Running

Last week I read an article on Fred Thompson, a US presidential candidate. He's an actor (Law and Order), a lobbyist and a politician. Thompson is coming in second in national polls of Republican primary voters, behind Mr Guiliani. But his early stabs at campaigning have earned "stinging reviews":

Asked to describe the difference between his policies and those of his Republican rivals, he said: 'Well, to tell you the truth, I haven't spent a whole lot of time going into the details of their positions.'
Even Mr Thompson's friends thought that was pathetic. "It's called 'running' for the presidency, sir, and right now all you're doing is ambling," grumbled the American Spectator, a conservative journal.

(The Economist)

On Saturday morning I met some friends at Java coffee shop. I happened that all of us at the table were Australians. As we talked, I threw in a reminder about the process of voting in the federal elections at the Australian embassy. As few minutes later, one of the group turned to ask me about my work. I was in a can't-be-bothered-explaining-it mood. Sometimes these moments of cheek cause me trouble. This time the resulting exchange ended up being quite funny.

Him: So what do you do?
Me: Not much...
Him: Are you a diplomat?
Me: No

I'm training for a 10km run that will be held at Angkor Wat on December 2. This is a first for me. I've never been much into competitive athletics or team sports. I rather like the idea of "being sporty". For example, the idea of being a basketball player really appeals to me.... but for the fact that I've been waiting for my "growth spurt" since the age of eleven and it still hasn't happened.

So- what does all this have to do with anything? Running. I'm not fast, but I'm starting to like it. I sometimes stumble but don't want to amble. So when it feels like I'm not doing much I tell myself: Eyes up. Breathe deep. Run.