Game, Set and Match

I’ve just had a nail-biting time listening to the tennis on BBC 5 Live today. What a gargantuan match, and although I’ve got nothing against Medvedev, I am exceedingly pleased that Rafael Nadal was the first of the three male GOATs (Greatest Of All Time) to get past the 20 Grand Slam deadlock. (I’m not including Serena Williams in this as she’s in a league of her own).

I never, normally, speak on this blog about anybody else but myself, which is a terribly egotistical thing I grant you. But every now and then, you have to stand back and applaud absolute super-duperness when you see it.

I look at the grit, determination and astounding longevity of players like Rafa and I’m just in awe. You have to be a very special type of person who can be up at that level, for such a long time. Probably slightly bordering on obsessive – part of me wonders what their partners think of them – and phenomenally disciplined.

I know that I have nothing of that kind of personality in me, and I wouldn’t actually want it, if I’m being honest, but I would like just a teeny tiny bit more self-discipline than what I’ve got now.

It’s not at level zero, so that’s good, but there have been many days, where I could have just gone out for even a couple of miles and felt better for it, but actually did squat. Of my hoped for 100 miles this month I managed just over 70, and also just 21 of the 30 days of Yoga with Adriene.

So that was alright, and I’m not going to beat myself up about it, but I definitely have peaks and troughs with my exercise, and I occasionally wallow in mini sloughs of despond. I think that I’m not progressing, or worse, that I’m going backwards in my fitness. Sometimes that thinking gets me started again, but mainly it doesn’t help. And actually, unless I have taken a huge break, as I did the year before last, the going backwards thing is just not true.

I am progressing, but very, very slowly. That’s partly do with my stop/start approach to running, and partly because, I think, some folk have a more natural ability. It’s like when one group of people, if they decide to go on a diet, can lose weight really easily, whereas others struggle. So this concept of progress has to be internal to each of us, unless we’re one of the Rafas.

So I’ve thought of two things that will hopefully keep me going, especially during these winter months.

Firstly, I’ve put myself on the Pensby Runners committee, which is quite impressive considering I was a glass of brandy away from not going to the AGM last week at all. It’s a way to be part of the conversation to encourage people, and keep them interested, and that will hopefully then inspire me to stay motivated.

Secondly, I’ve got another Half Marathon booked in June. Although I’ve got a couple of 10Ks  and things in between, this Half will be the first one I’ve done with my mate Salena since I don’t know when. Both of us completed our first HMs in March 2014, in Liverpool. I beat her in that one. We’ve done a few since, but not for a long time, and looking at her Runkeeper stats, she’ll wipe the floor with me in this one, but there is still time for a little improvement and who knows what will happen. Perhaps the inner Serena in me will burst out! There’s nothing like a bit of rivalry to get the juices going!