Hello. It’s been a while since I blogged. I’m not completely sure why that is. It’s a peeve of mine when bloggers you enjoy post less regularly or stop posting completely. Now I’ve done it myself. Most of the time, posting less frequently is due to a change of circumstances. Often starting a family, a new job, a new location or finding that thing they were looking for in the first place.

If I had to put it down to something, it would be the raging shit-show that has been the UK’s response to the global COVID pandemic. Whilst life is nearly back to normal in Australia and New Zealand, the UK still does not have a clear path out and we have just been told not to book a frickin’ holiday. Many future books and inquiries will dissect the failings and constant U-turns of the UK government, so we’ll not get into that here.

I understand I’m very lucky. I’m not on the front line fighting the pandemic. I have a job I can do from home and work for a very forward thinking company in regards to how they look after their staff. The pandemic has improved my life in several ways. The thought of standing uncomfortably on a train at 7 in the morning is almost a memory from another life. The anxieties of the previous daily churn of wake, work, eat, sleep, repeat are gone and have been replaced with a slower, more relaxed and flexible daily routine.

All the things you’ve read about regarding the positives of lockdown/the pandemic have been true for me. Lots of things that seemed really vital 10 months ago just slipped away and disappeared, providing more space for the important things in life – family, friends, your mental and physical wellbeing. With nowhere to go, there’s been space to think, but maybe not write!

Blogging

This blog is my very, very small piece of the internet. The gear reviews I write are the most popular, probably due to particular searches and less so down to regular readers. I hope the review readers stick around and read some other posts. I like writing these rambling posts where I just want to get out what’s on my mind. I also really enjoy my Awesome Running Playlist, now at 48 songs and just over 4 hours on Spotify. Just enough for a marathon! For the eagle eyed, yes there are 50 posts, but not all songs were on Spotify!

I used to have an incessant urge to write and to get it posted on the net. Any successful blogger will tell you that one of the ways to be successful is to post frequently and with regularity. I’m proud of the work I’ve put into the blog and the writing I’ve done. Writing this many words, and trying to make them coherent has helped me in many other ways, particularly professionally. Running and health are still my passions, and writing is a habit like anything else, but the urge to share I had when I started blogging has diminished.

Running

The pandemic has changed my running too. The pressure has come off. I’m much more relaxed about it. If I don’t feel like running, I don’t. If it’s only a couple of slow miles with my wife, then it’s a bonus. Then there are times I can’t wait to get up in the morning and hit the road. My distances are creeping up and my times are staying annoying stable. Getting out in the morning before having to open the laptop is great. Thinking about it, I’m probably loving my running now more that ever.

What’s changed? There are no races. These where a huge missing at first, but like I said at the top, things slipped away and are just not hugely important anymore. Part of this is that humans can become used to anything, but I feel now that I’ll will not race as much as I used to. I completely reserve the right to ignore the last sentence once mass participation events are back on the agenda.

There are no group training sessions. Again, I was trying pretty much any thing to train with others during Lockdown 1. Now, I love the flexibility of deciding when I go, or if I go at all. I only have myself to rely on and that currently puts me in a good headspace. Disclaimer – if I wanted to get faster, group sessions are very much the way forward.

Transition

I’d like to switch up the blog a little. It needs some more thought, or most likely just a bit more effort. Please keep checking in and catch up with the way things will go. Stay safe and I hope one day soon we can run together and have a beer in a pub, without a mask.