Today, I Have Been Mostly... by Rob_Barber

Whatever way you choose to describe it, in training terms this is what I'm finding myself needing to do.

Always a difficult time of year for me this anyway. Everywhere you look the modern commercialised version of christmas is rammed right down your throat - and I despise it .

Children who are otherwise lovely all year become selfish, greedy, gluttonous versions of themselves. Behavoir positively endorsed and encouraged by our corporate masters. Do not think for one minute that you haven't been conditioned .

More senior members of the family flap about, panicking (amongst other things) about what to get my youngest for Christmas. Well, nothing ! The honest truth of it is that he appreciates what he has, and doesn't miss what he doesn't have. He'd rather sit on grandad's tractor for half an hour than spend any amount of hours playing with a toy one. Why do they have to feel obliged to spend money they can ill afford?

Who benefits? It isn't the parents. It isn't the children. It certainly isn't those wider members of the family. The true meaning of christmas seems lost in this western culture of spend spend spend.

How many of us I wonder would honestly open up our doors and invite in a passing tramp to share our festive feast with us, share our wine, give them a bed for the night? Not many I'll bet. Yet this would be so much more in tune with the true spirit of giving.

Yep, I look forward to the whole horrible thing being over.

Yet I could easily still love it too, if only this most Christian of festivals remained more true to the spirit of Christianity. Plenty of other countries celebrate Christmas just as eagerly as we do, yet without going mad for all the presents. Got to be worth thinking about?

None of this though means that I don't enjoy that brilliant sparkle in the eyes of the kids as they rip in to see what Santa has brought them. It's priceless .

New Year is what I really look forward to though. I find it alltogether more positive, it provides a real beacon of hope whilst Christmas's message of hope drowns beneath all the mountains of wrapping paper (don't even get me started on the environmental costs of this corruption of our winter solstice ).

Yep, New Year, a perfect time to do that which in the title I said I need to be doing.

Think the reason I seem to be struggling with training right now is because I've got this one, massive, incredible long term goal (The Paddy Buckley Round) - yet my situation with injuries hasn't really permitted me to set the short term goals that are the steps I'll need to climb to get me up there.

I'll let you know the plan just as soon as I've got one.