2023 retrospective

So, the end of my second year of running. Not really sure what to say beyond what I said at 3 months, 6 months and 9 months. Maybe just that while the final quarter of the year didn't quite go to plan, the rest of it has been a massive success.

Lining up for the start of the Great North 10K in July 2023

First of all: I'm still running. That alone is worth shouting about. I still can't thank everyone who encouraged me during Couch to 5K in 2022 enough. You helped me establish a habit that is making a massive difference to both my physical and mental health. 🥰

As for my year's goals, I achieved nearly all of them. The 30 parkruns goal went right down to the wire, but in the end, I didn't manage it. I was ready to, but... on Saturday 30th December at 8am, I felt other things were more important to me.

Here are the goals I originally set myself for the year anyway:

✖️ Attend 30 parkruns
✅ Attend 5 new parkrun locations
✅ Parkrun under 26 minutes
✅ Parkrun under 25 minutes
✅ Do a 10K event
✅ Take the daughter on Race for Life

The stretch goals were another matter, though. In chasing the 3-runs-a-week target after having fallen behind, it seems that I overdid it, picked up an injury, and ended up having huge gaps in my running. That in turn (coupled with stress at work) led to me feeling really pretty glum about the whole endeavour. It felt like I was falling so far out of the habit that I might drop running altogether. And the idea of getting back to anywhere near my best 5K time felt ludicrous.

Today, however, I feel I'm back on the path to fitness. My times might not be what they once were, but really, it's just a matter of time and perseverance. And so, that leads nicely onto what my goals might be for next year. I want to avoid anything that can be scuppered simply when life gets in the way, so that rules out new-parkrun-venue goals; anything I achieve there can just be a bonus. It also rules out the number of parkruns I'll attend in the year; looking back at my reasons for not attending, so many of them were out of my hands. There's no point making myself feel bad about things I can't control or situations in which parkrunning isn't a priority.

So, what might I set as targets? Here are a few ideas:

• The Great North Run. Yeah, I've repeatedly told people (and genuinely felt) that I had no interest in doing such a long run as the GNR... but I guess it was inevitable really.
• Failing that, another 10K event... or two. I'd love to do the North Tyneside 10K, but it might also be fun to try one that's more out in the countryside too.

At this point, I'll pause my list to scream and say "Aaaaaaaaaaarghh!!! It's sold out already! I've been trying to find info on when tickets go on sale for ages and I've only gone and missed it entirely!" 😡

Moving on...

• Getting a respectable British Orienteering Federation ranking. This kinda flies in the face of my desire to avoid goals that can be out of my control (it's not easy making it to ranking events), but what the heck.
• Another non-running goal or two: the Allendale Challenge and/or the Yorkshire Three Peaks. For the former, I'm keen to see whether I can still beat my late dad's time (of 10 hrs 08 mins) now that I'm older than he was when he did it. At least I'm not a smoker, so I've got that on my side. And hopefully I'd do it without losing four toenails and the skin off my heels this time (as happened in 2010). 🙈
• Don't get injured? 😁

Aaand, that's about all I can think of. I could set a goal of getting another parkrun under 25 minutes, but I'm not sure how bothered I am about running fast. Just running at all feels more important. And maybe 2024 will be the year when running becomes about improving my orienteering again rather than being a goal of its own. And now that I've finally splashed out on some trail running shoes, maybe that'll even happen. 😊

Brooks Cascadia 16; not a good-looking shoe, but good-feeling and £50 off the RRP 💵