January 2026

So January turned out to be a reasonably solid month, all things considered — 58 activities and just over 42 hours of moving around, which sounds more impressive than it probably felt at the time. The mix was fairly typical for this time of year: 13 Morning HIIT sessions, 16 runs totalling 83.4km at an average of 5:42 per kilometre, four swims (a rare appearance from the pool, which I should probably do something about), and 25 walks covering nearly 148km. The running was split between treadmill miles and the occasional brave venture outside for a Lunch Run, which in January in the UK is basically just a slightly faster way of getting wet. Pleasingly, the pace crept down a little from where it's been, and the average heart rate sat at 155bpm, which suggests I was actually working rather than just going through the motions.

Compared to December, the numbers are quietly encouraging — four more activities, 8.6km more running, and the pace improved by about nine seconds per kilometre, which doesn't sound like much but feels meaningful when you're grinding through a British winter. December had zero pool sessions and almost no elevation in the running, so January at least shows some variety creeping back in, even if 135 metres of climb over 16 runs is hardly mountain training. The walking did drop off slightly — 14km fewer and a bit less elevation — probably a fair reflection of shorter daylight hours and the general motivation vacuum that is January. So the direction of travel is the right one, and if I can keep nudging the outdoor running up as the mornings get marginally less grim, February might actually build into something worth writing about.

Summary generated by Claude