Numbers

Distance ran by month

January 57 km (10th)
February 24.7 km (11th)
March 62.2 km (9th)
April 80.4 km (7th)
May 83.1 km (6th)
June 93.66 km (4th)
July 7.7 km (12th)
August 86.1 km (5th)
September 168.8 km (1st)
October 68.9 km (8th)
November 121 km (3rd)
December 146.9 km (2nd)

Total for 2024: 1000 km

How does that compare to previous years?

2019: 1603 km
2020: 1537 km
2021: 813 km (First half of the year had fractured tibia)
2022: 1373 km
2023: 1219 km
2024: 1000 km

Notes and notable runs

All links to runs are to Strava. You might need an account to view them and be "a friend". Sorry.

January (57 km — 11 runs), February (24.7 km — 4 runs) and March (62.2 km — 10 runs)

The first few months of the year were balanced between supporting the kids, work and grabbing every spare moment to do work on the house so we could move into it in early March. Running was very much fourth behind those three priorities. Easter at the end of March was a good break — and got some running in there.

23 March: 9.07 km Saltaire to Five Rise Locks and back (250th birthday of the locks. Grey day but nice to go and see the old lady getting some attention.)

29 March: 6.52 km in Paris

31 March: 7.87 in Paris

April (80.4 km — 12 runs)

More settled into the house. Still lots of DIY though (as there always will be).

22 April to 28 April: 6 runs notching up 40 km (A nice juicy week after the quiet start to the year.)

May (83.1 km — 11 runs)

Trying to get some consistency back into my routine, following up on April.

16 May: 5.95 km in London (Started tracking this late. Work stay over circuit from Aldgate.)

19 May: 21.79 km from Saltaire into Leeds (Ran along the canal from Saltaire to Leeds, got the train back. Fancied doing that for a few years.)

June (93.66 km — 12 runs)

Ticking along and two trips away, which means tourism running or whatever it is.

18 June: 5.03 km in Paris

22 June: 8.31 km in Dublin (Along the Liffey, across the 11 bridges possible!)

23 June: 10.02 km in Dublin (Sunday morning jaunt to Phoenix Park and back.)

30 June: 22.19 km from Saltaire to Rodley and back

July (7.7 km — 2 runs)

After completing the 22.19 km on the Sunday I promptly fell down the stairs. I wrecked my back enough I couldn’t move when laying down and had to be pulled out of bed by my partner while I bit down onto something. I could barely walk for a week and still in quite some pain. Two and half weeks later I felt it was OK enough to go for a jog in Bilbao but I tweaked my back and pulled my Achilles, which made walking round Bilbao more painful than it needed to be. (Although Bilbao is amazing and worth the pain.) I had about 5 weeks out before I started back with three weeks of just laps of Roberts Park.

This also meant I missed out on doing the Ilkley half marathon.

18 July: 5.81 km in Bilbao (I enjoyed being back running while I was, for this one off.)

August (86.1 km — 15 runs)

Lots of loops of Roberts Park as I try to ease my Achilles back into things.

29 August: 10.24 km in Saltaire (Longest distance I’d done for two months after the injuries.)

September (168.8 km — 23 runs)

Trying to run 100 miles in a month, raise some money, worry about my Achilles going again the whole time. Oh and a new job.

13 September: 11.05 km Saltaire to Bingley and back (13 days into September and already halfway to 100 miles for the month.)

21 September: 5.05 km at Lister Park park run (Roberts Park park run wasn’t on due to the Saltaire festival. Got the bus down, jogged back home afterwards.)

29 September: 13.31 km from Saltaire to past Crossflatts and back (Nudged me past 100 miles for the month.)

Ran 100 miles in September and raising £1400 for Cancer Research UK. I also took a selfie every day, God knows why.

October (68.9 km — 15 runs)

Taking it easy after September.

29 October: 5.02 km in London (Usual King’s Cross out to Camden circuit, which is always fun when you run round the canal at Camden and then leg it back to KX along Hampstead and Euston Roads.)

November (121 km — 17 runs)

Across November and December I tried to run 256 km to reach 1000 km for the year — and raise £260 and awareness for Trussell at the same time.

2 November: 4.93 km in Saltaire (First sub 5k in a while.)

10 November: Not a run but a walk, my last long walk with my long time companion Rosie. She died on Thursday 21 November.

December (146.9 km — 21 runs)

Entered the month a little behind schedule but nothing too difficult. I did 168 km in September remember. (When the days were longer...)

12 December: 11.37 km in London (Stay over for work, managed to get out to and around Hyde Park. One off the bucket list. See if I can tick offa few more Royals Parks.)

22 December: 5.59 km in Wirral (Weekend stay over, absolutely mental winds.)

27 December: 6.05 km in Prague

28 December: 8.13 km in Prague

29 December: 6.55 km in Prague

30 December: 13.28 km between Saltaire and Bingley (Pushed me past 1000 km for the year.)

General notes

Park runs I have an OK with/begrudgingly do relationship. Before this year I had done 5 park runs. In 2024 I tried to do some more, handy when there’s one at the bottom of your road. I did 9 at Roberts Park and 1 at Lister Park, 10 more overall. I’ve now done 15 park runs overall. I still have an OK with/begrudgingly do relationship. :-)

I ended the year on Metformin for my diabetes. After nearly three months I am still keeping an eye on how the drub affects me. Sometimes my legs cramp and/or tighten a lot more than they used to.

Overall

A year that was running on pause, ups, downs and then ups. Running 500 km in the last 4 months of the year was great fun and complimented by raising funds and awareness for two causes I believe in. 1000 km overall is good work amongst a very busy year personally.

This post is about running but walking is a key part of my day too, helps my legs and my mind. I miss you Rosie, my four legged companion in everything.

Things to do in 2025

Aiming to do 1000 km of running at least. 1200 km would be a lovely stretch goal. 1400 km would be amazing. So, running 100 km per month would be nice, thank you.

Tourism running/running tourism is v much my jam. Paris, Dublin, Bilbao, London, the Wirral and Prague were all joys to run round. It’s a good chance to scout things out for me and my fellow companions. It’s also a chance to see things the others don’t want to or have seen already. Not got any trips for 2025 booked yet. Should sort that.

Need to get my weight back down to between 82kg and 85kg. I keep saying it but it needs to happen.

Weekly stretches and body conditioning sessions!

Booked in the Ilkley half marathon on Sunday 13 July 2025 (was down to do it last year but coincided with my knackered back.) I should book onto a few more races.

My Hoka Mach 5s have about 500 km on them. Means I’ll need to get a new pair soonish. Stick with or go sideways back to Hoka Cliftons or look at those Asics Novablast thingies everyone has been going on about…

Do a monthly note about running every month. (Instead of doing one for the first few months and falling off the wagon.)

Keep enjoying running. I am always glad when I've got out there. (Which I will write about soon.)