September 2016

So September, then. Twenty-two activities and just under 400 minutes of actual movement, which sounds respectable until you remember that's barely six and a half hours spread across a whole month (roughly twelve minutes a day, if you're being uncharitable about it). The mix was fairly typical for me at this time of year — twelve runs totalling 42.7km at a pace of 6:54 per kilometre, which at least represents some improvement on recent form, plus six rides and four rowing sessions that I'm choosing to count as cross-training rather than evidence of indecision. I did manage a PR in there somewhere among the runs, which given I also squeezed in a few Parkruns feels like the month wasn't a complete write-off. The rowing numbers are modest to say the least — 17 minutes and 0.2km — but sometimes just showing up to the machine counts for something, even if the machine itself seems unconvinced.

So compared to August, the overall picture is one of doing less of pretty much everything, which is either concerning or entirely predictable depending on how well you know me. August had 31 activities and 531 minutes, with the cycling alone accounting for 14 rides and 65.6km — nearly two and a half times what I managed in September. The honest explanation is probably a combination of the days getting shorter, the mornings getting darker, and that particular September feeling where summer's goodwill starts to evaporate along with the light. The running distance has at least held roughly steady at around 42km, and the pace improvement is real and mildly encouraging, which I'll take. The question now, as the clocks prepare to go back and the weather prepares to get properly miserable, is whether I can keep the momentum going or whether October will tell a familiar story.

Summary generated by Claude