April 2012

April was a quieter month than I'd perhaps have liked, though given the British spring had apparently decided to behave itself for once, I've got fewer excuses than usual. Ten activities in total — nine runs and a solitary ride — adding up to just under five and a half hours of moving about, which sounds more impressive if you don't divide it by the number of days in the month. The running came to just over 51km at an average pace of 5:37 per kilometre, which is at least heading in the right direction, and I picked up 10 PRs along the way, suggesting that either my fitness is quietly improving or my previous benchmarks were genuinely embarrassing. The one ride — a Morning Ride, 16-odd kilometres — stands there rather lonely in the data, a reminder that I own a bike and probably should use it more.

Compared to March, which included the Bisham Half Marathon and a much more respectable 717 minutes of activity across eleven sessions, April looks a little thin on paper. The cycling in particular fell off a cliff — three rides and over 111km in March versus one outing in April — though I suspect the novelty of the bike has worn off slightly faster than my fitness has improved. The runs are averaging a better pace than last month's 5:55 per kilometre, which is something, and the mileage base is ticking over even if the volume has dipped. So the honest summary is: a maintenance month dressed up as a build month, and May probably needs to be a bit more purposeful if I'm not going to spend the summer wondering where it went.

Summary generated by Claude