I am still trying to nail all my 2022 goals (see further below) but am also adding the following:

Walk my kids to school once a week, and litter pick on the way home

Sounds easy, the school is only 1.2 miles away. Sometimes it is easy, like in summer. But I want to do it at least once a week, all year. In winter it can be tough. We walked in one day last month, the (unforecast) rain came chucking down when we were half way there. Jim and El got absolutely soaked. The teachers felt so sorry for them they changed them into dry trousers.

I will try to pick my days through winter. But we can’t wait for the storm to pass, we need to dance in the rain. The weather is only going to get more extreme. In a country where we spend 90% of our lives inside, being outdoors and moving is the best thing for body and mind. Also saves a tiny bit of carbon emissions.

Litter picking is giving back, makes me feel good, and hopefully the motorists that pass will see that someone gives a shit. And that might help them give a shit also.

Buy a piano and play it

Love playing the piano. Just another one of my many, many talents. Haven’t had one for years. We don’t really have the space. But they are going really cheap, and I think they are beautiful. Their warm, full sound cannot be replicated on a keyboard. This year, every evening we will sojourn into the dining room and sing together round the piano (we won’t do that, we don’t have a dining room).

Run London and Valencia Marathons

Taking trains to both.

Read More Fiction

Last year I read 40+ books, I’m quite happy with that. I didn’t have to force anything, it was just a joy. But this year I am going to commit to more fiction, every other book. There is evidence to suggest fiction is incredibly good at firing up and maintaining our creative brains. Which helps with problem solving and imagination and loads of good stuff.

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Below is a list of my 2022 goals and a reflection on how they went…

No flights ✈️

We took one internal flight from Toulouse to Paris. We were on our way home from holiday in France, missed a train, the next available seats were several days away, several thousand pounds, and we would miss my best friend’s wedding. I messed up. There were tears. Will do better this year.

Move to a bank that doesn’t invest in fossil fuels 💸

I’ve deliberated over saying this publicly, but I’ve found Triodos to have been infuriating. I have spent a year trying to get an account with them and it’s been a joke. I am still trying. But there doesn’t seem to be another viable option. Maybe they are not big enough to cope with demand, which isn’t a good business plan. We need to divest. We want to divest. But it’s not easy to do.

Switch to renewable energy provider 🌬️🌊🌤️

We were with a renewable energy provider, Pure Planet, they went bust. We were transferred automatically to Shell Energy. We tried to move to another renewable energy provider. They told us they were not accepting new customers, then went bust. So we are still with Shell. Will try again.

Zero purchase of aerosol cans and plastic bottles 🍼

Did better than expected. Stopped buying any plastic bottles or aerosol completely. All our household stuff like dishwashing, laundry, shampoo etc, is in soap bars or topped up at local pharmacy. Two digressions; I had to buy little bottles of Fruit Shoot to put my energy drinks into for Wrexham Marathon. Also, while we were rushing to catch the plane that we weren’t supposed to be on, I bought drinks from a vending machine. We had all been running kilometers at top speed through the airport and had thrown our reusable bottles into the liquid bins – thirst, panic.

Write one letter/email a week requesting more action towards tackling the Climate Crisis ✉️

I’ve done terribly at this. Wrote about 4 letters to my MP, felt a bit sorry for her, but couldn’t think who else to write to. Tried to fill in a petition every week, did some tweeting, but it’s not the same is it.

Max 300g of meat a week 🍖

Have cut down massively on meat consumption. Not sure whether I have stayed inside 300g every week. But definitely 2022 was the least meat I have ever eaten in a year, by far. Will try to do better in 2023. I still feel like red meat has medicinal benefits. If I am extremely fatigued, achy from training or racing, nothing seems to help me more than steak. We buy very expensive, organic, local. And have done this around once every 2 months.

Encourage runners to staycation, race and train here in the UK 🤸‍♂️

Feel like I have done well on this front. A documentary about my Winter Paddy Buckley adventure (Snowdonia) was released in 2022, the stunning scenery is captured brilliantly, hopefully inspiring people to stay local. I also did a recce of the Denis Rankin round in the Mourne Mountains (Northern Ireland), we went by ferry.

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Favourite Stuff Of The Year

Movie

Yes I know I’m a massive hypocrite enjoying a gasoline guzzling movie like this. But still the most fun movie I’ve seen in ages. Of all the the crazy impossible shit that happens, the thing that strikes me as most unbelievable, is when Maverick puts his phone on the bar, which is forbidden, so a bell is rung and he has to buy a round for everyone in the pub. Ridiculous. It would cost a fortune.

Song

Book

Obviously this didn’t come out in 2022, but that’s when I read it.

Series