I started to get back on track (not literally) with my running in 2023, after a difficult end to 2021 and all of 2022. I was able to find some consistency, although there was a setback in late September due to my first case of Covid, which meant around four weeks of no running.
Although I signed up for two races, I completed only one of them; the Llyn Brenig 15K in June (time: 1:33:25). I’d also signed up for the Flintshire 10K, the first race I ran back in 2019, but I wasn’t sure whether I would take part after they moved it to Abergele (in Conwy county, not Flintshire…), and then when Covid derailed my training and fitness a few weeks before the race the decision was made not to start.
Since then I’ve been building up my base fitness again with lots of easy running, gradually building up the volume which I hope to maintain over the winter. I had set a target of 1000 km for the year, and my total distance was 1212 km, so I’m pleased with that.
Looking ahead to 2024 my intention is to run more trails, and more hills, so I have signed up to take part in the Excalibur half marathon in May, which is a 21 km trail run around Moel Famau. For that, I’ll need to continue increasing my training volume, ensure that I do regular strength training, and start adding in some hilly trail runs. I’m also in the early stages of preparing for a bigger challenge later in the year, but that depends on how things go in the meantime… more details in due course!