Friday, August 19, 2011

on the burst - the moral challenge of fitness


on the burst, originally uploaded by PMac Imagery.

Many months ago a group of us went to a local over 40's football match to catch some of the action. First thing, props to the players, some of these guys are deep into their 60's and still going strong and gave us some great action to watch and capture.

Dont let the beard fool you, this guy covered the whole ground all day and had a surprising burst of speed. Here we see him 'on the burst' as they say, picking up the ball and breaking free of guys up to a decade younger than himself.

Which brings me back to my last post and the importance of having some sort of moral basis, or at least some aspect of a relationship to others, in aiding our will power or resolve. In a sense, these guys typify that. Chatting afterwards I was struck by the number of guys who reported something similar to me, that until they returned to competitive sport the idea of fitness was totally abstract and hard to keep hold of. The idea that this run, or this ride, or this swim will keep me alive longer simply wasnt enough. But the idea that this run/swim/ride will make me faster than THAT guy was tangible, real and shockingly important.

I'm finding the same, since deciding that I will participate in a triathlon, I've found my desire to train, to track my performance, to improve has increased 100 fold.

So if any of you want to change something (or just maintain something) dont try to do it totally alone. Find someone you either want to beat or keep up with and strive to do that - then the change will come.

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