The Athlete

My mate and I both run parkrun. He's faster than me — comfortably, consistently faster. So when we started talking about making it competitive between us, the conversation lasted about three seconds. "What's the point? I'll win every week." He was right. And that bugged me.

Every so often I pull the data and take an honest look at what the last block of training actually produced. Not what it felt like — what the numbers say. Six months of structured dual-sport training, from mid-September 2025 through mid-March 2026, gives me enough to see the patterns, the progress, and the setbacks.