Unleash the Monkey Army

Let's recap. Ever a glutton for punishment, I allowed myself to get talked into entering an indoor rowing competition.  The appeal? I'd heard they've a great atmosphere, it would give me a target to work towards and it would be a chance to chance my arm in a pond slightly bigger than my utility room! I've never been that dedicated to, or hot on the erg [indoor rower]. And over the recent years have not invested a lot of time and energy into developing my fitness. Granted, I completed the burpee year but between April and 1st June, when I started the rower ladder, I did nothing which didn't look like picking something up and putting it down again (and, in truth, precious little of that)! In fact, it was that ladder and starting the dog days of summer  that led to the suggestion being made to me. So there I was, the day after my 2nd ever Strongman event, logging on, entering my payment details before thinking "Oh nuts, what have I done now?!" (nothing un

When the world is chewing; casting and rolling you from side to side in its cavernous maw, it is hard to catch your breath, to seize but one moment to figure out what is going on. You feel that if you could just get your thoughts in order it would all be fine. But it won't stop. The song goes that your mother warned you that there would be days like this but while no doubt her notes on what you should do would be similarly aspirational, helpfully they are not so musically accessible. So what to do? Make time. You have to. I know that doesn't seem likely but the world is not going to stop, no matter how much we plead and beg, so we have to create the time and space for ourselves if we are to have any hope of learning anything. If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, then the theory goes that you probably misunderstood the situation! Possibly, but action is not the same thing as progress. Granted, philosophical contemplation for hours is also