Day 1

I dread to think how many New Year's Resolution's get made in the wee hours of the first day of the New Year. I don't really bother - today is pretty much the same as yesterday so if you wanted to make a change in your life then it doesn't take a New Year to do that.

This starts today because it is the first day of the year.

I have four things that I want to do this year.

Some will be a culmination of many small things, whilst others will act as the first domino.

But the idea is to chart this throughout the next 12 months in as interesting and readable a way as possible! 

So, the four things.

9000. 600. 25. 1.

9626.

1. End the Year in Cape Town

I've got to go back and make a better go of this St. George's flag flying lark first and foremost. 

The second reason is for the 2nd Test Match between South Africa and England at Newlands from the 2nd - 6th January 2016. 

But... but that's in 2016 you say? Correct! But there are some amazing people I'd love to see again and bringing in the New Year in such a place would be pretty special. 

So the aim is to fly out after Christmas, about the 27th, and come back maybe the 10th? We'll see, but the gist is it's 9000 miles away (give or take, poetic licence, etc.).

So I need to save up the money (on it already), sort the flights (April?), make sure people are happy to look after me and get to the airport. Sorted!

2. (Urgh) Run 600 Miles

Bloody hell, this seems much more daunting on this side of the New Year than the other.

In 2014 I ran 540 miles. 

Even though that is about the distance between Devon and pissing Dundee, I've decided to whack another 10% on it. 

Yay!

So, what's the plan?

On Sunday 22nd March I am running the Reading Half Marathon.

At the minute, I'm running two 5-milers a week. I will keep ticking over till maybe the 3rd week in January and then begin to crank up the distance. 

I'll worry about that then. 

On Sunday 19th April I am running the Derby 10k.

I could do it now so not too worried about that, it would be nice to beat my time from last year (49.53), but with having the Half a month earlier, it might be tough to up the pace to sub 8 min miles. We'll see.

After that there are no set plans, but I expect a second Half Marathon in the latter half of the year - maybe the Robin Hood again? 

There is absolutely no chance on earth I will run a full marathon. Those freaks are a different breed. Not for BQ, no way. 

Over the year I might do the odd post reviewing some of the jarg that I will no doubt buy to keep myself interested (bright red and yellow Nikes? OK!) as I continue trying to convince anyone I speak to that they can and should run.

But anyway, that's the 600.

3. Read 25 Books

Now this one could quite easily be the hardest of the four.

I'm not a quick reader so this is a big challenge. But reading is what all the cool kids do and it makes you dead intelligent and stuff.

Over the second half of 2014 I read more books than I had in the previous ten years (probably), so I caught the bug again.

I've got a huge stack of books to read from Christmas so the next five or six are probably ready and waiting. After that, I'll be relying on the good folk at Goodreads to find the next one.

Book 1 is... 'Pep Confidential'. A review on Bayern Munich's season last year under Guardiola which is interesting for any losers who like to read about false attacking midfielders and the like.

Out of the 25, very few will be about football so worry not. Book 2 is going to be 'Gone Girl' I think. 

As a quick note, I read a book called 'The Martian' before Christmas. 

It was BLOODY AMAZING. I'm sad that it wont be part of the 25. Buy it, read it, pick it up at 7 and take it for dinner.

It's that good.

4. Get a New Job

Finally, this is probably the most important of the lot. Get a new job. Just one though, I can't be bothered with two.

I have been working for a Leadership Development company called Awbery Management Centre now for three years - my first "real" job as it seems endless hours over six years at River Island was all a figment of my imagination in the world of CV's and LinkedIn.

I do all the marketing and communication-y stuff at Awbery and we've had a pretty successful three years in revamping and reshaping the business, but the time has come to move on and probably specialise in a more focused area of marketing rather than the full shebang that I'm tasked with currently. 

The plan is to be in place in a new job in the first six months of 2015. 

Odds are it'll also mean moving out and away from Derby which will be an interesting spell too (IKEA! Yay!).

That is Project 9626.