Tuesday 19th September 2017

The highlight of today was when I walked to the shops to get some fresh air and some supplies.  It nearly killed me and I needed to have two naps this afternoon as a result.
I’ve been really restless today.  Just sitting at my desk has somehow made my back ache, meaning that I need to get up and do… anything.  Mostly this has been going upstairs for a nap.
I played some Warcraft but even that couldn’t hold my interest for long so I’ve been dipping in and out, more out of having nothing else to do.
I had planned to go back to work tomorrow but I think I might give it one more day.  This cold seems to hit heavily on the chest, which probably explains how my boss got viral pneumonia.  I don’t want that and so have kept wrapped up warm.  It seems to have done the job of allowing me to shift any phlegm sitting on my chest.
I’ve also eaten pretty badly today.  I just needed some sugar inside me and so had chocolate.  After the Chinese on Sunday and the lack of exercise since, I probably now weigh a gazillion stone.  I figure that I’ll just have to go super, super strict once I’m well.  Given that I now seem to have found a bit more motivation, perhaps I’ll actually do it this time.
To be fair, I am still buzzing about my world ranking.  I got a card from my parents congratulating me on my medal, but that now seems so long ago.
It’s got me thinking about how my plans seem to be coming to fruition.  I’m now well inside the top 100.  Swordfish limits their initial tournament registrations to the top 100 because they consider them the premier fighters.  At number 57, I’m well inside that crowd.
But rather than feel relaxed about it, I feel hungry to step it up.  I want top 20.  I’m not going to do that this year as it’s going to get exponentially harder the higher I go.  So for now, my focus is to get inside the top 50.  Then I can worry about the top 40, then the top 30, and so on.  And sometimes you have to take a step backwards to take a step up so I expect it’ll be a bit of a rollercoaster.
Of course, I’m hardly in any state to start acting on it.  Perhaps that’s for the better.  I can enjoy the accomplishment before diving into the next.
I’ve also been thinking about some of those fighters who haven’t seemed to progress of late and have somehow plateaued.  I think back to what Chris said on Sunday.  Innate talent will only get you so far.  Perhaps the reason they’ve plateaued is because they need to now step up their training.  They might have done, I have no idea, and I’m not trying to accuse them.  Rather, it’s just acting as a reminder to myself that when things get tough and progress seems stagnant, then perhaps the answer is to step it up a little.  I’ve made a mental note to remember this in relation to my writing.
I certainly need to do that on my diet, and perhaps at some stage I’ll need to do it on my swordfighting as well (although hard core gym workouts and training three times a week mean that I’m probably a little way off).  That said, I could do with practising lunges every day.
Perhaps now I’m focused on Swordfish, I have 45 days in which to get myself into fantastic shape for the competition.  That means being super-strict with the diet, recording all my macros and the like.  I could also do some press ups or jogging each morning.
Getting in shape for Swordfish, feels like a mini-challenge and it’s one I’m keen to do.
However, first I need to get over this bloody cold and get back in the gym.
If you want to follow more of my journey, then be sure to check me on my social channels.  Likewise, if you’d like me to expand on any point mentioned above, please say so in the comments.

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