Round up of 2016

2015 was pretty much my first year of getting into all this fitness and at the end of last year did a blog post to round up the year and the events I had completed and 2016 was no different but the challenges I took on stepped up a little.

At the beginning of this year I set out some goals in a blog post and whilst writing this took some time to reflect on them.  These are what I listed as goals:

Running

• Complete 25 Park Runs – this may not sound like a lot but I am signed up to a lot of events and some of those on Park Run days.  And I managed a grand total of zero!  Every weekend this year up until August was spent cycling for my main event of the year and so park run was well and truly out of the window.
• Work on my pace when running and take time to complete slower recovery runs – my runs are always at the same pace and I am trying to go slower to increase my distance and then can work on speed if I want.  This seemed to happen naturally as it turned out then training for longer runs meant my pace slowed naturally.
• Take part in a team effort of the 24 hour Spitfire Scramble run – a 24 hour run completing a 10k loop (just under) in turns over the 24 hour period with an amazing group of ladies.  Completed this and we came third in the female teams leaving with not only a medal but also a trophy cup!
• Achieve a sub hour 10k – I have done it once but when out running with the dog and as I have to stop to let her on and off the lead and pick up after her (thought that was the nicest way of putting that) it would be nice to achieve this at an actual event.  This happened at the beginning of the year as a one time only result and so may feature on my goals for next year also.
• Achieve a sub 27 minute 5k.  As mentioned above my pace slowed and so I am now at 30 mins for a 5k consistently and I am not unhappy with that – I have learned I am no Usain Bolt and that is fine with me.
• Complete my first half marathon.  I managed to complete Brentwood half marathon, Hackney half marathon, two half marathon distances on training runs an then again on an obstacle run so in total completed the distance five times.

Cycling

• Complete my first duathlon.  Completed at Eton Dorney and learned that running after cycling is not as easy as it looks when your legs have a mind of their own.
• Complete a 100 mile ride in sub 5 and a half hours.  Again this did not happen as most cycling was geared towards a longer endurance event and so was more about completing miles rather than pace but who knows for 2017?
• Complete Newcastle to London bike ride in 24 hours – 311 miles with two lovely ladies and a lot of chamois cream!  We started this as a team of four lovely ladies bud sadly my main event of the year ended with me in an ambulance after coming off my bike in horrendous weather and although I have cried a lot over this I have learned that conditions on the day play the biggest part and over 2,500 miles of training for this were not wasted.
• Increase my Functional Threshold Power (FTP) to 200.  Honestly I have not completed an FTP test again this year and for those of you that have you may understand why – it is evil on a stationary bike.  My husband reminded me I needed to do this again the other day and I just smiled and walked away ha ha.

OCRs

• Complete my first Spartan obstacle race.  I managed to complete my Spartan Trifecta this year (I may have mentioned this one or 100 times) so completed my first (sprint), second (super) and third (beast) Spartan races and have a whopping great medal to prove it (bigger than the husbands).
• Get back to Nuclear Races for their obstacle races (which are awesome).  I have spent a lot of time at Nuclear this year and fully intend to do the same next year too.
• Improve my upper body strength and be able to do more than just 2 monkey bars!  This is still a work in progress but I recently managed 18 monkey bars.

Targets

• Not be so scared of the weights section of the gym and use it to tone up as I lose more weight.  Weights do not scare me any longer – bring it.
• Lose my final 28lbs – actually 30lbs as I put on 2lbs over Christmas I just found out with my first weigh in (happy new year).  My body shape has changed a lot this year but not my weight and whilst I say to others its not all about the number on the scale I find it hard to practise what I preach and still have a goal weight in mind that WILL be reached in 2017.
• Enjoy the events I sign up for and celebrate finishing rather than always being hung up on finishing times.  This is the new me – I take part to complete and not to compete.
• Be proud of myself and what I have achieved.  And you know what I am – everyone has different abilities and a challenge is a challenge to the individual and I am out there trying and happy with that.
• Learn how my technical gadgets work so I don’t have to keep bugging the hubby.  I laughed when I re read this.  I have a Brett for the technical bits ha ha

And I have quite a nice little medal haul from the year too and I do love a medal!

What else did 2016 teach me?  Perhaps to not have such a long list of goals at the start of the year!  I think for next year I will simplify the goals:

• Reach my goal weight OR be comfortable with my body shape.
• Take part in all the Nuclear events (thanks to the husband getting me a season pass for next year) and earn my Mudallion medal.
• Complete the Vatternrundan 186 mile cycle ride in Sweden.
• Get through a week at the La Santa training camp in Lanzarote and not die on a mountain somewhere.
• Enjoy myself.
• Smile.