Looking back over 2019, the past year has been an unintentional negative split year.
Having picked-up a flu bug in December 2018, and then struggling with tight calves until at least April 2019. The short days and long winter nights incorporated hot yoga (thanks to special offers at The House of Yoga and The Light Centre Monument), a few steady half marathons and cross-country races (including a trip to Leeds with Fulham Running Club for the Saucony National XC Championships), swimming, reflexology, a trial Electro Muscle Stimulation (EMS) session at Ultimate Bodytec (buttock nerve roots tingled for two days) and several osteopath appointments.
Progress and fitness turned a corner at the end of March, coinciding with taking part in a full-day English Athletics Leadership in Running Fitness (LiRF) course with a high energy and extremely motivating Fulham Running Club crew, followed by spontaneously running Brutal Bagshot and Spring Wolf Run.
April’s boost in fitness and performance carried-on, no doubt helped by two week’s in Greece as well as improving dietary choices and tracking macros on MyFitnessPal, playing Tag Rugby on Tuesday evening’s, two or three Bodypump classes per week, weekly 60-minute PT sessions and Running Technique Coaching at The Running School.
Fitness-wise, I haven’t looked back since April, and have competed in:
- SAYSKY Sub Rosa London (unsanctioned/unmarked 10km) run
- Summer Wolf Run
- Dartmoor Open Water Swim (2km)
- Dock to Dock London (5km) swim
- Swim the Bay (1.2 miles) swim at Weymouth Bay
- Brutal Hawley Lake (21km) run
- Swim Rutland (4km) swim
- Cotswolds (3.8km) swim
- Autumn Wolf Run x2
- Brussels Ekiden 2019 (10km) run
- Winter Wolf Run x2
I also volunteered at the AAT Events Haslemere Triathlon – marshalling on the run section; and marshalled at the OCR World Championships.
Goals for the new year are simply to build on the strength, conditioning and agility gains achieved in 2019.
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