Being a finalist and a university rugby player undoubtedly brings its own unique set of challenges. Having said that, I don’t make life easy for myself a lot of the time – as my friends will undoubtedly agree.
I’m fortunate that studying History allows me to manage my time a lot more (with so few contact hours a week, it’s actually difficult to manufacture a clash), so I’m normally able to hurry back to bed following 6am gym sessions which happen far too frequently for my liking.
Assuming I don’t have to drag myself out of bed when it’s still dark to go and push some tin around, I’ll generally get up between the unholy hours of 8am and 9am. Most of my day, however, seems to revolve around making and eating copious amounts of food, so that’ll generally take up far too much of my time in the morning.
That being said, yesterday I was in the Rad Cam at opening time – watch this space for some continued improvement in morning productivity. Fatigue is definitely an issue I face when attempting to get enough quality work time in throughout the day – the post- lunch lull, as anyone (sporting or not) will tell you, is akin to pushing through the notorious ‘wall’ in any fitness session.
I suppose in my ripe old age as a finalist, it’s become less of an issue, with the result that the hours from 2-5pm are generally my most productive. I can then rip into training in the evening and come back and hang out with my housemates for some relaxation away from the books.
I’ve never understood people who are late night library shift enthusiasts – my suspicion is that it’s half done for attention the next day, inspiring jealousy and anxiety in their friends and a sense of huge achievement in themselves. When it has to be done, it has to be done, but for me my bed is always a preferable alternative.
It’s undoubtedly a busy life, but I wouldn’t change it for the world: balancing sport and academics keeps me sharp for both of them, with each having their time and place. I’m sure my tutors would rather I spent more time on the latter, and my coaches the former, but famously you can’t please everyone. I just hope I can keep hanging in there and get through this year with a degree and my body intact!
