still living there so whenever in the UK, I pay them a visit. My cousin Trev is an even more ardent, or is that strident, sports fan than I so it’s always a good laugh kicking about the differences between national sports. I mean come on, cricket matches that go on for 5 days and often there’s no winner?!
Being a ‘prairie boy’, the open expanse of the ocean resonates with my sense of belonging and although not an avid swimmer, I find the sea both comforting and exhilarating. Runs along the sea front are incredibly invigorating as the crashing waves and salty air speak to one’s sense of exploration, longing and adventure; or at least they do for me. Being in Bognor before the London meetings, I made sure to enjoy a couple of runs along the sea front, bouncing back and forth between the paved seawall path and the firm, exposed sandy beach at low tide. An out and back from my cousin’s place took me 3 miles west towards Selsey Bill and the beach huts in front of Aldwick, with the return 3 miles joyfully faster with a trailing wind. The Bognor Pier was a silent sentinel to the fun, although not overly demanding 10km run and as only the brave or foolish actually venture into the waters of the English Chanel in Nov, on this trip, the sands of the low-tide beach sufficed. Still, the marathon was months away so every run was adding to my base and for things one does of their own volition, having fun seems a natural pre-requisite.
The London Eye with London County Hall behind
On that run, after crossing the Golden Jubilee foot bridge, I descended the stairs into the midst of a Christmas carnival. It was still six weeks until Christmas yet already this part of the south bank was festooned with booths selling everything from Matryoshka nesting dolls to bratwurst. Having previously passed the ‘Battle of Britain’ memorial on the other side of the river, the German sausage food stand struck me as particularly peculiar. With the number of people I was trying to navigate through at a reasonable clip, the thought faded quickly and I was back in the flow of the sight-seeing run.
The Clock Tower that holds “Big Ben”
Down to Lambeth Bridge, back across the Thames, right turn and drop down into the Victorian Tower Gardens, emerging across from the Westminster Abbey, winding my way up and into Green Park, eventually making my way along ‘The Mall’, turning right onto Horse Guards road aiming for ‘Big Ben’, only to turn back up Victoria Embankment a ways before cutting off into Temple and all its associated history with the Knights Templar, arriving back at the hotel a tad winded but rejuvenated by the excursion through history. And that’s not even contemplating the engineering feats -- nay, the engineering marvels -- of Sir Joseph Bazalgette, a civil engineer whose vision is responsible for London thriving as a habitable city in the 1800’s. Who knew sewers could be so big, pun intended? I’m a fan, especially as there is a connection to Calgary and a WWII hero.
The last bit of November back in Toronto, I squeezed in one longer run of 7-8 miles, and a few two-set Spartacus workouts in the condo exercise room. Google the Spartacus workout and then try it – one day I’ll finish a full three-set workout.
