I really didn't want to go running tonight,
what with winter having returned and all,
but I thought of my colleagues around the world
in the Borda International Tintori Team
(particularly our leader, Swami Mr Francesco)
and I knew that I had to make the effort,
to ignore the icy rain and the biting wind,
and to uphold the high standards that
every BITT member has sworn to, er, uphold.
And I met the icy rain and biting wind face
on in fair battle over 7 good English miles,
striding forwards against a worthy opponent around
an old US airfield, listening to the echos of the old pilots
as they bravely took off some seventy years ago
"run, Billy, run!"; surviving the elemental onslaught,
returning triumphant to a litre
of delicious blackcurrent juice from Morrison's.
And later, in the bath, unfreezing my tummy,
the battle won, I was thinking about the Brussels 20K in May,
and I remembered what Swami Mr Francesco said about this,
the second ultimate test:
"Run not for yourselves, nor even for each other, and certainly not for me.
No, you should run the race because you jolly well can,
and besides, we'll probably meet up afterwards
in the Portuguese Cafe on Trone to eat lots of sliced roast pork
and drink loads of beer."
And I smiled, inspired and comforted by his wisdom.
Thank you Swami Mr Francesco , thank you very much indeed.
Mr Bill - England
Amazing
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