September 2026

September was, in a word, quieter — and honestly, my back had quite a lot to say about that. Thirty-nine activities and just over 1,550 minutes of moving, which sounds reasonable until you remember what August looked like. The mix shifted noticeably toward walking, with 19 outings covering 92 kilometres (my feet, at least, remain reliable), while the running dropped back to 11 sessions and 54 kilometres at an average of 5:36 per kilometre. Eleven of those runs were indoors, which tells its own story about autumnal motivation. There were a couple of achievements logged along the way, so the legs haven't entirely forgotten what they're for, and the HIIT sessions kept ticking over — nine of them, all indoor, because September mornings in the UK have a particular talent for discouraging any romantic notions about outdoor exercise.

So, compared to August, the numbers are roughly half what they were across the board — 39 activities versus 65, and around 1,550 minutes against 2,600. August had been a proper block: 21 runs, 117 kilometres, two personal bests, the lot. September had a dodgy back in the second week and a very deliberate long weekend in France where the plan was specifically to do nothing, which I executed with considerable professionalism. It was the right call — niggles ignored have a nasty habit of becoming injuries that deserve proper attention — but it does mean October is going to require a fairly honest conversation between my ambitions and my current fitness. So, back to it, carefully.

Summary generated by Claude