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    Chomping At The Bit!

    2019 Relationships Running Work richard-guy
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    When I woke up on New Year’s Day I made a promise to myself that I would make 2019 a year to remember (and for good reasons) and hit the ground running.

    I had a call yesterday offering the role that I interviewed for – to say I’m delighted is a bit of an understatement. The role sounds a lot better than I originally anticipated with a lot of opportunity for development and allowing for creativity with learning design. That is something my current role doesn’t really offer so as you can probably imagine I’m absolutely chomping at the bit to get started. It is going to be a lot of hard work but I’m relishing that. I have a real passion and enthusiasm for developing people so they reach their full potential and beyond so this is going to be a brilliant role for me.
    I’ve also been out on a couple of dates with someone and that has gone really well – we both have a passion for running and cycling which is fantastic.
     
    The training is still going well (though I did miss my run yesterday due to heading to the pub to celebrate getting the new job) and the runs are getting longer each week now. I enjoy the long runs as they allow me to switch off and I’m just focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

    Although I feel that 2019 has got off to a good start there is still room for improvement and I also need to be mindful that there are still going to be some tough challenges and situations. I need to be careful that I have the resilience to cope with those dips and also to foresee them if I can.
     
    There is still a long way to go on this journey and although I’ve made a good start to the year much of the hard graft is still in front of me and there are going to be times when I really need to dig deep and persevere in order to achieve better things. I know from past experiences I have the capability to do this.
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    A Good Start!

    Home Running Work richard-guy
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    10 days into 2019 and I already feel like I have achieved a few things already which is good.

    I haven’t really pushed that hard but instead have taken a more concentrated approach.
     
    It is going to be the next week that could define how the year may take shape – I say could because it may not but there is a very good chance it could.

    I have a job interview tomorrow and have spent the last week preparing for that – I don’t think I have prepared so much for an interview ever. Rather than just walking in and hoping to answer the questions to the best of my ability (which I have done in the past and have always walked out reflecting on what I could have said rather than what I did say – though I guess everyone does this) I have made notes to take in with me so I have those excellent examples I can put across.

    Looking at the role description I certainly have the ability to do the role and do it well but putting that across in interview is totally different and I do have a tendency of not selling myself fully in interviews.

    Actually, I do it quite a lot in my life and have never been one to really shout from the roof-tops about my achievements and successes. I much prefer to get stuff done and let actions speak louder than words a lot of the time.

    My life away from work and training is improving and on the up.

    I’ve been getting a bit more varied in the kitchen with what I’m cooking as well instead of the usual pasta dishes every day.

    Training has been going well since the start of the year and I’ve not missed one session and also completed my longest run since I started training for the ultra. The longest run went really well and I had no issues covering the distance or the time (despite having missed a few sessions over the Christmas period) and actually found my next run (which was much shorter in distance and time) much more of a slog (or it certainly felt like it was)!!!

    Even though the weather has been favourable in terms of being dry it has become colder but this hasn’t stopped me getting out training at all – if anything I’ve enjoyed it.
     
    It has felt a really good to start the year and I'm focused and determined. I hope that I can carry this good momentum on for the rest of the year.
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    Change!

    2019 Reflection richard-guy
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    Happy New Year and welcome to my first blog entry of 2019.

    I tend not to make new year resolutions but I do look at what I can change in order to make improvements in my life.

    I already feel that 2019 is going to bring a lot of change to my life and I am determined to get to the end of the year and feel I have given it my all. I feel that I am at a bit of a crossroads in my life and I have the opportunity to make quite a few changes for the better this year. I have a job interview next week which is a great chance for me to focus a bit more on career progression and development.

    I need to change my mindset a lot this year – I’ve spent the last couple of years dragging myself down or being dragged down by others and have been left feeling that I am not good enough. That is going to change now and I am not going to place limitations on what is achievable or obtainable.

    I feel over the last couple of years I’ve taken a bit of a kicking both mentally and emotionally and it has left me feeling a bit numb and very cautious of who I really trust in life. I need to remove the barriers I put in front of me at times – again this is probably due to feelings of not being good enough. I need to remove those things from my life I don’t need because they drag me down. The past is the past and I can do nothing to change that but I can learn from it – actually I can learn a lot from it and make sure I don’t make those mistakes or poor decisions I have in the past.

    I need to change my mindset regarding training for the Ultra in August. The training will really ramp up in the next couple of months and I need to be prepared both mentally and physically. There will be times I will just want to throw the towel in and give up but I must learn to push through and keep going. There will also be times of self-doubt and I need to believe that I can achieve the targets and goals I set for myself.

    With winter being here now it can sometimes be a bit of a chore to get out of the door to train with the option of staying indoors where it is warm and comfortable seeming more sensible – I need to tell myself I haven’t entered an ultra to feel warm and comfortable, I’ve entered to push my boundaries and to challenge myself.

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  • Published on

    2019!

    Reviewing 2018 Running richard-guy
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    Happy Holidays Everyone!!!!!

    Hey everyone thanks again for checking out my latest blog post and the last one of 2018.
     
    What a year 2018 has been – some good stuff has happened and some not so good stuff.

    I’ve decided not to focus on it too much and instead focus on 2019 instead. I’m really excited for 2019 already and some of the possibilities and challenges (good ones) that I will face.
     
    I think the last few years have proved how resilient I can be and how I can adapt quickly.

    Going forwards this is going to be key for 2019 and especially when I tackle the ultra in August – I know there are going to be some really tough moments during the event where I question my ability, question my reasoning, and question my inner-strength to carry on. I also know that I can overcome those tough moments and get through them and get to that finish line.

    As I’ve said in previous blogs if the ultra goes ok, I remain injury free, and the motivation is still high then in 2020 I’ll do a 100km (62 miles) event!!

    With some time off over the festive period I am hoping to get in some decent training runs which are a bit longer than I’ve already been doing – it’ll also give me a good reason to eat a few more mince pies!!!!
     
    I’m hoping to get back into the hills and mountains again next year. There is nothing I like more than being in that kind of terrain – I just love the vastness and the tranquillity of it.

    One trip already spoken about is a trip to Snowdon to tackle Snowdonia. It’d be great if I had some time to do at least one long trail run there as well.

    I have unfinished business on Ben Nevis and am considering heading up to Scotland to tackle that.

    I have spent time in the past on the Brecon Beacons and the Lake District and am also considering some time in either area (or both).

    With the South Downs and New Forest nearby as well I need to take advantage of those areas as well – both would be fantastic places to train on.
     
    I’m also looking forward to the usual stuff as well – going to football with my cousin and friends, spending time with family and friends, seeing The Specials at Victorious festival, and just enjoying the things I enjoy doing away from training and working.
     
    I’m determined to make 2019 a memorable one and for good reasons. This time next year I want to be able to look back and have no regrets and feel that I couldn’t have given it anymore.
     
    Happy holidays and see you in 2019.

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  • Published on

    Reflection!

    Reflection Reviewing 2018 richard-guy
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    As we approach the end of the year I always find that it is a good time to reflect on what I have achieved and what I want to achieve in the forthcoming year.

    I have had to do a lot of soul searching this year and there have been some really tough moments. There have been times when I have felt that I was not good enough in certain situations or where I have been really hard on myself, beaten myself up over things, and dragged myself down quite a bit.

    I hit a downward spiral this year and it hit me really hard. I think it was the culmination of a few tough years and suddenly I became overwhelmed with things and events. I think it has made me a stronger person but not always a better person though. I still feel that I let people down at times and also let myself down.

    There are times when I seem unapproachable and ‘prickly’ though I do not intend to be that way. I’ve thought about this over the last few weeks and I think it is because I have a habit of putting the barriers up as I try and figure out how I am feeling about things. When I do this I have a habit of completely shutting people out and that is not always a good thing.

    A couple of months ago I was on the verge of moving away and starting again somewhere else – I don’t think that it would have changed much though. Same issues, different location.

    Quite a few people told me I was making the wrong decision and I can see that now.
    I have lived in Portsmouth since last August and have made some really good friends down here – they know who they are and I appreciate them being part of my life and my world.

    I’m looking forward to 2019. I’m not placing any expectations on myself or what the year will bring. Instead I am seeing it as a totally blank page and I am determined to fill that blank page with achievements that I will be proud of and finish the year feeling I couldn’t have given any more.

    I achieve my best when I am pushing myself well outside of my comfort zone and I am determined to push myself a lot in 2019.

    It isn’t just about running the ultra in August. Although that is really important it is just one goal I have next year and is an important part of the overall journey.

    I need to challenge myself professionally and push my career onwards. I enjoy my job and I am good at what I do but I need to progress in order to grow.

    I need to challenge myself personally. I can be a bit of a creature of habit a lot of the time – part of that is due to being organised and liking a routine.

    I don’t want to get to the finish line of the ultra next year and be thinking ‘now what?’ which is why it is important that I have other goals to work towards.

    As I reflect on 2018 and how some of it has been tough going I do feel I needed to go through that so I could look deep inside of myself and ask myself some tough questions and see what I am really made of.
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  • Published on

    Motivation and Reflection!

    Running richard-guy
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    It has been a couple of weeks since my last blog entry and things have been ok-ish I guess.

    A heavy cold a couple of weeks ago put paid to any ideas I had about training which was frustrating after 4 weeks of making really good progress.

    The problem was the motivation to do anything else went out of the window as well and the focused routine I had got myself into went to pieces and I spent the best part of the week being really hard on myself, as I wasn’t really doing the things I should have been!

    I have this habit of being hard on myself when I am not doing the things that I feel I should be doing.

    I missed one week of training – now in reflection was this a bad thing? Probably not as had I forced myself out the door my performance would have been below-par and it would have lengthened my recovery. The frustration was not being able to train but I need to be well in order to train.

    My routine went out of the window and I spent a few days playing catch up afterwards – was this such a bad thing? I did get things done – some decorating and I did some batch cooking as well and the freezer is full of stuff ready to go when time is a bit more limited.

    I think the problem lies more with my motivation being good and then I am thrown a bit of a curve ball which is somewhat unexpected at the time and it can sometimes throw me off course and that is the point at which my routine goes out of the window a bit and the frustrations with myself creep in.

    Am I sometimes being too hard on myself? Are my expectations outweighing my capacity at times?

    I need to realise that sometimes I will not be able to follow the routine I expect – there are going to be challenges and issues – everyday life, work, feeling run down or tired (meaning that resting up will actually benefit me in the long run(!) rather than pushing myself to breaking point), having niggles or injuries, or the weather is such that it is just not practical to get out and train (though I am hoping we don’t get any snow!)

    One of the things I need to start doing is not reflecting on what I haven’t done but rather than reflecting on what I have done – it may not have been what I planned but at least something is better than nothing at times.

    Once I got back out running the one thing I noticed was I was absolutely chomping at the bit to get out there again – the motivation has not dropped which is fantastic.

    My focus when I am training is really good – ear-phones in and listening to music, switched off from the rest of the world and just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. Not caring about time or distance – just being out there and enjoying what I am doing.

    My run on Saturday wasn’t in the greatest of weather – running along a coastal path into a headwind with the rain in my face – and I actually enjoyed every second of it.

    I know over the next couple of months the weather is going to change (at the moment it is unbelievably mild for the time of year) and the training sessions are going to get longer so I need to keep that focus high on every session.

    As the sessions get longer I am finding newer parts of the route to run on and I find this really motivating – what is around the next corner? Where does this part of the path lead to?

    Every step is part of this journey and quite a lot of that is unknown – this is something I should learn to embrace and adapt with and move forwards with – not just with my training but also other aspects of my life as well.
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