No, the title does not contain a typo.
I want to run next year’s Robin Hood Half-Marathon in 1 hour 7 minutes, and yes, I am still taking my medication.
1:07:57 was the time of the first-place finisher in this year’s event, and the time is so ridiculous that I think it might actually keep me focused.
I have had a goal of running a 20-minute 5K for a number of years and got absolutely nowhere near it.
So it would seem that I have absolutely no chance of getting anywhere near this time.
The one and only time I have run this distance was this same race, the Robin Hood Half-Marathon, back in 2009.
I was 26 then and in my absolute prime. I finished alongside a friend from work, and our time was 1hr 39 minutes — maybe 1hr 37 for the chip time.
So now, about 15kg heavier and 18 years older, I would have to run it roughly half an hour quicker than my prime time. I am surely being very stupid setting this target.
The truth is, I am finally bored of playing it safe and being scared of stressing my body.
I have mostly tried to run slow and steady for the past three or four years, and I haven’t progressed at all.
I’m in a lot better place mentally and finally feel like I have the energy to up my game.
Hopefully, challenging myself physically will also help my mental health, and I can get myself back into shape.
The good news is that we are one week out from the 2026 Robin Hood Half-Marathon, so I have exactly 51 weeks to train for this race.
I am not going to be stupid and start with ridiculously high-mileage weeks or smash loads of 95% efforts here, there and everywhere.
But I will be looking to increase my speed and mileage consistently.
I am actually going to be using ChatGPT to guide me in my training. I’ve found this robot surprisingly useful for helping me make decisions and expanding on my thoughts and ideas.
Today is Day 1 of 357 days, and it’s a nice and steady 6K for me.
I would normally do 5K, but I’m going to kick things off with 6K to put me in the right mindset of looking to achieve a little bit more each time I run.
Whether that is distance, speed or time spent running, I will always aim to make some improvement.
I’ve been hugely inspired by Josh Kerr this year and his bold claim that he was going to break the mile record, which he then, of course, went on to do.
Sometimes we need to make bold claims and risk looking stupid to achieve something great.
I know that to get anywhere close to this time, I will need to leave no stone unturned.
My diet will have to be strict, my weight will need to come down drastically, and I will need to spend hours and hours training.
I actually like the absurdity of it all.
Running was the one thing that came naturally to me as a child. It was probably what made me seem better than I was at various sports.
In other sports, where you needed to be part of a team and be confident enough to put yourself in the spotlight, running was all about you and just being determined.
Running feels like an escape for me, compared with most things.
Of course, at the grand old age of 43, soon to be 44, recovering well from my training is going to be paramount.
I’m looking forward to lots of saunas, stretching sessions, swimming, and various equipment and products that might help make my body recover more quickly from the training.
Hopefully, I will find some time to write about my progress and experiences on here.
Wish me luck.
Because fuck me, am I going to need it.
