Motivation zero, I need to remind myself that it’s less than a year since my last Great North Run. This year, post-covid, I’ve completely lost my confidence for outdoor running. Its solitude and rhythm was my headspace, my thinking time. I miss it, and need to find my way back into the habit. It’s not the same, but I’ve joined the gym again. It’s where my running began, two decades ago. It’s where I convinced myself that, if I could manage twenty minutes on a cross-trainer, I could easily run a half marathon. I soon discovered it wasn’t easy, but it was addictive.

Getting back to the gym has had other benefits too. With a carefully planned route and newly acquired panniers to carry my kit, I’ve blown the cobwebs off my bike. It’s been exhilarating, but I’ll always be a fair weather cyclist. I’m probably a fair weather swimmer too. On a sunny August evening, with the tide coming in over warm sand, conditions were perfect for my annual North Sea dip with daughter. Her access to the beach and sea is enviable. This far from the coast, a pool’s the easiest option. That’s what enticed me back to the gym, so I was sad to get a text reporting that the pool is closed this week. I’ll be back as soon as it re-opens.  

‘Will you be doing a triathlon next?’ asked a friend, who’s never observed my head out of the water swimming style. With a recent yougov survey suggesting that a whopping 27% of us reckon we could qualify for the 2028 Olympics if we began training today, it might be a dream for some. Thisgranny has no such ambition. It’s a very definite no. I know my limits, I might get back to parkrun, but I won’t be training for a triathlon.