The Dawn of a New Era

When I first started writing this blog over a year ago, I never imagined that my last night in Melbourne would be spent at the Rod Laver Arena watching Andy Murray in the final of the Australian Open from a vantage point only a few seats away from Andy's player box. Dreams really do come true.

The story started at the semi - final in what was one of the most compelling games of tennis I have ever seen. My brother and his wife had a pair of tickets for the match but as they had a six week old son who was still breastfeeding, I was enlisted to play pass the baby in between sets. I watched from the screens outside the arena hoping that inside, no one was about to spit the dummy. I did get inside for the out of this world second set and the whirlwind fifth set where a frazzled Federer lay down at the hands of the Murray machine.

The night of the final was going to be my last night in Melbourne for quite some time. If there was ever a moment to try and achieve the impossible, the time was now. Chance favours the prepared mind, so they say, and in response to a tentative email, I was thrown a gauntlet of a challenge at 2 am after the semi that I had to accomplish by 9am the next day. If I could find Judy Murray a kilt for a 6"2, 32-34 inch male for the following afternoon (a whole other story), a golden ticket for the final would be my reward. I succeeded in my mission and Agent Gordon was duly rewarded by Mrs M.

Finals day loomed and with it the hopes and fears of a nation. Or at least that's what it felt like on entering Melbourne Park's Centre Court where the air was thick with Scottish accents. Had these ex pats bought tickets in advance with the expectation that Andy would be in the final? Or were they, like me, subscribers to the "where there's a will, there's a way" philosophy?

The crowd was a sea of saltires and blues and whites, of Jimmy hats and union jacks. It did seem that the tennis universe was with Andy that night and the shouts and cries from the crowd throughout the match served to confirm that.

It's difficult to explain what it felt like to be there. I was overwhelmed not only by the occasion but also by how lucky I was to be seated where I was. It was by far the best seat I have ever had at a match, not only to watch the tennis but also to observe at first hand the interaction between a player and his box, to experience the ebb and flow of the match through their eyes.

The overriding emotion I felt was tension. It seemed to me, as it often does with Andy's matches, that there was more than tennis at stake. Both Andy and Novak seemed on edge. Theirs is being hailed as the new rivalry in Men's tennis and it seemed at first that they were both feeling the weight of this new burden of expectation.

The first set tie break was a master class in tennis from Andy. He got every first serve in where Novak didn't get one. For those who like statistics, this seemed to suggest that Andy was the mentally stronger of the two although you can never take anything for granted with Djokovic.

And so it proved to be the case with Nole producing displays of defensiveness that belied belief. I have heard commentators say on many occasions that the best players in the world are often the best defenders and here were two of the best defenders in tennis battling for supremacy at the beginning of 2013.

It was not to be Murray's night. He seemed to struggle with blisters on his feet but, true professional that he is, he never gave up; it was just that Djokovic got better and better. I heard that after the match, Djokovic gave out chocolates at the press conference and left on a 3 am flight to get back to Europe as quickly as possible so that he could begin recovering and preparing for the Davis Cup. Is he a man or machine?

So where now for Andy? He played an incredible tournament and he has a steely glint in his eye and a belief in himself and his abilities that was evident not only against Federer but also in the final in spite of the result. Andre Agassi, commentating at the Australian Open this year, said that he thinks that 2013 will be "the year of the Murray".

I have to say that I couldn't agree more. What worries me now is not that Murray will have us all sitting at the edge of our seats in future finals wondering what if? What worries me is that we don't take the opportunity to capitalise on this new role model who embodies a self- belief and a 'can do' attitude that could transform not just the way we develop tennis in Scotland but also the collective mindset we have about ourselves as a nation.

Show me the way to go home...

I'm homeward bound at the end of the month and I must say I'm really looking forward to returning to Scotland to see all my family, friends, colleagues and tennis buddies.

Before that though, I have three of the best weeks of my life coming up and I'm going to try and record my training, travel and tennis for January.

I'm training for the London marathon on 21st April and part of a team called the 'Thistle Chicks' who are raising money for a well known children's charity so watch this space for our FUNdraising activities we'd love to get you involved in over the coming weeks.

I'm travelling around Australia and also New Zealand so I'm going to post about that too.

And finally, my brother has purchased a ticket package that will allow me to attend the men's and women's semis and finals so I feel like the luckiest tennis pundit on the planet and want to share lots of photos and experiences from there. He has bought 2 tickets to share among 4 of us with babysitting duties on the side so fingers crossed I get Andy's matches!

This week I am in the country town of Bright which is in Victoria about 3.5 hours from Melbourne. It is very peaceful and the area is dubbed 'Alpine shire' because of the abundance of pine trees. It is a mountainous region that is popular for skiing in the Australian winter. The river trails have been great for running and so far I've done an 8 mile run along a disused railway track and a 5 x 1/2 mile on, 400 m off along a rocky river path.

The area is also well known for its wineries and today a 20km cycle (round trip, not too strenuous) was punctuated by a wine tasting and a beautiful platter of meats and cheeses in a setting reminiscent of Tuscany.

Life is good. I'm very lucky.

New Year Tennis Resolutions for 2013

How can the tennis community inspire more people to take up the game?

Work with Local Authorities to create opportunities for more people to participate

Build practice walls in highly populated urban areas and more tennis courts in parks and public places.

Encourage Parents to be aspirational with youngsters because in dreaming, we discover.

Instil in Coaches and Clubs a sense of responsibility towards the communities within which they operate 

Offer your services for free once a month. Visit a local primary school, run a Facebook competition with your members for a free one to one lesson or offer your courts to a community group to run their own session. You will reap what you sow.

Always play in the rain if the players are willing...

Inspire PLAYers to look at tennis as a game for life

Promote practice, YouTube searches, watching tournaments, taking part in tournaments. Gather groups of children together to train because although tennis is an individual sport, children learn best when in an environment with other children. Foster in them a desire to ask questions of their peers, their parents and coaches. Make sure they have fun. But most of all...

PLAY the game!

You never know when this - 

can turn into this:

Let's have a ball in 2013!

Follow the Yellow Balloon

I had my very own 'Dorothy' moment yesterday.

The conditions were perfect: no tornadoes or wild winds from the West. There weren't even any winged monkeys to distract me from the task in hand. Nor was there a road of yellow brick.

But there was a yellow balloon.

I decided to aim for a finish time of 3.10 which means trying to run each km in 4 mins, 30 secs. I went through the first km in 4.25. So far, so good, only 41.2 to go. At 2k, the watch said 8:40 so I knew I had run a little faster and tried to calm myself down to a riot. At 3k my watch said 12:36 and I decided to suspend looking at the watch till 10k to offset the stress that was building about peaking too soon. That's when I spotted the yellow balloon.

I ran along behind it for a while trying to see what it said. It was attached to a man who looked rather fit and he was running beside another man who had a flag extending from his head. I soon realised they were 3 hour pacers and I decided in that moment to suspend what my scarecrow brain had planned for me and try and keep them in my sights.

They had attracted quite a following. I usually end up running on my own in races for some reason. It's always crowded at the start but I quickly fall into a running vacuum. It was a different experience to run with a large pack of 15-20, mainly men. There were 2-3 women including me. We were all slight, no taller than 5"2 and I have no doubt that running behind this group helped us all, like 'drafting' in cycling. Well, there have to be some advantages of hailing from the Land of Munchkins.

I couldn't keep up the whole time so I spent the race falling behind and catching up like the tide going in and out. At points I didn't have the heart to keep up, especially after drink stations where my strategy was to stop and walk for a bit while swallowing, as I can't really drink and run at the same time. A sense of pride provided bursts of energy when I heard voices from the crowd announcing in awe, "they're the 3 hour group", or, "that's 3 hour pace, son". Still, I held myself in check, not pushing too soon. Pride comes before a fall and I was nowhere near sub 3 yet.

I had heard of a dreaded hill at 35k and so I made a surge to stick with the pacers. This helped a lot as they spent the whole time commentating and chatting. "Tram tracks ahead!", "drinks station on the left", "hey, look there's that guy we paced in his first marathon in Bangkok!". I found it quite entertaining which was a great distraction from suffering and self-doubt. After running with them for a few minutes, I felt a new wave of courage come over me and I decided to make a break and move in front of the 3 hour group.

The feeling of elation that came over me at this point was the only power I could call upon to offset the pain. My heart and lungs were in great shape but my legs and my abdominal muscles were crying out for help. My head was starting to hurt a little too as the temperature crept up and dehydration kicked in.

But the end was nigh. There was a gift of a downward spiral into the MCG. "Take the camber, take the camber", I chanted to myself having no idea what it actually meant, as I approached the entrance to the stadium. I felt my legs continue to build speed as I heard first a steward call out, "marathoners to the right" and then my brother's voice rise up through the noise of the crowd, "come on Julie, you're doing a great time!". I sensed the excitement in his tone. He knew that I was on the verge of going sub 3 but I didn't dare look at my watch again. I had no idea how much further I had to go inside the MCG as I took the middle lane reserved for marathon runners. Glancing up, I could see that there was at least 200m left to the inflatable red archways that marked the end. My legs were going strong and I pushed through, overtaking one other runner on the way to my very own Emerald City.

After the race, I was overwhelmed by emotion and sobbed quietly to myself, clicking my heels together. Out of nowhere a man appeared with a huge microphone and beside him, a TV camera.

"Can we interview you for Marathon TV?"
"Of course." I replied, choking back the tears and wondering whether this was a real or imaginary moment, such is the feeling of post traumatic marathon disorder.
"Can you tell us a little bit about your experience today?"
"Well," I began, "there were no wild winds or winged monkeys, but there was a yellow balloon."

Julie finished the Melbourne Marathon on Sunday 14th October 2012 in 2:58:12 and wants to thank everyone who helped her on her journey. You know who you are.

Pressure is a privilege...

So goes the title of tennis legend Billie Jean King's book about lessons she has learned from life.

I'm going to adopt this as my mantra as I attempt to run the marathon tomorrow in 3.10 or better. I wonder if it will work as I struggle with the hill I hear is awaiting at 35k...

The coach at my running club in Australia posted a picture of the finish on Facebook a few minutes ago which is going to be etched in my mind's eye as inspiration.

My Scottish running coach always says, "you're only as good as your next race". This helps me keep a sense of perspective. No matter how well or how badly tomorrow goes, there will be other races, other moments in time to relish like this one.

I often find myself trying to convey this sense of perspective to the pupils I have who play tournaments. The reality is that most people lose more matches than they win, especially in the beginning. Players can get so disheartened but if they could see that it's all part of a long journey and become more goal orientated then I think it would help them to fulfil their potential in a more holistic way, learning valuable life lessons as they go.

For now it's early to bed, early to rise and hope to report on a good time tomorrow.

Back to the G

G is for guts.

The last six miles of a marathon show you what you're made of as a runner and as a person. You've exhausted the glycogen in your muscles and the benefit of your training has been used up. It's all down to the power of your mind.

In my case it's also down to physical guts. I've experimented with diet a lot over the last twelve months and I think healthier eating has allowed me to become leaner and faster. I've been consuming more good carbs and taken on more protein and good fats.

However, although my legs and lungs usually hold out ok, my stomach lining doesn't really like being pounded around for hours on end. I've been practising pre marathon meals but haven't found the right fit so I've concluded that its going to be porridge and toast for dinner on Saturday night. I'll liven it up with a selection of jams and peanut butters. Life in the fast lane, eh?

The race starts on Sunday at 7 am so it will be up at 4 am for a plate of porridge for breakfast too.

More in future posts about diet.

G is for goals.

When the race has been run next week, there will be nothing left to work for unless there's another goal in place. My goals for the rest of 2012 are to get my 5k and 10k times down and to do this in interesting locations in Australia or New Zealand!

'Mind is everything; muscles, mere pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind.'

Paavo Nurmi, nine time Olympic hold medallist.

Commitment

I regularly listen to a running podcast called 'marathon talk' for hints and tips on training. it is hosted by Martin Yelling (husband of Liz Yelling) and Tom Williams (UK Director of parkrun).

A recent discussion on the show highlighted the importance of commitment in training. There are two aspects to this:

1. The commitment to turning up in the first place ie not missing a session where possible, getting out there every day to practise. Nae excuses!

2. The commitment you bring with you to each session in terms of intensity, purpose and quality

In terms of number 1, Tom and Martin got into a discussion about the triathletes, Alistair and Jonny Brownlee. Tom had been listening to their coach, Jack Maitland, talking about their commitment to training. There is a cycling group that trains in Leeds called the Chain Gang. Usually 50-100 riders turn up every Thursday night. One particularly wet night in the Spring of 2012 only seven people turned up. Three of those seven went on to win medals at the Olympics this year. They were Alistair and Jonny Brownlee and Lizzie Armisted.

Now of course I can't say that if you turn up to every session you will win an Olympic medal. But the story about training in the rain reminded me of all the children who turn up no matter what for coaching. Their parents tell me that, try as they will, they cannot dissuade them from coming to the club. They are an inspiration and it makes me realise more than ever the duty of care we have to all the children in front of us but perhaps these athletes deserve a little bit extra.

It is their commitment to the session, the enthusiasm, drive and determination they display that makes them a little bit special. I wish I could bottle up that commitment and take a spoonful every day with breakfast. The commitment that we decide to bring to a session is directly proportionate to the amount of value that we gain from a session. And I say decide because, for me, this is the mental side of things. It is never easy. I often want to skip a run, not try so hard, cut a few miles here and there. And I do admit to doing these things. But it's not worth it. You need to set the bar high and try your hardest to meet and exceed those expectations.

And so I will try and take my own advice in the next ten days as I build towards Melbourne Marathon 2012!

- Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

www.marathontalk.com if interested in a good running podcast.
Www.parkrun.com if interested in free 5k timed runs for the whole family all over the world!

Next blog.... Back to the G....