RED January 2023 Review

Well RED January is over again. I quite like to look back and reflect on how I coped and what I achieved.

My efforts

Date	Distance	Time	Notes
1 Jan 2023	5.10km	30.03min	Got wet, felt good
2 Jan 2023	5.74km	33.48min	New shoes rubbed
3 Jan 2023	3.25km	20.07min	Rain started half way round, got wet
4 Jan 2023	3.66km	23.49min	Bleugh
5 Jan 2023	3.29km	20.57min	Less bleugh
6 Jan 2023	11.01km	1h09.37min	Massive puddle avoidance
7 Jan 2023	3.26km	19.29min	New shoes better, but muddy
8 Jan 2023	3.82km	21.21min	Nothing special
9 Jan 2023	4.52km	27.26min	Different puddle, not avoided, sodden feet
10 Jan 2023	3.25km	19.45min	Muddy feet again
11 Jan 2023	5.14km	31.47min	Blue skies
12 Jan 2023	3.82km	20.52min	Feeling good
13 Jan 2023	11.45km	1h08.23min	Fast 5km, then flood, then shoes sore again
14 Jan 2023	3.67km	21.11min	Different news shoes, Brooks FTW!
15 Jan 2023	3.15km	19.20min	Early and short before rugby
16 Jan 2023	4.30km	26.12min	Rebellious legs
17 Jan 2023	3.28km	20.01min	Getting colder
18 Jan 2023	6.03km	37.44min	Snow!
19 Jan 2023	3.27km	20.56min	More snow
20 Jan 2023	14.41km	1h34.18min	Still snowy, didn’t fall over
21 Jan 2023	4.03km	22.31min	Snow gone, still cold
22 Jan 2023	6.32km	35.52min	Beautiful sunrise
23 Jan 2023	3.29km	19.50min	First daffodil
24 Jan 2023	3.65km	20.51min	Getting faster
25 Jan 2023	4.34km	24.16min	Zoomie! and a PB segment
26 Jan 2023	6.05km	36.29min	Measuring distances by telegraph poles to motivate myself
27 Jan 2023	11.27km	1h25.33min	Big hill, very foggy, then glorious
28 Jan 2023	3.24km	18.25min	Speedy again
29 Jan 2023	10.06km	1h04min	Eyes on the prize for metres climbed in January
30 Jan 2023	3.30km	20.43min	Climbing challenge achieved
31 Jan 2023	3.82km	22.54min	Done!
TOTAL	166.9km	18hours	2066m climbed, total distance includes a NYD walk.

How it felt

Hmm I don’t think I paid quite as much attention to how it was going or feeling this year compared to last year. In 2022, I was fighting fit when I started RED January, so it was all about clocking the miles and getting even fitter. This year, it was all about just getting out there every day. Sure I wanted to hit 100km, but that was my only real goal. I just wanted to not get sick again and to feel like recovery was in sight. Large boy got a cold the last Friday of the month, so I spent a worried few days thinking I was sure to catch it too. Sometime in the final week I checked my progress on Strava challenges and realised that a run up our big hill and another decent climb would take me over the 2000m mark, which is almost unheard of for me. I knew I wouldn’t get to the 200km distance this year, so the climbing got my focus those last few days.

The really key thing about RED January for me is that it keeps me busy, focused, and full of endorphins as we slide towards January 31st – the anniversary of baby boy3 being born. I always do a long run as close to that date as I can, or else a big challenge run. Last year I managed 23km. This year I settled for a climb up the big hill near us on Friday 27th. It was foggy, and I took some time to reflect on grief. RED January and Mind in Sport are all about keeping our mental health from being overwhelmed by our troubles, through exercise. It certainly serves that purpose for me.

If you’d like to see some pictures from my runs over January 2023, pop by Instagram:

Smelly Socks Highlights: RED January 2023