On The Run
Against my better judgement, I was persuaded to run a mile this morning. Lesley Kaye, a producer on the MacAulay & Co programme sent me an e-mail two days ago about the launch of . The organisers hope to persuade as many people as possible to register for a mile-long run in the middle of July.
Lesley had already arranged for young mum Vicki Johnson to run around Glasgow's Botanic Gardens this morning to show how much fun it could be. Lesley thought I might be up for a spot of "national humiliation" just to prove that an unfit slob like me could do it too. I'm such a sucker for that kind of sweet-talking. I agreed.
So, there I was this morning, in my shorts and Radio Scotland t-shirt getting a crash course in warm-up techniques from fitness coach Harry Normand. Apparently, you're not supposed to do that leg-pulling thing until after the run. Instead he had us leaning on a park bench doing slow knee bends.
Then we were off, following a course that only a producer with a sadistic streak could have devised. We went down steps, through tunnels, across bridges, up steps and, finally, past a row of parked cars and into Broadcasting House. Vicki was still chatting away quite happilly while I could only make painful wheezing noises in response.
Into studio G10 where Fred MacAulay and John Beattie were co-hosting the programme and talking to Tony Currie about the joys of school sports days. I admitted to Fred that I did not have an athletic body, but he told me I was being too hard on myself.
"Because", he explained, "I'm sure Sumo wrestlers think of themselves as athletes".
Afterwards Vicki and I were congratulated by sport producer Paul Bradley who gave each of us a Sport Relief t-shirt and red sock and took some photographs.
Then - and I kid you not- he actually asked if he could have the stuff back again so he could give them to someone on Reporting Scotland. I mean, what's the world coming to when you can't keep the odd sock?
