Thank you so much to everyone for your wonderful words of support for my decision to run the Boston Marathon. I really do appreciate everything you have said.
I've had a scare with my Boston preparations today, but first a little poetry.
I've long had an interest in poetry and find that there is few better ways to describe the joy of running through dabbling in a little of it. Some of you might recall a poem I wrote about running last year.
This time, however, it is my real privilege to share a magnificent poem written by Maria, one of my fellow runners and a member of my Saturday running group.
Maria is an incredibly talented writer and poet and runner to boot. This poem is just so beautiful, capturing as it does the sheer joy of our wonderful sport.
The Inner Child
The morning is still, few yet awake,
The sun lifts its head and gently kisses the lake.
Rays illuminate everything in sight,
As the child’s soul ascends and bids goodbye to the night.
Birds in unison fly together,
Such perfect accord nature un- tethered.
A work of art, hypnotically entranced,
My spirit leaps and joins in the dance.
The trees sparkle with their ‘prism’ like dew,
Eyes seldom see a more glorious view.
So happy to witness this astounding day,
The heart accelerating, pumping away.
Alive with love an untamed heart,
Please stay forever let us not part.
Happiness, ecstasy, bursting with joy,
Like a child reunited with its favourite toy.
Still stars in the sky, the moon and the sun,
YOU’RE ASLEEP! YOUR MISSING IT! WAKE UP EVERYONE!
So grateful to have been here to watch your magic unfold,
You’ve lifted my heart, your beauty untold.
© Maria Brady 2007
This poem has come at a good time for me as my Boston Marathon preparations almost came disastrously unstuck today.
I got through a nice 25k run with my Saturday group earlier this morning and shortly after was riding my bike to Little Athletics. About half way into the ride I was going too fast around a blind corner and collided head-on with another rider.
It was a nasty crash: I couldn't move, was in pain, and went into shock. The other rider got away more or less unscathed. First the Fire Brigade then an Ambulance was called to untangle me from my bike and see what damage had been done. I was in pain in my right wrist and was uncertain if I could feel my back and neck; I still lay motionless on the ground, still in shock, cold, trembling, and wanting to spew. I could see blood dripping from my arm. Morphine was administered and I was taken off to the Canberra Hospital. On arrival at the hospital I can remember the paramedics brief the ER that I had a suspected compound fracture to my wrist with cuts and abrasions to other areas of my body.
To cut a long story short, after x-rays and a full body check I was found not to be suffering from a broken wrist with mostly just some painful bad bruising, several scrapes, bumps, cut, and a badly shaken ego as the only lasting trauma. I am still in pain as I sit here tonight typing this. Hopefully, I might be able to back running in a couple of days. So to my great relief nothing too nasty bit me today, but it could have been worse.
I think I can thank Maria's beautiful Inner Child that my own Inner Child is still with me today.
As Maria said in her wonderful poem:
So happy to witness this astounding day,
The heart accelerating, pumping away.
Alive with love an untamed heart,
Please stay forever let us not part.
I have never, ever, read such beautiful words about running.
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22 comments:
Don, now that's a post in two parts if ever there was one!
CJ is a mere pretender. You have taken the phrase "doing a Tuggeranong Don" to new heights.
I agree - that's a wonderful poem by Maria. The power of poetry is demonstrated to perfection in those words. Thanks for sharing it with us :)
blimey, TD, you don't do things by halves...i hope your aches & pains go away soon, thankfully nothing was broken...may the remainder of your Boston preparation be less eventful!
BTW, my brother had a head-on with another cyclist when he was in his teens and he still bears the scars (he also didn't have any broken bones unlike the other cyclist)...the people that attended that crash couldn't believe there was a motorised vehicle involved...
and that was indeed a lovely poem..
Don, that's an incredible story to log on an read at this time of night. Thank goodness you came out of it with no permanent damage. Sounded like you really got a good whack in the chops though to be in shock and all that. Please take it easy for the next week or so. Yes, I agree that it was a beautiful poem. How's this for a not-so-beautiful bit of doggeral to mark your accident:
Here he comes, round the curve,
Daredevil rider, full of verve.
Tuggeranong Don meets fate head on,
With a smash and a bash and a gravel rash.
Spitting teeth and dripping blood,
Carted to hospital, declared a dud.
Get me an X-ray, one, two, three...
Nope all clear, set 'im free.
He lives to fight another round,
Can nothing can stop him? Nope, 'cos he's Boston bound!
Go Don!!
I can't believe what I've just read! You poor thing! I do hope you recover fully & soon, though shock will linger on for a while I'm sure.
Love both poems....Steve's is a classic!
OMG Don, heart in mouth stuff that. Could hardly believe what I was reading! Thank God you are (reasonably) OK - like you say, it could have been so much worse. I had a minor crash off my bike - splat in the middle of a main road - a couple of years back. It didn't involve anyone else and my worse injury was a sprained and very bruised thumb. Still, it shook me up and gave me a hell of a fright. These things happen in the blink of an eye and make you realise how very vulnerable you are out there.
Take care of yourself and hope you are back to your best real soon.
Thanks for sharing Maria's poem, it perfectly sums up how I feel when I head out for a run at (or before!) first light. It's a beautiful piece of work. And as for Stephen's - pure genius I say!! LOL!!
MAR.
Nice poem to describe a wonderful pursuit at a special time of the day.
That's terrible to hear of your accident Don, but a relief to hear you came our of it relatively lightly. Hope you're back on course soon and stay clear of any further mishaps!!
I would just like to thank Don for his continuous support, not just with running but with writing too. You are an inspiration. I'm sure your fellow bloggers feel the same.
Thanks also to all your fellow bloggers for their kind comments about my poem.
For those of you who don't live around the corner, I saw Don today at the Canberra Jogalong with his daughter Alana. Considering he spent most of Saturday in Canberra Hospital after his 'spectacular spill', his feathers did look a little ruffled to say the least but his spirit was as happy as ever.
Love the poem Steve.
Sorry to hear of the bicycle accident TD. Those things can be scary. I recently read a book on Lance Armstrong's fight against cancer and in that book he talks about some of his head ons which were pretty horrific.
This can only make you stronger as they say.
As for the poem its was great, thanks for that. I wasn't a big poem fan, used to think poets day was friday, you know Piss Off Early Tomorrow's Saturday. Until I went to Western Australia and there I shared a house with a big ugly looking bald guy in Fremantle who would drag me along to the poetry readings at the south Freo pub every Sunday arvo. The poets would all come out of the woodwork for that one. Fuckin great memories!
Still you can tell from the last line that it didn't have too much of an effect on me.
Heal fast Don.
It's good news that there's no lasting injury problems, but what a scare. For what it's worth, it should be smooth sailing from here on in.
Far out Don! I almost needed an ambulance myself reading that. I am so pleased you are okay. Had you even hit the ground before the thought crossed your mind about what effect the accident would have on your running?
Thanks for the poem. Seems more than just you in your running group has a real talent for writing.
Take it easy. No more biking now until Boston okay! And try to stay upright when running. Not just for your sake but we are all in this with you and don't want to be reading about any more accidents.
PS Am I allowed to ask how your bike is?
no jogalong for me as i still have cricket in sydney...don't know when i'll run another one considering my heel operation is 3 weeks tomorrow!
Wow, you have rally outdone me and its not something I wish to emulate any time soon! I hope you are ok - if a little bruised, sore and sorry for yourself. Please take care Don.
That poem was really beautiful, btw. Thank you for sharing it.
Shock,
laughter
got it all today.
Take Care TD, obviously the world is telling you to slow down....either that or get a bell.
I like the poem and Steve's response is fantastic. Hope we hear more about your Boston buildup and less about your being knocked down!!
I thought your dream had come unstuck!
I am so happy for you that it wasn't more serious!!!
I am lost for more words and just glad your ok.
Sorry to hear about the crash. Hope you are healing well.
The things life throws up to challenge us.
Boy they were quick to get that morphie into you though.
Take care Don. Thinking of you.
My good friend Tuggeranong Don ~ mate may I say that you had me flashing through a few different emotions with that last post.
I hope that you thoroughly enjoy every moment of the Boston Marathon ~ your injuries will diminish with every kilometer you run.
Good luck TD
GRIFFIN
Don, glad you are ok. About 20+ years ago I had a similar experience with a bike accident and it is very scary. Like you, I feel blessed to be alive and well. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers that it does not disrupt your Boston training.
By the way, I also want to thank you again for linking to our Blog Database on the main Faithful Soles web site. We now have running bloggers from 37 states in the USA and 20 other countries.
Your posts truly amaze me.
All the detail is there to enable us to live it with you.
Yet another blip on the way to Boston.
Don I am sorry to be catching up so late with your last post. I must say you have a uniquie way of combining the agony and the ecstasy.
Maria's truly captures the magic and ecstasy of running, especially early morning running. I loved it.
Ouch! The pain!. Don you are incredible. You sure as eggs scared the hell out of me as I started to read the section about your bike accident. I am so relieved to hear that you are relatively unscathed.
I hope by now that you are back in the running shoes.
Scary stuff! I'm glad you came out of that crash okay.
Thanks for your encouragement and comments on my blog of late. They are much appreciated.
I'm very happy you have decided to go to Boston. It will be a great experience for you and your family.
About 3 years ago I dropped into a black hole – four months of absolute terror. I wanted to end my life, but somehow [Holy Spirit], I reached out to a friend who took me to hospital. I had three visits [hospital] in four months – I actually thought I was in hell. I imagine I was going through some sort of metamorphosis [mental, physical & spiritual]. I had been seeing a therapist [1994] on a regular basis, up until this point in time. I actually thought I would be locked away – but the hospital staff was very supportive [I had no control over my process]. I was released from hospital 16th September 2004, but my fear, pain & shame had only subsided a little. I remember this particular morning waking up [home] & my process would start up again [fear, pain, & shame]. No one could help me, not even my therapist [I was terrified]. I asked Jesus Christ to have mercy on me & forgive me my sins. Slowly, all my fear has dissipated & I believe Jesus delivered me from my “psychological prison.” I am a practicing Catholic & the Holy Spirit is my friend & strength; every day since then has been a joy & blessing. I deserve to go to hell for the life I have led, but Jesus through His sacrifice on the cross, delivered me from my inequities. John 3: 8, John 15: 26, are verses I can relate to, organically. He’s a real person who is with me all the time. I have so much joy & peace in my life, today, after a childhood spent in orphanages. God LOVES me so much. Fear, pain, & shame, are no longer my constant companions. I just wanted to share my experience with you [Luke 8: 16 – 17]. I have recovered my INNER CHILD who I abandoned many years ago - that CHILD is GOD!
PEACE BE WITH YOU
MICKY
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