I'm pretty devoid of energy and inspiration at the end of today. It has been a long day, I've been preparing during the day for a meeting tomorrow. So I'll keep this one brief... Yesterday I spoke about what it is that I do. Today I've been busy writing various sport psych pieces (away from this blog), hence why I'm only up for telling a brief tale! So I guess remembering why I'm doing this career path might be worth recalling.
Back in 2007 I was keen to get back to the field of psychology. Change was in the air. I'd been running a lot and getting fitter over the previous 5 years, watched my first Tour de France and become curious about the world of endurance. I had to have a bit of it, and when I explored Sport Psychology, something chimed inside. It wasn't long before I was checking out which MSc courses were nearby and what they covered. I took the course curriculum to my first marathon expo I recall!
But what swung the return to the field wasn't meeting an inspiring athlete, entering competitive racing or trying to understand how cognitive behavioural techniques could benefit performance. It was going to the Curzon on Shaftesbury avenue and watching Julien Temple's documentary on Joe Strummer, The Future is Unwritten. I'd gotten into Strummer in the final years of his life when I lived briefly in Notting Hill, his old manor. I'd heard coma girl and his work with the Mescaleros. Just before I'd moved over to Spain in 2002 he passed away suddenly. Watching the film made his life make sense to me 5 years later. It really chimed with the need to shake things up, and his cry to 'get busy living' struck me.
It was the only film I saw as an adult where the audience clapped at the end. What I didn't know was that for 3 years he ran 3 marathons. In 1981 London, in 1982 Paris, and in 1983 London again. I'm probably a better marathon runner than Mr Strummer was (I think his claim of a 3:20 marathon is a bit of a porky), but I don't have a stitch of his musical talent. But I like his philosophy that the future is unwritten. I'll have a bit of that.
Back in 2007 I was keen to get back to the field of psychology. Change was in the air. I'd been running a lot and getting fitter over the previous 5 years, watched my first Tour de France and become curious about the world of endurance. I had to have a bit of it, and when I explored Sport Psychology, something chimed inside. It wasn't long before I was checking out which MSc courses were nearby and what they covered. I took the course curriculum to my first marathon expo I recall!
But what swung the return to the field wasn't meeting an inspiring athlete, entering competitive racing or trying to understand how cognitive behavioural techniques could benefit performance. It was going to the Curzon on Shaftesbury avenue and watching Julien Temple's documentary on Joe Strummer, The Future is Unwritten. I'd gotten into Strummer in the final years of his life when I lived briefly in Notting Hill, his old manor. I'd heard coma girl and his work with the Mescaleros. Just before I'd moved over to Spain in 2002 he passed away suddenly. Watching the film made his life make sense to me 5 years later. It really chimed with the need to shake things up, and his cry to 'get busy living' struck me.
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