Two's company.

I generally by myself but every Friday I meet with my pal Jez and we tootle around. Admittedly this tootling has got out of hand, our tootles have ended up being 18 miles long and counting. Below is a nice share from Jez. Running together can make a difference.


'I have had an on-off love affair with running all of my life. I started running in my mid-twenties and could regularly run half marathons in around 1 hour 45 mins by about 1993.  I even went faster getting down to below 1 hour 40 mins.  I carried on running up until about 2002, completing the GNR many times and 2 London Marathons. Between 2002 and 2012 I probably lost interest in running regularly and tended to go to the gym.

Nick the tight old sod who added only 800m

/week

It was around 2009 that I started running again just once a week about 5 miles.  In 2012 I began thinking about going further and decided to enter the York Marathon the following year.  It was at this point that I got involved with Nick who helped me train to complete the 2013 York Marathon, but I vowed 'never again'

I have been following Nick for years, as a friend and as a coach. Following the York Marathon I went back to my routine of just completing 5 miles once a week. This was until about a year ago when I started to work with Nick again.

My job allowed me to take Friday's off and we decided to go running together.  We began with 5 very easy miles, and Nick stressed for the first few times we would just follow our breath and keep things nicely under control. I had a coaching session with Nick a few years ago and found it so beneficial.

We began running every Friday in January of this year, including the beast from the East in March where we did some seriously silly hill repeats into the gale!

Every week, (almost without fail) Nick would increase the distance by a paltry 800m, he was being miserly with his mileage gains but I could feel my body respond so well. I was feeling stronger and much happier when running.  If the session was cancelled Nick would stress 'run 5 miles a little faster today'.

I was also continuing with my usual Sunday run of 5 miles but faster than before.  I could feel a change in my wholes attitude to running and to my physical condition.

As we moved into the Autumn the 10K's have given way to 10-12 easy miles and they are gradually getting a little faster, a little smoother, a little more relaxed.  It has taken one year (just about) to go from 4-5 miles to comfortable long distances without a hint of injury.

Our plans for next year maybe a half marathon or something longer, but I actually don't care really, I feel great, energised, at ease with myself with a sense of good space.

All I can say is that none of this would have been possible without Nick’s inspiration.  If I don’t run I miss it and when I do run I really enjoy it, even when I go 11 miles and finish as fast as I can.

I look forward to what 2019 brings :) 

Thanks Nick.

You are the coach the teacher it is up to you.

A G Mohan and me, he also believes in 

the direct approach.

You cannot turn up to a weekend course, receive some powerpoints and then recite the slides, offer some sessions and call yourself a coach, you really can't. Well, you could and you can but developing a coaching practice is the same as any professional practice, it takes time, reflection and the commitment not to fall into the trap of repeating the same lessons every year for 30 years. That is not a reflection on your practice and a commitment to improving. 

It began with me way back when I first qualified as a PE teacher. My coach and teacher for 1 year was also a sports coach and teacher to a school for children with Cerebral Palsy.

His manner was, how can I put it, strong and direct. As he said, from working with his children, if they don't get it, if they cannot access an appropriate movement or drill it is your fault, it is up to you to ensure you create the necessary conditions to allow them to be successful. This micro-study of movement and small changes in drills is also reflected in the term Vinyasa Krama, a term used in yoga teaching meaning(or can mean) orderly steps. It is not only part of yoga teaching but part of good coaching full stop.

We(my class of PE teachers) carried this philosophy of micro steps and precision teaching to all of our coaching sessions with our students, whatever sport, where ever and age group. This is the hard-edged message of my own teaching practice. I give and offer no excuses, if you do decide to turn up to a session and you don't get it, have an 'aha' moment I won't let you go until you do.
You still need to commit to the practice of course. I carry this philosophy with me for my students at the Open University, my yoga classes, my teaching and my tutoring, full stop; always.

 Interestingly when I first began to learn to dance at the beginning of the year I was also faced with a teacher with the same precision and watchful eye. It was nice to be on the receiving end once more. Coaching and teaching matter you cannot only read a book, but perception and reality are also different. Even in the world of mathematics (my homepage:)), a conversation is always better, refines and sharpens the understanding.

Nick

Almost to the top but not quite

Hilary step stopped me.

I was going to give this blog a title something on the lines of failing to achieve. But as I thought about it over the day, it is not really about failure but about coming to terms with who I am.

I want to share two incidents in my life when I realised I simply was not good enough but the life lesson at the end of this BLOG is the most important. The first was playing sport with my slightly older friend Jimmy. I played too much golf as a teenager, Jimmy did too. He and I would play on a weekend but I would never win. You see Jimmy qualified for the British Open in 1981, he would go round my local course in 64/65/66 I would tootle along in 72/73/74. I expected Jimmy to win the Open, I really did, but he came back after failing to make the cut in the second round. I asked him what happened, and he said  'I was not good enough'. This floored me. I thought he was brilliant of course. He practised very day, I would practice every day, I would caddy for him around the circuit in the local area. I was beginning to understand what it meant to be a professional sports person. However this failure of Jimmy made me realise perhaps I was also not good enough to be a professional sportsmen.

The second incident was when I was studying theoretical physics and astrophysics at college. I shared a student pad with Steve, a fellow undergraduate. Steve was brilliant he would question the lecturers, question their assumptions and he actually proved the existence of gravity waves as an aside. He was awarded a pass 1 of course and then went on to do a PhD in Nuclear Fusion and another PhD somewhere else. I caught up with him when I was about 26 years old when I was working behind a bar (I am not good enough remember), I asked him what he was doing and he said he was an experimental physicist at Kings College, I said to him 'Steve we did not study experimental physics at college'. 'I know' he said 'but I am not good enough to contribute to the theoretical physics side of things!'. Being good and being exceptional are very very different.

These two people worked very very hard at their chosen job. What made them different was the questions they asked of themselves and others around them. They did not suffer fools gladly and had  a playful mind. Also, they practiced differently, there was a precision about their work that impressed me. This practice orientated mind is a common feature among people who excel. They also exhibited resilience and tenacity. Steve, in particular, took a few months to solve one problem. Jim may have taken all day to perfect one shot enough to take with him to the professional circuit.

I have realised some important things as I have reflected on these key experiences. The first is work with or at least hang around gifted folk. I believe in this one quite strongly by doing so they helped me see over the horizon of my own life. The second is the timeless saying; never give up, nothing of any value is worth having if it is too easy. The third, is self belief. A belief that you will achieve, regardless of what people say, do or not do to support you.

What people have you known in life that have made a significant impact on you?
Nick

strong cables, weak threads

The things you value the most might not be so apparent. These strong cables hold us down, keep us supported, keep us strong and just like a tree allow us to move when the winds blow. They give when we give, we are not inflexible and unyielding we are the 'soft animal' that Mary Oliver describes in her poem Wild Geese. 

Yet, we can latch onto 'things' and other stuff. These are the temporary threads that excite us momentarily, they make us feel grounded, just like the cables but their effect is only short lived. 

The plate is the only concrete item left that reminds me of my Father who died in 2007. It reminds me of who I am, half Greek, the times I had with my family and perhaps the shadows of another culture and genetic background. I am attached to this object. Is it really a cable or a thread, if it broke, or was lost would I really drift into the night? 

Take your attention to the things you value and ask yourself 'why do I value this item or even this person', yes it also applies to people. De-cluttering is on trend and is a great idea. 

I was coaching an Indian chap a few years ago and he ended the session with a great quote that I always use 'all you need is warm lodgings and good food with people you love' I like that:) 

 

I'm a Marionette

Imagine a dancing marionette, held up by threads, the puppeteer is the master, moving the marionette this way and that. The marionette has no control as to where it goes. No control as to the movement it has. Under the guidance of a poor hand the movement can appear ungainly, silly and uncoordinated. A master marionettist draws the audience in, they see the reflection of humanity in the nature of the movements. The sideways look, the cocked head, the little movement of the hand to the drawn mouth to mimic embarassment.  
Our mind is our marionettest, the connection between the mind and body goes much deeper than a little thought here and there. Your strings attach to the myriad of emotions (e-motion) and movements we all have, every day. 
Mindfulness and meditation help us control these threads. We direct ourselves, we are our own masters, our own puppetteer. Training the mind is like training the marionette to move and be graceful, thoughtful and aware. 
Not an easy ask. Asked what the purpose of yoga was A G Mohan responded 'to sit in meditation' , still the mind, to focus(one pointed) and have complete control of all thoughts just like a laser directs its beam. We have the power to direct our thoughts. 
Yoga is simply that, directing your thoughts, mind and body together. Make your movements soft, relaxed and controlled. Imagine those strings being pulled by YOU!

 

I am slowly getting comfortable enough in this belief to say’ I’m a runner’..'

 I'm sharing this again because I really liked the overall tone and feel. The journey and process is the destination. You have already arrived, there is no future possibility, be content with the now and things can happen from there.


"I’m not a runner. That was my mindset as recently as 10 weeks ago. At school, I did the 200m, as I was judged not fast enough for the 100m and without the stamina to get around a whole lap. In the long jump, I gamely placed my marker on the run-up about halfway between everyone else and the board, because if I run any further I would just have got slower. It’s fair to say, running has not been ‘my thing’. I have done lots of things - dancing, skiing, rowing, so I’m not without some track record of exercise, but not running. 

And yet, 5 years ago and approaching my mid-40s, I decided to enter a sprint triathlon. I still don’t know why, except that no one I knew did it. And I liked swimming and had a bike, but, of course, there was the 5km run to deal with. To convince myself I wasn’t totally mad, I got on a treadmill and ran 5km. No training. It took 50 minutes and killed my legs for a week, but at least I knew I would get through it and I started on a training plan, which took me through my first couple of sprint triathlons in a manner which I was happy with.

So the next 3 years I upped the distance to standard distance triathlon, complete with their 10km run. Still not a runner, but by now had established a ‘survival pace’ which got me through them in a bit over an hour. It seems ok to not be good at running in a multi-sport event, because you are not putting yourself forward ‘as a runner’. In the back of my mind lurks the idea of stepping up again, to a 70.3 distance. This, though, involves the half-marathon at the end. And that is where my wobbles truly start. Even using a phrase with the word ‘marathon’ in it starts to sound scary.

It occurred to me that, whilst I happily got coaching to learn and improve freestyle swimming and I sought advice on the bike, somehow I thought I should just be able to run. After all, everyone else can. Facing up to the ridiculous nature of this thought, I finally signed up for a Chi Running workshop close to home. I had read up on the concepts and philosophy and felt that this was something I could work with. Nick’s workshop turned out to be the start of my new relationship with running. It wasn’t an overnight transformation and it still isn’t an easy relationship, but this is what I have learned.

Firstly, I have permission to be slow. Or to walk. Or to go at any pace, or variety of paces, that I feel like. I have permission to have fun (and that’s a big one). I stop and take photos, much to the bemusement of my friends who run, to capture the essence of the day. I have permission to set my own rules. Nick definitely challenged my mindset and his enthusiasm was hard to deny. Of course, the workshop gave me some technical advice too (I think ‘hot, hot, hot’ and ‘African sun!’ when my legs get tired to help me focus on keeping light and airy, easier said than done when it’s sub-two degrees and snowing). But most of all, I realised that to get better at running and to make it a part of me, I simply have to run and do it for myself.

Five weeks into this year and I had already done more distance than the whole of last year. I had decided to run every day in January (just a mile, more if I felt like it) which took away most of my go-to excuses for not running. And I discovered that I sometimes enjoyed the snow, rain or wind and the dark nights! Not always, but sometimes. I expressed two goals at the workshop. The first was to feel like I was running with gravity and not fighting it, to feel like I belonged in that environment. It doesn’t always happen, but I’m getting there. A 7-mile run/walk in the snowy peak district last weekend turned out surprisingly satisfying, despite (or because of?) the challenges. My second goal was to complete a half-marathon. I have entered an event in June, accepting I will line up amongst runners, and training is in progress. I already know that I will do this ‘my way’ and I may yet choose to run/walk it. And if I do, that’s ok too, because this is running for me, to develop myself, to learn and progress. I am starting to realise that a runner is just someone who runs and enjoys the practice of running. No one should accept that this is defined by reaching a certain speed, distance or any other arbitrary measure. After a long time of negative affirmation, I am slowly getting comfortable enough in this belief to say’ I’m a runner’.