You have to chuckle at the perceived contradictions that pop up from time to time in health research. Yesterday I read an article entitled “Six-minute nap ‘may boost memory’”. It described a German study that suggested even the shortest catnap could help performance in memory tests. Today I spotted another headed “Daytime dozing ’stroke’ warning” that suggests regular daytime dozing may be an early warning sign of stroke in elderly people. And there was me thinking it might be something to do with that four hour run I thought I’d just done!

The volume of political rhetoric involving the Beijing Olympics is increasing as the games draw nearer. Steven Spielberg recently withdrew from a consultancy role involved in promoting the games citing criticism of China’s role in Darfur. In the UK, Olympic athletes were being asked to sign a contract with the British Olympic Association that included a clause preventing public criticism of China. News of the contract caused a public outcry that is said to have now been ‘dampened down’.

Putting the rights and wrongs of how China is seen throughout the world aside, it is perhaps inevitable that an Olympic host will attract attention in the build up to their games (look out London your time will come!). In 2004 the Greeks were said to be disorganised and several reports suggested the games would be mired by incomplete venues. As it happens, they were regarded as one of the best games ever and the TV coverage didn’t include any shots of contractors running around in hard hats between heats.

The Olympics are of course a big money maker and with a lot at stake they will cause a range of opinions to be voiced; but for an athelete to be there, has required many long hours of dedication and perseverance away from the public eye. Should politics be allowed to take their opportunity to excel away? Any runner who has embarked on a lengthy training program to complete their first marathon should understand this. Training can take over your life; granted you’re (hopefully) doing it voluntarily, but all those cold winter mornings or long rain soaked weekend runs all add up along with juggling family and work commitments. Imagine being publicly criticized about your entry to the Boston Marathon because of a policy the city had recently introduced or hearing that the event was under threat from protesters? Anyone who has run Philadelphia will know how protest actions can impact an event.

To complete any challenging event such as long distance running, requires a tremendous amount of determination and dedication, the extent of which is probably unappreciated by the majority of the population. Having an association with people that take part in these activities, be it through relationship, friendship or shared citizenship, can also be rewarding.

Boycotting the games during the cold war or apartheid era, didn’t bring bring these issues down, political initiatives and the voice of the people ultimately did. Removing the chance for an athlete to fulfill their goal after four or more years of effort did nothing. Like anyone, I’d like to see the end of suffering both human and environmental around the world, but I would also like to witness and appreciate the skill and commitment of Olympic competition. It inspires me to keep going. Plus you often see an enhanced interested in a particular sport after international success and promoting future generations to participate in sporting activities, is not a bad thing.

Having experienced (OK, to a much lesser degree!) what it takes to training to do things like this, I don’t believe my views on the rights and wrongs around the world should be allowed to rob another athlete of their chance of glory, unless of course it is their own conscience that motivates them to withdraw.

What do you think?

A news article on the BBC web site today called ‘Anger control’ key to recovery describes a recent study that suggests stress has a major impact on the body’s ability to repair itself.

Scientists gave participants blisters on their arms and then monitored their recovery via a questionnaire which looked at how anger was expressed. So next time you peel off those running shoes to find your feet in tatters, smile, relax and enjoy the moment, you might be out running again that much quicker!

Watched a good movie last night entitled Once. It is a romance about two musicians who meet briefly and in the short period their lives crossed, they made an indelible impression on each other. Both the actors, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, are talented musicians and the movie soundtrack is excellent. However the essence of the plot was all about seizing opportunities that may come along just once in our lives. On Friday Guth grabbed at the chance to hike in the White Mountains, it was a first time experience and since her return she has talked about little else. Six years ago I was offered a job in the US, it took me just a few minutes to say “yes” on the basis that if things didn’t work out I could always go back to the life I had left behind, but if I’d hesitated and declined, I may have regretted the missed opportunity for the rest of my live. Fortunately the move worked out and I can’t conceive what might have happened had I taken what might have been the ‘easier’ option. Since then, I’ve been much more attune to the attitude of ‘just go for it’and in doing so you realize that many opportunities don’t fall into your lap, they are made and it is much more of a matter of recognizing them. I now try to follow this attitude in running. If a race sounds ‘crazy’, I’m interested, if the gradient profile looks monstrous, I’m interested. Of course things like this shouldn’t be considered lightly, you still need to have confidence in your ability; so to take on a new adventure you may need to be patient and build experience over time. The Grand Slam has been on my to do list for three years and I already have ideas for 2009 and beyond.

Many of my friends joke about not looking into my eyes for fear of being persuaded to do something they hadn’t considered possible. But you really can’t make people do things they don’t want to. An adventurous spirit is in us all, we sometimes just allow the more mundane aspects of our lives to mask it. To be around people who have attained a goal they previously though out of their reach is infectious and sometimes it is as much fun to watch someone else achieve their goal as it is to reach your own as this can also sow the seed of our own desires.

Never lose sight of the fact that the next opportunity may present itself just once -it’s your call whether you take it or not.

In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity. - Albert Einstein