I woke up this morning feeling almost entirely well — mostly just undernourished, as I hadn’t eaten in 24 hours. I had a smoothie and two slices of toast, cup of coffee, took stock quickly, and caught the bus in to Oxford.
It wasn’t the wisest thing to do, but having signed up in order to honour my dad, who was a great admirer of Roger Bannister, and not knowing whether there would be comparable opportunities in the future, I couldn’t bear to skip the Bannister Mile. I have a strong sense of duty to demonstrate respect for my forebears and predecessors, and it would have been entirely wrong if I didn’t follow through if there was any way I could take on the mile, even just by walking. And now, I am proud to have done it.
My legs felt fine through the run, but I was running on fumes the whole way. This morning’s toast for breakfast was literally the only thing I’d eaten in 24 hours. Nonetheless, I finished the run, came in in the top 2/3 of men over 60 (including those spritely young 60- and 61-year-olds), and although I’m still undernourished, I don’t feel as though my health has collapsed.
I wore my Newman hoodie for Oriel, my Yale Divinity School Alumni Ultimate Divinity t-shirt, and my Chatham College (*not* ‘University’) gym shorts to honour Don Adam. This one, as they say, is for you, Dad.
