Personal Challenges for 2019

It's that time of year again when Christmas adverts start appearing on television, supermarkets stock up on mince pies and crackers, and everybody looks forward to spending precious time with friends and family. With this in mind, I've started to reflect on my year's outdoor activities, and think ahead to the challenges that I could set for 2019.

2018 in review

It's been quite a good year as far as running is concerned, and at the time of writing I'm just 20km short of achieving my 500km annual goal. In 2017 I took part in the Virtual Runner UK 1000km challenge, but missed this by some way, so for this year I downgraded to a more realistic distance and it's paid off. I'm also optimistic that during the next month I can do enough to beat last year's total mileage - 357.36 - to make this the best ever year (distance-wise) of my running life. Fingers crossed.

At the start of the year I was cycling 10 miles to and from work every day and found little time for running, apart from weekends. It kept me fit, but if I'm honest, when Saturday and Sunday finally came around I was generally too tired to lace up and going out for a run - explaining my dismal attendance at Parkrun this year. Then my circumstances changed in June and I found myself with a little more flexibility to get outside during the week while the children are at school. From hereon running outside became even more important to me as a way to relax and de-stress; it has benefited my mental health and kept me 'on-track'.

Looking back over my rather geeky spreadsheet I can see that this is when things started to pick up again, despite the long, hot summer. Personally, I hate running in the heat and found that I was limited to either a really early (5am) or really late (9pm) timeslot if I wanted to catch the cooler air and not interfere with family routine. I began to settle back into a ryhthm during September and took the opportunity to join the Ronhill 'RunEveryDay' campaign on social media throughout October. Clocking up anything from one to seven miles a day I managed to complete a streak which lasted for the entire 31 days (a first for me) and put a rather satisfying 80 miles towards my annual total.

This month my running is back to its usual format of run days and rest days, but the typical mileage per run has crept back up again. I'm also starting to explore more using OS Maps - plotting routes that join several local parks together using footpaths and bridleways - and have dug out my old trail shoes and backpack for some long distance loops. Driving to a start point just a mile or two from home has allowed me to visit more rural neighbouring areas where I've been able to experience my surroundings on two feet, and capture some great photos along the way. I've also come across some grotty bits that I won't be returning to in a hurry!

Health-wise I'm doing okay. I've been fortunate not to have picked up any injuries during 2018, and the only thing that's bothered me is the mild shin splints (left leg) that come and go whenever I run in my Nike shoes - particularly on hard surfaces. I'm not the lightest of runners so the cushioning and support that was present when new has probably long-since gone. They are overdue a replacement, but until then it'll just have to be run day, rest day.

Plans for 2019

So, having looked back on this year, what sort of challenges could I set myself for 2019?

1. Annual Distance

I'd like to think that I will be able to achieve another 500km during the year, so I'll be signing up for next year's virtual run to see whether I can earn back-to-back medals. If you fancy the sound of this, you can join on the Virtual Runner UK website.

2. Charity Fundraiser

For years I have taken part in sponsored events which raise much-needed funds for various charities. Whether completing the London to Brighton bike ride for the British Heart Foundation or the Great North Run for the Stroke Association I have always chosen one or two events per year that I can raise sponsorship for without (hopefully) pestering friends and family too often - nobody likes being hassled for sponsor money! Having missed Sport Relief 2018 has been a quiet year, so I'm hoping to return in 2019 with something big that goes further than previous efforts. Maybe something each month that adds up during the year?

3. Full House Challenges

A full house challenge is one that involves completing a full set of something - either by running, cycling, or any other means. It's not for charity and I've never planned one before but I've often wondered whether I could. The tricky bit is setting the right degree of difficulty so that the challenge is difficult but not impossible or too easy. In recent weeks I've read about a man who is walking every street in New York (Matt Green) and two people (Laura Tomlinson and Tim Moss) who ran the length of every London tube line. Inspired by their long-term adventures I was wondering about whether it would be possible to take my site name literally and run every park and pavement in the London Borough of Havering where I live. Could it be achieved in a year? Or would it roll over into 2020? Hmm...

4. All Other Ideas

Other routes that I'd like to complete on foot are the Essex Way (81 miles) and the London Loop (150 miles). On my bike I'm still optimistic that I'll get the chance to complete the South Downs Way (100 miles) at some point, and I also hope that I'll get opportunities to go on another overnight wild camp with my brother, and take my kids on more cycling mini tours. Phew, that's quite a lot!

Watch this space to see how I get on.