The New year and Time for a Change

Now is the time to take stock and make plans for the coming year. I like sitting here on a grey winters afternoon, casting my mind forward, imagining the sun and longer days and things I want to achieve.

Following-on from my last post - time really is a gift.

I have been made redundant from work and I must admit that I am not at all unhappy. My lifestyle used to be stupidly wearying, as my typical day was to leave at 6.30 and come home at 7.30. It was grinding and dull and during the week there was time for little else. My whole being yearned for a break and now it has got one - so I will be taking a sabbatical for a few months. Who knows what will happen after that.

As for running, which is after all the purpose of this blog, it is all good and I can start to think long term and aim for a certain amount of consistency.

The last two months of 2007 were stressful and I managed to combine little exercise with eating too much, so my fitness level has taken a dive. No matter - even more it feels as if I am making a fresh start.

I am thus going back to base to build up my general strength and fitness. This is the reverse of base training, which involves lots and lots of easy miles. It is a matter of going to the gym - doing speed work on the treadmill and using the machines to build up my core muscles. A couple of months of this, plus a planned gradual weight loss, should put me in good shape to start building up the mileage for a marathon later in the year.

I have always had the attitude that there are no training runs, i.e. I run for the pleasure of each run, not as a means to an end. That remains, but there is nothing to stop me training for running and then following a schedule. I am quite excited by the idea of trying to improve.

To everyone who reads this I hope you are also excited by the prospect of the New Year and that your plans are fulfilled. May you all have good luck.