I’m a week away from turning thirty. I can’t say I’m too bothered about the prospect of it myself, but it does seem to bother everyone else. Ever since turning 29, I’ve been reminded constantly that “you’ll be 30 next year”, almost as if my life is due to end and I can forget about having any more fun or feeling young.
I don’t need to turn 30 to realise that weekend benders and nights out in big city nightclubs weren’t my idea of living ‘young and free’ like many people do in their twenties. If anything I’m excited to be turning 30. I know what direction I want my life to go in and I know exactly how I want to spend my free time. I very much expect the next 10 years of my life to be full of adventure and discovery, and that’s exciting to me.
One thing that’s not exciting, is how quietly I’ve been slipping away from that adventurous lifestyle I crave and into a comfortable life, usually full of takeaways, early nights and the occasional bottle of wine. If I want my 30s to be full of adventure then I need to ensure that I remain fit and healthy so I can do just that.
The past 2 years have been a big change in my life, moving job and moving house. Both have taken their toll and as life got messier and busier, my physical health got pushed to the side. As the months slipped by, my routine dropped off and I’ve reached the point in life where I am the most overweight and unfit I’ve ever been. Not exactly the grand start to my adventurous 30s I was hoping for.
So what better time to set myself some challenges to get my life in order over the next year. Between now and next year when I turn 31, I’m hoping to complete the following challenges I have set myself:
Lose 30KG – I’m an all-or-nothing guy. I need a big challenge to keep me on track, so here it is. A year to get back to the weight I was when I was comfortably off adventuring in my 20s.
Run 30 Parkruns – A 5k run used to be a staple of my weekly routine. A couple of times a week I’d be out my door before breakfast, and most weekends were spent at my local parkrun. I’ve barely been in the past 2 years though, so I want to get back into the habit of starting the weekend correctly.
A 30-Mile Ultramarathon – I’d hoped to do this for my 30th birthday, but I’ve not got it in me at the minute. At some point this year I want to tick off a 30-mile run to represent each year of my life.
Explore 30 Local Grid Squares – Inspired by Alastair Humphrey’s new book Local, I’m going to explore 30 of the 400-kilometre-wide grid squares that are outlined on my local OS Map, giving me plenty of opportunities for some local microadventures.
If you want to keep up with how I’ll be getting on with my challenges then you can follow me on Instagram or subscribe to my newsletter, where there will be a monthly update of my progress.
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