Re-evaluating doesn't mean failing

 

We’re what feels like 18 weeks in to a 50-week January – when in reality it’s two weeks since I wrote my blog post outlining my exciting, challenging and ambitious goals and targets for the year.

Have I kept on track for them all?

No

Am I any less excited and motivated for the year?

Also no.

Let me explain why.

I could be in a few different headspaces after the first couple of weeks of the year. I’ve spent a bit of time down with a chest infection that I’d been fighting off for weeks for one thing, and for another, it took me just 12 days to change my mind about holding off the alcohol for an extended period.

As a result, it would be really easy, and quite understandable, for me to be beating myself up, full of self-pity and regret. But that mindset really wouldn’t be helpful, for so many reasons.

Instead, I’m focusing on the positives and everything that’s gone well so far.

Running

The chest infection and resulting days of rest really wasn’t ideal. I haven’t been fully well since the start of December with a nasty cough lingering on all over the Christmas period. But it had been manageable – until last weekend. I set about what was supposed to be a long-ish Sunday run and had to abandon it just before one mile in because I really didn’t feel well and thought I was going more harm than good. Despite a trip to the Doctor the next day and his prescription for rest and anti-biotics for the rest of the week, I couldn’t help feel a mixture of worry and also FOMO at not running for the next few days when Des and my friends and fellow marathon trainees stacked up their weekly milage.

By Thursday, feeling loads better I decided I’ve had one last rest day to be on the safe side, then go big on Friday to bank some miles. I set off before 7am and worked my way through 10 miles with an excellent Spotify playlist for company, finishing up in a respectable time and giving myself a well-needed confidence boost and much needed endorphin top-up.

Drinking

Then there’s the drinking side of it – my train of thought on Saturday, and what lead me deciding to enjoy a drink with my friends. We were on the annual DOrunning winter away day, which is always quite a boozy affair, so I knew it was going to be a challenge. Normally, we do parkrun then head to the nearest pub for breakfast and a pint before setting about bar-hopping around London for the rest of the day. This year was no different on the face of it, apart from the fact my breakfast came with a pint of diet coke and for a good chunk of the day I enjoyed soft drinks while Des and some of my friends opted for their alcoholic drinks of choice.

And to be honest, it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would do. I thought every order would be a battle of wills in my head, but it really felt pretty simple. Then, a good few hours into the day, I started to weigh things up a little bit. On similar days in the past, by this point I’d have been a good five-or-so pints in. But this time, the thought came to me that I could enjoy a couple of drinks at this point without tipping the balance and taking it too far.

So I did just that! I savoured a few pints in the last couple of bars we went to, then got some wine for the train which I enjoyed during the journey without feeling the need to finish the bottle ‘because I’d started it’. Regardless, I still got up on Sunday morning, took Stanny on his morning walk before joining some fellow DOrunners for a nice 10km run, so no real impact on what I’d have done had I not had a drink on Saturday.

Onwards

If working in marketing has taught me anything over the years, it’s that targets and priorities are made to be revisited and tweaked, and I’m going to tweak that big drinking goal I set myself. I’m not seeing it as a failure but I’m just changing the goalposts a bit without letting it impact what I’m ultimately trying to achieve. So instead of not drinking at all, I’ve got a couple of days lined up that I’ll be having a couple of drinks – and enjoying them without guilt!

As for the running, I’m a little bit behind my target, but the hard work I’ve put on the days I have been well enough to do so means that I’ve not got too much work to do in the second half of the month. I should still fairly easily hit the 80 mile mark and be on-track (hopefully even get ahead) for the rest of the year.

It’s all a little bit more topical because I write this today on “Blue Monday”, supposedly the most miserable day of the year. And while I know it’s not so simple for everyone, I find keeping your mindset as positive as possible is one of the best ways to banish those January blues!

A lovely day!

Out with 2023 and in with 2024

Another new year has ticked over, so it's time to reflect on the previous 12 months and think about what I want to make happen during the year ahead.

After a few exciting years in 2021 and 2022, filled with achievements and milestones, 2023 has felt like a bit of an anti-climax I guess. It wasn't a particularly bad year, but there was nothing exceptional about it. That's not to say there weren't some really lovely times, and plenty of stuff has happened that I'm really proud of. But I want more from 2024.

As part of the DOdaily coaching I've taken part in for the last three years, we set targets each month. Without a doubt, my best, most successful months are where I'm clear on what my targets are, they're challenging but achievable, and I check in on my progress regularly to make myself accountable. So I'm applying that method to the whole of 2024 to give myself the best chance for success.

What do I want?

My plans broadly fit into two categories: running and non-running. Some of them aren't completely mutually exclusive, but for the sake of simplicity, we'll stick with those two camps.

So, my running targets: 

1. Sub five hour time at the Brighton Marathon 

2. 1,000 miles in total during the year

3. Sub two hour half marathon

4. Complete five 10km laps at ThunderRun

5. Complete at least 33 parkruns  

Targets one and two are both something I've achieved before, and I felt at my fittest and strongest when I did, so why wouldn't I chase that feeling again?  

I'd desperately love to do a half marathon in less than two hours, and the other targets should all contribute to helping me get there by practicing distance and consistency. The closest I've managed was around 2:04 a couple of years ago. If I put the work in, I think I can make this a reality during the 2024 autumn half marathon season. 

Four and five both build on previous achievements. My most 10kms ran in 24 hours before is three, and this year I want to build on the distance training I'll have done for the Brighton Marathon and work towards doing five laps in total. Finally, I want to beat the record for most parkruns completed in a year, because my weekends are always off to a great start when I get up and do them! 

They're all pretty straight forward on the face of it, but they'll take huge amounts of commitment and hard work to get there. But I feel ready for the challenge and excited to see just how far I can push myself. 

The non-running targets

1. Not to drink alcohol for an indefinite amount of time, starting with the milestone of the Brighton Marathon 

2. Spend more quality time with my family

3. Visit at least five new cities 

4. Hit a career milestone

5. Decorate the downstairs of our house 

OK, yes, they're quite a mixed bag. A lot of them are based on reflections from when I've been at my happiest this year, or stuff I'd like to do to just make life a bit nicer. 

The no-drinking kind of over-arches all of them, and will definitely help me to achieve my running targets too. During 2023, I had a couple of extended breaks from alcohol – a month here, a couple of weeks there, etc. And the resounding outcome was that nothing bad comes from not drinking, and it makes a lot of things much better. My running gets better, my skin looks brighter, my work is better, I save money...I could probably add loads to the list and start to get boring. So based on this, why would I want to drink?! 

Of course, it's nowhere near as simple as that. But more and more, I'm thinking that the perks of giving it up outweigh the thinks I enjoy about having a glass of wine or a pint of cider. And ultimately, I think it's not actually the having a drink part I love, it's the spending time with the people I'm drinking with. I know it's going to be a huge challenge, especially as I can be a bit socially awkward before I've had a couple of drinks, but it's something I really want to do. So I'll be as stubborn and determined as I know I can be, and keep reminding myself of why I'm doing it. 

Target two doesn't take much explanation. I'm fortunate to have a large, close-knit family and I want to make a point of spending more time with everyone rather than attacking Netflix or napping my way through the weekends. It's so easy to take these people for granted, and sitting down to really reflect on what makes me happy has really made me think about how I spend my time, which leads me to the next target! 

Me and Des love a trip away, and some of my favourite times last year were when we went off exploring new places. So I want to do more of the same this year, starting with a trip to Belfast in a few weeks. The not-drinking will put a great spin on this one too. We loved our time in Wales last year during "Dry June" when, instead of heading to the nearest pub, we really explored the place properly! And of course, we'll be packing our trainers where ever we go! 

For the career milestone, I'm not really sure what I want this to look like yet, it's something I need to put a bit more thought into over the next couple of weeks. Could be some kind of qualification, could be moving up the ladder, could be making more money (sorry if that sounds a bit crude, but who can honestly say they don't want to?!). Developing in my career year on year is really important to me, so it's on the list. 

Finally, and perhaps the most straight-forward, decorating our house and finally putting up our wedding photos is something we've been putting off for ages that we need to get ticked off and sorted. So it's on the target list! 

If you've made it this far, thank you. I fully appreciate that for a running blog, this post has done a lot of talking about non-running things. But in my head there's a lot of links and overlaps between what I want to achieve, why I want to do it, and how I'm going to go about it. 

And last-but-not-least, I'm sure I say it every year, but I'm going to make time to write this blog more regularly!