January 2026 Running Log

Tough run. Midday heat, I'm still feeling a bit sick, and my running form has gone to hell in an F45 handbasket. The run was on the Mt. Ainslie Park Run course—familiar terrain, but nothing feels easy when you're moving like a geriatric giraffe learning to walk for the first time.

The combination of high resistance training volume and minimal recent running is showing up exactly where you'd expect: quad soreness, tight hips, and a gait that probably looked more like aggressive hiking than actual running. Add 27°C direct sun and a light breeze that did absolutely nothing useful, and you've got a recipe for questioning your entire training philosophy.

But the run got done. That's what matters in Week 1. Not pretty, not fast, not comfortable—just done. Form will come back. Fitness will build. The heat will eventually relent (this is Canberra, after all). For now, it's about putting in the work and documenting the reality: some runs feel great, most feel mediocre, and a few feel like this one.

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Much better running conditions—0530, not hot, no wind. This is what Canberra summer mornings should be: crisp, quiet, and completely empty of sensible people who are still in bed where they belong. I chose to do laps of the "Ken's Chair" loop because of the climb, drop, climb sequence. Good hill work without needing to drive anywhere, which matters when you're trying to get out the door before the sun comes up.

Both hamstrings were tight at the start—the kind of tightness that makes you wonder if this run is going to be a short one. But they loosened up by the second kilometer, which is the standard pattern when you're getting back into running after prioritizing strength work. The body remembers how to do this, it just needs a few minutes to figure out what's happening.

While form isn't "back" per se, it's much better than Monday's disaster. Less quad-dominant, more natural cadence, fewer moments of wondering if I've forgotten how to run entirely. Progress exists, even when it's incremental and unimpressive. The goal right now isn't to run well—it's to run consistently and let the fitness rebuild itself over time.

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