Tag Archives: year review

I don’t want to forget 2020

by Lolly

Happy New Year everyone! I can understand why a lot of people are happy to see the end of 2020, but it makes me sad the number of people saying they want to forget it completely.

In terms of running headlines, I had a bit of a shocker of the year. My main goal for the year was sub-25 5k. Right now, unless I’m feeling great and really pushing myself, I’d struggle to get sub-30. But that doesn’t mean I should write it off completely, because…

I ran 5k every Saturday in 2020

At the point parkrun stopped at the end of March (and this whole post focuses on that point onwards), I hadn’t missed an event in the year. Which was pretty good going given the weather issues we’d had. And I decided to keep that anchor in my week.

My route changed a few weeks in when the paths got too busy, and as a loop around roads it isn’t the most exciting, but it works. There’s something nice about it not being a decision. On Saturdays I get up, hydrate, have a small bit to eat, and then go run my loop. Nothing to think about. And yes, present tense, because 2020 ending doesn’t mean my streak has stopped.

Some weeks, particularly early on, I sped round the loop. Others were more gentle. Which brings me onto…

I got better at listening to my body

Like a lot of people, I experienced quite high stress levels last year. This was pretty draining, and meant that sometimes running hard would have been counter-productive. So I gave myself a little more slack in not pushing myself too far.

I also started taking my hormones into account more. I started tracking my cycle in 2019 (on an app called Clue if you’re interested), but while I knew certain days were better for running than others I never did anything about it. In 2020 I started looking at when my next cycle was due, and planning to take runs super gently if they coincided with the start.

And for some Saturdays, that meant run/walking. Because feeling good at the start of the weekend is more important than getting round a few seconds faster. And, also, being prepared to run/walk meant…

I still ran with my family

Although we didn’t manage it as often as we’d have liked, Lani and I managed to go for a few runs together after school. Sometimes we planned a route in advance, sometimes we just made a decision at every turn. Sometimes we walked about as much as we ran, sometimes we practised our ‘super strong running’, and sometimes we had truly playful fartleks.

One Saturday in December I woke up feeling particularly shocking, and knew I was going to need a very gentle run/walk. I asked Lani if she’d like to head out with me. Suddenly a very demoralising slog turned into an adventure. I’d run that route around 30 times in the year, but to her it was exciting and new. We chatted, we laughed, and had a great start to our weekend.

I also managed a few buggy runs, whether after morning drop-off on my day off, or when doing nursery pick up in the evening. Buggy running is something that makes me feel strong and confident, so I’d like to do it more.

And one of my last runs in the year was one of my favourites. In wisdom and understanding beyond her years, Lani had declared back in July that “if things are still like this at Christmas then we can still go for a family run in the morning”. So, on the first Christmas Day of her life that didn’t revolve around Longrun Meadow parkrun, we did just that. The 4 of us ran to Longrun Meadow, did one short lap through the icy puddles, and then ran home.

It was heaven.

Lolly’s 2019 running reflections

by Lolly

I’m not entirely sure how it’s the end of December already, but it is and so it seems a good time to reflect on the past year as I plan for the year ahead. It’s certainly been a strange year for me in terms of running, lots of meh but also plenty of spectacular highlights.

I didn’t officially write down any goals for the year, but in practice they were:

  • Beat my long-standing parkrun PB
  • Get a friend to run their first parkrun
  • Visit 12 new-to-us parkrun events
  • Do the Somerset Series
  • Make running a habit (again)

Beat my long-standing parkrun PB

Straight in with one of the undeniable highlights of my year. Right back in January I went to Burnham and Highbridge parkrun and somehow achieved what I thought I was still months off. The write up of that morning was also one of my favourite blog posts of the year.

Get a friend to run their first parkrun

Or even better, get more than one friend to run their first parkrun. I took some of my colleagues through Couch to 5k at the start of the year, at the end of which I was able to introduce them to Longrun Meadow parkrun. And they’re still speaking to me as well!

Visit 12 new-to-us parkrun events

We made it to 13, so definite tick here. More would have been nice, particularly with the momentum we had at the start of the year, but tourism is always a compromise in this house.

And what would tourism be without a family start line selfie?

Do the Somerset Series

This is where it goes downhill a bit. I tried to make this work, and worked with Ben to get a schedule that fit both of us. I pushed myself to do some races I normally wouldn’t consider, and even got a very painful 5k PB at Yeovilton. But skipping out on a few options early on left me needing to do the Mells Scenic 7 and Brent Knoll to get enough in, and I wasn’t well enough to run Mells. I would say there’s always next year, but I think this is a goal I’ll park for a little while.

Make running a habit (again)

Ohhhh wow. I failed so badly here. My monthly mileage chart looks bad enough, with its gradual climb through the year, but when you see the scale it’s flipping awful. As Ben has pointed out, in each of 3 months I ran less miles than he would consider the minimum for a satisfactory week. Total mileage for the year 337, and that includes a lot of running to assist other people.

Starting low and getting lower

Anyway, goal analysis out the way, here’s the other highlights from a year that had a surprising amount of good packed into its low mileage.

New 10k PB

I put a lot of pressure on myself to be ready for the Glastonbury 10k, and was a massive bag of nerves that morning. Everything clicked together at the right time, and the race that saw my first sub-60 back in 2015 got my new PB in 2019.

The angle of my front foot makes me wince

Sub-30 buggy parkrun

This was a huge milestone for me, as before this year I didn’t consider myself much of a ‘proper’ buggy runner. And my very first sub-30 was at the stunning Eden Project, which had the added boost of knowing I’d managed the hills well.

CiRF

Or Coach in Running Fitness for the uninitiated, which is what I have officially been since the start of June. Not going to lie, I found it tough going and decided I was going to drop out multiple times, but I’m glad I stuck with it as it’s really helped with…

Beginners Groups

Back in March I volunteered to take over running the beginners groups at my club (Running Forever Running Club). The two groups I’ve run so far have been a big confidence boost in a year where self-belief has been in short supply. And I love chatting to group graduates at club night or parkrun and hearing how their running is going.

Tamar Trails parkrun

I ran 36 parkruns this year, and every single one was an achievement or learning experience of some kind. But I need to single out Tamar Trails on my personal achievements for the year, because it’s something that 12 months ago I wouldn’t have thought I could do, and I did it at a crazy time. After a month when I’d missed parkrun every week, and really getting inside my head, I ran a tough trail course, with a buggy, in a storm. And when I finished that run I really felt like I could achieve anything.

Mini running buddy

I hate to end with a cliche, but some of my truly proudest runs this year have been running with Lani. There was her 10th parkrun at Severn Bridge, the “I don’t want to run” turned PB at Torbay Velopark, and the pure joy of running at her 50th junior parkrun. And set apart from the milestones, the girl who used to run at Heavitree every week in winter to avoid puddles became the girl who ran straight through near knee-deep puddles on Christmas Day.

Team Awesome strike again! (Photo from Longrun Meadow parkrun Facebook)

So, no pressure 2020, but your highlights reel has a lot to live up to.