Has sport lost its way?

The Saturday Guardian often takes too long to get through, and I'm finally here on a Sunday evening.

http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/27/the-conversation-olympics-too-commercial?cat=commentisfree&type=article

Totally agree. It's all commercialised. Overpaid sportspeople who sign onto other deals and obtain trophy lovers. Souvenirs. Touts. Betting agencies. Pledges to raise money for charity?

Yes it did give little kids hope, adults a chance to root for a team and go for a common cause. We are inspired by the determination to win and succeed , not quite so by the politics involved to get to the top.

And what happens after the peak? A graceful retirement, mentoring young ones, or a miserable afterlife wrought with injuries and possibly selling their medals due to lack of state funding?

What do we learn from all this? Does it get you off the couch, or crack open another can, as its a 6-hour grand slam tennis decider (again)...

Or should I add the quote here from Fatima Whitbread:
"if you give 100% to what you are doing, in whatever sphere, you would expect to be paid. It's no different in sport".

My question will be: how much to keep the spirit going and so that the payee doesn't lose their mind?



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2012 update - in the world of running

It's an Olympic year - and my ambitions are like any Olympian...
to win medals, not be injured, eat well, and have a great experience.

But I've only got one race signed up in my horizon - and that's Wokingham Half, in mid Feb. I'm still observing, as injury minimisation/elimination comes first.

Starting a new job with my main base in West London means that I have had to find a physiotherapist that is closer to work to attend to my needs (and that BUPA will now be paying for my visits!). However, it is still a good few miles away with no direct transport! I've tried running to my first appointment in Chiswick but the commute was through dark alleys next to a main road, so I changed to another clinic which involves a run via residential areas. And better still, I can stop via my gym for a couple of quick intervals!

and what about mid-week runs? finding new places or just getting used to new ground and fitting it all into the schedule of a busier working day is a struggle. Taking another train, running along the Thames on a rockier path as well as getting all dressed, and finding out it is raining outside, and still braving it. Is all the lugging around of sports gear worth a half hour of running that could probably be junk mileage?

The long runs on the weekend - I'm proud to say, I've kept up with. 10miles last week and this week, 12 miles - although feeling physically beat. Is it the cold weather? or my weight gain? or my new right injuries? or new shoes?

On that subject - I am slowly weaning off my Asics stability shoes, and moving to a neutral one, however still on orthotics. VFF's have been forever written off my 'maybe-one-day I can look funky too' list - and instead on off days, I have my minimalist Inov8's. I do feel lighter in them but however they are only for short distances - my heels can always feel it...

No pain, No gain. I pay the price today in pilates with horrible balance - hmmm. Would I ever do another 26.2 this year?

Work-Life Balance revisited

Welcome to 2012. It's been a month since I've started work again and the following has become rather a haze as I move through the week...

Early morning trains, new systems and tools, the opportunity to work very remotely with virtual teammates.

At least there's the infrastructure to support it! However I'm yet to work out if the balance can be maintained if you can take a concall in your pyjamas or it eats into your personal life by having another device to tap into whilst having meals etc (very common these days to see 2 people having meals when one of them has their attention affixed on their gadgets, and doesn't even acknowledge their companion's existence).

At least I can go for a morning jog and be at my 'desk' at home before 9 on my work-from-home days. Or get in super-early and catch a fast fast sprint in the rain, through tower bridge, and back at my 'hotdesk' in the London office at 9am.

A relationship to be handled delicately. iPhone= personal, Keyboard phone=only occasionally on non-working hours. Long hours and past midnight tapping should not be encouraged. Lessons learnt when the mobile device rang at 4am ...lucky it wasn't sent by a human.

Hope to write more about running next time. Time to get off the train and log onto the laptop.

Have a great week!