Conker non-run run report - January 9, 2021
I was chatting to a friend a few weeks ago about our different styles of delivering briefs. She confessed to having a ramble (but always a lovely and delightful ramble) and we agreed that my non-run run briefs are usually a series of mini rambles knitted together on a video. How could I possibly disagree about that? It has been suggested before that during the days of my pre-parkrun (the real one do you remember it) Friday rambles that it was just that, a ramble, usually with a sometimes over-positive weather forecast for the Saturday morning.
So, where am I going with this? I don’t really know except to say that I have been a tad lax in arranging for volunteers to write the non-run run report, so, here I am as the time is speeding towards midnight taking on the task myself. After all, I do let everyone know how easy it is and it is just a case of writing whatever you want.
Back in November, Jen mentioned in her briefing that it was World Hello day, this really resonated with me because when I am running at Conkers either at a parkrun, non-parkrun or just a let’s go to Conkers for a run, I make a point of saying hello or ‘morning’ to everyone I come across. It is rare for me not to get a nice response back.
Since we were locked down in March, I have taken to exploring various trails in the area that I live and continued greeting everyone I come across. This has resulted in it going from a brief hello and smile to often being obliged to stop for a chat, particularly with Richard and his dog Henry on the Jinny Trail. You see, when my wife Jan runs with me she goes even further and gets people’s names!!
There is also the shy bloke (no name yet) with piercings who has gone from a grunt and barely a look as we went by, to a full on smile in our direction (his dog is called patch).
My runs are just that, a run, I tend not to be chasing a pace or a distance; I just go out for a run. For that reason, I don’t mind when a farmer I came across on a footpath went through a detailed ten-minute recollection of how in the winter of 1981/1982 he used to get all his work done between 11.30am and 1pm as the sun always shone then.
Some people I come across on my explorations of the local area are delighted to give helpful advice. Such as the woman who appeared from nowhere to witness me crawling under an electric fence to extricate myself from a field of cattle and desperately trying not to let my bum get pinged. As I stood up, she said, “I watched you come across the field, don’t you know that there is a footpath and stile just over that hedge?” She did look a bit smug to start with but we ended up laughing about it together.
Or one guy I checked that I was on the right footpath with let me know that it goes sharply down hill. "Ooh I love a down hill" says I. "Not that one you won't" he said, laughing. I found out on Strava that the section is named 'Slippery Suicide'. Although it is helpfully just a slide down hill to the hospital.
Jan surveys the view looking to delay going down 'Slippery Suicide'. We chose to go round it that time.
The point I am getting at is that if I enjoy receiving a smile and a ‘hello’, I assume that most other people do too. If like me you are just out for a ‘run’, spread a little happiness, you can always have a little ramble about it by writing the non-run run report for that week.
Have a smiley week,
Roger xx