Thank goodness it’s been sunny! It’s started to feel like a long time since we had a bit of normality.
The sun has kept me going. Gardening, baking cookies and I’ve even started a course to learn sign language. Oh, and I bought a new coffee machine, well Harry did, it’s a late 30th birthday gift from him to me. So I best start some barista training too!
I’m back training twice a day and getting the mileage in that I would be usually. The next month or so should be a bit more like normal. You can follow my training on the Strava app if you have it.
The weather too, has made training on my own for months on end bearable. A sunny day can change so much in a persons mood and their motivation. I’d hate to think how much tougher this period could have been if the weather wasn’t as good as it has been.
For me, I’m trying to look to the future now. There’s small talk of some competitions and races in August and beyond. I won’t be going very hard in any of them, but will likely use them to see where I am at and how it feels to be back racing. Then it’s back to the real grind of a winter training, hopefully for an actual Olympic year.
Mentally it’s tough to think about, having done that already at the end of 2019 and start of 2020. How hard it was to stay dedicated to eating, sleeping and training smart and sensible, when there’s a storm out and you’ve still got 8km’s left to do to finish a Wednesday off and all you want to do is stay indoors. But it’s an Olympic year so I force myself out.
The thought of missing more social events, because there’s the temptation to drink too much, party with your friends and not get a decent nights sleep, it’s never easy saying no to friends you hardly ever see any way. It’s the little things that truly matter in an Olympic year, having to do that two years in a row is incredibly tough.
The zoom meetings and face time calls have continued and it’s been great keeping in touch with so many friends and family so regularly. Something else I will continue to do when the new norm arrives.
I hope you’ve been able to stay safe and healthy, as well as make the most of the time. I think it’s time for a coffee and then back to the garden in my house.
Good luck, and think to yourself, if you’re struggling for motivation, in a few years time, when you look back at this pandemic what can you say that you did with the time? What did you do to make such a tough time that little bit better?
• Take care, do come and say hello on social media, you can find me anywhere using @tombosworth or send me a message on my website at www.tombosworth.com.
