The world is paved with good intentions

So I woke up this morning with a spring in my step at 7am. Rare for a Saturday but you see today is quite an exciting day. Firstly because I’m not working, another Saturday rarity, and secondly because my friends and I have hired a canal barge for the day. So today will be my day off in all senses. I will drink and eat lots and have lots of fun. So my intention this morning was to go for a run to offset the crap I will consume later. 

I woke up and the sun is shining. Beautiful. The sky is clear and a lovely shade of blue. I thought this was perfect. I donned my running shoes and off I went. However, all was not well. Despite the sun blasting, it’s bloody freezing and this is so bad on my chest and ears that it hurts. I also did a gruelling glutes work out last night consisting:

• 60kg squats
• 50kg deadlifts
• 25kg glute bridges
• 39kg leg press

So as you can imagine there was pain everywhere. My original goal of a 5k was far out of sight. After 3k I had to stop. It had been nice view wise. I’d seen the sun highlight the church spire, some lovely flowers and just as I stop, SQUIRREL. So I feel a little bit guilty as I walk home writing this but why should I? I’ve just got up on a Saturday morning at 7am and ran 3k. Slightly faster than my usual too. 

So what I’m trying to say is don’t feel let down if you don’t meet your original intentions, you are human. And if you did anything at all, celebrate that!! Give yourself a pat on the back. 

Ps just as I finished this some homeless man greeted me ‘hi chubby.’ Cheeky man. 

  

🧳 UNPACKED

The Perfect Plan: This was The Gym Era when I had the best intentions. Woke up at 7am on a Saturday (rare!), had the day off (another rarity), canal barge hired with mates – exciting day ahead. Plan: run 5K to offset the drinking and eating I’d do later. The sun was shining, sky was blue, perfect conditions.

Reality Check: Freezing cold despite the sun – brutal on my chest and ears. Plus I’d done a gruelling glute workout the night before (60kg squats, 50kg deadlifts, 25kg glute bridges, 39kg leg press). Pain everywhere. Original 5K goal? Completely out of sight.

What Actually Happened: Ran 3K and had to stop. Lovely views though – sun highlighting the church spire, flowers, and just as I stopped… SQUIRREL (my enthusiasm for squirrels continues).

The Lesson: Felt guilty walking home. But why? I got up at 7am on a Saturday and ran 3K, slightly faster than usual. Don’t feel let down if you don’t meet your original intentions – you’re human. If you did anything at all, celebrate that! Give yourself a pat on the back.

Worth Knowing: Running the day after a heavy leg session is brutal – DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) is real. Cold weather genuinely makes chest issues worse for some people. And 3K is better than 0K. Perfect is the enemy of good enough.

Also, homeless men have opinions about everyone, apparently.