Reflecting on 2016, regenerate and refocus for 2017

You will be able to tell from my last post that I have been in a reflective mood for a while.  I suppose when you are at the back of the training run you have plenty of time to contemplate your navel!  

It has been a funny year and it is easy to think about all the things I didn't do...no half marathon, 5k or 10k PB, not running below 25 minutes for parkrun or even losing that sneaky and stubborn 10lbs that has made friends with my thighs, bum and belly :(

Reflecting on the year I would say this year is has been all about tri-ing new things....

Re-teaching myself how to swim, which includes putting my head in the water and actually breathing while swimming.  In the past my swimming has been about getting from my sun lounger to the pool bar, but no this year I have clocked up 16,131 yds in the pool!!

Reviving my bike skills, I've got back on my bike which has been great. I always use to cycle when I was growing up, nothing spectacular but it was our mode of transport; going round to a friends house, going to shop, to school, doing my paper round and even playing foxes and hounds.  But then you learn how to drive and your bike gathers dust. So this year I finally got out on the bike again, clocked over 319 miles on the bike which is not much but not bad for 6 months.  I also took part in my first cycle sportive in October with Jen and Kerry (thanks for telling me about my hair!!)

Rewarding all of my swimming and biking training by taking part in my very 1st triathlon in August. In which I didn't drown, didn't fall off my bike and didn't fall over! I have loved watching triathlon for a couple of years now, with Chrissie Wellington, Jodie Stimpson and of course the Brownlees being my heroes.  I had always thought it too far out my grasp with my swimming being one step away from organised drowning. However, a chance conversation with a running club team mate convinced me to give it a go and the rest as the say is history.  

Renewed: I have been lucky enough to go on a plane 4 times this year: 

Prague in January was very cold, but very cool to celebrate the wedding of a good friend.  

Dublin in August as part of Trenthan on Tour this time to Dublin for the weekend to race in the Rock n Roll 5k and half marathon, 

Ibizia  in September for some R&R not Rock n Roll but this time  Rest n Relaxation

Las Vegas in November another Trentham on Tour for the Rock n Roll Las Vegas half and this trip also concluded in a wedding (not mine don't panic!!) 

Running stats: 42 races or parkruns = 1 marathon, 1 10 miler, 1 5k, 2 xc, 3 10k, 7 half marathon, 27 parkruns


So when the curtain finally is called on 2016, I can say it has been fun with some ups and some downs, some challenges and victories...here is to 2017 

Saddo stato

Not really much of a post, but as sleep was eluding me and my mind was filled with all sort of trivia such as .... when was the last time I ran under 25 mins at parkrun? 

I have made no bones about the fact that I have fallen out of love with running a little and it is difficult to pin point when things started to go sour; was it during my last proper marathon training cycle, which was for London Marathon 2015?  I thought a bit of stat analysis would help....here is what I have found out and I am not sure that it holds the answers.

My parkrun PB was in October 2013, which is 23:25 

I last ran under 25 mins in May 2014 at Hanley

Here are my stats for Hanley parkrun

As for the other stats from my garmin, well that tells me that my pace has slowed down as have the number of miles run and I suppose your can't have pace if you are not putting in the mileage. 

My race calendar for next year is looking very bare, with only 4 races scheduled and one of those is a triathlon. There is the intention to do more races, but there will be more diversity in races and hopefully an injection of pace!