Escape velocity
I wouldn't call it a midlife crisis, exactly (hopefully not, because otherwise I would be popping my clogs at 60). But when I was about to hit the 30-year milestone last summer it was inevitable that I would do some evaluating of my life, and this resulted in the setting of a few targets for general self-improvement. I needed to go on holiday more. I needed to be somewhat more positive and proactive at work, pushing myself out of my comfort zone from time to time. And I pledged to start going running, often, in an effort to halt the continuing expansion of my gut. So far I've been to New York and will embark upon a lunatic South African World Cup odyssey in a few short weeks' time. I've tried to take on new responsibilities in the office, despite the extreme comfiness of my comfort zone, hopefully becoming that bit better at my job. The running thing, however, has had somewhat more mixed results. By following an established training plan, I slowly built up my stamin...