Analysis: why I didn't hit 30 parkruns in 2023

Classic navel-gazing post ahead!

So, I swore I'd not dwell on this, but why didn't I manage to make it to 30 parkruns in 2023? Thanks to my handy-dandy calendar-of-runs-and-excuses, I can look back and see exactly what I did instead of going for a run at 9am on a Saturday morning. In short: other priorities. Specifically, family life.

But also, preventable injuries. 😞

A snippet of the latest runs logged in my calendar. And one measly bike session.

Here's the full breakdown of excuses:

  • Injury: 8 times
  • Holiday: 7 times
  • Family needed me: 5 times
  • Illness: 2 times
  • Volunteering (but not running): 1 time
  • Snow/ice: 1 time
I actually quite like the sound of holidays getting in the way 7 times. I must've had a good year! 😂 But I also know that one of those occasions was in Wales, where I was due to run at Penrhyn till a storm had other ideas. Boo!

Only being ill twice actually sounds okay too, especially given the wife tells me I'm "always" getting ill. (Quite clearly not true.) But the fact I missed nearly 2 months' worth of parkruns through injury is more than a little annoying. All but one of those 8 occasions are accounted for by just two separate injuries: a hip injury in Jan/Feb and a toe injury in Oct/Nov. And both of those came at times when I was trying to increase the frequency and/or distance of my runs — maybe a little too quickly.

So, while I may not be setting myself the same target in 2023, I'm taking two lessons from this:
  1. Don't overdo it
  2. Don't stress about things outside your control
If anything, maybe I should aim to repeat the number of times I miss a parkrun cos I'm on holiday; I like the sound of that! 😅

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