Who on Earth are these people cracking out 200+ mile ultramarathons? I want what they’re having.
Rather laughably, still exuding all the puerile naivete and exuberance you’d expect of a teenager, my attempts at maintaining three heavy duty workout sessions a day, seven days a week, fell apart pretty epically.
Convenient timing though, as for some unfathomable reason I seem to have signed up to tutoring not one, but two, A-level students over half term alongside my usual commitments. The equation here currently is quite horrendous: for every one hour of teaching - I must do about two to three hours of revision/preparation beforehand. Merde.
There’s an aphorism that speaks to this, the attribution (according to Quote Investigator) being Reverend W. J. Kennedy in 1856:
If You Want Something Done, Ask a Busy Person To Do It - Reverend W. J. Kennedy (1856)
So, that being said - the show must go on!
As you likely know by now I am attempting to pursue a full year of full on dream realisation. Goal pursuit using the dripping tap method i.e. slowly but surely wearing down the brutal resistance my aspirations have ensconced, much like a water drip (over time) will wear down the hardest rock.
February seemed to go relatively well from a physical standpoint, given outrageous levels of burnout. Music was the real highlight with a decent showing from an emotional standpoint. The spiritual output was shambolic! A near total collapse. From a mental perspective here is where we are at:
- A blog encapsulating the magic in the podcasts I enjoy (0/12 completed)
- A blog reflecting on the majesty, complexity and joy of sport (0/12 completed)
- A blog cataloging my exploits learning/performing open mic comedy (0/6 completed)
- A blog cataloging my academic tutoring & marketing career (0/6 completed)
- First draft of my debut fiction novel: The Book of Ages (1/20 chapters completed!)
- Start a Music Youtube Channel & contribute to it weekly/monthly (5/50 completed!)
- Starting Sports podcast + contribute to it weekly/monthly (0/50 episodes completed)
Me last month - “This must happen in 2020.” - LOL.
So all that being said I feel good about February. The adage “Fail Fast, Fail Often” springs to mind, hilariously derided by the Globe as a ‘fast-track to bankruptcy’. To a certain extent, I get it, failing is not the one. But, given there were undoubtedly going to be some bumps in the road, I am glad some of that bumpy time is behind us. Here’s some of the “chop” experienced in February (Wolf of Wall Street style line/sequence).
Physicality this month was tough. I came out of January swinging - think Mike Tyson’s swagger in his Heyday before getting KO’d by Buster Douglas (a 42-1 underdog). Then around 15th Feb - boom goes the dynamite - man down and out.
The tops of each column reminds me of the outcomes I want to achieve, rather than what I am actually doing. I do specific things to further that goal e.g. for muscle up I am actually just building strength with pull ups. On top of this I was doing heavy weights (deadlifts, arms etc) & tapping up class-pass for some proper yoga/HIIT sessions. Safe to say the crumble was epic.
Thankfully it was a short month. I decided to correct my laziness in January (missed the first 8 days). So next month kicks off on 1st March, as it is supposed to, and I aim to take advantage (once again) of that Fresh Start effect to kick things into high gear.
Musically this was a good month. Piano access is restricted as always but actually that is fine, when I do get on there I am pumped and keen to kick on. Will get better at booking slots at the library - not keen to buy my own just yet.
Drumming has been a revelation. Those rhythms are mentally taxing as hell. There was an article I read recently about how chess burns something like 6,000 calories at the top level. And they are just sitting there thinking! This is mental gymnastics, with actual physicality involved too. So funny how bad my right and left hemispheres are at talking to each other.
Singing tone is developing well. Hydration, breathing, sleep, diet & control all play a part. The band thinks I am singing (rather than shouting - lol) more in sessions/gigs, progress. Guitar is all about getting to grips with the pentatonic scale this month. Zero progress on learning covers/OPM (other people’s music), though I finished writing a banger! Fed Up.
Emotionally cultivating empathy, compassion & balanced social life is the aim here. I swear to Zeus that March will be replete with writing!! (cos Feb definitely wasn’t). The highlight was eating clean, though too much. I eat/drink lots of Kefir & Probiotics. Not sure if it’s just hype or helping. Also my mate with leaky gut is buggered #kombuchatime
Dance was a complete write off! Sleep was pretty good however so on balance a relatively OK month. To be honest I could do with one or two regular, keen, dance companions - very keen not to start slipping into the Dad Moves I spotted in the mirror earlier this year!!
I read a fascinating article on sleep on the interweb, likely after an insomniac night of horrific slumber. I needed answers to burning questions like: ‘what happens without enough sleep’. (you lose, dummy). See I bought one of the cheap garmins to track runs (not that I did any). Turns out they also track sleep. So, after another late night early start (the worst), running on fumes, I discover that when you nap for 30 mins you basically eradicate the impact of a bad night. Plus so long as you average a solid amount over the long run (a week) you are fine.
Spiritually this month was absolute carnage - I know. It’s a bit like when you allow yourself that one amazing cheat day, then the next day crumbles, then the next, and suddenly you are ordering dominoes at 6am on Monday morning. Yes it happens. On the bright side, at least I was consistent!
To conclude, In the last post I mentioned doing something for others was a key missing component from January. So I organised a football tournament & raised £120 for charity.
Re: the system to track how much of each activity was accomplished - I have sacked that idea in light of burnout. Spending some time on each activity daily is enough. Finally, rather than a repercussion for RED highlights (i.e. not doing the work), my goal is to redouble efforts to have the greenest green next month in the areas I was poor this month e.g. spirituality. Wim Hof I am coming for you buddy!! Mean reversion always wins.
In homage to those wildcats actually taking down ultra’s (!) I bid you adieu for February - safe in the knowledge that: it's a marathon, not a sprint.
A river cuts through rock not because of its power but because of its persistence
Live Music evening + Storytelling with Mother!
Catan Crew
Songwriting Circle at the Roundhouse
Lou Birthday Table Tennis
