The Holiday is Over
First day back at work; inertia under the weight of communication before me: plans to review, plans to build; the urge to procrastinate is strong and there’s a stack of shredding beside me; so far a single bulk email has let my athletes know I am alive. The promise of a better, more efficient me is already on the brink of collapse, dangerously the 10am run looks more like at least an 11:30am run. I tried to get ahead – Gill had her laptop out the moment we disembarked – but the quirks of Sunday transport switched us from crowded train to inconvenient bus back to crowded train and finally car. Home, efficiently unpack, collapse and decide it can all wait for Monday. Which it now is.
The holiday fulfilled its purpose – relaxing, slow, a complete break. Aside from nursing an ill-timed cold from incubation to recovery, perfect. Days were spent without agenda. Sat reading on the balcony enjoying the sun and a bottle of rosé wine. Visiting local villages to explore the markets, the old town and the variety of beers offered in bars. Food consumption peaked over seven courses – almost all containing mushrooms and cream – at a nearby Michelin star restaurant; alcohol consumption remained consistent. We never saw a Lavender field nor made it to a vineyard, but we spent many hours exploring small galleries and returned home with art. I never ran. My kit enjoyed a vacation in the south of France as much as I did.
Despite the two flights of stone stairs leading to our apartment being my only form of exercise, there were positive benefits. The holiday delivered on a secondary goal: motivation. A week doing, essentially, nothing is enough time to develop a desire to do a lot more. I wanted the break to draw a line between the distractions and excuses of the last few months and the blank slate of the rest of the year. Among the alcohol and the art was some serious thought on what needs to be done to transform all my plans from talk to action. I have the time and ability and I’m no longer satisfied with the casual approach that has defined recent months. But aware of my fickle nature I think it’s time I used this blog to hold me to account again – routine reports, fortnightly I suspect, of my training routine and progress towards marathon goals.
So now back to routine. Work, regular blogs and regular runs.