Anything is Possible
Jane and I took photos of one another waving and waving… I was standing on the quay and she was on the ferry, sailing away from Gozo island…
She’d like to come back she said, to this shiny little pearl of bright energy right in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea ….
Back at the hotel, Jamie, my 19 year old nephew, and I changed into our running kit… We jogged back down to the harbour for our intervals session… This one planned by me…
Last week we had run a hill session together planned by Jamie…!
We had made our way up the long and winding steep hill out of Hondoq Bay, by running three repetitions of a stretch of it, until we had done five sets…!
When I say we ran it together, suffice to say we were both on the hill together at the same time, and we ran the same session…
But Jamie was like a dynamic rocket of possibility….
As we ran, I felt inspired, as well as exhausted and aware that on the last stretch of hill I couldn’t feel my legs – and very inspired afterwards too…
I felt that anything is possible… If I can do this, I can do anything…
And I was miles behind Jamie, but as we spoke about it while we walked the recovery between the ‘hill stations’ we cannot compare a Poppy to an oak tree and we were both running to the best of our ability…
And we both did well !
And so today the session was planned by me…!
20 x 200 metres – broken up into 4 sets of 5 with a full jog recovery and a walk recovery between sets…
On the fifth repetition Jamie let himself loose and the rocket energy was there, it meant I ran faster too…
Running with him drew me out…
We both loved the session, training together on a stretch of road in the harbour in Gozo…
Two men sitting on a bench, by the end of our stretch, turned and watched us appear every few minutes, engaging in our way of having fun, while they enjoyed theirs…
We walked back up the hill to collect Anadi to go to the gym.
I took my new green band which Jane had brought out for me. It is part of the new set of exercises set for me by Matt… The ‘Shore method’ which is reaping rewards, my hips are opening, my gluts strengthening…
In the gym the three of us bent and stretched and stood on our hands…
Well Jamie did, he is the hand stand king.
On Sunday, Jane, Anadi, Jamie and I caught a boat to Comino Island…
Jane and I found a space for another outdoor session, while Jamie and Anadi went for a walk.
Jane and I returned to find Jamie practising some of his moves for his acrobatic gymnastics…
He was walking along a wall, six feet high and I was reminded of the tales of his Grandfather – Rosy’s and my Dad – and how he told us the story of when he walked all around a dinner table on his hands at a formal dinner party when he was at Cambridge uni….
And so it goes on…
Energy flowing, Jamie engaging with his talents.
But most importantly with himself and his shining bright energy…
I have been running all of my life – it feels I was born to run. In the running step I experienced freedom and my true expression. I came to see that I needed to ‘get out of the way of myself’ and let my energy flow through the running step; allow it to express itself in the dance and the motion of running. I ran for England and GB for some years. My first international was in 1979, a three mile cross country race; and I continued to run at international level until 1993. Two of my best results were first place in the Dublin City Marathon in 1985 and 7th place woman, 3rd British woman in the 1986 London Marathon in a time of 2.36.31, which gained me selection for the Commonwealth Games.
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Email : juliachitaylor@gmail.com
