I'm now sitting with a very smug look on my face regarding this week's blog title. I've often got a smug look on my face. I have been afforded the title of 'Smuggest Man in Media' in the past. I generally either look smug or impatient, judging by the amount people apologise to me when I'm (inwardly at least) patiently waiting for something.
As you will come to realise, I am generally attempting to train for next year's Flora London Marathon (I'm going to namecheck Flora in the hope of getting some free spread, and as a nod to people who insist on referring to the World Cup as the FIFA World Cup) by watching football on the treadmill. This will have several benefits, notably getting to watch the football that's on Sky Sports (I'm adopting the Mel B on Bo Selecta approach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44Pm-lmlorY), not watching aformentioned Sky Sports matches down the pub, and getting a decent amount of running in without having to pound the mean streets of Hackney.
On a normal week I might have watched the England-Croatia game on the treadmill. Had it been a friendly that would almost certainly have been the only motivation to watch it. Depending on who is appointed as successor to Sven, I might extend this to 'competitive' games. Yes, I do mean Sven. It's only now people are starting to realise how utterly pointless it was to appoint from within the England regime. Steve McClaren was there all the way under Sven and basically allowed a failing regime (what we'd give for that kind of failure right now though) to continue seamlessly, minus Nancy, Tord, winning, or any sense of charm and with the added bonus of Terry f*cking Venables.
There is a time and a place for Terry Venables. In 1996, it was in the England set-up. Since then, he would probably be better in an institution of some sort. If you have read Tom Bowers' book, Broken Dreams, you'll know exactly what I mean. Anyone who was able to buy a top football club without any money, and later to drain another to the extent of ruining its chairman both literally and metaphorically no doubt has something to offer someone, but there are a lot of shady railway arches in London for Venables to operate in, rather than sitting in a rally driver's seat at Wembley. He claims he discovered he was out of a job on television, but then he also claims he told McClaren to bring on Owen Hargreaves before the third goal went in. He'll be wandering down a street somewhere with a sackload of payoff whistling 'the self preservation society'.
Anyway after a hectic week of watching football in the pub, not watching football but being in the pub, and not being in the pub but being in the O2 Arena (the artist formerly known as the Millennium Dome) and not watching football but watching Kanye West (and drinking excessively), what have I achieved?
Well, I managed to beat my personal best 10k time 3 times in a week, which is surely something even Paula Radcliffe would be proud of. Granted, she can run much faster than the 45 minutes 30 seconds I can now 'boast' as my best, but it's all relative. I also followed it up by running throughout the Newcastle-Liverpool match, which was entertaining for the guy a couple of treadmills down actually applauding a goal (in quite a packed gym he looked a bit mental) and for Fernando Torres having about eight chances and converting none.
Obviously when running in the mornings before work (dedication, that's what you need. God rest your soul Roy) I'm still trying to keep the football theme. I've been helped by the fact that Sky Sports News is now on Sky Sports 1 of a morning. I could honestly (and on occasions pretty much have) watch Sky Sports News all day long. I went into a decline when it looked like the good people at Sky were looking at removing it from the Freeview roster. How could they?
My only complaint about SSN, as I shall call it from now on as I believe we're all friends here, is their Rafa Benitez-esque rotation policy. Sure enough, more often than not I'll tune in to David Jones and Georgie Thompson (ah lovely Georgie) when I get home from work, but not always.
Similarly, I had come to expect that Dan Lobb and Millie Clode were my running buddies. They seem to have a good relationship, Dan helping Millie with the pronunciation of Spanish football teams (how had she not had to say Albacete before?) and Millie giggling along with his jokes. He's quite funny is Dan, and has that sort of everyman appeal that I would extend to Jones and also SSN's former Blue Peter Golden Boy (and celebrity Norwich fan!) Simon Thomas.
Things get a bit more serious towards the second half of the week on Good Morning Sports Fans though, with first Mike Wedderburn drafted in to replace Dan, and then the jockey's favourite, Alex Hammond, joining him for the business end of things. Granted, you get the impression that these two really know their stuff. Wedderburn is clearly a big cricket fan, while Hammond, the shade of whose hair varies with the seasons, is clearly the go-to-gal on all things horsey.
It was Millie and Mike this morning, and I'll be honest with you, it knocked me out of my stride. I ran fast, but not as far as I wanted. I'm going to have to try and find out who is presenting and tailor my training to it.
