“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done” – Thomas Jefferson

It’s important in any pursuit of a goal, business or personal, to review what you’re doing on a regular basis. Recognise what you’re doing well, what’s maybe not working quite so well and where you can improve, so that you remain on track. My January Review of my journey is here to do just that.

I’m going to hold my hands up here and say that while I do this with my clients, I haven’t been as strict with this on myself. My preference has usually been to look forwards at what I’ve still to do rather than look back but that’s where all the learning is.

If I’m going to do this properly then I need to change and this is just the start.

What is Project 3.0?

If you’re wondering what Project 3.0 is, it’s my personal goal to run a 3hr marathon, or quicker, at the Edinburgh Marathon on 28th May to try and claim a Good For Age place in the London Marathon. For more info, watch this video or you can read more about it here.

The Good

The first part of any training plan I create for my Personal Training or Running Coaching clients is to lay the foundations for future success. This means creating a structured routine, putting key sessions into place as well as preparing the body for what you’re about to do. It’s about building consistency and creating the habits that will lead you to your goals, including diet, sleep, mobility as well as the running sessions themselves.

The best bit has been remembering the positive difference marathon training makes to me in pretty much every aspect. I’ve always ran marathons in spring time and have always looked forward to the first Monday in January as training starts and nothing else seems to matter. I’d forgotten the focus that gives me on my business and helping my clients as well as the training for myself. 

January has gone very well, all sessions completed, some great progress made with my times at parkrun and I’m happy with what I’ve achieved. I’ve also just invested in a new pair of running shoes :)

New Shoes!

The Not So Good

There are always going to be things that you haven’t done so well with but these shouldn’t be considered as failures. You should embrace the things that haven’t worked out quite as well as you will learn much more from them than when things go right.

I haven’t been as good with fitting in my daily mobility sessions and also, I finished the month with an iron deficiency, which had an impact on my training. I’ve learned so much from the iron deficiency and will talk about that in another post. The lack of consistency in my mobility training has been down to not having downtime in the afternoons so that I have more energy for late afternoon and evenings.

Where I Can Improve

Making improvements is not always about trying to be more disciplined or putting more effort into what you’re already doing. In most cases, it’s about what you’re not doing or trying to find a better balance in your routine. 

For me, it’s about finding a better balance in my daily routine. I can be working early in the mornings and then again in the evenings so for me to be able to provide my best service for my clients, and also do my mobility sessions, I need to schedule in some downtime in the afternoons. I’m lucky in being able to have a break in the afternoons and so I like to have a nap. Just 20 minutes can make all the difference for me. 

The changes I’ve made to my diet as a result of the iron deficiency has also made a difference. I’d say my diet was already healthy but it’s been interesting that my body has been craving different things (more green veg for a start!) and less of what I was eating.

Ultimately, this is all a work in progress and so I’ll be able to see each week and at the end of February, how well the changes I’m making are working!

Over To You

How’s your month been in your pursuit of your goals? What have you done well? What’s not worked quite as well? What do you need to change in order to keep making progress and move closer to your goals?

You can follow my journey towards my goals with my daily videos here.