Same as it ever was?

Welcome back, my friends
to the show that never ends.
We’re so glad you could attend!
Come inside! Come inside!

And you may find yourself
Living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself
In another part of the world
And you may find yourself
Behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house
With a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, well
How did I get here?

A song about a man in mid life crisis and reflection. When I stopped and really thought about these Talking Heads lyrics, I realised how true it was. I asked myself, how did I get here?

The song can also be interrupted by the runner inside. The goal, the process, and the result. How did I get here?

The goal is a race. The process is the training; a combination of long slow miles, shorter speed running and/or hill running. The result is the start line, taking part and, hopefully, the finish line with the cheers, medal and/or tee shirt.

You may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
You may ask yourself
Where does that highway go to?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right? Am I wrong?
And you may say yourself
“My God! What have I done?”

The most important section has to be the process. The enjoyment of the training and preparation is the only part of the process that will help you obtain your objective. You may find yourself entering a race. If it’s a longer one than you would usually consider and the weather is inclement, rain, cold or even hot, training may not be fun and therefore not done so the entrance fee could easily be wiped off as a take away or another frivolous expense. How did I get here? Join a club or find a running buddy to encourage you to get out. That will make friendly and social, and maybe a little competitive.

Having done the ground work on the dark, cold winter nights or early sun drenched mornings over the three, six, twelve months you will line up with hundreds or thousands of others. Some hoping to achieve fast times or podium places the rest to get round unbroken. All the same. The same distance only the times different.

Time isn’t holding up
Time isn’t after us.

Apologies to Brian Eno, David Byrne, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz