60% mental

One of the questions put to the panel at the Manx Telecom Parish Walk Talk last night was to estimate the percentage of the effort that required to complete the course that was a mental achievement and what part was physical.

Without any knowledge that the question was to be asked, as quick as a flash, Graham Young and I turned to each other and muttered 60% mental. Jock Waddington was the last of the panel to answer the question and his answer concurred with Graham's and mine.

I am sure that other people would apply different percentages but I think it is the mental approach, the desire to achieve something, that tips the scales in favour of that achievement in virtually everything we do in life. You certainly can't walk the Parish Walk course in a little more than 15 hours, as Jock has done, without supreme physical fitness but that ability will never be converted to a result without a purpose and inner need to do something.

My day was rather like that yesterday. Wrapped around my day job I had a crazy number of things to do. I might be able to run, publish websites, take photos and videos but from somewhere I had to satisfy my brain that each one was worthwhile.

Should I ignore the alarm at 5 am? No, I was on the road at 5.30 to complete 12 miles around Baldwin well inside 7 minute mile pace. As well as a quick spell on the website, shower and breakfast I had to make sure I tidied the house sufficiently well in the hour that I occupied it before setting off to collect Marie from the airport. I had taken the bus home from work the previous evening so that she could then take the car and I had one left at the office for a quick getaway in the evening.

I was due to interview Maurice Herriott yesterday lunchtime. In some ways it was disappointing when he came and popped his head round the door mid morning to say he had to postpone the interview as I have been more than two years in trying to set it up. In other ways it was a relief because I don't know when I would have found the time to edit the video.

On to the Parish Walk Talk at the museum with my bag of cameras. I was only due to spend an hour back at the house and warm up some food to keep me going. I had hardly begun to learn about Marie's weekend away when Andy Garrett appeared at the door. Sadly, Andy is back from New Zealand because his father passed away recently  and it was only right that we found time to talk to him over a few cups of tea.

It would have been the easiest thing in the world to have skipped attendance at the Medis Cross Country League presentation but again I found the desire to support it and went armed with my camera too, albeit that I was late. I was pleased that Ian Astin was already in full flow with his and so I took the opportunity to chat as well as clap.

Leave the video editing until today? No I couldn't do that because I am need to be at our holiday cottage to work the next couple of evenings and and I also need to take Robbie his cross country league award.

So it was a little before midnight when I finished at the computer and then updated the website as soon as I was up at 6.30 with Ian's photos from the cross country.

Thank goodness I didn't have to find the will power to go and run in the rain. It was a fantastic morning to pop out for a quick run so the physical aspect took power. There has to be a physical aspect too to running from the promenade to the grandstand within that run so I'm sticking to my belief that the Parish Walk is no different to anything else in life. I'm 60% mental. Are you?