Running total 2022

2022 has been very much a Year of Running. As well as completing 10 big running events (and earning a medal / t-shirt combo from each), I kept up a streak of running at least 100k every month. After failing last year, I managed to complete the "Proclaimers challenge" this year, of running 500 miles and running 500 more! :o)

Here's how my yearly running breaks down:

January:
Sat 1st - 6k (4 laps parkrun)
Sun 2nd - 2k (junior parkrun with T)
Sat 8th - 5k (parkrun)
Sun 9th - 21k (RSR + warm-up jog to the start line!)
Sat 15th - 5k (parkrun)
Mon 17th - 16k (Common & Ooty loops plus parks)
Sat 22nd - 16k (parkrun + extra lap + Ooty loop with Jenny)
Mon 24th - 12k (Rails Road and back)
Sat 29th - 11k (Half Ooty loop + parkrun)
Sun 30th - 7k (Ben Lan / Wadsley Common / Middlewood Drive loop)
Mon 31st - 10k (Ooty loop)
Total: 111k

February:
Sat 5th - 7k (parkrun + extra lap)
Sun 6th - 23k (Damflagden + parkrun lap)
Thurs 10th - 18k (Loxley Valley / Wadsley Common / Ooty loop)
Sat 12th - 7k (parkrun + extra lap)
Mon 14th - 15k (Ooty figure-of-8 + notparkrun)
Sat 19th - 7k (parkrun + extra lap)
Mon 21st - 18k (Wisewood / Rivelin / Crosspool / Uni loop)
Thurs 24th - 10k (Ooty loop)
Sat 26th - 26k (Forge Dam via uni and back via Crosspool)
Mon 28th - 9k (lengthy notparkrun)
Total: 140k

March:
Sat 5th - 16k (parkrun + extra lap + Ooty loop)
Mon 7th - 21k (Reverse Damflagden (Nedgalfmad?))
Sat 12th - 17k (parkrun + extra laps + Ooty loop)
Mon 14th - 6k (Wadsley Common loop)
Thurs 17th - 6k (Wisewood wiggle)
Mon 21st - 8k (Wadsley Common/Wisewood loop)
Fri 25th - 12k (Stannington / Rivelin loop)
Sat 26th - 8k (parkrun + warm-up + extra laps)
Sun 27th - 21k (Sheffield Half Marathon)
Tues 29th - 10k (Ooty loop)
Total: 125k

April:
Sat 2nd - 5k (Monsal Trail parkrun)
Mon 4th - 24k (Reverse Damflagden with detours)
Tues 5th - 6k (notparkrun)
Sat 9th - 15k (parkrun + reverse Ooty loop)
Mon 11th - 16k (University - Crosspool - Rivelin loop)
Tues 12th - 5k (notparkrun)
Wed 13th - 8k (notparkrun)
Fri 15th - 17k (revised notparkrun + Rails Road and back)
Sat 16th - 7k (parkrun + extra laps)
Thurs 21st - 5k (notparkrun)
Sat 23rd - 17k (parkrun + extra laps, Ooty loop in the evening)
Sun 24th - 2k (junior parkrun with Toby)
Tues 26th - 10k (reverse Ooty loop)
Thurs 28th - 4k (hill training with Kelly)
Sat 30th - 9k (Millhouses parkrun + extra laps)
Total: 150k

May:
Sun 1st - 21k (Great Birmingham Run)
Thurs 5th - 7k (Rivelin to the bend in the road and back)
Sat 7th - 17k (Reverse Ooty loop, then parkrun + extra laps)
Mon 9th - 16k (Rivelin - Crosspool - University loop, plus a pointless extra Malin Bridge loop because Garmin was being a lying shit)
Wed 11th - 7k (Extended half Ooty loop)
Sat 14th - 7k (Parkrun + extra laps)
Sun 15th - 22k (Damflagden)
Wed 18th - 17k (Damflask with Jen)
Sat 21st - 7k (Parkrun + extra)
Sun 22nd - 21k (Great Manchester Run)
Mon 23rd - 10k (reverse Ooty loop)
Thurs 26th - 5k (notparkrun)
Sat 28th - 5k (Eden Project parkrun)
Total: 162k

June:
Sat 4th - 7k (Parkrun + extra)
Tues 7th - 12k (Over Stannington and back along Rivelin)
Thurs 9th - 11k (Ooty loop via Worrall)
Sat 11th - 7k (Penistone parkrun plus)
Mon 13th - 28k (Forge Dam via Rivelin / Crosspool, back via uni)
Tues 14th - 10k (Wadsley Common / Loxley Valley loop)
Thurs 16th - 10k (Ooty figure-of-8)
Sat 18th - 5k (Worcester Pitchcroft parkrun)
Fri 24th - 10k (Extended Ooty mini-loop via Worrall)
Sat 25th - 7k (Parkrun + extra)
Sun 26th - 26k (RSR + warm-up jog to the start line!)
Tues 28th - 12k (Rails Road and back)
Thurs 30th - 7k (notparkrun)
Total: 152k

July:
Sat 2nd - 10k (Reverse Ooty loop)
Sun 3rd - 2k (Junior parkrun with Bethany)
Mon 4th - 22k (Damflagden)
Wed 6th - 5k (notparkrun)
Thurs 7th - 9k (Worrall / Long Lane / Wadsley Common / Wisewood loop)
Sat 9th - 12k (Mini Ooty loop + parkrun + extra lap)
Mon 11th - 12k (Rails Road and back)
Tues 12th - 6k (notparkrun)
Fri 15th - 10k (Reverse Ooty loop)
Sat 16th - 6k (Poolsbrook parkrun + extra)
Wed 20th - 10k (Ooty loop)
Sat 23rd - 8k (Millhouses parkrun + extra lap + bus stop & back)
Mon 25th - 10k (Wadsley Common / Loxley Valley loop)
Wed 27th - 12k (Rails Road and back)
Fri 29th - 10k (Ooty loop)
Sat 30th - 7k (Parkrun + extra)
Sun 31st - 10k (Wisewood / Loxley / Rivelin loop)
Total: 161k

August:
Tues 2nd - 11k (Loxley valley with Neil & the Kings, notparkrun)
Sat 6th - 10k (Graves parkrun + run back from the Grindstone)
Mon 8th - 23k (Damflagden via Wadsley Common)
Tues 9th - 10k (Ooty loop with Neil)
Sat 13th - 7k (Mini Ooty loop + notparkrun)
Mon 15th - 9k (Extended reverse notparkrun)
Sat 20th - 8k (Parkrun + extra)
Mon 22nd - 17k (Rivelin / Crosspool / University loop + notparkrun)
Wed 24th - 10k (Reverse Ooty loop)
Sat 27th - 6k (Jubilee parkrun + extra lap)
Mon 29th - 14k (Rails Road and back + notparkrun)
Tues 30th - 8k (Mini Ooty loop + notparkrun)
Total: 133k

September:
Sat 3rd - 17k (Parkrun + extra + Ooty loop)
Tues 6th - 16k (Damflask)
Fri 9th - 7k (notparkrun)
Sun 11th - 21k (Great North Run)
Tues 13th - 8k (Reverse mini Ooty loop + notparkrun)
Fri 16th - 6k (notparkrun)
Sat 17th - 7k (Parkrun + extra)
Mon 19th - 5k (Aberavon seafront with Dave)
Wed 21st - 5k (Aberavon beach with Dave and Adam)
Sat 24th - 5k (Gnoll parkrun with Adam and Dave)
Sun 25th - 21k (Great Bristol Run)
Wed 28th - 10k (Ooty loop)
Total: 128k

October:
Sat 1st - 11k (Queen's parkrun + there and back again)
Sun 2nd - 21k (Great Scottish Run)
Wed 5th - 5k (notparkrun)
Fri 7th - 10k (reverse Ooty loop)
Sat 8th - 5k (parkrun)
Sun 9th - 15k (out to Endcliffe Park then Sheffield TenTenTen)
Tues 11th - 12k (Rails Road and back)
Sat 15th - 5k (parkrun)
Sun 16th - 17k (Great South Run + run to the start line)
Sat 22nd - 19k (parkrun + extra then Ooty loop via Worrall)
Tues 25th - 5k (parkrun pacing practice)
Wed 26th - 7k (parkrun pacing practice + extra)
Sat 29th - 7k (parkrun + 2 extra half laps)
Sun 30th - 11k (reverse Ooty loop + notparkrun)
Total: 139k

November:
Tues 1st - 6k (parkrun pacing practice + extra)
Fri 4th - 6k (parkrun pacing practice + extra)
Sat 5th - 5k (pacing parkrun)
Mon 7th - 10k (Worrall - Long Lane - Common - Wisewood loop)
Sat 12th - 8k (parkrun + 2 extra laps)
Mon 14th - 17k (Wisewood - Damflask - Loxley Valley)
Fri 18th - 10k (reverse Ooty loop before work)
Sat 19th - 6k (parkrun + extra half lap)
Sun 20th - 12k (Rails Road and back)
Tues 22nd - 5k (notparkrun)
Sat 26th - 7k (parkrun + warm-up + extra half lap)
Mon 28th - 11k (Ooty loop via Worrall)
Total: 103k

December:
Sat 3rd - 7k (parkrun + warm-up + extra half lap)
Sun 4th - 16k (Percy Pud + there and back again)
Tues 6th - 5k (notparkrun after dark)
Sat 10th - 5k (University Parks parkrun)
Mon 12th - 15k (Wisewood - Loxley - Rivelin - Beeley Woods circuit)
Sat 17th - 12k (Ooty loop + notparkrun)
Mon 19th - 12k (Stannington & Rivelin loop)
Tues 20th - 5k (notparkrun)
Thurs 22nd - 8k (Wadsley Common - Loxley Road loop)
Sat 24th - 5k (Tewkesbury parkrun)
Tues 27th - 8k (Pershore double loop)
Thurs 29th - 16k (Castle Square + Don Valley Bowl with Becky and Adam and back again)
Sat 31st - 6k (parkrun + extra half lap
Total: 120k

...and here's how that all totals up (with and without my rounding!):

Jan - 111k (Garmin: 112.30k)
Feb - 140k (Garmin: 140.64k)
Mar - 125k (Garmin: 126.13k)
Apr - 150k (Garmin: 152.43k)
May - 162k (Garmin: 163.72k)
Jun - 152k (Garmin: 153.19k)
Jul - 161k (Garmin: 166.23k)
Aug - 133k (Garmin: 134.28k)
Sep - 128k (Garmin: 130.57k)
Oct - 150k (Garmin: 151.49k)
Nov - 103k (Garmin: 104.04k)
Dec - 120k (Garmin: 122.01k)

2022 total: 1,635k = 1,016 miles (Garmin: 1,657.03k = 1,029.63 miles)

Books read in 2022

I enjoyed working my way through the entirety of Neil Gaiman's Sandman and all its various spin-offs this year. Beyond that, my reading has been pretty pathetic really - barely more than a book a month! I blame the internet... ;o)

• The Sandman (Neil Gaiman et al)
• What Abigail Did That Summer (Ben Aaronovitch)
• Ready Player Two (Ernest Cline)
• The Reason I Jump (Naoki Higashida)
• The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex (Mark Kermode)
• Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens)
• The Psychology of Time Travel (Kate Mascarenhas)
• The Midnight Library (Matt Haig)
• The Galaxy, and the Ground Within (Becky Chambers)
• Tales From The Folly (Ban Aaronovitch)
• Persons Unknown: The Battle for Sheffield's Street Trees (Simon Crump & Calvin Payne with Julie Stribley)
• Matilda (Roald Dahl) - obviously a re-read because of the new film
• Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain (Amy Jeffs)
• The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
• Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir) - started but not yet finished

'22 in review

2020 was hell. 2021 was the year life began returning to normal. 2022 was a full year free from Covid restrictions, and therefore a year for seizing opportunities. Never take freedoms for granted. Unfortunately, the same is not true for everyone. Whether it's China's ongoing Covid mismanagement, or people closer to home restricting their activities by choice, many seem to be stuck in a perpetual 2020 and I worry how it will ever end for them.

Globally, the rest of the news hasn't been great either. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has dominated the global agenda, climate change is hitting home in ever more frightening ways (including disastrous floods in Pakisatan and an unprecedented 40°C heatwave here in the UK), and economies are in a mess for multiple reasons. Women's rights took a (possible) step forwards in Iran with mass protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, and steps backwards in Afghanistan with the Taliban increasingly restricting basic rights, and in the USA with the overturning of Roe v Wade.

Here in the UK, we saw the end of an era with the death of our longest reigning monarch, as well as political turmoil with our shortest serving prime minister, not to mention double-digit inflation, multiple strikes and the pitfalls of Brexit finally coming home. But it wasn't all bad news - football finally came home as well, with the women's Euro 2022 victory. Sam Ryder almost brought Eurovision home, the Platinum Jubilee was a success, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was released, and Boris resigned.

Personally, there were a lot of highlights for me this year - including two seaside holidays with groups of friends, going to two weddings, and (of course) travelling up and down the country as I achieved 10 running medals and a whole host of PBs. Less headline-grabbing, but still noteworthy, were several times meeting up with distant family and friends, hikes in the peaks and a lot of parkrun tourism.

I've yet to start thinking much about 2023. I hope family members with health problems have a better time of it. I'll have a marathon to run, but I'm not planning to enter quite so many running events as this year. I'd like to go abroad at some point (It's been a while!). Beyond that, who knows? I should start planning...

Happy New Year! May good fortune smile on you in 2023! :o)