2024 End of year review

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The end of another year and time to look back. At the end of 2023 I was anticipating the Lakeland 3 day and hoping to run in the Peak District and the Alps. I also mentioned strength training and stretching. Let's see how that went...

The year started with a New Year's Day marathon with Matt Shimwell. A 5am start enabled us to get it done before midday. Our route was through East London, out towards Lesnes Abbey Woods and on to Erith before returning along the Thames. A great beginning to the year. 

The following winter months involved lots of running but no events or travels. I was consistently hitting 250 miles a month and this resulted in the prospect of a big total for the year. I had managed to include a regular time of stretching and strengthening into each day and kept this up for a couple of months. Unfortunately I let it slip and never returned to it.

I returned to the track and began to work on my pace with interval training. Running tours picked up again, as did my coaching. On Monday evenings I joined Good Gym and took part in community activities with other runners.

The one significant event was running the Fox Way with the two Matts. This is a 40 mile circular route around Guildford.

When spring arrived I set my sights on more adventurous runs. The first weekend of May I went to the Lake District for the Great Lakeland 3 Day. An amazing time of camping, running and beautiful scenery. At the end of the month I had a meeting 30 miles away in Hertford and ran there along the River Lee.

As the weather heated up in June, so did my running. I competed in the Man v Horse event on my birthday and had the privilege of running with Dame Kelly Holmes on a running tour. The highlight of the year for me occurred a week later when I won the 50 mile C2C Ultra race. I rounded the month off with a long trail run through the stunning countryside around Royal Tunbridge Wells.

Half way through the year I had remained injury free and accumulated over 1600 miles including 16 marathons. I felt strong, but it was a delicate balance between pushing my limits and risking potential injury.

July was a consistent but uneventful month of commute runs, school runs and tours. One memorable run however, involved running with Matt Brimble. We took part in Lullingstone parkrun where we managed 2nd and 3rd place finishes on a hilly course in hot conditions. We followed this up with a long run through the North Downs which culminated in getting lost and having to wade through a river to get back to the car.

August was a highlight. The lowest mileage of the year but highest elevation profile. I went to Austria and had the joy of running around Salzburg and the surrounding mountains. In between rest weeks with my daughter I also squeezed in a trip to Scotland and ran in Perth and Glasgow.

At the end of August and into September I fitted in a few parkrun events and found that the high mileage was giving me a speed boost. I managed three PB's in a row culminating with a 17:30 at Dulwich Park. An unexpected but welcome event.

This made up for the fact that I couldn't take part in the UTMR (Ultra Trail Monte Rosa) in Switzerland. A combination of avalanches leading to route alterations, poor flight planning and cost implications.

Two months of 300+ miles in September and October meant that 3000 miles for the year was a realistic prospect. October included a trip to the Peak District for some long days on the trails with Matt S completing the Outside Hope and Kinder Plateau rounds. 

November's highlights were a first place finish at Beckton parkrun, and another long run with Matt B along a flooded Thames River, which continued our ability to combine running with wading. There were a couple of 2nd place parkrun finishes too at Hazelwood and at Catford which marked my 350th parkrun event. 

Another 1st place finish in December, this time at Beckenham Place parkrun, and a couple of marathons including a New Year's Eve marathon with Matt S bookended the year. 

This made a total of 24 marathons for the year and 3049 miles, an average weekly total of over 60 miles.

Related to running I published my book this year. Run for Fun is available on Amazon. I also had two articles published in Like the Wind magazine. A strong year all round despite giving up on the stretches and exercises. Thankfully no injuries during 2024 either. 

Bring on 2025.

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