Journey

I've never really had any reason to talk about my job before, other than bashing it or making excuses for why I do what I do for the third time in the last eight years. I can't really go crazy on talking about it, as I’m still employed there. But I do want to talk about it, because it has impacted my life. Sometimes I like it, some times I hate it. But I can’t deny that in the end, it’s given me a lot in more ways than one.  I originally joined the company as a salesman at 20 years-old, having dropped out of University not long before this. Needless to say, I was not cut out for that role at all - at least at that age. I made barely any sales, and just didn't really have any people skills by that point. I wasn't very driven, and opted to get on the piss with my mates rather than make any attempts to further understand the product and become a better salesman. That's the way I was back then though. In saying that, even now I don’t think it’s really in my nature to be...

 The Taupo Marathon was the first time I've been disappointed from a result within an official race. As stated in my previous blog entry, my ambitious goal was to get a time of 3:30hrs or less. Even with some solid training behind me, I would have been amazed if I reached this goal at this event. Ultimately it wasn't meant to be, with my finishing time being 4:18hrs - my worst performance in a marathon yet. I wrote this marathon off before I even started the race. I had just one month to carry on my form from the Wellington race. I spent one week recovering from that, then had the flu for over two weeks and still didn't feel too flash by the time Taupo came about. There wasn't much training at all during this period, so I was hoping for a sub-4 hour time at the least. Despite saying that I had dismissed any kind of expectation from this race before it even started, it's needless to say that it all still stings when you don't get close to a goal. I originally pla...

When I signed up for not one, but two marathons within the space of one month of each other - the first thought was, why am I doing this again, and again ? I think it's fascinating to think about the different mindsets that I've had whenever it comes to training for these events. One minute I think I'm very on top of my training, next minute I think I haven't done enough training when it's closer to the event, last minute I think what's the fucking point in any of this?! It's not until the very day while I'm running the marathon where I think, ah yes - this is why. Sometimes you just have to dig deep to remember what that why is. Last year with the Brighton Marathon, as previously written - I had all sorts of different emotions. A sense of pride and relief is probably what I remember the most from that day. I don't even recall having a runner's high like I normally would after reaching a new distance. By the end of that run it was pure relief. I...

 What would you chase - happiness , or success ? Does success lead to happiness? Does happiness mean you're already successful? I've always thought that I wasn't a very successful person throughout life. I'd always think if I have this - this will make me happy, if I do this - this will make me happy . Not once did it occur to me to think that I have this - this makes me happy, I've achieved this - this makes me happy . Don't get me wrong, I think it's important to want more in life. Not in a way of greed, but rather from experiences and growth. But that doesn't go without saying that you must not forget what you have got and what you have achieved along the way. I'm terrible at dismissing my accomplishments, I'll be honest with you there. I think it's because I always believe that I'm capable of being and doing better. This is a thought process of mine that definitely needs working on. One thing is for sure, it's important to give yo...

 A few months ago, I made the decision to return to New Zealand. I was struggling to find work in Cambridge, all while knowing that the depressing winter season that the United Kingdom provides was on the horizon. I'd been reluctant to return to New Zealand for a while, perhaps because I always looked at it as running away from England when things felt a bit tough. Whether it was because of concussions, or consequential money troubles, or simply from lack of direction. But this time it felt different, in fact when I booked the flight it felt very much like when I booked my ticket for London nearly three years ago. It was impulsive, it wasn't 100% thought through - but it felt exciting. I wasn't running away from anything, I was chasing the New Zealand summer that I've always loved. I was chasing the thought of seeing family and friends for the first time in over 2.5 years. I treated the move like it wasn't a massive deal, enjoy the summer, see everyone, then see wha...

    21/10/24 3:00am wake-up to catch a 6:10am flight to Poprad, Slovakia. I’m shocking at getting good sleep as it is, I think I had about 2 hours of actual sleep before I had to get up to catch my bus from Cambridge to London Stansted. I was fortunate to get a hold of a window-seat on the plane to see the cracking sights of mountains that were on display as we were landing in Poprad. It was the first smooth flight I’ve ever seen where people were clapping when we landed. I had to laugh at that. The only time I’d ever seen that was when I landed in Wellington from Dunedin one time some years back, in what was a very brutal weathered journey - one that definitely warranted a round of applause! This was all great, but the rest of the day mostly turned in to a shambles… I arrived at about 9:00am. I wasn’t impressed at the  € 25 taxi I paid for a 5 minute journey from the airport in to the Poprad bus station. For whatever reason there weren't any other means of getting out of...