Reflective
last run in Austria. The annual half marathon event held on Sunday in Wels, my
home town for the past 25 years, happened to coincide with the current move away
from Austria to Japan .It was a sunny morning, and milder than of late. 2000 runners gathered for the 3 circuit event along the river Traun, the training area that I had used for the past 2 years. My grown son Philip ran with me. It was his first ever half marathon. We ran side by side most of the way, crossing the finishing line together with a time of 1:43.
During the run we reflected on the things we had done together in the past. The treks in the Alps, the week in a hut on a glacier, the caving trip, the 200 mile bike treks along the Danube, the yachting course in the Adriatic, the trips to the UK, Italy and the Arabian Gulf, the year of pre-licence driving practice... Being very much a local event, it was a good chance for goodbyes to a several colleagues, friends and their families, who were also participating. ... and to thank those of the dance club for the imaginative farewell present - a watch with moving kanji numerals.