on the subject of…..2021

Just a brief New Years Day look back on 2021 – a game of two halves if ever there was one !

After an optimistic start, looking forward to a reprise of the WealdWay in late March, I fell into a phase of physical and mental struggle with my running by late January. Managing to get myself together just in time to do the WW run, and blessed with unseasonably warm sunny weather, I really enjoyed it – highlight of the year #1.

My plan was then to switch to shorter, faster training to aim for some relatively good race times. April training went to plan with some encouraging sessions, but then nosedived inexplicably through May and June when I recorded successive worst ever times for 10K. A general aching and discomfort around the right hip was dragging things down and I felt the need for a break. One last race before easing up went much better than expected, with an age graded 74% 36’32” five miler at Staplehurst on July 11th – highlight of the year #2.

And that’s pretty much where the year ended ! The hip problem meant that running ceased almost completely – a total of 31 miles run from 30th July to 31st December. A recent x-ray found no problem with the hip joint which seems like good news, but no clearer what the problem is. My own bit of self-diagnosis is that the sacroiliac joint may be the source of the discomfort. A few gentle jogs in the past two weeks has at least reacquainted me with my running shoes, so I’ll try to get going again. But other than trying to get fit, I don’t think I’ll be setting too many targets for the new year just yet.

Best wishes for 2022 to you.

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