Almost unnoticed, I passed the 60% mark of my run from one tip of the UK to the other in early December. Today, a week from the anniversary of me starting my run, I’m about 10% further on. What can I say? Life has been hectic and binge watching 90s TV comedies doesn’t leave much time for anything else. Oh, yes, there was the little matter of a major choral concert and performing Christmas carols at the Peninsula Hotel yesterday.

I knew when I started this run that it would take me more than the prescribed year to finish it. Running 20 or so km a week, I was on course to complete it in April next year. I have, however, had a couple of health setbacks documented elsewhere, and had to scale back my running to accommodate those. 

I decided that I was wearing myself out with my longer runs so I downloaded the Apple Fitness+ app, with a view to trying their treadmill workouts. What a good idea this is, a different workout each time with challenges in both speed and incline. My current workouts might be only 30 minutes long – with a longer run to accommodate a Parkrun distance once a week – but they are smarter and I find myself covering 3.5 to 4km in 30 minutes. They are hard and I push myself but I am sure it’s a more efficient way of regaining and improving my fitness than long and dull slogs for an hour. Sadly, though, it means that it will take me until about June to complete this challenge. I had hoped to be waving to Eliza in Edinburgh about now but I’m going to stand on Hadrian’s Wall instead. Oh well.