BACK OUTSIDE

"Tu vas courir dehors demain?" My french teacher asked me last night.
(Are you going to run outside tomorrow?)
For the first time in three months, the answer was a resounding yes..... and what a great run it was!

It is exactly 3 months since I tore my calf and after many weeks on the sidelines I resumed cross training and treadmill running but today was my very first run outside - wonderful.

I did six miles along the Grand Union canal towpath, accompanied by my faithful hound Sox. She's a 4 year old rescue dog, a Jack Russell cross with perhaps a bit of Beagle in her..... who loves to run. She loves to lag behind then come charging past at breakneck speed. We had only one nasty experience when she bizarrely tried to run between my ankles.....

The weather was perfect for running and the canal is a wonderful place to do it. Although never far from the main road or railway, it feels like a peaceful haven in a mad, crazy world. I returned to a hot shower and then a telephone coaching session with one of my favourite clients. What better way to start the day? I appreciate how privileged I am to be able to spend my days doing the things that I love and I'm not afraid to say so.

If you haven't spent any time outside today, I'd encourage you to do so, even if it's just to take a short walk for a few minutes. The power of exercising, especially outside can never be overstated. Why not try it, you'll be glad that you did.

I was hugely chuffed to see that more people read my blog yesterday than on any previous single day - probably more to do with Roger Federer than me, but gratifying none the less. A special welcome to a new reader in Pelotas in Brazil. Why not leave me a comment and say hello?

15TH GRAND SLAM

Did you see the tennis yesterday? What a fantastic match!
Roger Federer won his 15th Grand Slam tournament, beating Andy Roddick in five sets, the final set going to an unbelievable 16 - 14.

I was impressed by many things during this match and feel there is so much to learn from it. The mental strength of the players was huge. They absolutely refused to throw in the towel, even when things were going against them. They just hung in there, dug deep and waited for their moment. For me the best example of this was when Federer came from 4 set points down in the third set tie-breaker to win six straight points and take the set.

The truly great champions seem to step up a gear at the really big points.

I was also impressed by the composure of both men and by their interviews straight after the game. They paid tribute not only to each other but to the fans and the tennis legends in the crowd. They both showed humility and grace. Would Andy Murray have done the same?

Well Wimbledon's now over but it'll soon be the Ashes and even better, soon be the football season again. As for me, I had a great session in the gym today. I took inspiration not only from the tennis but also from watching "On Thin Ice" last night. Did you see it? It was the second part in the documentary following the attempt of Ben Fogel and James Cracknell, together with a third competitor to train for and take part in a race to the South Pole. If you've missed it so far, check it out on the BBCiplayer. I love programmes like this, about people doing extraordinary feats of endurance - wonderful. It's enough to make you want to leap out of your comfort zone.... and grow!

Oh and a big thanks to you Lady M for your kind comments and for becoming my first follower! Don't leave her on her own..... if you enjoy my blog, why not follow it too?

SELF BELIEF

Regular readers will know how highly I value self belief.
We all have so much more strength and so many more resources inside us than we give ourselves credit for. If there was one quality I would want my boys to grow up with it is self belief. Happiness flows from there. When you know you can do something, you take responsibility for it. You have no need to blame other people for what happens to you or indulge in activities and lifestyle choices that bring you down.

I love this quote, from A.A.Milne

Promise me you'll always remember:
You're braver than you believe
and stronger than you seem,
and smarter than you think.

Enjoy the weekend.
See you next week.

THE JOY OF SWEAT

What a wonderful day it is today - absolutely beautiful.
I'm sitting out in my garden typing this on my laptop. It's well over 80 degrees but with a gentle breeze...... magnificent.
The day started brilliantly with an excellent session in the gym. The new shoes are great and I'm starting to build the running up again nicely. Not yet back to where I was when I tore my calf but I'm getting there. I truly believe things like that happen for a reason. One of the good things that came out of it for me was the fact that whilst I couldn't do much cardiovascular stuff at the gym, I got into the habit of doing more core-stability work. Something that I badly need to do and previously used to hate.

Anyway, whilst on the treadmill I was listening to this book. It is the amazing story of Dean Karnazes who ran 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days in 50 different states of the USA. It is a truly inspirational book, narrated by Dean himself. It's much more than just a list of his runs. he gives the reader an insight into his personal highs and lows as well as to the incredible logistics of planning something like that. He also stated a charitable foundation called the Karno Trust, designed to encourage physical activity in kids. A phenomenal guy, I highly recommend you read this.

One of the many things I love about running is the "head time" it gives you - allowing you to think about...... well, just about anything. I've lost count of the good ideas I've had whilst in the gym. One I am pondering at the moment is setting up some sort of club to encourage women to run, specifically women with self-esteem or mental health issues. As a GP I see loads of women like this. I just know how much exercise could help them and often they know it too but don't know where or how to start, who to go with etc.I am thinking of experimenting with this amongst my patients. Does this sound like a good idea to you? Let me know. You see I'm sure there are so many women out there who would love to get into sport but perhaps haven't participated since school and think they "can't" do it. There's no such thing in my book. I want to take my passion and enthusiasm for exercise out to the masses and let others share in the sheer bloody joy of sweat.

ROUNDERS FOR RWANDA

Yesterday found me out in the sun, doing something I haven't done for the best part of 30 years....... playing rounders.
Actually, we did play once with the practice 10+ years ago, but otherwise I haven't done it since I was at school.
So, what was the occasion? My sons' school were holding a fundraising sports afternoon to raise money fro the mission they support in Rwanda. A fantastic cause and more than 60 of the parents thought it was well worth donning shorts and trainers to show their support.

What a great day we had - really good fun. Everyone mucked in, gave it a really good go....... and was a whole lot more competitive that they admitted! It was excellent fun and I can't pretend that we didn't absolutely love it when we scored rounders. it was a really good laugh and hopefully a whole lot of money was raised for the cause.

It was surprising energetic too. Since I stopped playing football, I can't say I do much sprinting. Yes I'm in the gym a lot and yes I run, but it's more of an endurance type workout that I do........ so my thighs felt a bit stiff this morning. Still, I treated myself to some new running shoes today and, after coaching a client, I tested them out on the treadmill. Fantastic!

I drove back home in the beautiful sunshine to watch Roger Federer finish off Robin Soderling in straight sets - excellent. Another great start to another great week - enjoy!

TWO SURPRISES

Swine flu continues to spread in my neck of the woods and has certainly changed the way we have functioned as a practice this week. It lead to an odd experience for me, something you don't see every day as a GP. Being on-call yesterday, one of my jobs was to take swabs from some of the suspected cases. To do this we work in a designated area and have to wear a mask, gloves and apron. The paperwork is a nightmare..... takes much longer than the swabs themselves. No that didn't surprise me..... what did, was opening the door to call the first person in, to be confronted by a sea of faces, all also wearing facemasks. It was quite surreal. Like something out of a bad science fiction movie. Not the stuff of everyday suburban general practice.Still, on a personal note, it's been good for me to be pushed out of my comfort zone and thrown in to dealing with this. It's had a good effect on our team too, it's pulled everyone together in a sort of wartime spirit.

The other shock this week was the death of Michael Jackson. Whatever you thought about him, no-one could deny the guy was a musical legend. In years to come, it'll be one of those, "where were you when you heard the news?" type moments. A bit like when Elvis died, or Princess Diana. I rememember when Elvis died, we were just about to go on holiday. I was about 11 and woke about 4am (we were due to leave very early) to hear my Mum crying and saying "we can't go now!" She was a big Elvis fan and was really upset by the news. Luckily my Dad talked her round and we went away, but the memory has stuck with me.

Funny the things you remember.....
Well have a great weekend - see you next week.

NEVER A DULL MOMENT

Well it's been another busy week so far...... and it's only Wednesday.

The week started with a bang when the big secondary school nearest to the surgery was closed down for a week due to confirmed cases of swine flu. This led to us activating our flu plan in the practice.

Now luckily for me, I no longer work there on a Monday - it's one of my coaching days, but I walked in on Tuesday morning to find the signs all in place, directing the flu and non-flu patients to different entrances. Inside things were different too, with the creation of sealed off areas for the examination of those who might be infected. It brought home to me one of the difficulties of working part-time..... sometimes you feel as if you are the last to find out about things.

Don't get me wrong, part-time working, especially mine where I spend the non-practice time doing the coaching that I am so passionate about, has plenty of benefits. Where was I today, when the sun was shining? Lunching at a local golf club, networking with a group of 20 other women - excellent. You meet some great people there, people with real stories to tell. I guess that's one of the things I love most about my two jobs - I get the chance to talk to so many different people and really find out what makes them tick.

A woman at the group was the founder of a charity called The Cookery School for Kids. They have been nominated for a National Lottery Good Causes Award. Their mission is to teach the underprivileged and disadvantaged kids of West London how to cook healthy food. They've done some fantastic work so far. You can read more about them and vote for them in the awards hereIt's completely free, there's no form filling and it takes about five seconds.

As a GP I see so many problems that relate to poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle. As a coach I work with lots of clients who want to kick their bad habits. Anything that can be done to encourage kids to make a better start in life, especially kids like these, many of whom are in care or have special needs, has got to be fantastically worthwhile. Take a few seconds to check this out. You'll be glad you did.