I swear, time is speeding up. This year is flying by, no?! Six months already down, six months to go… and so it’s time to reflect again on my theme for 2015: being active.
I’ve recently been put to shame with my little goal of doing an activity once a month, having met Annie from Exerk who’s doing a challenge once a week, “52 in 52” – but, hey, I’ll keep plugging away at my own little project…
So, what have I done so far?
January – personal trainer programme and starting to run again
My sister got me running again over Christmas after one of my many long breaks and since then I’ve been sustaining a running programme that’s been much more consistent than anything I’ve done before. As well as having ten sessions with a personal trainer I’ve also been given several different programmes to do at the gym so I’m finally feeling more comfortable using all the different machines – even when confronted with sweaty men flexing their muscles…
February – Ski trip to Verbier
Wowee my calf muscles were sore after this; we “had to” have a massage every other day to recover (yes, life is tough). I did more skiing in that one week than I’ve ever done before, despite living in Switzerland for nine years! Shame it wasn’t for longer, but I came away wanting to do a whole season next year…
March – Arctic adventure in Kiruna, northern Sweden
The dog sledging essentially involved standing up but it’s better than siting at a desk all day, isn’t it?! And the cross-country was fantastic exercise, much more effective than downhill skiing as well as being a more social sport as you’re skiing alongside each other.
April – Night kayaking under Tower Bridge
A great workout for the arms, and I do love being out on the water, even the dirty Thames. I definitely need to do more of this. Someone suggested Lithuania, or the Swedish archipelago of course… Who’s up for it?
May – Race for Life 5k in Norwich
My sister tore off at the start of the race and we were near the front the whole way around, which is unusual to say the least! It was a fantastic day with our team of women coming together and it was incredibly moving to see the names of the people to whom each participant was dedicating their efforts.
June – Paddle boarding the Thames
Looking ahead, with six months to go, I still have three months with nothing planned, including next month, eek! What to do, what to do… Any ideas? In July it will need to be in London, Venice or Gothenburg…
July – ?
August – Midnattsloppet 10k in Stockholm
September – Paddle boarding and canoeing down the Mississippi
October – ?
November – Golden Gate half-marathon
December – ?
Winter is notoriously tricky, especially when it comes to running outside, but if I’m to have any chance of running a marathon next year I’m going to have to maintain that discipline somehow…
I’m pretty happy with my progress so far this year. I’m always doing courses and reading and going to the theatre and whatever else but getting physically active is something that doesn’t come naturally to me anymore (since leaving school, I suppose) – my theme has really helped me to sign up to things I wouldn’t have considered before; which, in the end, is the point!
How are you doing on your theme for 2015? Do you feel like you’re on track? Do you maybe need to take some time to remind yourself of your priorities and to recommit so that you make the next six months count? Let me know how you’re getting on in the comments section below!
Sounds like lots of fun! How long are you in Stockholm for in August? I am definitely down with some paddling.
A week, possibly two. We can do it!
Going to test Kayaking in Brunsviken (Haga) tomorrow. Kungsholmen, Brunsviken and Djurgården all have good options. Think I’m away the weekend after Midnattsloppet (running hut-to-hut in Sylarna), but weekdays after work can probably work just as well with all this light. Facebook message me in August when you know your plans and we can look into it. 🙂
Perfect! Let me know how your test run goes 🙂