The tagline of this blog, replicated more faithfully here ↑, might seem too corny. Sure, every journey starts with one step. So what?

But like a lot of seemingly-trivial aphorisms, it holds truth. When it comes to the important things in life – education, health, fitness – a lot of people end up not taking that first step. Sometimes, you get a second, or third, chance. Sometimes you don’t.

This blog is about my first step(s) into improving my fitness (and thus, my health prospects) with running. I’m not a sporty guy. I have been a couch potato for a long time, and although I first fell in love with running when I was about 25 years old, it was only at 32 that I really put my mind, heart and body into it.

The first time, as a young man, I only put my heart and body. Ended up injured, unable to run longer than a few minutes for two years. My knees and ankles have been making very loud snapping sounds ever since.

The other few times I tried to start running again, my heart wasn’t much in it, and I also didn’t think it through. I was often overly cautious, only running at most once per week – and I ended up getting injured anyway. A hard run per week, for a completely sedentary man? Folly. Yet I did it for one year.

So, enough was enough. Summer 2019 is where I really started running.

Armed with past experiences, an unfit body and a Garmin Vivosport, this time I was all in. I had goals. I wanted to achieve them.

I wanted to challenge myself through races – getting stronger, faster, more resilient. I wanted to finally go beyond a 10K, and run a Marathon.

But to achieve it, I needed to train. I needed to not overtrain. I needed to keep at it even when it rained, it was cold and I wanted to do something else.

Hence this blog. This is where it all started. It’s my diary, the log my “longest journey”, the first real step of which I took in Summer 2019. This journey of mine, though, has no set end. It goes until I go.