Update

Tue 8 Feb 2022

It’s been a while since I posted on this blog, so I thought I’d give an update. Not that anyone else reads this, mind …

In my last post (18 September 2021), I set myself some goals. Let’s see how I’m doing!

Short term: Lose a little weight

I am basically the same weight as I was four and a half months ago. At least I haven’t put on any weight!

Short term: Run a parkrun in 25 minutes

Shortly after setting myself this goal, I injured my right hamstring and so was out of action for a few weeks. I then signed myself up for a 10K run on 13 November, so my focus switched from parkrun to training for that. However, once I’d done the 10K run I set myself the target of a 25-minute parkrun by Christmas … and I did it! On 11 December I ran 24:45 and was very pleased with myself!

Long term: 6,000 steps every day

Other than a few days where I’ve been unwell or injured, I’ve mostly stuck to this! I set 6,000 steps as a target on my Fitbit and it’s working really well as a way of making sure I get exercise even on days when I’m not running or playing football.

Long term: Three sessions of exercise each week

Again, other than a couple of weeks where I’ve been injured, I’ve managed to stick to this one. I still regularly play football on a Monday, and I’ve done a decent amount of running lately too (see below for more details).

Long term: 150 zone minutes of exercise

I’ve managed this one every week since setting the goal! Even on weeks where I’ve had a slight injury, I’ve managed to get out for a walk enough times. Some weeks I’ve managed more than 300 zone minutes!

New goals

In general I’m hoping to continue my long-term goals indefinitely, as they are a sustainable way to keep myself fit and healthy even when I’m not training for anything.

My current short term goal is to complete a half marathon. Shortly after running the 10K in November I signed up for the Cambridge Half Marathon in March, which is now less than four weeks away! The training is going well; I started off with a 10km long run in January and have been doing a long run nearly each weekend since, increasing the distance each time. At this stage it’s mostly a case of maintaining fitness and making sure I don’t get injured!

I’ll post an update (maybe with pictures!) after the half marathon. Watch this space!