Endurance training

What a fantastic weekend of playing at being an athlete. It's amazing what you can do when you "park life" and concentrate on running. After our morning session yesterday we went out for "efforts". That involved a 2 mile run out and back with 12 minutes of hill climbing in the middle. This was followed by a wonderful hour of yoga. That would be a wonderfully difficult or relaxing hour depending in whether or not you are "bendy". I'm nt so it was tough but hugely beneficial - thank Mark. This morning we woke up to horrible weather. 18 miles across beautiful countryside. That's double the distance I had ran this year. But it was brilliant. Day off tomorrow and a well earned rest.

Honesty

Generally speaking people either say I'm mad, daft or wish me well when they find out I am training for the Marathon des Sables. However when talking to a bunch of runners at the training camp last night one of them was brutally honest. "You won't finish it" he said - there was a pause in the conversation as the others looked at him. DK is known for his frank views but this one seemed too honest. People may think I won't make it but nobody, until last night, had actually expressed it. So a bet of £10 was made and I am looking forward to collecting it. Apparently my "continual positivity" annoys some people but that's not my problem. If people want to limit themselves then that is their choice. We didn't fall out over it as everyone is entitled to their opinion. So yesterday we did a wee 5 mile warm up and this morning a 9 miler with a very big hill! It's brilliant. I also started the morning with my yoga and will have another yoga session today after we have completed another run this afternoon. This is quality training and it will take me closer to removing £10 from a "doubting Thomas"!

How do you eat an elephant?

Taking on the marathon Des Sables is a bit like eating an elephant, or at least I think it should be althouth I have done neither. The point I am getting to is that rather than be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the event you need to break it down into smaller parts. So today was a simple run as part of my run every day in September challenge. However the man flu (aka a common cold) was lurking around so I decided to work from home and see how I felt. My wife who is definately suffering from the cold, sneezed all day so staying at home may backfire on me. At 5pm and lacking energy I decided it was now or never. I completed a very short 3.28 miles and although felt hellish all the way round, by the time i got out the shower I could feel my energy coming back to normal levels. These "small victories" help condition your mind to "man up...". There are people really suffering out there so I should count myself lucky - I do. Tomorrow I am off to a three day intensive run camp and I think the phrase "man up" will come to mind more than once. But if I am going to succeed in the Sahara Desert in 7 months time I can't miss out the small steps on the way.

Man flu?

Man flu is a lot more serious than most women give credit. However seen as this "bug" has been passed on by my wife she can't say it's not real! It's at an early stage and I feel tired and sore but this could also be due to the yoga and running session this morning - the later in the rain. It's bad timing as on Friday I am off to a three day running camp which is always tough. So I am resting for the remainder of the day and hope it will pass. Man down!

Andy Murray's belief

Can you believe it? Britain has it's first Grand Slam winner in 76 years - Andy Murray. As a nation there are mixed feelings about Andy with many doubting he "had what I took" to win a Grand Slam. But last night Andy took control and achieved what no other Brit had done in 76 years. It didn't happen over night, this victory has taken a lifetime to achieve. But most importantly, Andy ignored all the noise made by the press, all the doubters and kept his focus on the prize. I had the privilege of meeting him in 2008 when he was no. 11 in the world. Even then you could see his determination but he wasn't ready for greatness although he got to no. 4 by at year end. He has put up with so much rubbish in the press. I worked with him on three occasions with a group of kids and he gave them his full attention - he's a good guy. But my admiration is for how he has kept believing when it would have been easier to be the runner-up all the time. It will be interesting to watch his career develop now his belief has been rewarded, and his peers realise he's broken his "duck". Well done Andy.

The risk of learning

The best part of the day for me is early morning. I love getting up around 5.30 - 6am and getting started. Today was a 6am start and on my yoga mat (or should I say my wife's yoga mat - I haven't accessorised yet!)for 10 sun salutations (Sura Namaskar). It's an interesting experience starting something new and once again the success comes down to mind set and determination to continue no matter how uncomfortable it may feel at times. I then went off to the pool and I haven't been doing a lot of swimming recently so I struggled with my technique and therefore times were slower. I was offered some friendly advice from a seasoned swimmer and I gave it a try - nothing to lose. Immediately I could feel a difference and will get back in the pool to build on this later on this week. Implementing change doesn't just relate to yoga and swimming as my last telephone conversation with a potential client will illustrate. We were looking a a team building session (in a safe indoor environment) using well proven methodology but the group I was speaking to had never done this before. They were all highly intelligent people but perhaps they thought this would take them out of their comfort zone and didn't want to expose any weaknesses. It's a shame really because if the group aren't prepared to expose themselves to learning then they won't "grow". Why not learn a new skill and see how it brings excitement and new people into your life?

Yoga training

As you know I started yoga on Friday and have been set the task of 10 sun salutations a day before my next lesson on Tuesday. I know it's only the beginning but I am taking this seriously as a key element to my core strength and flexibility training. However my body is telling me it's been working muscles that haven't been worked for a while as I'm a bit tender. This morning I ran 5 miles to my son's football match to continue my running challenge in September. I am building up the mileage this week as I'm heading off to an intensive running camp on Fri/Sat/Sun which will be tough. As for Ali's match a 2-2 draw with last years league and cup winners, where he was involved in both goals. Sometimes the stress as a spectating parent is worse than the toughest training!