THE PAST IS ANOTHER COUNTRY, BUT I'M DREAMING OF REVISITING
Runner's World SA|November/December 2022
Hitherto, there have been two stages in my running life: the period when I was 14 to 17 years old, and then the return to running from my mid-thirties to the present day. Now comes the third stage of my running life.
PAUL TONKINSON
THE PAST IS ANOTHER COUNTRY, BUT I'M DREAMING OF REVISITING

Teen Tonks was an extremist, doing more than 80 kays a week, and double sessions. The times I achieved then shine like distant diamonds. But I have a tendency to judge present efforts against those achievements and imagine a world where I could get close again. Of course, this is madness. The past is another country; and in all aspects but running, I prefer this one.

Then came the second coming, peaking with my sub-three marathon. It was a joyous episode in my running life. The gentle ascension to the foothills of hard training, momentum slowly building. It was exhilarating to run hard, join a club and push myself. Post-sub-three, my body kicked back a bit. Then came Covid, weight gain, injuries, and a what-am-doing period.

This story is from the November/December 2022 edition of Runner's World SA.

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This story is from the November/December 2022 edition of Runner's World SA.

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