Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are still managing to keep any resolutions you may have made. I'm not usually one for resolutions but I did make a couple this year, in brief to clean up my diet and to continue to learn, develop and improve as a PT. I also chose a word for the year; nourish. I'm hoping this will inspired me to concentrate on eating good food, feeding my brain with knowledge, and my soul with books, relaxation and kindness.
I spent most of the holiday period with my family. Indeed I spent almost a week at my parent's house, doing the cooking and not a lot else, just about the longest I'd spent at theirs in one go since my 20's. I go the go-ahead from mum and dad to do parkrun on Christmas day AND Boxing day, which got me a few steps closer to my 100th parkrun. Christmas day had a large turn out, with everyone in good spirits and most in festive attire. Boxing day was slightly quieter, even though it was a usual parkrun day, which I thought was odd but I guess we were suffering from the excesses of the day before. I certainly indulged over Christmas but refused to feel guilty for it. I started to feel guilty on the 2nd January when I was still eating mince pies, but that's by the by. Running certainly helped me to feel a little better about my choices and the fresh air was most welcome!
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| I'm not sure about the santa hat and Hawaiian shirt combo |
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| Christmas day parkrun, number 96 |
New Year was low key, barely making it through to midnight after a last minute meal out and bottle of bubbly, and just as well really as I tackled the New Years Day double of parkrun, starting with Bracknell at the usual 9am and then nipping over to Woodley for 10:30am. Ever the troopers, my parents came out in support, and even got roped into marshalling at Bracknell! I ran with friends, got pushed to sprint finishes and got quicker over the two events. All of which meant that on Saturday 2nd January I ran my 100th parkrun! Some very dear friends came over from Newbury in support, mum and dad were out again, bless them, and I managed to match my time from the day before despite chat and far worse conditions (although not as bad as had been predicted). I'd made cake, which was dutifully demolished and we all went away a little happier.
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| First medal of the year |
I only had a few hours work between Christmas and New Year and lovely as it has been to have so much time off, it's been great to get back into a routine and finally get my head around which day and date it is! It was a joy to see my RunFitUK group again on Tuesday and also to start a new exercise class for beginners. I was quite nervous in the run up to it but the first session has gone well and I'm feeling really positive about it now.
I've managed to do something active every day so far this year, whether that be a run, metafit, or a walk. It may not sound like a lot but it's made me feel better to get out of the house even for a stomp around the lake and to move my body in this time of hibernation and grotty weather. It's also helped me to achieve the 20.16km distance for my first virtual race of the year. It's also helped to stop me stagnating in advance of my first race of the year. This weekend I'm tackling the polar night half marathon in Norway. I'm not packed and my training hasn't been what it could or should have been but it'll be an adventure however I perform. I'm pretty confident I'll get round without too much trouble even though I haven't covered anything above 10 miles in training but what with ice, freezing temperatures and wind chill I'm sure it won't be close to my PB. I've bought a set of spikes for ice running and planned an outfit I hope will work as I heat up and cool down, I've got my krone and passport and just need to find all my cosiest gear for when I'm not racing.
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| Recent temperatures in Norway |
So that's the start of my year. I've got half a dozen events to look forward to (to be revealed in due course) and a few new projects in the pipeline. 2016 is off to a good start and I'm excited about how it will unfold.
Are you a resolution maker/word for the year chooser? Did you stay active over the festive period? Are all the mince pies/Christmas foods eaten yet??
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