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My enduring passion is for the mountains and wilderness. Having trained as an environmental scientist I have somehow fallen into the world of ultra and endurance running. My dream is to encourage people to realise the sanctuary of the mountains, the richness of our environment and our responsibility to protect it, and the value of challenging yourself both physically and mentally.

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Thursday 20 November 2008

for everything there is a time ...

'But like of each thing that in season grows'
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

For everything there is a time - it gives life depth and vibrance. But sometimes, just sometimes, we wish it were time again for the 'other time'. Learning to live in and for the moment is not always perhaps the way we want.

15 days ago I woke to the mountains, to a beautiful clear mountain sky, and to the company of friends. Instead of where I had planned to be - waking to an apprehensive breakfast before the 100km World Championships. Learning again to take the time for a while, not to run and not to plan too far ahead.

Walking these days in a winter landscape - how the seasons turn - I have trod this one path in all seasons this year - the cool of early dawn on a summer morning, drenched by pouring rain, the smells of summer, the heat of the sun, then the intensity of autumn colours shocking the senses, and now to this world of white.

A training run that in summer days is just an easy hour or two, clad in shorts and t-shirt .... becomes a day's occupation, with icy feet and the air cold on your face.

Life is an intensity of emotion and experience.

There is always a time to be happy and a time to be sad. A time to move fast, a time to slow down. A time for cold and a time for warmth. A time to have company and a time to be alone. Chaos or peace; silence or noise; beauty or ugliness; to be in haste or to be at rest; to feast or to fast; to have plenty or to do without. For everything there is an opposite. That is nature. But
sometimes, just sometimes, we wish it were time again for the 'other'.

2 comments:

Mark said...

Hi Lizzy -
Great Blog. I am a participant on a trek to Base Camp of Mt Everest next year. The idea is we will try and play a game of 20/20 cricket there to raise money for Sport relief and the Himalayan Trust. Obvioulsy, fitness an stamina are of paramount importance and I wondered whether you had any help / tips / ideas that us amateurs could adopt into our training schedules of circuits / runs / etc to assist us with altitude and the trek in general? Huge thanks and with great admiration. Mark

Keep On Keepin' On! said...

Hi Lizzy --
I was part of UTMB 2008... I really enjoyed reading your "race report" about Mont-Blanc. Your blog is awesome! Even if you have some pretty nice results in running, you might be a better writer than a runner! :) Stick to both... but one thing for sure: with writing you are not gonna get injured! :)