One of the amazing things about us as people is when we see someone who’s happy it makes us a little happy. So when you see someone smile at you, your instant reaction is to smile back.
There is however an exception to the rule and that is when you see someone smiling whilst running. Sure enough you see plenty of runners about, especially in the lead up to the Great Birmingham Run but can you remember the last time you saw one of them smiling?
If you’ve read my first blog highlighting my introduction to running, you may have picked up that I’m not the biggest fan of this activity. That being said, there are times when I’m running along the streets of Brum and a smile appears across my face and sometimes I actually laugh out loud.
Now you’re probably thinking, wait a second this doesn’t add up, and as you can imagine this causes all manner of confusion for innocent bystanders struggling to make sense of the situation – “That guy seems to be enjoying running waaay too much”.
To get to the bottom of all this, I’ll let you in on my secret – it’s this little fella…
Inside this wonderful device, I keep all sorts of stuff from the playlists I’ve created (‘Costa Del Soul’ and ‘Danceathon’ being two examples) to the podcasts that occupy my mind for those extra looong runs. Now it’s the podcasts that are the cause of those smiles and why I don’t actually mind running some times.
Most people I come across seem to pay little to no attention to podcasts and if you’re one of these people, let me tell you that you are missing out on SO MUCH. If you like amazing stories, chuckling away to yourself or simply confusing people when out running, check these out:
- Fearless – Hear about the striking (and rare) case of a woman with no fear
- Inheritance – Once a kid is born, their genetic fate is pretty much sealed. Or is it?
- His name is Adam Buxton, he’s a maaan, he wants you to enjoy this, that’s the plan
My MP3 player has been like Mickey from the Rocky films, providing motivation when I needed it and warning me of potential wrecking machines. It won’t be easy but as with any coach, on the big day of the Great Birmingham Run, I’ll be leaving it behind. With over a hundred other supporters running for Birmingham St Mary’s, I’m hoping to chat to many along the way and will be capturing the entire experience with a GoPro camera.
This is the first time I’ve actually looked forward to doing a run, so it’s a bit unusual for me but I can’t wait to join thousands of other people for the GBR. If you do spot me (I’ll be the one with a camera strapped to his chest) please come over and say hi. Without Mickey, I’m going to need some company!
Whether you’re running or cheering on the big day, I’d like to say a big thank you for supporting Birmingham St Mary’s, we couldn’t do what we do without you.
There are all sorts of ways to support the Hospice from all of our events to getting together with friends and family or simply following us on social media and sharing our messages.
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