Luckily I knew I was never going to win anything outright, had a few reasonable performances in smaller races and age groupings but having left it late to start I probably missed out at training at my peak. So I like to see if I can better myself, and also know the local lads I can compete with which helps you know what kind of form you are in.
A lot of it was also about the healthspan, my father had lots of problems throughout his life which I think had a bit of an effect on me to try and keep active in the hope I could be like my mother, who was generally healthy until her last couple of years really.
The other issue is life related stress, I donāt have kids but itās remarkable how much a bit off off the field (work) stress can slow you down.
Doesnāt help when Microsoft leave the doors wide open to their software!
Had less of that in years gone by, partly as I was on a lower grade but I donāt think there was quite as much of a concerted effort of national level hacking, and the added bureaucracy of work and life in general.
Iāve been reasonably lucky on that front, they wanted someone on site so I volunteered and have been in the office every day except 1 this year.
Iām convinced itās help me get through this lockdown as I havenāt been in the same building for nearly 20 hours per day, have seen a few other people IRL and helped me get a bit of routine.