14 years in 16 miles - 28 March 2010

I dedicated this week’s long run to a trip down memory lane, having been sorting through some old photos this week. At this stage in the training running had become a bit monotonous, so this seemed like a great way to make it more interesting.

Because of a previous injury I’m a tiny bit behind in my training compared to some other people, but I was still aiming to run 16 miles on Sunday, which meant I could cover a lot of ground.

I decided my long run should take me back through Putney and on to Roehampton, where I started my life in London. It was easily the best and most enjoyable run I’ve ever had. Giving my mind so many memories to focus on made the time fly and it seemed so much more effortless than usual.

I ran past the halls of residence where I spent my first ever night in London 14 years ago. I moved there at 18 to start university and it was quite emotional to think of all the laughs I had there and how far I’ve come in that time. It made think of old friends like Hannah, Fiona, Darran and Chrissie, and drunken nights at the Digby Bop. The campus looked fairly different now as they’ve added a new building. I wondered if the students there now had any appreciation for the years of history that happened before they arrived.

I ran past the Holmes Place gym I joined nine years ago when I was like a skinny little boy in comparison and was reminded of all the hard work and laughs I had there over the years.

I ran past the first ever flat I owned with my brother and was reminded of the times I cried there having had my heart broken for the first time, how my brother told me he was gay there, how our friendship had developed over the years we spent there watching TV and idling chatting, the times we spent laughing and listening to pop music as we decorated the whole place, and some of the upset I suffered before I left that home.

I ran past a house I lived in with eight students in Holmbush Road in my final year of university. It was a huge house that was very old and completely rundown. We used to fantasise about all the things we would do to the place if we could have bought it and done it up. I was reminded of the times we would go rummaging through the junk in the basement, the drunken parties and the stresses we went though there as we all sat our final university exams. As I ran past I noticed the place has been completely done up with matching blinds in all the windows and a well tended garden, obviously no longer owned by Mrs Corn and rented to large groups of students! Again if they only knew the history that happened there before them.

I had such an amazing and enjoyable run. It really made me realise how far I have come in my 14 years in London, and how many fond memories I have. The upcoming marathon is like the icing on the cake. 14 years covered in 16 miles. I love my life.

Paul
x
http://justgiving.com/paul-raybould