August 2012

So August was, by my standards, a reasonably mixed month — five activities, 238 minutes of actual movement, which at least puts me ahead of the sofa. The headline was a single morning ride that accounted for the bulk of the time: 125 minutes, 46.5 kilometres, and 387 metres of elevation, which I'm choosing to be quietly pleased about given it also netted 17 personal records (though I suspect some of those segments hadn't seen much competition). The four runs were rather more modest — 18.3 kilometres spread across the month at an average of 6:14 per kilometre, which is the kind of pace that suggests I was either taking in the scenery or quietly suffering, probably both. Still, 9 achievements and 2 PRs on the running side, so not a total write-off.

Comparing that to July is a slightly uncomfortable exercise. Last month I managed 24.7 kilometres of running at a rather more respectable 5:48 per kilometre, so August saw me covering less ground and doing it more slowly — a direction of travel I'd prefer not to make a habit of. To be fair to myself (and I'm going to be, because someone has to), August in the UK means holidays, barbecues that overrun, and the general collapse of any routine that was marginally holding things together in July. The bike ride does at least suggest I haven't completely lost interest, and if I can carry that elevation work into September, there might be something worth building on — assuming the mornings cooperate, which they won't.

Summary generated by Claude