September

[El Gordo]

Crikey, we're ten days into a new month and I'm just about to post in 'August'. Fitting, I suppose, as my running life has taken a back seat since we turned away from summer towards autumn.

I don't know about you, but I welcome this change of season. The cooler mornings, the damp, soft turf, all conducive to an increase in training. Or, in my case, another re-start. The treadmill sessions in Hong Kong did little to stem the flow of late-night, beer-fuelled socialising. Now the hard work must start. I've set some targets for myself, some I'll be making public, others to be revealed along the way. Right now it's about building base fitness and weight loss.

Landing at Heathrow in the wee small hours of Sunday, I rushed home to a series of warm welcomes. None warmer than that presented by my dogs who, it's fair to say, have missed my running as much as I have. Without further ado we hit the hills. A short while later we returned, breathless, sweaty and, for my part at least, knackered. After a quick shower and an extensive Full English courtesy of my son Jake, I took off for the sun-baked wilds of Beckenham to cheer on the Fabulous Rookettes. You can see how that unfolded here.

This morning, under grey skies heavy with the promise of rain, I set off on a slightly longer quest. It took the best part of an hour to chug up to Blackcap and back, yet I truly enjoyed the journey. And this will be a journey, a journey back to fitness, towards Almeria, Brighton and beyond.

Well, yes ... and here we are again.

Good man.

My own revival has been strolling along rather than sprinting, but there has been momentum at least. Agree that autumn is a great season. Have tried running 2 or 3 times over the past month or so but hated the humidity here. Went for a walk this morning and suddenly felt that start of autumn thing that is so welcome -- even if it signals the end of summer. I've been enjoying some good Sunday walks instead and one or two gym visits per week. Not exactly setting the treadmill alight but at just enough to keep the weight off, without actually losing more.

Tomorrow we are off for a couple of days in the Black Forest. Didn't realise until this afternoon it's barely an hour or two from here by car. Apparently has more Michelin stars per square km than anywhere else in Europe, and "is noted for hearty beer drinking".

Oh well. [[forced sigh]]

BTW the Storify link didn't work on Twitter, so thanks for repeating here. Although, if I'm frank, it's... er, but I'm not frank. :=))