The beginnings of a slight snuffle put heed to my usual routine, and provided impetus for an evening more-or-less in front of the television. This being somewhat of an unusual occurrence, I found myself rather awestruck by my viewing experience which, whilst comprising an apparently odd combination, seemed to possess a bit of a theme - that of resilience.
Starting with none other than the awesome Victoria Pendleton: Cycling's Golden Girl. Golden by name, and well deserved given her credentials, but as I watched I found myself feeling increasingly concerned for this inspirational young woman who has anything but a sunny disposition and showed signs of being deeply troubled throughout the excellent documentary.
Her struggle would appear to have been lifelong and is against the toughest possible opponent: herself. Her longstanding rivalry with Anna Meares pales into insignificance against the battle she has with herself, each and every day. Beneath her stunning smile lurks a terrifyingly harsh inner critic, with infinitely destructive tendencies. At different times, this horrific force has been given fuel, and Victoria seems to lack the motivation to win first and foremost for herself: motivation vital to both be good at and enjoy being good at her sport.
I found myself wondering what it must have been like to be separated from her twin brother by two wheels and a carbon frame, and to have attained the status of being the fastest woman on earth. Warning bells rung on hearing her disclose that she felt nothing at all when she won at Beijing. Throughout the programme, I wondered where Mum featured in the family dynamics, in which the passion for cycling seemed practically infectious. What I saw on screen was a woman desperately in need of a break, and a hug.
The so-called defiant and emotional maverick is something of a conundrum both on and off the track. She arrived at British Cycling when it was all about the boys, but sought to retain her femininity. I dread to think what prompted the addition of her brilliant psychiatrist, but thank goodness he came on board when he did. We women are emotional. Even when super-fit and super-fast. Get over it. Perhaps when she's on the bike, Victoria's determination differs from the average performance athlete's and her focus becomes so sharp that she effectively dissociates. This might go some way to explaining the apparent absence of any affect or emotion immediately after finishing (and usually winning) a race. This gem is both rare and extremely precious, and requires very careful handling.
Next on was Supersize vs. Superskinny Channel 4's series which depicts two individuals who self identify as being from either end of the eating spectrum. Rob and Hayley both check in to the so-called Feeding Clinic, and access intensive multidisciplinary support for their food disorders from the loud-shirted Dr. Christian Jessen and his team. Having not watched an episode from start to finish, I was glued to the programme which saw both patients make significant progress. Importantly, a holistic approach was adopted, and their relationships with food were looked at very closely - both cases of disordered eating being seen as symptoms rather than the whole problem. It was encouraging to see an intervention designed so thoroughly around the individuals' presentations, and implemented so well, from serious reality checks to psychotherapeutic support to catalyse and then sustain life enhancing and identity altering change for the patients, both of whom could be seen to have reached the point of despair from which they were willing to put in the work to turn their eating around.
The final component of my television hat trick was another Channel 4 production, One Born Every Minute: Insights into the Reality of Birth. There was no shortage of reality in the humbling footage that followed the delightful Tricia who, after many rounds of IVF, had conceived naturally and was preparing to give birth to her first child Elizabeth, whom we met at the end of the episode. The maternity team were blinding, but it was the intuitive maternal nature that stood out watching Tricia bond with her newborn moments after the forceps delivery. We later saw parents caring for baby at home several weeks later, and it was a joy to behold Tricia making up formula for Elizabeth, being the best Mum she can be, in spite of her disability.
Three very different yet each brilliantly powerful examples of human courage, and determination to overcome obstacles. All in a night's viewing.
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