Not to the swift

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.

Ecclesiastes 9: 11

“Ooh lovely!” I exclaimed, “running socks!”

“Happy Mothers Day, Mom!” said daughter Joy.   “I thought that we could run in a race together.” 

“Sure, great!” I agreed.

We eagerly trawled our diaries to find a Running Date that mutually clicked.  Super – the 10k race organized from nearby Hitchin on a Sunday coming up soon. Hooray! 

The day came.  The throng of runners bounced on their toes and stretched their legs, ready for the start, Daughter Joy and I among them, me looking at them through the corner of my eye, trying to imitate. 

“Errrrr, are you sure you can do it?”—this came from an experienced runner I knew.  “Why not? I answered with confidence.   I’ll just start slowly and keep going.” 

And we were off…..

The road was lined with friends and family, babies in push chairs, grannies breaking their British dignity to bless us, stranger or friend, with cheers and encouragement.  I was surprised at how uplifting this was.  If you’re ever by the side of the road when runners pass by, wish them well.  Loudly!

 

After that, life was a long excruciating blur.  I remember the time when – horrors! — I could no longer talk.  Not only was I unable to respond to Joy’s continuous conversation, but even more disastrous was that The World would never know what I was thinking.  What a shame!  

Eventually, Joy, in order to stay with me, would literally run circles around me, singing uplifting ditties on her way.  Fortunately, her repertoire was vast.

Meanwhile, Husband John got himself out of a sick bed to wait for us at the end of the race, having persuaded the organisers NOT to take down the FINISH LINE posts, assuring them that there were still two more runners to come. 

By this time all sidewalk cheerleaders had met their favorites and melted into normalcy.  No one was around.  Traffic chugged on as usual. 

So, as we neared the end, I could see the FINISH LINE planted in a wide-open football field, empty except for a lone husband and two people leaning against the sign’s posts, arms folded.  Waiting.  Even from that distance I could feel their exasperation. 

Now.  I’ll tell you a myth.  Have you heard that when runners see FINISH before their eyes, they get a new spurt of energy and surge forward at triple speed?  Not true.  At least I didn’t.  I could have sat down right on the path 200 yards from my goal and have been content.

It was then that Joy really fired up into enthusiastic cheering:  “Mom, See the finish line?  See Daddy!  Run to Daddy, Mom!  Run run run to Daddy!”  Yep. That’s exactly what she said.  Even in my brain-blurred, chest-heaving, limb-aching state I was suddenly transported back to visions of teaching Joy-the-baby how to walk: “go to Daddy, Joy, go to Daddy. …….Wheee!  Well done! That’s my baby girl!”  Now, here in the pain of the present, it was her turn to say these same words.  I could hardly hear her through my pounding heart, but she did it, bless her, she did it.  She ran beside me and talked me over the finish line.  Wheee!  Well done!  That’s my grown-up daughter!

The dulled look on the organisers’ faces, underwhelmed by my achievement, eager to join the others in the pub, whisked me out of the way and unceremoniously yanked out the posts, rolled up the sign, and were gone even  before I could catch breath.  .

Funny.  They had my email address, but they never asked me back to further events.

Joy’s Caramel Pear Cake

I just have to include a Joy recipe here. I love this cake, its warm caramelly goodness with a pear pinwheel on the top.  I made it for a visiting nephew, wife, and daughter who came for only a day.  We were talking and sharing and delighting in each other so exuberantly that I forgot to take a picture for you.  Joy says the magic of the cake is to use eggs from her chickens.  However, it’s worth taking the risk from a source other than Myra, Phyllis, Betty or Dora, and see how you get on.

Ingredients: eggs, butter, self-raising flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, caramel essence, golden syrup, a firm-ish pear, peeled and cut lengthwise into thin slices.

Preheat Oven to 180 degrees C  (325 F, moderate)

Alternative: Almond Pear Cake. Substitute a heaped tablespoon of ground almonds instead of flour, and use almond essence instead of the caramel essence.