This is a departure from my first few blogs as this not a blog post about food. This is my next attempt at writing about my impending fatherhood and even more ironically it will also be about death, cancer and health & fitness. This will not be a running theme within my writing even though there is a running theme about this post [sic]. I think myself talented but Health & Fitness blogging will remain the pursuit of others more impressive than me – if you do want to have a good read on health and fitness try this one - by my friend Peter Riley - https://healthylifeofriley.com/
I am attempting on the 3rd February, for the first time ever, a 10km run; I will be running it with my brother and my friend Jenni. I will as the photo probably suggests at the top be doing this on behalf of Cancer Research UK. This idea was initially floated by Jenni as she wanted a companion for her next run (as she is embarking on an impressive personal journey on training to be a better runner and to feel more healthy) but there is also another reason which is that in the last 18 months I have had to say goodbye to 2 very important ladies from my life, both were struck down by Cancer and both of whom played a large part in helping me to become the person I am today.
They were willing participants and guinea pigs on my journey in cookery, wine, life, hospitality, work, intelligent & thought provoking conversation. My gratitude to them will be forever and their memory deserves recognition in my life in some way, so what better way, than enduring something I have no aptitude for, like running for a worthy cause like Cancer Research UK at the London Winter Run.
Cancer is a horrible disease and it is indiscriminate in the misery it causes and after finding out TBH was expecting the Little Loaf; I was (after some contemplation) overwhelmed with a profound desire to do something meaningful this year that I could show how important is it to overcome personal difficulties. Undoubtedly this will be a crucial idea to convey to my child when they are born and old enough to understand this kind of concept. I am not a runner, I have never jogged or run for a hobby. My knees after a run sound like someone is throwing gravel through a wood chipper. I also was never built for running, one of my most horrific childhood memories was the enforced cross country runs that the whole school would be made to participate. It was my ultimate shame, as the fat kid at school, coming in at the very end, purple with embarrassment and poor cardiovascular fitness, to say this memory has haunted me for decades would not be an understatement. But nevertheless it is important to overcome these kinds of negative emotions because as role model for my child I have to be prepared to be better than that simple thought process, of disliking something just because I always have;
How do I grow as a person and help a human to develop if I’m not prepared to at least try new experiences?
I have to be better than simply accepting I’m not good at something because that’s always been my view. Those 2 ladies I mentioned at the beginning of this blog would not accept that thought process, and therefore in their memory neither can I. The other and more self-indulgent point is that I don’t want to forget these incredible people who have been part of my life and I need to be able to prove to myself that my hard work can reflect upon what my baby will come to understand as my personal ethos on beating adversity. I know this is only a 10km run, but for me this represents a complete and utter shift in conscious behaviour towards something that I have a visceral hatred for and never thought I would do. They will eventually come to know and trust in me but I surely need to master my own demons for that to be the case.
I was very fortunate to be nurtured in many ways by many special people as a child, teenager, young adult & adult (albeit mainly in my chosen field of cooking, writing and hospitable-ness). If I was to focus on these 2 ladies without them in my preceding years, I would not be in the position I am today. It is also my hope they would respect and find comfort my reasoning’s for wanting to do some good and show my Little Loaf how capable their father can be at times, regardless of the chosen field. I would love you all to donate a little bit of money to Cancer Research UK and would ask you to go to the JustGiving page below.
Just a couple of pounds - would mean a great deal for so many; and ensure the memory of my friends, companions and mentors live on in a real and practicable way.
All the best Goose