The Wheel of Life

I woke up this morning feeling feeling very refreshed considering that my household has suffered at the hands of the the flu bug sweeping through the country this past week although officially it's not an epidemic the experts are saying.

I have been conscious of the fact that I haven't updated my blog this past month but to be honest I haven't had much time due to a very busy month both on the work and domestic front. However I have been reflecting on this years running achievements and compiling areas of focus for next year. See below:

Highlights

1. Finishing the Grimsthorpe 70 mile race.
2. Setting a new half marathon PB
3. Meeting some great new folks in the running world
4. Running never got in the way of family time.
5. 5 races completed (Ultras 2: 30km 1: 1/2 marathon 1: 10k 1:)

 2011 focus

1. Complete Bob Graham Round, sub 24 hours
2. Run more miles and run what I can when I can.
3. Don't let running conflict with family time.

Looking at what I have achieved this year I am fairly pleased with the results. I didn't set any specific goals as I hadn't really planned anything at the start of 2009 and pretty much took things one day at a time. For me the biggest lesson I learned this year were that I shouldn't rigidly stick to a training plan. I work 9-6, have 2 kids under 5 years old and therefore this will all come before running because at the end of the day as they are the priorities that dictate my life. So I have kind of adopted the philosophy of "running what I can when I can" and focus on quality workouts when time is limited. This of course does mean though there are plenty of hours in the day where I can get a run in.

In 2011 my approach to life and running will be no different from the last few months of this year. However I would like to race more and improve performance so being with other like minded individuals is a must and by joining a running club this would help but we shall see how I could fit it in. The BGR is my number one goal next year and I have been able to secure time for recces / long training runs from the family to support this effort over the next 6 months It's going to be amazing journey and no easy task especially if the weather is against us as the navigation will be challenging.

I wish you all a Happy New year and thanks for the support this past 12 months. It's been quite an adventure and there is more in store as the "wheel turns".

Happy Running