Top Speed

We played touch football again tonight, something we’ve been partaking in each Monday night since the season began. We’ve had a mixed season, leaning more to the losing side of the balance sheet than I’d prefer, but most weeks there’s something in the game to at least keep me interested.

Tonight we played a bunch of kids who must have ranged from about 12 to 15 in age and early in the second half I managed a break away down the wing. I knew that they were coming to cut me off and deep down, I also knew that there was a chance that I could show up the young bucks and beat them to the line.

I’d claimed in previous weeks that whilst I used to be able to out sprint people over half the line and surprise them with the velocity at which I could propel the lard, that due to increasing age and failing body parts, I was more of a chance over quarter of the field these days. I’ve been run down a couple of times recently you see. Last week I had the ball an inch from the ground when I was caught by some young whipper snapper. Most infuriating, I must say.

This week though, the difference was the kid was only about 15, not 20 and so I put on that little bit of extra speed, getting up on the toes and accelerating that bit beyond what people thought I was capable was. Certainly those that had never seen me really get up and go were impressed (Its probably only 70% of what I could do way back when, if that).

It was greatly satisfying to put the ball down across the line though and was only marred by the subtle reminder from my body as the old and aging hamstring gave me. Its not torn or anything like it, but the next time that I broke the line I knew that it was all over for today’s game.

Looks like next time I’ll just have to avoid truly hitting ‘top speed’.