Slowly (sooooo slowly) I am starting to regain some confidence. This was my first week since falling ill last October that I've managed four runs in a week. They are still tediously slow, and embarrassingly short (my long run was 5 km :o) but four runs in a week are four runs in a week, and I am feeling much stronger now.
Paranoia has been a major cause of the slowness of my return (that, and the extra kilos that Santa gave me) - I expected my doctor and spouse to be worried of course, but I was surprised by my own paranoia at every slight twinge in the chest region, or soreness in the ankles (which was a major symptom of the virus that led to the heart condition). But slowly I'm getting over that, and feel now that longer distances - albeit at a very slow pace - are close at hand. If the next week or two go well I might even start training for a May Day half marathon. But we'll see. However long it takes, well, that's what it takes. The main thing is that I'm running regularly again and recovering my fitness and enjoying it to boot.
Sorry, that was a rather dull, dry entry. But never fear, if you wish to lodge a complaint, I have set up my own e-complaint department...
Bonza Mate! Goes without saying, but . . . it takes a while to get back after the condition you've had, but however long it takes you ARE coming back. Length of time that takes, whilst admittedly frustrating, is irrelant.
Back is back, and back hale and hearty is the only way to fly.
Hopefully one day some of us can join you for an Antipodean lope
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
I do hope Andy, that you used some cut and paste for all those claps.
Well I can't sit here typing all day - I've got some tennis to watch. Your bloke Timmy Henman is still doing OK, and looking now for at least a quarter final spot I would say. Rusedski though was demolished by Roddick. A bit embarrassing really. I think the crowd support had a lot to do with it - everyone loves Roddick's American Express ads, making him the crowd darling currently.
But I think the winner will be Federer with daylight second.
[later]
P.S. Sorry, but I put the mockers on Henman - annihilated by Davydenko in straight sets. Looks like it's up to a certain S.Plodder to step up and take over.
It´s great you can go on training again, MLCM. It´s so hard not to be able to go for a run that when you can after some time, you enjoy it more even if it is tougher to get fit again.
I have to say I'm rather shocked at the savaging Henman has received from the (particularly) British media. One gets the feeling they'd like to bring a charge of treason against the bloke. Crikey. At the end of the day it's just a game, isn't it?
Not like, say, cricket, where it's a bit more serious
But I ask again - who are the up and coming new champions of British tennis? Anyone?
T'was ever thus for Our Timmie.
He gets the full-on God-status treatment from our media pre-Wimbledon, has the audactity to add fuel to the flames by beating a handful of no-hopers in the first week and draws the indignant ire and withering condemnation of those same Journo's by stumbling at the final hurdle. If the man were'n't the product of the British Upper Middle class he would surely share a cell with the Joker in Arkum Asylum by now.
Strangely the coaches of Britains' potential Tennis stars are reluctant to introduce their charges to the media. I can't imagine why . . .
The Henmania pheonomenon goes some way to explain why Aussies out-perform the Brits in so many sporting arenas. It's the National outlook on success - the complete and utter belief that it's Australia's birthright to excel in every avenue of performance. I read a nice piece on Michael Clarke by Ian Wooldridge in one of our daily rags recently.
Wooldridge is at best a cumudgeon, at worst a dinosour, but he's been around the block. He was cricket correspondant for the Daily Mail for an Epoch, accompanied Stirling Moss on the Monte Carlo Rally, has golfed with just about anyone worth watching and is never short of an opinion. He's been right, he's been wrong, but he's never been unsure of himself.
Currently in Sydney, Wooldridge writes of Clarke:
'Utterly convinced from his pram that he was born to play for Australia, he scored 151 on his Test debut in India, 141 in his first home Test against New Zealand, and virtually demanded to be given a trial as an opener in one-day games against West Indies and Pakistan . . . '
'Australia do nothing to blunt such cheeky confidence. They gave him his chance and he rewarded them . . .'
He goes on to extol the virtues of the Aussie attitude, including how, when under the cosh against Pakistan in the first test at 78 for 5 they responded with fierce aggression, ending the day on 357 for 8, thrashing Pakistan by a distance.
'I apologise if this reads like an obituary for England's chances of recapturing the Ashes but the truth is that these Australians are confoundedly good.'
You will never read such an unconditional eulogy in an English newspaper with regard to an English sportsman or Woman, unless you count the occasional blast of wind directed at National Heroes such as Kelly Holmes. Of course in the case of Holmes, double Olympic gold medalist in Athens and someone who has hammered her tortured body through the pain barrier on numerous occasions only to fall short of the ultimate prize, the gutter press then filled endless column inches with tittle-tattle about her private life, focused on the possibility that she may favour her own gender.
Who gives a toss? This woman has crushed all before her, overcome staggering odds to beat the world not once but twice in a matter of days. I suspect the same may be true in certain Antipodean rags. The difference appears to be the lack of negative affect on the sportsmen and women of your country.
And so to Tennis. I have no clue as to who our next 'Timmie' may be or where he'll come from. But I'm fairly sure where ever he is he's keeping his head down and praying to his God that the British press don't find him too soon.
I'll give Wooldridge the last word on Tennis:
'The Australian Open Tennis Championships are in full swing in Melbourne and I am sorry to say that watching on television here in Sydney I find them crushingly boring.'
'In the third hour and fifth set of some grunting duel between a couple of Slavs, I have not the slightest interest in who wins. I wait for the intermittent interviews with other winners and losers. They all speak in the same dreadful monotone without a spark of wit.'
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Well I saw a little bit of Elena Baltacha before she was outed and was impressed by her, and by the support the Brit fans gave her... hopefully she'll fly the flag for you guys soon. I know she was massacred in the third round, but the press seemed to give her a fair go I thought...? And I'll keep an eye out for Andrew Murray SP... and I hadn't realised how many of your juniors had early success and couldn't carry on, although I don't think that's unique to the U.K.
Wooldridge is right about Michael Clarke, but only half-right about the tennis. The early rounds are generally pretty boring I agree, but you can hardly say that now that we're into the fourth round... mesmerising stuff much of it.
As far as the Ashes go, well, it's hard to see England winning the series, but if they could perhaps win the first test and get a bit of belief in themselves, they might yet have a chance. But as Wooldridge says, the difficulty at the moment is that the Aussies have such depth and confidence that they generally bounce back from a bad session or two. England also have plenty of depth, and with the home advantage really just need a heap of belief. Australia are far from invincible. India, Pakistan, Windies and even New Zealand have proven recently that you can get on top for a while at least. The side that applies that pressure and then doesn't let go will win a series.
They should be like Ganguly in this picture - give 'em heaps. There's no point being tentative. The days of Brearley and Boycott are over lads.
I have seen Baltacha play and have been mightily impressed with her attitude. She has real fire, and is she stays injury free, will be our first top-50 ranked woman for absolutely ages.
Whats Baltasha's background? Is she a plastic Brit (a la Rusedski) or just related to a former soviet dynasty? I agree with SP - I've seen her play and, though I know little about form in this game, she looks like she could be the real deal. She certainly has guts and determination, and they can carry you a long way in sport - look at Agassi.
Clarke was at it again I see - blazed a rapid ton-plus against hapless Pakistan.
You can go into a series with all the self belief in the world, but if you get scattered to the four corners of the Earth by raw talent it wears thin all too soon.
Apropo of running, I just got back from a 16 K downland blast into a freezing North wind.
My self-belief is currently somewhere over the English channel
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Baltacha's Ukrainian ... apparently her Dad moved them all to England when she was 10. He played football for Ipswich Town according to the Aus Open web site.
In any event I think you can claim her as a legit Brit.
And yes, Michael Clarke made more mayhem tonight against Pakistan getting his ton off the last ball of the match. I think he'll get runs in England too. He's a lot like Ponting, only faster and more confident. Sometimes his confidence gets him out cheaply though, so whether or not he'll be better than Ponting in the long-run is a bit doubtful, but he's very, very talented. Great to see a younger batsman in the side I have to say. Some of these old codgers have been around a while.
Hope you tennis fans caught some of the Hewitt/Nadal 4th round match - an absolute ripper, and the match of the tournament so far. That Nadal has a fantastic talent - and he's only 18!
I watched on TV when they were in the last games of the fourth set. If Nadal won the fourth set, he´d get the match but I had to go to work and when I came back, I learnt that Hewitt had won the fourth and fifth sets. A pity since Rafa Nadal was the only Spaniard who was left in Melbourne. Anyway, I congratulate Hewitt. He´s a very good player as well.
From what I saw Antonio, I'd say you have another Spanish champion there in Nadal - to play as he did at just 18 years old suggests you can expect big things from him.
It hasn't been a good tournament for Spain though has it, especially with Costa and Moya being knocked out so early, and Ferrero being beaten by an inspired Coria in the third.
A new year, a new start
