February 2021

So February, then. 58 activities and just over 42 hours of moving about the place, which sounds impressive until you remember that January clocked 82 activities and nearly 50 hours — though more on that in a moment. The big shift this month was off the running shoes and onto the bike, with 15 rides covering 306 kilometres and 3,720 metres of climbing, including a proper block of Zwift structured work through the Build Me Up plan (Red Unicorn and Devedeset, if you're wondering, which are every bit as unpleasant as they sound). I also managed to drag myself out for 6 runs totalling 52.7 kilometres at a fairly steady 5:22 per kilometre pace, and kept the walking habit going with 24 walks and 114 kilometres on foot, which in February basically means shuffling around in the dark in a coat. The FiiT workouts, a bit of functional strength training, the occasional HIIT session and one solitary yoga session rounded things out — the yoga, I suspect, was either a moment of zen or mild desperation.

So the contrast with January is fairly stark, and honestly not that surprising. January was dominated by the RED January challenge — 224 kilometres of running across 31 sessions, which was either heroic or unhinged depending on your perspective — and inevitably February involved something of a gear change. The legs needed a rest from running, the turbo trainer was right there, and the Build Me Up plan gave me something structured to follow during a month when motivating yourself to do anything in British February requires actual willpower. The slight dip in overall volume is fine; what matters is that the training mix feels more balanced, and the cycling fitness is quietly building in the background. Hopefully by the time the roads dry out and the days get longer, there'll be something to show for it.

Summary generated by Claude