Thunderstruck

I’d rate the start of our summer as one of the best in living memory. Warm most days but not humid. A few showers but nothing that’s lingered. In fact, I’m yet to run in rain and heading out last Monday night I looked forward to more of the same.

It’s been a wonderful year on the road and trail. A PB in the marathon and one also for the half. An Ultra Marathon under my belt and now 3007 km for 2015. Milestones are awesome and I love setting new ones but more than that, running injury free has taken the whole experience to another level. I’m having fun out there. So much fun it’s just hard to describe.

I’m accustomed to hearing the sound of a shotgun going off in the distance and it echo down through the valley from far away. It used to bother me a lot but not anymore. On that night, I’m not entirely sure when I realised that the rumbling up ahead was in fact thunder. Here’s a little know fact I fortunately didn’t know at the time. In any given year around 24,000 people die from lightening strikes worldwide!

By the time I’d reached my ‘there and back’ turn for home the rumbling was no longer intermittent. It was a continuous sphincter clenching heart pounding unearthly sound that just didn’t stop. My anal retentive nature had of course prevented me from turning for home early, a trait that will one day get me bloody killed.  I likened it to the hunger pains of some demon amplified many times direct from the bowels of hell. Would I be number 24,001?

Back at the car it started to hail just a little. Rain, more thunder and lightening were to follow. I’d made it. What a year! Can 2016 be any better?

Happy New Year.