2023 was a great running year for me. I did have some slight injury experience but it wasn't enough to actually stop me from running. Last year it was my left hip, this year it is my right. While the left did stop me running at one point, on the right it never really did, and it has cleared up now.
It was a race year of two halves. The first half was ultras (Chilterns 50k, BigSea 50k, and Race to the Stones 100km non-stop). The second half was half-marathons (Windsor, Oxford, Marlow, Windsor Trail).
Worst run of the year (but still fun): Manchester Marathon (injured halfway through).
The most fun race of the year, and one I think went best, was the most recent: Grim Challenge in Aldershot.
I'll go through these in order, month by month:
January: 190 miles. Highlight was training in Spain on a work trip.
February: 166 miles. Highlight was a 1:34 at Wokingham Half. I have no idea how I ran the race this faster other than to say, I must've been a bit fit? All later races this year were more than 5mins slower!
March: 198 miles. Highlight was training Manchester, often with John Roberts (BFR). The *training* went quite well, but the race itself did not!
April: 125 miles. Highlight: Manchester Marathon. A great race, but what a strange run! Ran the first half, and literally walked from mile 14 onward. My best speed walking pace because I really wanted to finish. The downtown and Altrincham sections are the best.
May: 171 miles. Highlight: Chiltern Ridge Ultra Trail 50km. Beautiful day on the day of the King's inauguration party weekend. I had been poorly since Manchester, as in physically ill with a mysterious illness, and I definitely felt it. I also paced the Bracknell Half Marathon, which was interesting.
June: 167 miles. Highlight: BigSea Ultra-trail 50km. Another beautiful day. My favourite ultra so far, due to great support and route. Samaritans 10k: enjoyed it but couldn't run 'fast'.
July: 154 miles. Highlight: Race to the Stones 100km non-stop. DNF at 45 miles due to weather. Said I wouldn't sign up again, but by October I'd signed up again. I'm looking forward to using everything I learned during this time, going over the highest mileage I'd ever tried all in one go. In July I also did some running in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, which was fun, but very humid!
August: 187 miles. Highlight: Just running! Nice to enjoy the off-season. Completed the final BFR handicap run of the year, and managed a complete set for 2023.
September: 156 miles. Highlight: Windsor Half Marathon. Didn't run this race very well as I had set my sights on beating my previous HM time for the year (1:34), but didn't even come close! It was hot but fitness for this kind of race just wasn't there. I also did some running in Texas during a family visit there, which was beyond hot, even in the mornings.
October: 192 miles. Highlights: start of XC, and Oxford Half. Managed a decent time on the flat Oxford HM course (1:41) but am still wondering how to get my HM fitness back.
November: 158 miles. Highlights: Marlow Half! I love Marlow, it was my first time, and I did the downhills so fast! hitting sub 6mm paces at times, and still managed to finish running strong. All that track work paying off! Windsor Trail Half a couple of weeks later was excellent, and I perfected my 'passing the whole way' strategy: starting far enough back to being passing people the entire race. I did this during this month's XC races too, especially Datchet. I have a blackened middle toe-nail from Marlow (but the nail is holding on).
December: 121 miles so far (expected 160), to reach close to 2000 miles for the year! Highlights: Grim Challenge: so hard, and so fun, and so very painful. My toes are still recovering and I bruised a big toe. Finished in a pretty good place too, in the top 10% or so for both age and overall.
I'm happy with the early Wokingham Half effort which was in my top three of all time, and I'm happy with my learning experience on RTTS despite the DNF. BigSea50k around Corfe Castle was the top race of the year. And all the club running and XC of course!
