Running like a child

Running up that hill....with no problem

18.10.2014
Day 187

A brisk mile walking, to Hillyfields to be a marshall at Parkrun, walk back. A day gardening with heavy limbs and plantar pain. Or whatever it is. As I write I press my heel and instep on a hard golf ball, the pain travels all the way up to the glute. Feeling vaguely unwell, sleeps disturbances occasioned by fretting over continuing unemployment. Weak from the bloodletting. Feel hot at night. Presume that's menopause, but the weather is extremely balmy (is it me, or is it hot out there?)

A lovely day for Hillyfields Parkrun , blowy, blustery, sunny and very warm. I stood at the bottom of this hill and encouraged them up. Might it have helped the runners? It's always a worry, whether enthusiastic encouragement, and words along the lines of 'keep going!' (as if they're not going to) and 'Well done!' sound patronising. I tried many tacks this morning:
'Three times up this hill, save some energy for the third and final!'
'Use your arms to power you up the hill!'
'Fantastic! Don't walk!'
So I try to be useful, rather than merely irritating. Most people smile through the pain as I jump about and whoop, so I  think they like it.
With the children, it's easy. They like enthusiasm. They often have stitches and clasp dramatically at their sides. You can tell them to put their arms in the air and take deep breaths and they automatically do that. What I love about watching children run is their ease of movement. Their arms and legs are automatically loose and flowing in synch. The girls don't do bosomy lady running, with the arms pointlessly crossing over the trunk. The boys don't hunch, stoop and thump their heels like so many men. They're as poised and balanced as Premiership footballers. Why can't we adults do that?
And when you beam at a child and urge her to go faster, she responds. Those pure little lungs suck up more oxygen and the spurt is obvious. They look like they're fading then they spring up the hill that's destroying their parent.
Would I could run like a child, but given my current predicament a jog without foot pain would be good.