September 2013

So September ended up being a reasonably solid month, all things considered — 8 activities and just over 500 minutes of moving around in the autumnal gloom, split between three rides covering just shy of 100km and five runs totalling about 41km. The riding was the more productive half of the month if I'm honest, racking up 22 personal records across those three sessions which, given the modest 499 metres of climbing involved, suggests I've been getting faster rather than braver. The runs ticked along at my usual 6:20 per kilometre pace, which is either reassuringly consistent or a sign that I've completely plateaued, depending on how charitable you're feeling.

Compared to August it was actually a step forward, which surprised me a little — total time up from 418 to 500 minutes despite doing one fewer activity, meaning the individual sessions were longer and presumably less half-hearted. The runs went from 36.7km to 40.9km, and while the pace didn't shift at all, the elevation did climb from 178 to 277 metres, so at least the legs had something to complain about. The riding distance jumped from 74km to 99km too, which I'll largely credit to the September weather being marginally less miserable than August managed. So going into October, with the days shortening and the mornings getting properly cold, the challenge will be maintaining this rather than watching it quietly unravel — which is, if I'm honest, the more likely outcome.

Summary generated by Claude