Excuses, Excuses - preparing for my 10k run

July 10 2010 , Written by thediversetraveller Published on #British 10K, #excuses, #Healthy living, #jogging, #keep-fit, #London, #Ola Fagbohun, #Travel Beyond the UK

Before a Jabulani ball was kicked at the World Cup, excuses flowed freely from the England camp. Though I felt that was not a good sign of things to come, I was not surprised. I am convinced there is something in the English psyche that makes us wholeheartedly embrace the excuse culture. Something seems to compels us to offer every excuse under the sun before we try anything challenging.

I am not one to mess with culture and tradition, so in preparation for my 10k run tomorrow here are my legitimate 'excuses' (no particular order).

1. Lack of altitude training: Hyde Park may not be at a different altitude than Harlesden or is it? But haven't had the time ( see excuse 5 below) to test the 10k route. Evidence shows participating on unfamiliar ground can have an adverse effect on performance. Research never lies, so don't expect a personal best.

2. Dry mouth: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Park of a runners guide to success. On my infrequent jogs I always carry a small bottle of water or juice, but it never seems enough. I hate carrying larger bottles and am still researching fuel belts. The race magazine says there will be frequent water stops, but who knows when dry mouth will kick in.

3. No WAGs (wives and girlfriends): I don't have a WAG but my male equivalent of the 'G' has decided to leave the country so I can focus. His good intention has failed. Just like in the case of the England football, I have been in need of encouraging hugs and words. So, I've spent more time skyping than training.

4. An injury: I am carrying an old injury from training for the 2005 London marathon. During my training I developed runners knee (left). In case you think I made that up, the medical term is 'chondromalacia patellae' so there. My other excuses may be flaky, but this one is real. After the marathon I suffered six months of intensive physio and couldn't face jogging for three years. These days my knee is better but every so often, like yesterday, my knee reminds me it is not what it was.

5. Tired: I may not be a professional footballer or athlete but trying to grow a consultancy business in a recession and during recovery, plus grow Diverse Traveller and be active on the trillion social networking sites I belong to, is hard work and of course tiring. Being so tired of course affects my training, some days I am even too tired to glare at my sports gear.

6. Bored: OK this one is a plain lie. When I do go power walking or jogging I avoid boredom by changing my routes. I made a plan to avoid boredom my jogging in Brent's many parks, including the award wining Roundwood park (pictures below). Plus I also have a variety of music to keep me motivated.

7. Shorts too tight: During the last England match I commented on how tight Wayne Rooney's shorts looked. the group I was with agreed that the tightness of the shorts may have been a major contributor to the defeat to Germany. I have a number of shorts and have been trying them out to make sure I do not become another victim of tight short syndrome.

8. The heat: we are going through a heatwave and I am not complaining as I love the heat when I am in a park or on a beach sunbathing, but while running. Hell no! The heat brings down way better athletes than me, but I shall have my cap and sun glasses, and drink plenty of water, and my fingers are crossed for a little breeze.

I'm sure I will have plenty more excuses come tomorrow. But in the meantime if you can come up with any more creative ones, please knock yourself out, I'll use them for my next challenge.

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Image source: www.statehousereport.com/.../05.1127.improve.htm

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