Friday, 25 November 2011

A bit of grit

I am not one of those determined, motivated, fit and healthy people that seem to be everywhere. And I rarely push myself to work really hard. In fact, I would describe myself as pretty rubbish at self-motivation. Quite often, I would rather be sat on the sofa than out being active and pushing myself.

However, somehow (and almost without me noticing) I seem to have developed a little bit of grit. That part of me that got round an entire marathon even though I hadn't trained enough, had been passed by the hurry up van (and half the entrants to the half-marathon) and eventually crawlled in as the last official finisher. It doesn't surface very often, but it is there.

I think it all started with karate...

Early days (circa 2002)

What I like about karate is learning to do particular movements, control your body, etc. What I end up doing in karate is standing in front of a person, staring into their eyes and thinking: "I've got to move fast enough, or I'm going to get punched!" It's an odd thought for a rather non-violent and definitely non-confrontational person, and a rather frightening one sometimes :)

Grading for my brown belt, 2005

Unintentionally, karate has given me something that I didn't use to have and for that I am very grateful. Hopefully my little bit of grit and determination will keep me running and keep me pushing myself further and faster...

Pictures from a trip to the Lake District a few years ago.


4 comments:

Rachelle Q said...

Amazing pics! Here's to continued motivation to keep running :)

Elle said...

Brown Belt! I am very impressed. That does take grit all right.

When I was younger I had several friends who did karate and was so interested in the different skills they had to master as they went up the colors. You must be very accomplished by now, indeed.

Love your hiking pics. It looks so mysterious in the fog!

Have a great weekend.

Christy @ My Dirt Road Anthem: A Runner's Blog said...

Nice job with the karate! I find the older I get the more grit I have. I think it is something that gets stronger with age :)

Beautiful pictures!

Clare said...

I have entirely lost all my motivation this week.... :(