How Holly Willoughby's Braces have helped me be braced for running.
In
my last few runs I have seemed to get slower. For example, yesterday I
did my weekly Long Run. That's now up to 4.5 miles (having worked up
very gradually with one "Long Run" a week since I started about 9 weeks
ago.) I think my pace was about 18 minutes a mile averaged out and
included some walking breaks. Well that's not very fast is it?! If I do
the 5K Park Run that I have now been convinced to do this Saturday at
that pace, I'll be at least 15 minutes behind everyone else! I know I'll
probably be quicker, and you should go slower on a longer run; but I'm
still at a stage where every run short or long, can feel as if I'm going
as fast as I can at the time. Anyway, this commentary/poem and
reflecting on my braces has had a strangely reassuring effect! I've also
been fascinated to learn about mitrochondria- the bits of the cells
that help us break down the energy needed to run. These are the cells
that get passed down the maternal line and may have originally started
out as bacteria that our body defeated and absorbed. Surely there's
another poem in there somewhere...
Holly Willoughby’s Braces
The ceramic and wires straighten my teeth gradually
like Stonehenge being hefted back into place,
this realignment of the angles of my face,
off white marble tombstones
shifting to make space,
is gradual.
As natural forces push and pull their occupants ,
the edges of the sockets soften to jelly,
and ease the thousandths of a milimetre
progress of each day.
It’s comforting to know that the gleaming ivories
of someone off the telly
are joining my teeths’ lonely journeys.
Meanwhile my feet’s plodding miles
are increasing the mitochondria,
capillaries and aerobic enzymes
In my leg muscles.
I do not really understand what this means,
but gather that you need to run slowly
to be able to finish races
more quickly.
Somehow this makes me less
Impatient with my brace.
These changes need to happen
at the body’s own slow pace.
It took at least thirty million hours
to shunt the sarsen stone to
where it could reflect the sun’s
midsummer face.
Speed of change, a change of speed
is not something you should chase.
Allow,
wait,
facilitate,
dare I say it,
embrace.
