Another light article from my school days. I was 12 at the time.

I was in the final year of my middle school and little did I know that it would witness my greatest sporting moment. I wasn't a well behaved child and Mrs Lucas seemed to have it in for me and yet it was during a sports class overseen by her that was to see my greatest triumph of my Manor Leas years.

I was never much good at sport although I improved a bit in secondary school and thanks in no part to this incident and the confidence it gave me. For some reason the athletics track at my school was only 300m rather than the standard 400m so to do an 800 metres you had to do 2 and 2/3 of a lap. Mrs Lucas asked if any of us wanted to do it. Only three of us wanted to. Chris Collins, Darren Kelham and Mme. I could almost feel the class laughing at me and my ineptitude.

I am sure most of them expected me not to even last the distance.

We took our starting places and Mrs Lucas set us off and that was it. I just went for it. I finished in about three minutes a full minute ahead of Chris and I almost lapped poor Darren, even Mrs Lucas - my nemesis - applauded me across the line.

My win was totally unexpected and dramatic.

Or was it?

For quite a long time I had been running to school with a girl called Caroline on the way to school. The distance was about a mile (1.5km for those who understand metric) and so running with Caroline built my stamina, but that wasn't it.

I also used to race the school bus home.

Of course the bus left a few mins after me because of the children who were still getting on it when I left the gate. I knew that if I got at least half way before it overtook me that I had a chance because of the traffic lights at the end of the road. Nobody really said it but an unspoken agreement suggested that the finish line was across the main road after crossing a pedestrian crossing where the smaller road had come to an end. So between the lights and pedestrian crossing I had a chance.

All of this must have given me the stamina and speed to demolish that 800m

So while I was generally a bit of a bad boy at schooI my middle school years finished in triumph

Light reading for today,

Stay well and stay safe as usual.