Running out of London!

On Thursday morning, I was given the running leg that started at Trafalgar Square right in downtown London. That was very exciting news not only because I would get to run trough the whole downtown, but also because we had a big event planned to promote BPR, and many people would get to watch me.

Ah, what an experience. We had a podium set up right on the square, BPR banners, big screen TV imaging the water crisis, and several of my colleague runners promoting the Run. They introduced me on the stage, and then we did a countdown to Paul’s arrival. Paul was the runner running the last 10mile leg to London, and he met up with his daughter a few miles up the rode and then they ran to the square together. It was pretty cool to see the crowd watch them run around the square and then run up the stage. We greeted, and then together read the message we bring along around the world, reciting every 10miles on exchange points: “We run like water. We run for water. We run to remember…” (the whole message elsewhere in my blog). I greeted the crowds, and exactly at 9am off I was.

Whoaa, what a run. I ran pretty much by all the sightseeing attractions of London: from Trafalgar Square I ran to the Big Ben, then along the Thames River by the London Eye, all the way to the Tower of London. Then I cross the Thames via the Tower Bridge, and continued toward Greenwich Village. As I passed the museums in Greenwich, I thought about-- time. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is often referred to as zero, and all other time zones count from that. And there I was, running. There was a sense of serenity in this. What is time? We all use it, misuse it, waste it, enjoy it, take it for granted… But really, time is not. It is a construct that we humans invented to keep track of ourselves. It has no substance, no meaning, no inherent value. It is us humans that give it its significance. Without us, time could not be used, wasted, or enjoyed..

Time is running out for humanity. Water is life, and life is good in London.