I always find that New Year brings around an air of optimism and positivity (maybe with the exception of the start of 2021!) that refreshes my outlook on life. As the new year approaches this time around, I feel this particularly strongly.

2021 has been a funny old year for everyone and for me personally, I have struggled for momentum in my training. Looking back, I think the uncertain start to the year (the UK started the year in a lockdown), along with increased and varied demands at work, set me off on a bad start. As the year progressed, things didn’t improve, despite my best efforts, and as the summer ended, I could call the year ‘stop-start’ at best.

Being a teacher, I benefit from two New Years per year. The start of the new academic year in September always brings about the same feelings of optimism and positivity as January 1st and in 2021 this was no different. I designed a new training programme, signed up to Peloton, started to track my calorie intake carefully and subsequently, everything looked brighter. There was something to be salvaged from 2021 after all…and that feeling lasted 3 weeks! Arriving back in work after a 6 week break, with no Covid restrictions whatsoever, the perfect storm was brewing. Our immune systems, which had been protected so carefully for 18 months were now fully exposed to germs which were flying all over the place. Sickness rates were at an all time high and I, like many succumb to a cold. This derailed me for a week or so, but I was determined for it not to knock me off course completely and I got back to training as soon as I’d recovered. That was a close call!

Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end there because in the middle of October, I tested positive for Covid. At that point I was double vaccinated and therefore didn’t suffer too badly. I experienced mild cold symptoms at worst, but of course had to isolate for 10 days which prevented me from even walking outdoors, nevermind running. Since then, I feel I’ve been limping towards the 2021 finish line . The effects of Covid have been worse for me after the illness than during. I have suffered from fatigue and cold symptoms at least once a week which last no longer than a day or two but have each disrupted my training both physically and psychologically for 2 months. On a positive note, I didn’t let the situation cause me any weight gain and I managed to control my diet well despite my lack of activity, but my activity levels have been at an all time low.

So, as we approach the end of the year, I am feeling like things are looking up. The start of 2022 looks like it will be less restricted than 2021, I am feeling refreshed thanks to a wonderful Christmas break, and I have the next phase of my training all planned out. One thing I always try to do is start the new year before the new year starts. By this, I mean that I like to start a new programme and get into new routines before January 1st so that I can hit the new year running. I feel that a new routine, programme, resolution or whatever it is you are aiming to achieve is under immense pressure if you start it on January 1st and the data suggests that most New Year resolutions don’t survive past the end of January. Therefore, I make any changes in the week before Christmas and New Year’s Day when I’m feeling rested and strong. This ensures I start strong and allows me to go into the new year with momentum already established.

I’ll be posting what I hope to achieve in 2022 in a new post later this week. In the meantime, what are your aims for the new year?