It was cold one today.

Also had a bit of a drama. 2 miles in and a little check of my mileage on the Garmin…

Flat battery. I had checked before I left, it was about 40% so not sure what is going on with the watch.

So I tracked the second half of the run using Strava on the phone. It was 4.38 miles overall.

Totals:

Runs = 4

Mileage = 15.85

It was the first night run of the month and, more importantly, the inaugural outing of the new headtorch.

The run. That went well. A slightly extended loop of the village. It was cold, especially the last mile or so.

4.35 miles. 42 mins.

Strava’s Athlete Intelligence had this to say:

Steady Janathon run with consistent Active Recovery pace, maintaining heart rate in moderate zone during a dark evening workout.

As for the headtorch. Outstanding.

Totals:

Runs = 3

Mileage = 11.47

8 am run, chilly start and bit of sleet around.

The trainers I run in are a pair of Altra Escalante 3 – reasonably new – I’ve run in Altra for ages – they are vegan and have a roomy toe box and are zero drop. But when I run when the roads are wet I get wet toes really quickly! I don’t mean it is chucking down and I’m running through puddles, just that the surface is damp. This morning was one of those days – within 200 yds I had cold and wet feet. Not ideal. It’s never happened before – I think I need to email Altra with my feedback.

‘Ali on the Run’ – the latest running podcast tried and never to be listened to again. An over enthusiastic American shouting at me! So I once again abandoned and stuck on some music.

Better get to the actual run…

3.84 miles. 36 mins.

Strava also have this new ‘Athlete Intelligence’ feature where presumably they use AI to give you a bit of feedback, this was today’s feedback:

Steady winter run with consistent pace, mostly in active and endurance zones, keeping effort low during Janathon challenge.

Day 2. Done.

Totals:

Runs = 2

Mileage = 7.12

I’ve lost count how many times I have attempted to run every day of January.

In the beginning the idea was to run and then blog about it. Over the years it has gone through various changes and adaptations, but essentially you do some sort of exercise, and then blog, facebook, Twitter/X, Threads, or Instagram it.

I think I’ve been doing it for the last ten years. I’ve had a mixture of successes and failures, sometimes it’s been running every day, sometimes just daily exercise.

Last year was a complete success, 31 runs in 31 days.

So this year we go again. The aim is 31 runs in 31 days, with the added challenge of beating last year’s distance of 123 miles.

Wish me luck.

Following on from 2023 where we attended at least one gig a month, we decided on a monthly trip to the cinema to watch a movie. Here are all the ups and downs, including a rather ridiculous rating out of ten.

January

The Holdovers

For the first film of the year we headed to Cinema City in Norwich for The Holdovers. A teacher in an American boarding school is tasked with looking after five students left on campus during the Christmas break.

6.5/10 – a feel good Christmas movie

February

American Fiction

Another visit to Cinema City for American Fiction. An African-American novelist writes an outrageously satirical ‘black’ novel only for it to be mistaken as serious literature and become a success.

6/10 – reasonably good film, great ending

March

Wicked Little Letters

Another visit to Cinema City for what ended up being the joint best film of the year. Based on a real-life 1920s event, the investigation into hilariously rude insulting letters written to residents of a small town.

8/10 – great acting and very funny

April

Back to Black

Biographical drama based on Amy Winehouse, again Cinema City. Was expecting lots from this, didn’t get it. Film was ok, but not really much of a narrative. Considering all the hype surrounding her – it didn’t approach the stuff you wanted.

5/10 – underwhelming

May

The Fall Guy

This was one of those slow movie months. Nothing else on, so The Fall Guy it was. Wasn’t expecting much, got even less.

3/10 – worst movie of the year

June

Full Metal Jacket

The only film that wasn’t an actual new release. A classic. Cinema City. This film has stood the test of time.

N/A – it’s impossible to rate a classic against new releases

July

Twisters

The first visit to the Odeon in Norwich. Apparently this isn’t a remake of the original 1996 Twister, although it could well have been. This was a pretty stereotypical twister movie, if they exist, chase a twister, nearly die, run away from a twister, and repeat.

5.5/10 – watchable, but pretty poor

August

Alien: Romulus

Second visit to the Odeon. An Alien movie. Not as good as the other Alien movies. Doesn’t give you anything that the Alien movies haven’t already given you.

4/10 – doesn’t live up to the hype

September

Lee

A visit to Cinema City to watch this fantastic film. The joint best film of the year. The story of Lee Miller, photographer by and war correspondent during WWII. Very interesting story and Kate Winslet at her best.

8/10 – brilliant

October

The Outrun

Last visit to Cinema City of the year. Set in Scotland’s Orkney Islands, it follows Rona a former alcoholic who returns to her home to find herself. Loved this.

7.5/10 – powerful

November

Conclave

A visit to the Odeon in Norwich. A thriller based on a novel that explores the most secretive and ancient events – the selection of a new Pope. Slow in places, but overall an interesting watch.

7/10 – interesting and watchable

December

Gladiator II

For the final film of the year we visited the Odeon. It was also a month that was full of Christmas movies, Wicked and Paddington, so it was a struggle to find a film we fancied. Reluctantly we settled on Gladiator II. It was indeed a Gladiator movie, lots of fighting and lots of blood. As expected.

5/10 – it was a Gladiator movie

All in all, the challenge to visit the cinema once a month was a total success. 12 visits. Saw some good films, some poor films, and a load in between.