I’ve been fortunate to have many great mentors in my life but, when I really think about it, Murray Whitmore was the best of the best.
I’ve belonged to a fitness group that meets every Saturday morning, rain, hail or shine and Murray became its inspirational leader way back before I joined. For me, being a late entrant into physical activity, coming into contact with a powerhouse, committed, physical trainer was a revelation and I grew to love my exercise under his direction and control. I became very familiar with Murray’s almost military style of leadership and thrived on it.
Winno (second from left), Murray (extreme right) Christmas 1987
‘To train without pain is to train without gain’, ‘Short, sharp and shiny’ ‘You wouldn’t be dead for quids pal’ and ‘Are you listening or am I wasting my time?’ were some of Murray’s regular one-liners to learn from or live by.
However, the wisest words I remember most from Murray and still apply to various situations in my life are…
Never stop at the bottom of a hill!
When we were out running and we came to the hills he loved, Murray told us that countless times. As a neophyte runner, I’d always want to stop, survey the hill, convince myself of its difficulty and then groan and moan my way up it. But that wasn’t Murray’s way. You never stop and survey the task at the bottom, you just dig in and triumph at the top.
Practical advice and solutions expressed clearly and concisely.
Pick Winno's brain.
And the more I practised this philosophy the more it worked for me. Running up hills became a delight and joy.
And getting stuck into problems without studying them to convince yourself of their depth and difficulty became a way for me to tackle any challenge.
As Murray said, “Anyone can run the flat, it’s the hills that make a man of you!” And so it is in life… don’t stop at the bottom of a hill! Enjoy the triumph at the top.
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