Not all legs go to the Olympics!

Sheesh....it's all in the detail! My dodgy knee was hurting a bit today even though I've not ran since Saturday! When washing my bike I noticed my seat was squint. Added to that, I had put new cleats on my shoes a few days back and one had moved slightly...linked to sore knee? Hmmmm

Anyway, I had cycled 45km so I decided to watch the rest of the Olympic closing ceremony! I'm not sure if I was originally looking forward to the Olympics. Blatant commercialism, Tea Partyesque IOC members, elitism and McDonalds! Hardly a party for a left leaning, quasi-Buddhist veggie!

However, on reflection it's been an amazing few weeks. Although I'm daft on cycling, Mo Farah was the standout athlete for me. His performances were amazing and he stuck it to the Daily Mail and their plastic Brit concept! Of course Chris Hoy was brill. I once out-sprinted him to a 50 sign in Magaluf (equivalent of a 30mph sign)..... admittedly, that was the year he won his first British Champs and he wasn't as good then (and he wasn't looking).

Alister Brownlee did an amazing job....and a 29min 10km in a triathlon is simply obscene. Very pleased that VP got a gold. Biggest disappointments were Hannah Miley and Shanaze missing out on medals. Shanaze is one of my heroes.....she comes alive when speaking with kids and encourages them so much. She encapsulates the Olympic legacy inspiring a generation without even thinking about doing it.

Sport for me isn't just about winning. It's not just about taking part either! It's about doing my best. I've had periods of training really hard and putting everything into it. I've never been very good..... I do wonder if it's harder to be Olympic Champion or totally committed and shit!

I get upset when I lose and I have only won two races in my life....the Scottish 5000m swimming champs for my age-group (I think I would have been about 30 and the 13 year olds went faster) and the Edinburgh Triathletes Xmas silly hat relay in Inverleith Park. That was mega-tough as I had Scott (Rosemary's coach) chasing me down rapidly. I once did a 4:59 mile then coughed up blood from the effort. I was also on a drip for 90 mins after an Ironman so I know how to suffer. ...my proudest sporting moment.

Anyway, back to the Olympics. Britain hasn't suddenly found a generation of talented athletes.....the difference this time round is that we've had a prolonged period of public funding from the lottery, long-term strategic planning without too much external interference, the support from coaches and other support staff is truly world class and there is a clear expectation that athletes must win. Britain isn't such a bad place......DC and BJ just don't take too much credit...it's not been your doing!