That was 2018

2018 has been a tremendous year for running.  I went through the races through the year and scribbled them down with my overall and age category positions - see below.

There were some fantastic moments in here.  My highlights were Larmer Tree (hills and snowdrifts), London (the crowds, the drama), Serpent Trail (unexpected result), Snowdonia (dicing with death), Wickham (the duel), Beachy Head (big chalk landscape) and Lulworth (Jurassic cliffs).

In simple stats, here are the numbers for the year:

My goals for 2018 were:

• Be 1st M50 in at least 50% of races: the actual figure was 62%
• Go sub-3 hours in the London marathon - I missed this, with a 3:04 finish, undone by the heat and the too-fast start.
• Stay injury-free - I struggled in the middle of the year with pirifomis and gluteus medius, but I'm now making a real attempt to maintain strength in the glutes.

So, my goals for 2019 are:

• Again, be 1st M50 in 50% of races (this is going to get harder)
• Bag a sub 18-minute Southampton parkrun
• Get top 3 M50 in the RR10 league

And a particular mention to the Lovely Mrs S, who has been absolutely wonderful throughout the year, booking races, being ever-supportive and generally inspiring me all the way.  Thank you, my love.

The Lovely Mrs S