That ‘Chaotic Month’ turned out to be 2 months.

Namman Muay Thai Oil

 

Right at the start of 2023 I explained I was going to attempt 4 tasks simultaneously: Improve flexibility using traditional Namman Muay Thai oil, beat my outdoor running record, beat my indoor running record, and fit back into my suit trousers. 

I’ve been working on these for the last couple of months, focussing on diet, including the kind of foods that help with stretching: oily fish, meat, lots of veg, grapes and watermelon. I’d cut out junk food, bread and bananas. I let the porridge run out. It took 2 full months to use up the freezer food. 

Let’s go through these one at a time. 

Did I improve flexibility? To a degree. I sat down with my feet in front of me and pushed my heels against the skirting board, edging them apart as far as I safely could. My record from 2014 doing this was 163cm. In January, I managed 140cm. Within a week, however, I’d got to 157cm. After that, I couldn’t get anywhere near for ages. It took a further month until I got to 158cm. For the last 3 weeks or so, I haven’t managed that far. 

Did I beat my outdoor running record? I do a 5.4km running route around my local area that I’ve had a go at here and there since I was 17. My record was 38:06 from October ‘22. Just a few days ago I managed 37:54. A 12 second improvement. I was putting Namman Muay on my legs before the run. Maybe it helped. 

Did I beat my indoor running record? I had been training my 10-minute run by trying to run at the speed of my PB, 14.1km/ph, for as long as I could. I was managing a couple of minutes at best for many years, and gassing each time. In more recent years, through coming off antidepressants and plundering my body with veg, I’ve ran the full 10 minutes at 14km/ph in January, then 14.1 just before the end of that month, then on the last day of that month I hit 14.2. I’d done it. I’d beaten my oldest PB from the summer of 2013. In early February I pushed it up to 14.3. 

Did I fit into my suits? I was 85.1kg at the start of the year. Yesterday I was 75.3. Then I tried out Shish Cafe, and got a pizza and cheesy chips. I’m now 76.1, some way off my 72.2 target to fit into my suit trousers. Oh well. 

I did, however, finish The Nature of Social Work, one of the books I planned to read while flexing. I also finished crime novel Condemned. 

Interesting project. Some successes, some failures. Just a couple more remaining from this year’s bucket list.