Countdown for freebird.
Every morning I hit the snooze button. Shattered I often just keep hitting it for over an hour. Eventually reality dawns as I slowly climb out of my lovely warm and comfortable bed. Soon this comfort will be traded for the unknown of life on the road. In a few short weeks time I will be climbing out of a tent and into the harsh Canadian snow. Life wont be so easy then,I will probably have to melt snow for my coffee. I can’t help asking myself just what I am letting myself in for.. Oh! For a quiet comfortable life… But I know that once I get going I will be fine.
Downstairs before the kettle is even boiled I am on the computer checking the never ending stream of emails that have to be dealt with. I reboil the kettle a couple more times and likewise reheat my porridge for the second time in the microwave. I am at the computer over an hour now and still haven’t had my breakfast.
More than 50 unopened emails in my inbox at the moment. Some are dependent on other replies.. Sometimes I feel I am chasing my tail as it’s so hard to get things done when some people don’t answer emails, they often say… ‘ October 25th that a long way off! ‘ Well I got to plan things from a long way out.
Eyes were opened recently when I went to renew my passport..
” How long is left on it?
” Oh! Only a year-and-a half! ”
The cupboards are becoming barer by the day as I use up food,throw out sauces, now I am starting to watch the expiration dates in a different sort of way. Last month I bought a small bottle of olive oil instead of my usual 500 ml size,it’s starting to hit home.
Finally I take my coffee over to the computer table. Carefully I place it down between a clutter of maps,pens and bits of paper with hastily scrawled notes and phone numbers. One of my next daily challenges is to stop the milk pouring over the laptop as I eat my porridge bowl in hand.
The washing machine is working overtime these days. I put on a small wash,always a small wash now. Most of my possessions are in storage,even most of my clothes and favorite running gear. Recently I went to a funeral service. So I had to go up to the attic for a nice pair of pants and black shoes. I was nearly going to throw those shoes out, thinking if I ran around the world I would surely deserve to wear the best of shoes for the rest of my life. Same with the car, only 68,000miles/110,000km on it. I am selling it on Tuesday for 300 euro quick sell.
Last Wednesday on the way to website night classes in Fas Ballyfermot a car clipped the car behind me. I was just passed a junction and stopped in heavy traffic. The hit car was also stopped. The driver that clipped it got out. Another insurance job here. I don’t think there was an injury involved,but you never know about further on down the line. I would have just sold it to him had it been mine he hit.. It could have been his lucky day had he hit me instead and then not have to lose his no claims bonus.Think I would have just given him the keys on the spot and walked across the Kylemore road to my class. Or had he been driving recklessly it could have been the end of the World Jog,faith I guess. I only got a 5 week class to get my head around this website stuff.
I look around the house,except for some clutter it looks well. I have just given it a three month total refurbish to a very high standard so as I can let it out long term hassle free.
With the rent I will just about break even with my mortgage repayments,if there are no major problems. I don’t care about it anymore. It’s been a nightmare,the most stressful 3 months of my life. It was literally a building site here. Furniture moved around,slabs of plaster board,paint everywhere,drilling,hanging mirrors,curtain rails,fire blanket,skips,door blocked and having to push my way through every single doorway,tiling,a new kitchen,bathroom,floors stained and polished,new carpet on the stairs. Every single ceiling and wall were skimmed then painted and a thousand other odds jobs.The leasing agency required me to get two ten year lithium sealed battery smoke detectors.Only place I could locate them was at the Liffey Valley Shopping Center.That was one of my ever dwindling training days. I ran out and back carrying them back in my satchel.
Long days and evenings, progress was so slow. Not eating properly,worried family brought me meals every day,I called them meals on wheels. I took iron supplements,dont think my doctor was in favor of this trip at first but he knew I was always going,no matter what. I have his blessing now as my energy levels have returned.
I never thought my last construction job would have been my own house and I would be the project manager,life can be so strange.
People are wondering why I am not doing the rounds of tv,radio and newspapers….I can’t even get the time to get into town to buy my equipment!
I mentioned in an earlier posting that the route direction has only recently been changed to an east – west direction. That meant I have had to research much of it again,post it along with a lot of other content on the website,bother Simon with dozens of emails learning about the basics of blogging,Flicker and HTMl also..It would have been easier if I was more technically minded. My Fas tutor has also been a great source of help, thanks John.
It has been so time consuming that I have not even had time to source more sponsors.
A huge thank you to The North Pole Marathon and Chariot Carriers. Thanks a million
Yes I remember walking those 4km to my office to sign. I could have cycled but walked instead. It was the 5th of July.The day before I saw Bob Dylan play Thomond Park. As I walked toward the office my Ipod asked me to play one of Dylan’s classic anthems:
”The times, they are a changin’,
The first one now will later be last,
The times,they are a changin’ ”
Instead I settled for a song by Lynyrd Skynyrd called Freebird I played it loud in my ears as I waited in the waiting room..You could always change your mind Tony,I thought. The door opened,I took the ear buds out,too late now….
I went in to the office to sign on the dotted line….
Ronnie Van Zant was still screaming out his lyrics:
‘For I must be traveling on, now,
‘Cause there’s too many places I’ve gotta to see….’
Thanks to my job redundancy cheque. Yes that was good. Sometimes its good being the companies most noted trade-unionist!
” There are a whole load of others in for redundancy before you Tony but you been such a good worker we will put you up the top of the queue! ”
” Thanks I will take that as a compliment…We have been good for each other ”
Hey Dylan you were wrong! I thought….Should have been:
”The last one now will soon be the first…
”The times they are a changin”
I picked up the redundancy cheque and said….” With this I will run around the world! ”
That and some savings will be the basis of much of this trip. That will do nicely. In many ways I almost didn’t get it as I would have probably quit the job this year without it. I always say The World Jog will have lots of PR… Porridge and Rice
No going back now Tony….You have effectively taken the first steps of The World Jog. I walked home with Freebird on repeat.
‘ I’m as free as a bird now….
‘ Lord knows I can’t change….’
I remember thinking as I walked home that beautiful day that with a bit of luck I could be gone in 6 weeks! Ha! Ha! that was optimistic.. Though I am very intimate with what is required to get to the start line,even so I am amazed there is so much last minute detail. I always thought I had it ‘ planned in my mind ‘ for over 20 years with just the last minute detail to be taken care of. It now seems that Marathon day will not only be my dream way to start but the first realistic start date.. I feel I will still be making arrangements right up to the very start. Oh! It will be great to start running around the world to have a rest!
I look at the countdown timer on this site. The ever ominous reading is 30 days,2 hours,28 minutes. Soon it will be counting up and not down.
One month left.What was I doing this time last month? Re-tiling the bathroom,my God that seems like only last week!
This time next month I will be on the course of the Dublin city marathon.. The World Jog will have started….Well not really till I get to the marathon finish line.
Freebird will be exchanged for Tom Petty’s… Running Down A Dream.
”Little Runaway, I was flyin’
Running down a dream.
Never would come to me.
Working on a mystery.
Going wherever it leads.
Runnin’ down a dream.”
Winning the Ultracentric 48 hour race in Texas 2008.
The race director never paid out the prize money to the winners.Google for details.
September 30th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Nice Blog Tony : )
I particularly like the reference to olive oil- here’s a similiar sentiment but from the other side http://revolutioncycle.ie/?p=428
September 30th, 2010 at 6:49 pm
Hey Ferg! That’s Amazing So I got the oil thing to look forward to at the end also? I wonder is this a normal travelers dilemma? It probably was but we just haven’t articulated it before?? Perhaps we should set up a Dwindling Olive Oil Facebook page??
Hope things are fine with you?
Tony
October 2nd, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Thank You very much for your very kind comments. I am very new to blogging and there are 2 questions I have: 1. Why do most commentators have a sub title eg: a website etc for a mortgage co,car company etc? At first I thought it was just spam people trying to get their link in but now I realize that many of these people are taking a serious interest like yourself,Thanks
2. Simple question but why do people rarely give their names? It’s so nice talking to a name as opposed to ‘ no name. ‘
Regarding your other questions.. Yes you are right about lady Gaga and add in premiership smoking,drunk footballers with no humility,dignity or respect for those that pay their their wages or their fellow ‘ athletes. ‘ They then spend half of their playing time cheating., rolling around like babies. Am I jealous.. You bet, but just for the money and the hot babes Am I bitter.. No I prefer my sport.. In ultra running we help our opponents. Even our bitterest rivals in the middle of a closely contested race we offer each other stuff like gaiters, Vaseline, sickness remedies, food, water etc. Our crews even help our opponents.
It seems the papers only are interested in the glamorous sports.But if people support the cheats they will not change their policies. So, I don’t buy the tabloids or subscribe to Sky Sports.A premiership footballer won’t get a penny from me!
I usually just do the media rounds when I got something to promote,not just for the sake of it. I will be doing something in the last week but right now am just too busy. My big,big problems now are getting places to stay between Dublin and Dunquin and then getting back from Dunquin to a place I can commute to Dublin Airport. I guess that may change when I go public. I also have had no interest from the media/chamber commerce in Newfoundland to get my N.American start witnessed etc.Some others have made a career out of running a marathon a month then spending 30 days recovering.Good luck to them. That’s not my style.
I want the reader of the world jog blog to feel there were on the road with me. It will be an honest account of what exactly is happening but I have to admit I may take liberty and exaggerate some comical situations..However the essence will be the reality of running around the world. As mentioned in my Mission Statement I have zero reason to be dishonest.
Part of me just wanted to head off without any hullabaloo and not even bother with a website but I am torn by that human desire to share my story and indeed part of my life and future memories with others. When traveling alone there is always the drawback that many of our experiences are unshared
Regarding my knowledge of the logistics..Well believe me I am still learning.. I am friends with most of the people that have done major expeditions (see links on sidebar)
Some of them have stayed in my home.I have learned from them so much. I can honestly say that there will probably be an equivalent time output to researching,reading travel books,googling,emailing etc over the last 20 years to the amount of hours that I will be actually running on the road in the next 3-4 years..So obviously a lot has been gleaned..A lot has still to be learned..I hope we can travel together and discover a lot of wonderful people out there.
Thanks for your visit….One for the road! Tony
October 2nd, 2010 at 7:11 pm
It sure is!! I Just made another posting! Thanks for your visit.. Hey where are you guys from?? And have you got a sport yourselves?
October 2nd, 2010 at 9:28 pm
Thank You Gullatt. I appreciate your kind comments. There is a long way to go both for me. But even more so for those people suffering from depression and mental health issues, they have further to go.
I am using the world jog to promote the Irish charity Aware which is giving people with mental health challenges a ‘ leg up ‘ I am having a few technical difficulties getting the donate button up on the site. I appeal to anyone that enjoys my trip, or even if they don’t to donate even a dollar or a euro.
I am not very good at fund raising as you can see with 3 weeks to go I do not even have a shoe sponsor!
My biggest fear is that when this trip is over that my fund raising efforts will be a pittance but even if they are I hope The World Jog can give some exposure to the mental health challenges that face others on a daily basis. Tony
October 15th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
[...] I just want to rerun some of my older posts that have gotten a bit burried in the blog. Countdown for freebird [...]