Oh. Hello there. It’s me again. It’s been a while…

Photo by sporlab on Unsplash

It’s been over a year since I last wrote on this blog. In all honesty, I’d forgotten about it. And then someone commented on a post and it made me think that I ought to update it.

Because, um, rather a lot has changed in the world since last April.

I’m still doing Freeletics. It’s still an (almost) weekly part of my fitness routine. And I am still swimming, although that took an enforced pause during lockdown for obvious reasons. Over the summer I’ve taken every chance I can to swim outdoors, even if just for a short time. There’s something about being in the water that just makes everything okay.

I started running in January. It was kind of a new year’s resolution. I set myself the goal of running 5k by the end of the year. Turns out I easily beat that by about April.

I started running because I chose the hybrid Freeletics journey, combining bodyweight with running. It was great. The coach really eased you into the running and before long I was doing distances that I wouldn’t have been expecting to do so early.

I’m so thankful I started running back in the cold, dark days of January. When lockdown began, being able to leave the house once a day for a run kept me sane. It was bizarre running around the empty streets. Hardly anyone around. As lockdown began to ease I became frustrated with people getting in my way when I went out to run.

Running exacerbated a long-time ankle injury I have. I’ve no idea how it happened, but I used to notice it when I was doing breaststroke. I didn’t really think much of it, but then when I started running it began to hurt a lot more. I also noticed that as my distances increased that I would get pretty sharp and debilitating pain in my calves, and sometimes shin splints.

A few weeks ago when I was on holiday, I was feeling smug by getting up at 7am on a Sunday to go for a run. It was a boating holiday so I thought I’d run along the tow path. Just a quick 3k. But half way through I could hardly run at all, the pain in my legs was so bad. I limped home and decided to do something about it.

When I got home I called my doctor about my ankle. He gave some pretty generic, not particularly helpful advice (take ibuprofen – despite me having told him I’d had the pain for more than two years). But he did advice me to get one of those physio rubber bands to do some exercises, which I’ve done.

I booked an appointment with my local running shop for a shoe fitting. And oh my, that has changed everything. I spent maybe 30 minutes there. They watched me run and scanned my feet to see where on the foot there was the most pressure as I walked/ran. And then I tried on around eight different pairs of trainers. I knew that the Nikes I’d bought in the sale a few years back were bad, but I didn’t realise quite how bad. These shoes felt so comfortable. The pair I bought (Asics Evoride) were perfect. They kind of propel you forward when you’re running. The first run I did after buying them was a warm-up 3k to get back in the stride after a week or so off. I easily beat my PB. Revelation. And worth every penny of the slightly eye-watering price tag.

The final thing I did to recover was a seven-day yoga course. I’ve done yoga off and on for years, but never really bought into it properly. I turn 40 next year and I’ve noticed that I’m just not as flexible as I used to be. Things ache. There are more twinges and pain. So I thought I’d give it another go. I did the Breathe and Flow Beginners Course and really enjoyed it. Clear, non-bullshitty instructions and it includes some meditation and breath work which helps ease that day’s pandemic-related anxiety. I was also surprised how many yoga poses are part of the Freeletics cool-down, with different names. I’m going to try their 28-day Impact Course next and try to build it into my routine.

Between running, Freeletics and yoga I feel like I’m managing to keep active. I’m moving less than I used to as part of my job. I’m working from home and not cycling around town every day to and from the office and to meetings. So I need to keep active.

I’ve also put on some weight. Most of it is definitely due to comfort-eating and drinking during possibly some of the weirdest times for half a century, so I’m not going to beat myself up too much. I think some of it is muscle building, which I’m fine with. But the NHS website tells me I’m at the top end of being normal weight for my height, so I want to keep an eye on that. I’ve been trying to eat healthily again – tracking calories (ish) with the aim of being a) in a calorie deficit b) active and c) drinking enough water every day.

Actually, writing this blog has made me want to revive it properly. As some kind of accountability. Even if those of you who were reading it at the beginning have understandably moved on with your life.

Let’s see if I actually do.