It’s been a little while since I’ve written anything here.
Life has a habit of doing that. You can be riding a wave of momentum, building healthy routines and making steady progress, only for something unexpected to come along and knock everything slightly off course. Before you know it, the days turn into weeks, the training becomes less consistent, and even sitting down to write a blog post slips down the priority list.
That’s exactly where I’ve found myself recently.
This morning was my first parkrun in five weeks.
It was warm, the kind of morning where you know you’re going to have to work for every kilometre. I wasn’t sure what to expect after the break, but I was pleasantly surprised to finish only five seconds slower than my previous run on the same course. On paper, that’s hardly any difference at all.
A few months ago I’d probably have focused on those five seconds. Today, it felt much less important.
The real achievement was simply getting to the start line.
Even better, my brother was visiting and fancied giving parkrun a go, while my daughter has just started her summer holidays, so it became something we could enjoy together. After crossing the finish line we headed out for breakfast, sat outside in the sunshine and enjoyed a relaxed start to the weekend.
Moments like that are worth far more than a personal best.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that progress isn’t always measured by pace, power numbers or finishing times. Sometimes progress is showing up when motivation has been low. Sometimes it’s rebuilding routines after life has interrupted them. Sometimes it’s simply reminding yourself that you can still do it.
Looking back through previous posts on this blog reminded me of how far I’ve already come. Reading about rides that once felt impossible, milestones that seemed out of reach and goals that have since become normal is a useful reminder that progress rarely happens in a straight line.
It’s easy to look at where you are today and think you’ve gone backwards. It’s much harder—but much more valuable—to compare yourself with where you started.
So today’s lesson wasn’t about running faster.
It was about getting round.
It was about spending time with family.
It was about remembering that momentum can always be rebuilt, one run, one ride and one small step at a time.
And perhaps that’s exactly the reminder I needed.