My year in sport 2022

A beautiful year 2022 which ends in beauty, the opportunity to summarize the last 12 months.

Story

January

Good start with my first run the January 1st. This year, even if it's starting to become a habit, New Year's Eve was calm. My wife is pregnant and we spent the last evening of 2021 playing board games at home.

I'm not in great shape at the start of the year. My adductors did not appreciate the Foot Five session just before Christmas.

After 4 runs and 42 km in January, I feel that I need to rest from running. I start cycling again because a new project is coming.

Mid-January I take my bike to the Netherlands and go down to the Belgian Ardennes in bikepacking during 6 days. I ride 3 days in the Netherlands sleeping between each stage with friends or family, then I sleep in hotels in Belgium. It is very cold and the last day I ride on snow and ice. I slip in the descent of a pass but the sores remain light.

Février

I stop cycling for a while. I resume running gradually with less than 10 kilometers runs but I lost the rhythm.

Mars

March 1, I discover that all the metal parts are completely rusty. I rode my last day in Belgium on snow and icy roads that had been salted to not be frozen. The salt has rusted my bike. I wasn't aware that salt could damage my bike so much. I decide to disassemble it completely, something I had never done before, to scrub and clean each part. Then I take advantage that it is like new to sell it on Biked.

Mid-March, my fitness is better. I can go a little further from home and run on my favorite trails again.

For the first time this year, I reach my monthly mileage goal: 100 kilometers of running. Hope it lasts.

Avril

Following the sale of my road bike, I buy a gravel bike.

Spring is here and the flowers are starting to bloom. It's nice to see nature regaining color.

I rediscover the pleasure of running and take the opportunity to make great outings before the birth of twins. Another month where I exceed 100 km. I find a little regularity but I still feel that I pushed too much. I slow down a bit.

Mai

After a week of rest, I am attacking the month of May with three great runs in five days. I know that the month of May is going to be cut off by a few weeks with the birth of the twins and I would like not to lose too much fitness.

After 11 days in the maternity ward, it's nice to get back to training.

Few days later I'm celebrating my 32nd birthday and I'm delighted to be able to run a nice 15 kilometer runniversary.

I end the month by being regular and I manage to complete my monthly 100 kilometer challenge.

Juin

I success to run 3 times a week despite the short nights and the fatigue that accumulates.

Juillet

We are moving to Léguevin after almost 2 years in Dordogne. We are getting closer to Toulouse to facilitate the medical follow-up of one of the boys but without being too far from nature. This criterion was essential for me and we live 2 kilometers from the Bouconne forest while having a path to get there at the end of the district.

I'm rescuing a sparrowhawk that got its legs tangled in a tree and got stuck. Following this good deed, I know that the animals of the forest are watching over me.

I enjoy exploring the forest, trying to take new paths on each run.

Août

I use my gravel to explore the forest.

At the end of August, I'm going to Corsica for 4 days with my new company. We are far from the trails but I still take advantage of the maritime air to take a short run in the fresh air.

Septembre

In September I'm cycling again now that the boys are 4 months old and remain relatively calm for a few hours. I discover the magnificent roads of the Gers.

I run very early in the morning to try to impact family life as little as possible. I take this opportunity to try light painting. It's cold and I need to wear windbreaker, gloves and bonnet. The sensations are really different during the night with the headlamp. I am more alert to noises and regularly come across deer, wild boar and even a badger.

I have the opportunity to run with Daisy again. A first for many months, she is delighted!

By chance, I regularly return at dusk or sunrise and take advantage of these magnificent skies.

Octobre

The sun rises later and later but I now have all my night habits.

I take the opportunity to ride a bike at night. We have a meal planned for Sunday noon 150 kilometers from home. I leave at 4am to arrive on time.

At the end of October, I do a little ankle twist by taking more technical trails with ruts. In the night, it does not forgive. During the day I feel pain. Sprain but no swelling. I expect next Monday before running again and I see how it evolves. In the meantime, it doesn't bother me too much on a bike

Novembre

November 01, I register for the 300 km of the Race Accross France which will take place on June 30, 2023. The start will be given at 8 p.m. and we will have 24 hours to reach the end. I already have the equipment to ride at night and transport my belongings. I need to train and ride a lot to get my body used to long distances because I have never covered more than 160 kilometers.

On November 16, 3 days of seminars are organized with my company in Moissac. We have to be there at 9 a.m. but I still decide to go there by bike. I leave home at 4:30 again. Second test of the equipment at night. This time I mount the luggage rack on the bike to carry more stuff. The road is calm, I enjoy it.

I also return by bike 2 days later, during the day this time.

Décembre

At the beginning of December, when we planned to spend the weekend in Foix with friends, I decided to go there by bike with one of them.

Léguevin -> Vernajoul

2 déc. 2022

123.9 km

1662 d+

19.52 km/h

18

0

Strava

3587

175

The winter, which until then had been quite sweet, got tougher and it froze. The landscape is white, it's cold but it’s nice to take great photos.

We are spending the holidays in the Corbières and I take the opportunity to do my last run of the year with Daisy.

I have never seen so many sunrises this year. The sky at dawn is a awesome.

Last sporting activity of the year on December 31 in the Gers. I leave for a bike ride and enjoy the sunrise one last time in 2022. I enjoy the view of the Pyrenees

Numbers

Running

Injuries in 2021 forced me to stop running for 9 months.

Although I still have chronic pain in my right calf since 2020, I managed to avoid major injuries in 2022, which allowed me to regain some regularity.

Even though I ran very little the first three months of the year (100 km in 3 months), I reached my annual goal of 1200 kilometers which is equivalent to an average of 100 kilometers per month.

Cycling

I made my best start this year because I had already driven 570 kilometers at the end of January, a quarter of my year. My bikepacking trip in the Netherlands and Belgium for 6 days helped a lot.

I then had to stop because my bike was out of order. My two boys were born in May and I focused on running so I could exercise as much as I could during their naps. The bike is too time-consuming and therefore incompatible with three children at home, including two newborns.

I rode with my bike a little more in September when they were 4 months old, while experimenting with several night rides to not impact family life too much. I rode 1200 kilometers over the last 4 months of the year, equivalent to an average of 300 kilometers per month.

I now have all the necessary equipment for night rides. I would like to continue this momentum in 2023, perhaps more at the end of winter because the combination of cold and night does not make rides very pleasant.

Summary

Even if the pain in the right calf is still there, the results of the year are very positive. After a year 2021 that was less sporty but rich in travel, I am once again on the right track for 2023.

My biggest challenge was to maintain a certain regularity in my sports practice despite the arrival of twins a year and a half after our first daughter. I'm pretty proud to have achieved it with 222 days of sport.

I have never done so much sport at night in order to impact family life as little as possible. I managed to take advantage of these disadvantages to live and photograph dozens of sunrises. I loved it and I feel privileged to have lived these moments.

The nocturnal bike rides were a great discovery and allowed me to experience great adventures. A taste for 2023 with my registration for the Race Accros France 300 km, the start will be given at 8 p.m. and I will have to ride all night followed by a full day.

Finally, here is the summary of my Strava year: