2024 has developed into a very trying, tragic year for me and my family. Melissa was diagnosed in May with an aggressive variant of breast cancer. Although she was blessed with a speedy early diagnosis and the surgery performed on the 30th that month removed the cancerous tumor (and presumably the cancer from her body), she is now on a succession of difficult chemotherapy cycles that will last into the fall...followed by radiation treatments. In the midst of all this my dear son, Will, died on July 18th...nine days ago. So with our bereavement for Will and my care for Melissa, my normal, routine existence to which I had grown accustomed has been drastically altered. But some things can still be done and it's a healthy thing, I think, to continue with the Depot Parkrun I had been doing regularly before all this hit us. This morning it was 73 degrees with 100% humidity...but clear skies...and I had already planned on speed-walking the 3.1-mile course through pretty Depot Park, some four blocks south of downtown Gainesville. The goal was simply to walk as fast as I could and to keep some semblance of proper race-walking form. The spirit among the volunteers and runners/walkers seemed very positive, and that was a help to me. I sweated a bit from the walk after it ended, but wasn't even remotely tired...my finishing time was 38:19, some 30 seconds faster than my previous best 5K speed-walk. You can read the results by clicking HERE. Next month...although not next week...I'd like to continue this helpful habit with another summertime speed-walk at the park...
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Praying for you and Mrs.Irwin.
ReplyDeleteI like your comment about the positive spirit there. Back when I was working at the USPS I sometimes felt completely overwhelmed with all the negativity around me at work. That's the reason I started going to the gym, it wasn't for the physical health benefits, it was because I knew that everyone there was trying to do something positive with their life. I used to think that it made me feel like a positivity vampire, I actually felt as if I was just sucking up all those wonderful vibes that were around me when I was at the gym. Now, more than 30 years later, I'm still a regular gym-goer and it's still for the same reason...it's the vibe!
ReplyDeleteParkrun has a lot of events held in Australia, too, including Queensland. Many if not most of the participants aren't actually racing and many simply go there to walk the distance at a relaxed, slow pace. It's a nice way for folks to get outside and hang out with friends. You're right about the gym: you don't see this kind of mindset as much in other places.
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