Nightrunning the town - a poem from the injury couch

[iain-strachan]

Well, I'm still on the injury couch - not allowed to run with a cast on my hand, hopefully coming off next Tuesday.

So what to do in the meantime? One of the other things I do is write poetry, but I've not done a running poem before tonight.

One of the songs I run to is Eminem's "Lose Yourself", which if you match the beat propels you at 170 bpm - a pretty good pace. One of my favourite poets is T.S. Eliot and I thought it'd be cool to write a poem with some quotes adapted from Eliot and Eminem. I don't know if it's any good, but it summarises some of the thoughts I've had about the mindfulness aspects of running. I hope it provides some enjoyment for someone. I enjoyed writing it, and the themes are ones I've written about on this forum before.

It's called:

Nightrunning the Town

-------------------------

I am become a machine

A metronome as two feet

Pound the ground to the beat

And I am the music

While the music lasts

While stamina sustains.

...

I lose myself in the music,

I own it, the moment

As the ground moves,

As the town moves

Is unfolding, is rolling past

Driven by the metronome

Of two feet leaping,

Pounding the ground to the beating

Of the music of the heart.

...

Running the streets at night,

Mine the beating heart

Mine the music's pulse

Mine the driving metronome,

That spins the town

To the beat

Of pounding feet

I am the still point

Of the turning town -

Here the nightrunning is.

I own it -

...

I am become a machine.

Iain Strachan 4-iii-2020

PS Just added a photo I took tonight of the County Hall Museum in Abingdon, which I've run past many times.

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10]

Wow, that's so evocative, reading it took me out there!

Great talent Iain, thank you for sharing your thoughts.❤😊xx

Good luck for next Tuesday with your hand, and the physio you will need.

You will enjoy becoming a running machine again then I know...🏃‍♂️

[Grannyhugs Graduate10]

Great poem Iain thank you for sharing it with us. I hope you get back into your running soon after your cast is removed. I guess your hand will feel strange with the movement. Take care 🤗

[Granspeed Graduate10]

Lovely. Night run - night train - night beat. Really like it.

[iain-strachan Graduate10 in reply to Granspeed]

Thanks. I just added a photo of one of the landmarks of my night runs, which I took tonight.

[Granspeed Graduate10 in reply to iain-strachan]

Nice. 😊 I don’t have a night running option due to home commitments. But you’ve made me think I’d like it. 👍 Hope your hand does well and you’re back on the beat soon.