It's December 31st 2011. An enjoyable year is drawing to an end, and an exciting new one is about to commence. Within a week (if that), a large proportion of the excitement, hopes, dreams and goals will have fallen away, to be replaced by the comparative normality of existence. The year might be 2012, but nothing has ultimately changed - aside from an avoidable hangover anyway. The usual routine is resumed, and the status quo returns. Or does it?
Apparently, there is an alternative. It comes in the form of Janathon - a challenging and quite excruciating idea to run (or at least perform exercise) and blog daily. Any sensible person would ask "Why?", and being a particularly unsensible person I can offer the following reasons for giving this a try:
1: Unless struck down by another severe injury, I intend to run the 2012 London Marathon (preferably within 4 hours). A blog of my progress will provide a useful resource for both myself and any interested friends on my progress - as well as provide some reassurance when I'm too old to remember what it was like.
2: Aside from well-earned rest days, I do some form of exercise virtually every day already. Tenpin bowling, football (mainly goalkeeping), running and cricket keep me fairly fit and busy. Challenging myself to do something every day seems like a good idea right now...
3: As hinted above - it will keep the positivity entering 2012 very much in place (for the first month at least). Thirty-one days of improving my fitness and endurance, without overdoing it, can only be a good thing. Past experience has taught me how difficult it is to "get in shape" to start with, working my way up to a non-stop 5km run without shin splints, calf trouble or my lungs feeling like the air contains no oxygen. Now I'm back here, I intend to stay this way, and that's one of my goals for the year.
4: There's a sociable side to Janathon as well, with the idea of supporting fellow participants throughout the challenge. As I know of no other local runners in Enfield, and am not inclined to join a running club whose weekly sessions aren't compatible with my schedule (9am Sunday runs are not, and never will be, one of my annual goals!), I know only a handful of like-minded runners. By the end of January, if all goes to plan, I'll at least know of several more - and that'd be most welcome.
5: Lastly, but definitely most importantly: Helen told me to enter. :)
That's as good an explanation as anyone will get, and it's time to prepare for what lies ahead as the Earth continues to orbit the Sun once more. When I come back and read this some time in the future - it really did seem like a good idea.
