The January low down

Well as far as months go January was a pretty good month, especially when you consider the challenges with the weather. In fact I recorded my highest milage month since last May.

During January I managed 5 out of the 6 parkruns available this month and here is how they went down,

1st January - The only time of year you can do the double, meaning 2 parkruns in the one day. This is something I have never attempted before. I have volunteered at one, then run the next but never actually done 2 in a row. This has only been an option for a few years and this year with the growing number of parkruns participating the combinations and choices also increase.  This year I decided to go for Pollok and Victoria.  The Pollok run I took easy as I could while still managing to run all of it.  The course was slightly altered due to a fallen down tree. Meaning instead of going up a gradual hill. You took another path which was flat and turned up a short steep hill joining back on to the usual route.  Victoria I took the same approach as Pollok and set off nice and easy. I was feeling pretty good considering I haven't really got full confidence in my fitness at the moment. This course was also slightly altered due to flooding meaning the route hugged the small lake more so the finish was further round than normal. I was pleased to go a wee bit faster at this one. Although by the end, not surprisingly I was feeling it.  This also ticks off Victoria from the list of completing every parkrun in Glasgow 5 times as this was my fifth run there.

6th January - Ruchill parkrun - This was my 3rd run at Ruchill. In my last 2 attempts I have struggled badly with this course. Those times I put it down to just coming back from illness.  This time I didn't really have any excuses other than I knew it was a hard, 3 lap course. And it proved again that the course really did defeat me. I ran the first lap, but the second and third lap were run/walks.  I did manage a bit quicker finish but the hills had already got the better of me.

13th January - Pollok - This was my favourite run of the month.  After finishing my warm up which comes at at the back of the crowd. I did panic! As everyone was walking/jogging away. I thought I'd missed the start but it turned out we were on the alternative course which starts at the bottom of the car park. There a met up with Gregor and had a catch up. When it started he went off, but it wasn't too long before I got some company again and had a good catch up with Graeme for about a mile before he went off too.  This run was a bit slower, as the alternative course is longer but I did feel really strong going up the hills and was able to push it more in the last kilometre. It's always fun passing people.

20th January - No parkrun - Today was cancel parkrun fest with the only parkrun in Glasgow on being Tollcross. I was actually all ready to go and was out de-icing the car but I had a bit of a dodgy stomach and was struggling to de-ice my car quickly so I just decided to leave it and have a rest day instead.

27th January - Pollok - I did plan on going to Drumchapel but my car was playing up, my windscreen wipers weren't working and it was switching on as soon as you turn the key a bit and it was raining. So I went back up to the flat, dumped my jacket. And ran/walked down to Pollok which is about 3 miles. It was back to the normal route today and it was a wee bit muddy and puddly but that makes it more fun. After about a mile I caught up with Claire and we ran together a bit with her son. This did actually make me go faster and I ended up getting my fastest time this year. Not by much but still faster.

All in all a good month. I am really not the quickest I have been in the last few years at the moment, but I feel I have something to build on and if I can keep this going my times will come down.

2018 Goals

I've had this post sitting in my drafts since boxing day. My indecisve nature meant that i have been humming and hawing as to what to do this year but I think I have decided. To be honest the orginal post focused on what I wasn't doing and why. But I have decided to focus on what I am doing. And no prizes for guessing what I have gone for. - parkruns - and lots of them!

My goals are as follow:

In terms of number of parkruns I hope to do 41 this year and aim for 40 in the 2 following years meaning in 2020 I can gain my 250 t-shirt.

This year I also hope to have done all the parkruns in Glasgow area at least 5 times.  I have already done this at Pollok, Strathclyde, Tollcross and Linwood.  Just Drumchapel, Victoria, Springburn and Ruchill to go. Unless another one pops up! Speaking of which 2 nearish parkruns which I haven't tried are Plean and Troon. These are on this list for this year and also plan on hitting a few I haven't tried a bit further a field too. I would like to do an international one and that new one up in Shetland looks ace.  I would like to spend more time at my home parkrun Pollok this year too, so I am thinking doing Pollok every second parkrun.

In terms of time, I have the following aims:

Flat parkrun (Linwood, Victoria or Strathclyde): Sub 26 minute

Medium hilly parkrun (Pollok, Springburn): Sub 27 minute

Hilly parkrun (Ruchill, Drumchapel, Tollcross): Sub 28 minute

These are times I achieved in 2016 on some of the courses, but as I said I went backwards a bit in 2017 so these are the goals I am setting for 2018 and I feel will push me.

I think a big part of achieving these goals will be down to my weight loss goals too. I think I need to lose around 2 stone to get down to a good weight again after putting on a stone last year.