It was the year when things reopened again and races were back, but was it the year I’d hoped for?

The start

At the start of the year, things still looked pretty grim with Covid restrictions. However, I kept busy with my yearly challenge of RED January!

This really helped me get out and keep going every day but it wasn’t easy. With no social runs or parkrun, I was running close to home. I live fairly high up so any sort of weather – wind, snow, ice… we have it!

This made running a bit tricky at times but I really enjoyed the challenge.

As we got into February, the hope of races happening that year began to build. Having spent most of the year running aimlessly, I decided to get a bespoke Half marathon training plan!

The Training

My bespoke plan was created by Miles with Michelle, who provided a monthly plan for me to follow.

It was the first time I’d followed a bespoke plan and it really is important to be open and honest about how you’re feeling and finding it all. A good coach like Michelle will work with you to work towards your goal and provide qualified advice and encouragement. I lack a lot of self-confidence with running at times so Michelle really helped me believe in myself.

Plans change, whether it’s because you’re feeling under the weather or work has sucked out all the energy from you. Training is meant to be challenging but not when you’re running on empty. It also changes when races get pushed back because of covid restrictions!

I’d initially planned for London Landmarks half marathon but it got moved to August. So I settled for the Southport half marathon instead, which was taking place at the end of June.

It was a lot of fun, trying different types of sessions. My favourite was on longer runs to include a 2-minute hard effort at the start of each mile. It adds variety to a long run and also gets you trying out different paces rather than getting stuck with your long run pace (I’m guilty of this!).

The highlights of my training were hitting a 7:30 minute mile and a 54 minute 10k. From this point, I really started to believe my PB was possible.

The Race and aftermath

As you know from my post regarding Southport Half Marathon, things did not go to plan.

I won’t lie to you, I’m still gutted about it. I have accepted that I am more of a Spring/Autumn/Winter racer and plan to spend next summer sunbathing!

Afterwards, I got sucked in to try and get back to the pre-race pace where I was smashing it. Having a week or so off isn’t enough. It wasn’t just my body that needed time to rest, my mind did too. So when I failed to reach those times my mind continued to be negative.

I am truly grateful for my social runs – Arcade Beers social Bears and Parkrun. They have really helped me find the joy of running again.

The Final Race of the year

When it came to Liverpool Rock n Roll marathon in October, I was excited. Not about running fast or hitting times, but running a half marathon without stopping and not hating it.

With the support of my friends and the fun course, I achieved this and my confidence has grown.

Towards the End of the Year

I did cover this in my last post… haha! I’m getting there.

What am I proud of?

I’m really proud of myself for not giving up, it’s so easy to admit defeat when things are tough. Which has been half of the year haha! Things are looking up though.

I’ve really been working on my biggest issue – my overstriding! I’m proud to say I’m no longer doing this. My form isn’t perfect but the biggest issue that was highlighted when I saw a professional was my overstriding… so there IS more to progress than speed. By running well, means I can run for longer without injury.

Oh and I also ran 1200 miles, the same amount as last year. So I haven’t been doing too bad!

Next Year

I don’t really have a set plan, to be honest. 2 local 10ks booked in so far (including Dewsbury 10k… blaming Lindley Run Club for that one!!).

I’d like to get my 5k time back down and then see how I feel about cracking that PB… who knows!

The first thing for me though is RED January! A minimum of 2 miles a day, I’m really looking forward to it.

What are your plans?