Therapy

Ok, I'm aware that some people start blogging and then after a short while realise it's not for them. But I think I'm the kinda guy that needs to solve problems and see this as an opportunity to work things through. In this vain I find the blogs of Stu Mills and John Kynaston extremely valuable and have a suspicion that they too like to work things out, online. Oh, I'll add some photos which have no relevance to this text but might keep any viewers interested......

So whats up? Well I'm in limbo at the moment. I really don't know what to do with regards this posterior impingement injury, not to forget the bursa on the other heel which just does not seem to be going away. In truth, it's not really only due to the injuries; I'm doing a distance learning honours degree at the moment. This is what I always blame for not being able to fully focus and commit to training. Although, truth be told, so far I have managed to juggle training with the uni work and the full time job and the wife and kids fairly well, the missus should rightfully take a big share of the credit for that though.

It's an issue that me and Rob discuss now and again as he's in a very similar situation. In fact, our lives have almost been identical since we met almost 12 years ago. Rob is far busier at work than I am but I have to study entirely in my own time; swings and roundabouts.

So where are these ramblngs going? Well I recently undertook a behavioural profiling questionairre at work. To be very brief; it turns out that I am very analytical and dedicated to achieving results; I see the bigger picture and place high value on my time. According to the Honey and Mumford learning styles (also taken recently) I am a very strong theorist and pragmatist and strong reflector - this means I am methodical, I like to do painstaking research and like to learn from those with a proven track record......ala following the blogs of others. 

Rob (my favourite photo of him above) had suggested to me that I put some of my training techniques on this blog. I'm coming round to this way of thinking. Having read Stu Mills interview with Montane; http://www.montane.co.uk/expeditions/stuart-mills I feel more contented due to his comment about not being focussed on any events during the years he did his masters.

This is similar to a thread of conversation myself and Rob have going at the moment. Basically, I feel if you want to enjoy and fulfil your potential at Ultra running - you have to try and get a good balance to the rest of your life. This might seem a little philosophical but I feel it is no mistake that my training got very difficult this year around the same time as we moved house - whilst trying to keep all the other balls in the air. I managed it and also got the highest mark so far for an assignment (uni work) but the training was a huge drain on me. It would've been easy to let something go but to me the whole episode was another challenge and with deadlines and committments to stick too, anything less than complete focus could've meant failure.

So anyway, I have talked myself into thinking that perhaps it would be better if I took the focus off the running for a while. I need to get this honours degree done and then become chartered otherwise my little family will just be scraping the barrell month in month out indefinitely and that is no fun, now or ever and that takes me to mid 2013 at least. It frustrates me as I love to be out in the countryside far more than bloody studying and also because I like to 'live' life. I suppose this injury is making me think like this too as it has been suggested by the GP that I'll probably need operated on! As for the training programmes and stuff, I'll get round to that, I think it would be good to share this stuff because I certainly wouldn't have made any improvements had it not been for the internet.