Way back in May 2007 I 'ran' (that's rather overstating the case; it took me about 39 minutes) my first 5K - the local Race for Life.
I continued to enjoy modest runs for the next couple of years until a nasty bout of plantar fasciitis put paid to that activity.
During this 'life list' phase I decided to have a go at Couch to 5K, and blogged here about this in March 2018. Much to my amazement, I managed it, 'graduating' in May of that year. For the next few weeks I ran for three miles two or three times a week, and achieved my first ParkRun on 2 June (at a not-very-blistering speed of 36'17" - pace 11'16" per mile).
What happened? Well, we moved into a heatwave. I returned to walking instead of running. And got out of practice. And then we moved house - from Winterton-on-sea to Norwich - in August.
Once we were settled in our new home, I started C25K again in November - and gave up. And February 2019 - and gave up. And October 2019 - and gave up. Although I was still walking a reasonable amount, I'd lost my impetus and the feeling of being 'a fit person'. I gained between seven and fourteen pounds (this went up and down - although I'm relieved to say that my highest weight in this period has been 11 stone 7 - well under the 13 stone 1 that was my very heaviest in 2014).
In late 2019, I started C5K yet again, and in February 2020 I 'graduated' for the second time. And on 22 February I took part in my second ParkRun.
And what happened then? Well, we all know the answer to that. A month after my ParkRun, we went into the first covid-19 lockdown. Walks continued, but not as often or as far as before; life became a struggle, motivation plummeted, fear set in, and although it would have been rational to use activity to keep my mood lighter, I just gave up. My old walking targets of 80 miles per month were seldom met (when they were, it was due to taking long hikes - between 10 and 20 miles - with my good friend James). Lockdown #2 kicked in. We moved from that into Tier 4 - which was tantamount to lockdown anyway.
Monday 16 November. Time to start again. Food is still rather out of control ("it's nearly Christmas and we're halfway through another b****y lockdown") but I start C25K again. And somehow, I've kept going.
Today - Sunday 3 January - I've reached the end of week 5, and have just succeeded in conquering that startling 20 minutes of non-stop running that they spring on you at the end of that week. Slow, ploddy, hard work, but done - 1.5 miles, and at a pace of just under 13 minutes per mile.
It's 2021. During this year I'm determined to
- achieve a running/walking distance of 80 miles per month (coupled with the #walk1000miles group on Facebook)
- to graduate in early February on Couch to 5K
- to walk a marathon again
- to get my weight back down to my optimum ten-stone-seven and below (I'll be doing weights-and-measures tomorrow, but it will be around 10-12 pounds to lose)
- to rebuild this lifelist and carpe diem.
In three days' time I'll be 58 years old. I've missed my lifelist challenges, and I miss the feeling of fitness and freedom that I achieved four years ago.
The only person that can achieve this... is me.
