2022 here we come!!!

As we say goodbye to 2021 and welcome in 2022 I'm sure we'll all be silently praying that the coming year is somewhat better than the last 2. Covid is still hanging around like a very bad penny and is continuing to effect livelihoods, moods, travel and our social interaction. Just as we felt like we were coming out of the darkness it seemed covid wasnt quite done with us yet and it threw the new omicron mutation at us like a prize wrestler flinging mud at his opponent. (not sure why that image popped into my head). 2021 has been a tough year for us all and I really do have to stop and think back to the last year as it seems to have gone so quickly I feel i must have missed some of it.

Quick recap of my year (if I can remember). My first run of the year was with the awesome Mel wright (Challenge Life Fitness | Facebook)

That month there was lots of lovely snowy, muddy running. I capped it off with the 50 miles for Maggies where I was joined on 10 x 5 mile loops around the local area by local super stars. We raised about £400 for Maggies :-).

February was my 46 th birthday and I think by this time I was going a bit stir crazy....Nothing a good gin wouldn't sort out (thanks @virtualrunner )

March saw lots of allotment action and the building of some more pallet structures. It was super fun!

April was lots more allotment action (you can keep up with this via our FB page (1) Kerstine and Steves Allotment project | Facebook) and plenty more running. I bought my first pair of barefoot running sandals ( the Zaros - Minimalist running sandals – Panta Sandals) and launched myself into (mostly mud) lots of barefoot running. Its very tribal running in minimalist footwear and its something I've continued throughout this year; although I have been a bit of a Nancy and donned the old trainers to stop my feet freezing during the winter.

In May I had a wee trip up to Scotland to see the folks after a long time being prevented from crossing the border, I also caught up with my gorgeous pal Ginty and her hubby. Obviously this included some running and some hills .

When I returned home I was delighted to be able to see our newly converted Vivaro campervan. It was something we'd talked about for a while and the uncertainty around foreign travel gave us the final push to have it done. We both absolutely love it and had our first night away at the fantastic Tannenbaum Campsite - Derbyshire.

There was more allotmenting, more running and general spring shennanigans.

June and July sort of whistled past, my daughter left school and we started planting on the allotment. It was so exciting watching the little seeds poke through the soil and start to grow. Running wise I took on the baby Nomad, a 50 km run around Derbyshire and somehow managed to come first (think everyone else was on holiday) It was a great little event and there's maybe that little seed been sown to do the full 50 mile route. I still have the Derby Runner voucher burning a hole in my pocket!

July I took on the Trail Outlaw St Cuthberts Way ultra - 45 miles of brutal Northumberland Hills. I'm not sure I totally enjoyed it but I think I looked pretty cool!

We also joined a team of friends to do the Yorkshire 3 peaks which was an awesome (if not very hot!!) day. Who knew Phen-Y-Ghent was in Yorkshire (sounds Welsh to me ).

July was also my mums 70th birthday so they jetted down for a few celebrations. I was super proud to accompany my mum round her first ever park run at Beeston. She had started running using the C25k app in 2021 and had continued running regularly since then.

August saw lots more running and I completed my longest run in my sandals; 18 miles of the Belper Rover. I was nervous about tackling it in sandals but oved every second of it and apart from some dusty toe juice my feet felt great. I also managed to bag the first old bird runner spot (everyone was on holiday again) so I added my trophy to my (very tiny) medal haul of 2021.

We also had our first trip to Vegan camp out at the Newark showground. There were loads of interesting talks throughout the 2 days and an especially though provoking one from Chris Packham. It made us more determined to continue being vegan to do our bit for the animals and the planet. There was also an overwhelming choice of vegan food which was fantastic, although most of it was fast and processed.

At the start of September we took the van over to Anglesey so I could take part in the Firelighter ultra; Day 1 of the Ring of Fire . It was my first time running an ultra in my barefoot sandals so obviously I was a tad nervous. I (and my feet) survived although the pebbled beach sections were tough going. I bagged 3rd lady so another trophy to add to my cabinet.

September was also the month we joined Vegan Runners and its been great getting out and meeting fellow VR. Its a national club so on our travels we spotted the green and black all over the place. We also did our first long campervan trip to the outer Hebrides. It was a stunning trip and we both loved every second of it.(you can read about it here) We stopped on the way up at Inverness park run (which is now actually Torvean PR) as part of our Alphabeteer PR quest.

October saw us harvesting our crops from the allotment which was very rewarding. We headed back up to Scotland, to Edinburgh to do the Rat Race Tour of Edinburgh. It was a very grey day and I was glad when it was over.

Whilst in Edinburgh we managed to squeeze in Oriam park run for our 'O' and I was super excited to finally find that cupcake I had so been craving for. My daughter left home in October to start her new job as an au pair in France so the house became somewhat quieter. Steve's boys had also headed off to uni so it was a big change for everyone. My running took a bit of a back seat after Edinburgh as I irritated my ITB. Its crap being an injured runner but its even craper being an injured physio. I could still run short distances so in November I took part in some short XC events and a relay event with my running club.

I headed back up to Scotland (again) to take part in the Dava Way ultra with my best friend. We both knew we weren't race fit but decided to do it anyway and just enjoy the day. There was lots of laughter, a few tears, some galloping and a lovely day out. We never did get the 'net' downhill feel. Cocktails followed but it was fair to see we didn't party hard after.

2021 has been a tough year for us all and I really do have to stop and think back to the last year as it seems to have gone so quickly I feel i must have missed some of it. As I write this I'm just starting to get back into running again, I'm much slower than I was but I know I can get my speed back. I haven't got anything in the pipeline for 2022 so who knows what might catch my attention. 2022 holds lots of exciting times as we look to set up a campervan hire business and I'm hoping to reduce my working hours so I can commit more time to the allotment. I love it up there (when its warmer!) and its very good for the soul. In 2021 I lost a little bit of 'me' but as we head into 2022 I'm hoping to get some of that passion back. So here's to the New Year and what it may bring. I'm not going to look back, I'm looking forward to exciting times, new challenges and ditching the black cloud.

CHEERS.......