Rage Against The Machine

Last night while brushing my teeth I realised I hadn’t had any cunning thoughts about how to get the old, down with the kids, sunbathing neighbour to turn down his music. Every morning since he arrived last weekend he sunbathes listening to soft rock, country or mood killer bands turned up to the max from his phone! I’m hoping the old Italian man in my building has words with him before the rest of his family arrive for the summer again. We all know that one nosy resident that you know you can go too to sort problems out. The bad weather yesterday meant he couldn’t sit out. Boo Hoo. I have seen him in the street a few times, but chickened out from confronting him! I did yell out the window in French, then Spanish and finally English which he acknowledged to turn it down – please!! (I was polite!), followed by “get some headphones!” It was Monday morning. I was cranky. He fell in line until the lunchtime. When you’re English, in your late 50’s / early 60’s you should know better, right?! *Sigh*, the tourist season is starting which brings out a different side of people. Things they’d never do at home, suddenly seem perfectly acceptable away from home!

The wind finally stopped during the night and was replaced with drizzle. Unless it’s super heavy rain, I’ll run. There’s something liberating about running in the rain! The sea this morning was an amazing dirty turquoise colour thanks to the storm last night. Nature has the best colours. I tweaked my running style halfway through as my ankle began playing up slightly. I imagined my quads were being lifted up with puppet string, firing like a piston and it worked! Visualisation! Two thirds of the battle is often mental. I did feel somewhat of a dancing pony and it was hard to keep up but I didn’t get any more ankle pain. Imagining yourself doing activities helps when it comes to actually doing them. When I’m practising handstands I visualise I’m already in the pose, legs straight, abs in. If I forget, I can’t get balance. Imagining, visualising and creating the feeling, your body has already created pathways, anticipating the movement. Well it works for me! It’ll be great if the same technique worked painting, drawing, writing (I never seem to execute exactly how they are in my mind) and with my life! The lines get blurry between visualisation and day dreaming for me sometimes! If you dream it, you can visualise it and make it happen. That’s what I’ve got to keep telling myself!

Dirty turquoise 7km run

IMG_7058IMG_7045Next time I see the man in the street, I’ll have to ask him politely if he can turn it down. If that doesn’t work, then the Italian! I forget how many times in Barcelona I had to ask my holiday neighbours to turn it down at 2am!

Do you visual yourself running, training, racing? Does it help you achieve those things? Do you have difficult neighbours? Have a great weekend!

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