Run note for March 2026

Previous run note: January and February 2026

March summary

• 31 days: 22 days running, 9 days off.
• 170.32 km. Target: 170 km.
• Average of 7.74 km per run / 5.49 km per day.
• Average of 38.9 km per week.
• Year to date: 381.4 km.

Notes

Target was 170 km, landed on 170.32 km. The planning worked — rough month plan, then take if week by week with a little thought looking ahead every Sunday. January and February both finished at exactly 106 km each with no real design whatsoever, so the contrast is worth noting: this time it was on purpose.

March was a month of running in places. Three trips to London in the first two weeks, Seville in the third. The away runs were, without exception, the best of the month:

• Shoreditch, 3 March: a Gorillaz art hunt, plotting a route to find street art put up ahead of the Mountain Tour
• Brixton, 8 March: a Sunday morning loop around Brockwell Park, easy 5 km, good park, good city
• Shoreditch, 12 and 13 March: two morning runs down to the Thames and back — 8.33 km and 7.14 km — doing London on foot before the working day started
• Canal, 14 March: just short of 10 km, and a chance encounter with a fellow Grimsby fan training for the London marathon. As you do.
• Seville, 20 and 21 March: two runs along the Guadalquivir — 5.01 km and 8.01 km — flat, warm, good light, the city on one side and the river ahead

There are few better ways to get to know a city than running along its river. There's a list forming. The contrast with the home runs is stark — the vast majority of those were the familiar plod out from Saltaire to Bingley and back. It's a good route. It's also the same route. Something to fix in April.

Good to get a run in before I gave blood on 10 March — and before the obligatory 24 hours off exercise that follows a donation.

Best week was w/c 23 March at 46.75 km, the week after Seville, straight back into it. Longest run was Saturday 28 March — out to Bingley to do the parkrun, then back, 15.17 km. Nice to use parkrun as a destination rather than just showing up at it.

The knee is better. Been nursing it since December and it genuinely turned a corner in the last ten days of the month. Achilles quiet too.

On the diabetes front: a foot check-up confirmed the loss of sensation is most likely an old joint issue near the base of the big toe rather than anything more T2-related. The HbA1c is sitting at 51 mmol/mol — just above the 48 threshold, but heading the right way. Running, weight management and watching the carbs are the levers. Keep pulling them.

Weight at 87.5 kg. Flat on where the month started, down from the new year but the pace has slowed. Something to keep chipping away at. The early alarms: not 6:15 (which turned out to feel too brutal) but most runs were out the door by 6:50. That's a workable rhythm. Getting out before the day has other ideas remains the key.

Continual thought: If I didn't run would both my weight and diabetes numbers be worse? Am I just running to keep them steady? 🤷🏻‍♂️

The gym: went once, found the rowers had been claimed by a class, went to Asda instead. That's the full story. Home-based approach in April.

A steady month. Some planning and focus helped. Not flashy, just functional — and the target got hit almost exactly.

Versus annual targets

The 1,800 km was always ambitious. 1,600 km is still possible if April and May are strong. 1,400 km looks comfortable.

Goals for April

• 31 days, targeting 180 to 200 km. (So, 45 km a week)
• Keep the morning run habit. 6:45-ish is working. Build on it.
• At least one run of 15 km+ per week in the second half of the month.
• More city runs if possible. (Must be a London trip due...)
• Sort out the gym situation — something home-based that doesn't depend on a class not having booked the rowers first!
• Weight: 86 kg by end of April.
• Keep being careful with the knee as the distance builds. It's improving — don't undo it.
• Might need to invest in a new pair of running shoes: the Asics Novablasts and the Hoka Challengers might have just another month in them.