January has passed and we’re now into February… I look back on what has been a very frosty start to the year.

I always knew that the start of this year wasn’t going to be easy. We’re still in a lockdown here in the UK, so there hasn’t been any opportunities to train with others and no sign of a return of Parkrun.

What I wasn’t expecting was how bad the weather was going to be. Yes yes, I know it’s January it shouldn’t be blah blah… but I’ve done RED January for three years now and the weather conditions haven’t been this poor. It was also the coldest January on record! I also wasn’t expecting it still to be this bad but hey ho.

The snow might be nice to look at, but it’s not practical especially when the next day it turns into deadly ice.

This, of course, hasn’t stopped me. I’ve persevered and struggled away. I feel proud to have achieved it, but it wasn’t what I wanted. There’s a lot of that going around for everyone at the minute.

I’ve also continued to make sure I’m doing yoga and stretching, along with the wonderful foam roller… looking back to last year I am definitely recovering from niggles a lot quicker.

There have been other positives too, it’s been nice to run in the road and my abs are looking great with all this added core work…!

It has been a struggle though.

To help keep up my motivation, I’ve started a training plan this week. It’s got me really excited about running as it’s giving me a focus with a goal of London Landmarks half marathon in May. It may or may not go ahead, but I’m determined to gain back some of the pace that I’ve lost in this whole pandemic. I will still run a half marathon either way, although a virtual half definitely won’t be as flat!

How are you all coping with this rubbish weather?