I Never Told You about Those 12 Months
A tiny life moment of starting over
The Moment
Two days ago, Michael Johnson’s voice kept ringing in my ear. ‘You can do this,’ he said. I knew I could. So I huffed my way down a gentle slope for what seemed like an eternity. Then I heard his voice, ‘slow down to a brisk walk, well done, you did it.’
I walked briskly, painfully for five minutes, arrived home, took off my headphones, straight to the kitchen for a drink. I was sweaty, tired and breathless.
It was day two of my ‘couch to 5K in nine-week’ exercise program using the BBC app with Michael Johnson as my coach.
The Reflection
This time last year (September 2019) I was training for the Richmond Half Marathon. My morning run was ten kilometers (circa 6 miles), and this was a breeze. I challenged myself running 18–20 kilometers (12 miles) at the weekend. I was a runner, free, light, and fast.
Fast forward 12 months, I cannot put my finger on what happened, but I am heavy, faltering, and slow. I tried a light jog 2 weeks ago, and it felt impossible. Where was that…
