Thought we'd do a cycle instead of a run today to give our feet a rest. We headed towards South Norwood Park which is a lovely stretch of land full of pebbly trails and grassy expanses. On our route we went across another piece of public land which is not park or recreation ground but just a big circle of grass surrounded by woods. Too good an opportunity to miss, we thought, and headed towards the trees.
We spent the next 20 minutes or so using the trees for strength training by pulling ourselves up, twisting round and negotiating branches, jumping and balancing. It's funny - when you're a kid, you think nothing of these activities. You can shoot up a tree quicker than a cat and without a thought for your safety. Today, it was as though my adult mind was telling me "no, you can't do this" but somewhere in my head my piece of "child" brain was nudging away at me, trying to remind me of movements and techniques that I used to use, the instructions for which still lurk in my head somewhere.
On our way back from a refreshing race around the park (we also found a possible venue nearby for our Barefoot Running UK workshops - bonus!) we used the big circle of grass for practising rolls, cartwheels, handstands, etc. David was feeling very brave (or mad) and was doing dive rolls over his upturned bike. I'll take my camera next time for some action shots!
After 15 minutes of this, I lay flat out on the grass and absorbed some healing Schuman's Resonance (see Michael Sandler's book Barefoot Running) beneath a blue, blue sky. Perfect.
