Writing
a blog is easy for some and more of a challenge for others. I hope to fall
somewhere in-between the two camps and will have a good go at supplying
some interesting info, fact and fiction, hints and tips.
Time
will tell, I suppose but I am looking forward to writing it.
And
so, to the title of this first post. The Oxford dictionary doesn't list the "Parish
Walk" so I broke it down and received the following:
Parish (noun) - a small administrative district typically
having its own church.
Walk (verb) - move at a regular pace by lifting and
setting down each foot in turn, never having both feet off the ground at once.*
Fairly
straightforward, then.
In 2010, the then main sponsors, Clerical
Medical, brought the British Olympian and Commonwealth Games athlete Roger
Black to the island to promote the Parish Walk to a wider audience,
to host motivational talks for competitors and to be the face of the
Parish Walk.
Having never been to the island before, when he
was originally asked if he would be willing to be involved, he
imagined the Parish Walk to be "a Sunday afternoon stroll
with the vicar around the parish followed by tea with scones and jam."
When he came over and saw just what the Parish Walk is all about and how
challenging it is, he realised how far off the mark his original impression
was.
So, although the event is a walk and it
goes through 17 parishes, to the uninitiated, the name conjures up
just such an image.
To date, I haven't had a scone whilst going round.
Joking aside, a great many people do decide
to have a go at "the Parish" without fully understanding exactly what
it is they are getting into. I fell into that bracket in 2004 when
I put on a pair of old trainers one sunny Saturday morning in June. Bolstered
by literally tens of miles training between March and June, there was
absolutely no doubt in my mind that I couldn't get to the finish line. How difficult could it possibly
be?
Prior to 2004, I wasn't sporty in any capacity
save for watching footy on television and/or walking to the pub. That was my sole involvement in the
world of sport. Since entering the Parish Walk in that year however, I have
learnt a great deal about, not only myself, but about the Manx walking
community in particular and I have met and regularly train and compete with a whole new circle of friends.
OK, so first post over and fairly painless (although I have spent hours messing about with the layout and so on as its a nightmare to administer as there are myriad of options!).
Don't be too traa di looar and get your entry in early!
* (part of) IAAF Rule 30(1) which is fairly relevant.
