2025 Not Quite Halfway Update

I’m writing because it has been a minute and I’ve got plenty buzzing in my head. The year is legging it past us and before I lose the motivation I want to dump a few wins, odd jobs and random moments on the page.

Running with purpose

Since January I’ve been glued to the Runna app. Previosuly, I'd roll out of bed, with a distance in mindand go easy or a little faster depending on how I felt. Fun, sure, but I was hardly progressing. Now that Runna has introduced structured intervals, tempo runs and long efforts I’ve already smashed my ten kilometre PB and missed my five kilometre time from 2017 by just two seconds. A "coach" prompting me along the way somehow makes me grin.

To keep the wheels turning I ditched my three day weight programme that left me sore for ages. One sharp gym hit each week gives me the stability I need without murdering my legs. Big thanks to the crerw at the Strength Syndicate for sorting me out. They’re such a good bunch!

A night back on the decks

March threw up the Lot 33 reunion at Hopscotch. I rolled in with a bag of USBs and Dave Norgate at my side and it felt like 2008 all over again. I spent way too long crate digging but the floor was packed, mates were everywhere and the buzz was unreal. Music still makes my heart flutter harder than a tempo run.

Work highs and lows

Work is a bit meh right now. Contract life can feel like hired muscle. Write user stories, push them out, next. The project, giving cash to nursing students on placement, genuinely matters, but shifting goals and lukewarm energy make it tough to stay fired up. I’m turning up, doing the job and keeping the radar on for work that sparks joy.

Family reconnections

March also delivered a long lost German cousin. Being tour guide round Canberra and the South Coast was both tiring and magical. We did all the fun stuff and despite her being 16, I think she had a really good time, I know my kids absolutely loved having her visit. It reminds me how good family is, even when there’s so much distance between us.

On the bedside table

I’m deep into running reads at the moment. So far this year I’ve gone through:

• What I Talk About When I Talk About Running — Haruki Murakami (second lap)read

• Wild — Cheryl Strayed

• In It for the Long Run — Damian Hall

• Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style — David Marx

• Me Talk Pretty One Day — David Sedaris

Right now I’m halfway through Running Home by Katie Arnold. Self help has lost its sparkle. Slipping into someone else’s world feels better than another list of rules I will never stick to.

What’s next?

I’ve got a few weeks left in this Runna block and I’m hunting a sub twenty two minute 5k. The Canberra Times Half Marathon in November is locked in so the base building starts now. I’ll keep digging for the next DJ gig, keep an eye out for work that lights me up and keep a spare chair for any wandering cousin.

Got a book recommendation, running or otherwise? Chuck it in the comments.