THE ED ’ S DESK the ed ’ s desk by SEAN FALCONER
Sean Falconer
THE ED ’ S DESK the ed ’ s desk by SEAN FALCONER
Good to be Busy !
The other day , I was talking to a friend while trundling along some trails in a race near Stellenbosch , about work , deadlines , being really busy , and other similarly serious stuff . ( I know , I know , not exactly your usual topic of conversation when tackling switchbacks on a mountainside , but a good chat helps the steep climbs seem flatter .)
Anyway , he mentioned that he has been busier than ever this year , and was actually lucky to have even made it to that Sunday morning race . He added that he had pre-entered a few other races in recent weeks , and just kept missing them due to work pressure and urgent deadlines . Same my side , I said , because our Modern Athlete team has been incredibly busy thus far in 2024 . We recently did a quick count and it turns out that we had published 16 magazines or event digimags in the first 12 weeks of the year .
In fact , that ’ s more like 16 in 11 weeks , since we didn ’ t take any mags live in the first week of January – and since doing that count , we ’ ve published another three , including this mag that you ’ re reading , with another three in the pipeline for the next week or two . And more to follow soon after that …
My friend , who also works in the events industry , jokingly commented that he almost misses the days of COVID , when all events were cancelled and he could take some time off for the first time in years . As he said , “ I hadn ’ t had so many weekends off in 14 years , and to be perfectly honest , in spite of the worries about getting COVID and the financial problems caused by the lack of work , it was actually quite nice to be able to relax for a change .”
Food for Thought
I know this friend well , and he would never make flippant remarks about a global pandemic that took the lives of so many and affected many , many more in one way or another . He is a serious person , who takes life , health , career , family commitments , finances and more seriously , but I understood his point . And his comment gave me food for thought as well . After all , I work long hours on this magazine and the other publications that we produce , and then on weekends I pick up the mic at 40-plus events a year , so a ‘ weekend off ’ is also a precious commodity for me , as is getting to run a weekend race instead of working at one .
A short while after that chat , I bid my friend farewell and upped my pace , as I felt like stretching the old legs . I found myself running alone for the next few kays , able to think things about things as I enjoyed the early morning sun , the views from the tops of the hills , and the awesome feeling of being fit . It really was one of those runs where you forget about the distance , or the climbing , or the other concerns you may have , and you just savour the moment .
I realised just how much I was enjoying myself , and just how lucky I was to be there , on that trail , on that morning , running strongly , and enjoying a race on my weekend off … but also how lucky I am to have regular work , and have race organisers asking me to try fit more work into my schedule .
Time to be Thankful
When I finished the race , I waited at the finish for my friend to come in , and I told him how his comment had made me think about things as I ran the second half of the race , and how it made me realise just how lucky we both are . He replied , “ Now isn ’ t that amazing ! When you left me and went flying off down the trail , I was also running alone for a while , also thinking about our chat , and how lucky we are to be here today . And it made me enjoy the ran even more !”
Later that day , I sent him a WhatsApp : Great chat-run today , couldn ’ t agree more , made me really appreciate things . Let ’ s do it again soon !
Sean Falconer
Image : Chris Hitchcock
4 ISSUE 167 | www . modernathlete . co . za