Random reminder

Press, 8 July 1976, Page 34

Random reminder

FROM THE SHADOWS

In recent time there is probably no form of recreational activity that has risen tn popularity so quickly as jogging. Whereas it was once considered a pastime only for sportsmen keen to improve their stamina and fitness, it has become a sport in its own right and one with thousands of devotees. One of the attractions of jogging is that it enables people who would otherwise get little physical activity to get out in their own time and run at their own pace. In the pursuit of good health, jogging has much to commend it. The ranks of joggers are filled with men of middle-age who. if not hoping to recapture their youth, are at least encouraged by the prospect

of keeping themselves in sufficiently good shape to discourage any talk about the years taking their toll. A Christchurch man, a little overweight and getting no more exercise than the odd stroll behind a lawnmower, was invited by some jogging friends to heed the "Come Alive” call and join them pounding the pavements. The man hedged for a long time, but eventually he made up his mind to accept the invitation. And so as not to make a fool of himself in front of his friends, he decided on a little secret training. In the quiet of night he used to slip out of his house and go for short runs about the neighbourhood. Steadily his mileage increased and the time arrived when he thought he was ready to join the pros and have a little fun

at their expense. He was greatly looking forward to seeing how they reacted to his unexpected fitness. A few days before he was to make his “debut” he went for one last solitary run. He was feeling pretty good as he returned to his house, and it was this confidence that made him change course slightly. Instead of running up the drive he opted for a shortcut by jumping the front fence. But he was fooled by the street lighting. He jumped not the fence, but the shadow of the fence, and it was only on the way down that he was made crashingiy aware of his mistake. The result was considerable pain, the temporary need of a walking stick and an abrupt loss of interest in jogging as a means to better health.