Losing My Connection With Running | 2025 Goals

This year has crept up on me, especially when it comes to my running. By mid-September most years, my race calendar would already be set in stone. But here we are, January 10th, and I still don’t really know what the year ahead holds. Well, except for one thing: I’ll be finishing my first 100 mile ultramarathon.

2024 saw me fail twice in the distance, a double kick to the confidence testicles. The first one I didn’t even start; the Thames Path 100. After three weeks in Kenya running with the elites, I picked up a nasty foot infection. No question about it—I couldn’t run 10 miles, let alone 100. The second failure came later in the year, and I felt confident in the lead-up. But then, with a month to go, my mental health and life veered off course. I lost the drive to run but stubbornly clung to the challenge, convincing myself I still had the strength.

I was wrong.

Like Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption my mental health had been chipping my strength away silently at night and scattering the remains of it around my life without me even noticing. By mile 3, I was already beaten. I made it to mile 38 before calling it a day.

But here’s the thing: I got back up.

Three weeks later, I ran Marathon Eryri in October. I started that race with a smile, and that smile didn’t fade the entire way. It was liberating. Something had shifted. In just three weeks, I felt like a new person—a new runner. I was me again. For the first time in far too long, I felt like I was steering the rudder of my life.

So why didn’t that spur me on to start preparing for 2025’s races?

Well, I had something massive lined up for March—something life-changing. But when I couldn’t afford it (I promise I’ll explain all about this one day), I had to postpone. That left a gaping hole in my year—and my confidence. Once again, I felt like I was backing down from a challenge.

But this time, it was different.

After a few weeks of moping, I’ve finally come out the other side. The races aren’t booked yet, but I know what this year will hold:

Running my 50th marathon and my first 100-miler.

In my tenth year as a runner, it’s time to rediscover why I run. The medals will look great hanging on my shelf, but the real prize will be reconnecting with the sport I love again.

What are your goals for the year ahead? Let me know in the comments below.

Bye for now pal ✌🏻