That's Week 2 down...and by Scott, I'm not yet out!

[Fingalo]

Pretty similar effort to run 2 of this week, it went okay but didn't assuage my doubts about being able for two bursts of three minutes come the next stage. However I've resigned myself to the idea that I'll feel like that at every jump up the ladder.

First things first though. I knew it was set to be a really cold one overnight and as I go out before 5.30 I was concerned that it would be too icy underfoot to risk it, however I was both delighted and relieved to find that although there would be plenty of cursing by drivers at frozen windscreens when the rest of the world awoke, the weather was no problem for me. And I'm really fortunate that I don't feel the cold whilst running either.

Quite an uneventful run today, with the exception being the solitary jogger I happened upon after my 4th 90 second run. I was feeling a wee bit wobbly in the legs and as I thought there was no-one about I didn't feel inclined to make too much effort to straighten my walk. I was distracted at the time and smiling (I'd just thought of another entry for my list titled Nasty Things Involving A Screwdriver I'd Like To Do To Laura) only to look up and see this lad looming out of the darkness about ten yards in front of me. I was surprised but he'd have spotted me well before then and I can only imagine from my gait and daft grin that he thought he was about to be confronted by a drunken reveller on his way home from some kind of new wave jogging nightclub.

The 5th and 6th runs went okay and I was on the warm down walk before I knew it, strangely feeling quite positive about Week 3. Not in an 'I can definitely do it' kind of way but more a stubborn 'bring on the challenge' feeling about it.

Ten minutes later as I was about to jump in the shower, having selected the Waterboys to sing me through it, a song of theirs I'd barely registered started, it's very short and more a poem set to music but the words electrified me. You know that feeling when something speaks directly to where you are at that moment?

That song will be my inspiration to complete this programme from here on in, every line is almost an obvious response to the one before, it's very simple yet as I say, it struck me with such a force. I think you'll see what I mean:

Man gets tired

Spirit don’t

Man surrenders

Spirit won’t

Man crawls

Spirit flies

Spirit lives

When man dies

Man seems

Spirit is

Man dreams

The spirit lives

Man is tethered

Spirit free

What spirit

Is man can be

[PeaBea Graduate]

Well done on completing week 2. I think most of us gulp when we look at week 3 but the previous weeks have got you ready for those 3 minutes. Good luck on your next run.

[earl-grey-sian Graduate]

One of my favourite Waterboys tracks. I'll have to bear it in mind next time I run and think I'm dying!

[Fingalo Graduate in reply to earl-grey-sian]

It's weird because I'm usually a great man for lyrics but this song had passed me by, today they slapped me around the gob.