This blog has become extremely quiet, but I was inspired to re-awaken it to include some thoughts on my journey to a particular race later in 2026 that I’ll talk about soon.
But before doing doing so, perhaps some brief observations and facts on 2025 first.
First, parkrun. I completed 51 parkruns in 2025, the first year in which I’ve achieved that “gold” target of 50. That took my parkrun tally to a total of 375, at 242 locations.
At Felixstowe on 1 November 2025 I achieved a new parkrun PB of 22:03. Conditions weren’t perfect, with a huge amount of shingle on the promenade, so under better conditions that sub-22 time is perhaps achievable. I did then set out on a 6-week training programme focussed on that, with the intention of running at the very flat and broad Yarborough Leisure Centre (also gaining another “Y” for my second alphabet challenge) but illness conspired against that, and it is currently a project in abeyance.
I added three more countries to my parkrun territories, visiting Sweden (Haga) and Finland (Tokoinranta) in a May trip including an Ascension Day special; and Austria (Hellbrunn) after my second in Germany (Westpark) on German Unity Day.
I completed the East of England region for the 12th time at Oaklands College, then for the 13th time at Brook Leys, and the 14th time at Stanborough. As I write in February 2026, there is another new EoE parkrun on the edge of Watford, and one about to start on the Norfolk Showground, so a 15th completion should follow this year (possibly more – who knows?).
I was thrilled to be able to run with Lucy on two PB runs for her, at Chalkwell Beach and then a Christmas Day run at Dulwich, as sub-40 becomes increasingly routine for her.
I ran just two races in 2025, but both very satisfactory: the Chelmsford Half in March where I ran 1:50:24 for a new PB. In October I returned to the Great Eastern Run in Peterborough for the first time in six years: I’d been suffering from a very bad cold and almost didn’t go; I wasn’t quite 100% but was recovered sufficiently to knock my PB down to 1:48:31, supported for the first time by a Runna training plan.
As I write, it’s 9 days until I return to Chelmsford for another half-marathon PB attempt – I’m pretty confident I can get a course PB, but whether I’ll get an overall PB on a slightly hillier course than Peterborough remains to be seen. I pulled a hamstring muscle at the start of the year and had to take multiple weeks either with no running or much reduced volumes and intensity, so once again I’m not quite at 100%. But I am at my lightest weight for 28 years, so that could help – we will see.
