Challenge completed! When I first started thinking about running longer than a 5k, after graduating Couch to 5k, I signed up to run the London Landmarks Half Marathon that would have been happening today.

Back then I'd started running a couple of 10ks and decided to put a challenge in my diary on an important weekend.

Reaching 42 having just run 10 half marathons in as many weeks when last year at 41 I could barely run a few metres without needing to stop feels like a huge accomplishment today.

The race was called off, but I was impressed that the organisers pivoted to offering a local "run where you live" challenge instead.

So I went out today and ran around near some of my favourite local places. The William Blake mural (which is an amazingly ugly thing, but celebrates a wonderful local hero), the Horniman Museum, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Peckham Rye, the cemetery and a few other places.

It was blustery, so not my fastest pace by any means. Plus I think when you're doing an actual race, you have a bit of extra boost in the legs! Thankfully folks were generally being sensible - they must have mostly got the message by now about the 2 metre rule. And I ran in the road to get around folks, so not even the slightest chance of contact with anyone.

It feels good to be celebrating another year having made such a big change to my life. I'm fitter, lighter, stronger, more focused, and even if the world has some horrible things going on in it at the moment, all of those self-improvements will hopefully enable me to make a useful contribution to fixing some of them.

To top it off, I've now run 500km since the start of the year, and completed the Strava monthly running distance challenge for the first time!

Thanks for your encouragement everyone. I really appreciate it. Even if it's just the occasional thumbs-up on one of my posts it helps me know that folks are following along and keeps me sticking to the running regime.

Cheers to all of you!