In 2025, I ran 2,025km (and it wasn’t really about running) - running in Perimenopause

pippamarsden
Jan 19
3 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

In 2025, I ran 2,025km.

That’s roughly 1.5x the length of the UK.An average of 3.5 miles a day, for 365 days, at an average pace of 10:24 per mile.

On paper, it looks like a fitness challenge.

In real life, it was something else entirely.

The moment I set the goal

Back in January 2025, I was sitting in PICU with Francis, (my now 20 month old) while he was fighting for his life on a ventilator.

And in that kind of space, your brain does what it needs to do to survive. Mine searched for something I could hold onto. Something that wasn’t the beep of machines, the fear, the waiting.

I needed:

something to focus on, temporarily, to give my mind a break
something I could control when everything else was out of my hands
something that would keep me moving forward when moving forward felt impossible

So I set a goal.

Not because I had loads of motivation.But because I needed a thread to pull on.

Why this goal worked (and why most goals don’t)

This was the most perfect goal for me because it ticked every box that makes a goal stick.

1) It was specific

I didn’t say “run more.” I said: 2,025km in 2025.

2) It was measurable

Every day I could see: am I ahead, behind, or on track?No debate. No drama. Just data.

3) It was achievable (but not easy)

It had meaning (2,025km for 2025) and it was further than I’d ever run in a year. It would stretch me. But I also knew: if I kept showing up, I could do it.

4) It was realistic when broken down

2,025km sounds massive… until you realise it’s roughly 25 miles a week.The challenge wasn’t the maths.The challenge was consistency.

5) It had an end date

It was always going to end on 31 December 2025, whether I hit the target or not.That time boundary mattered. It kept me honest and focused.

6) It had a higher purpose

This wasn’t “just running”.

It became a year of living like someone who keeps promises to herself.

To stay consistent, I had to align everything else around it:

strength training so I could stay injury-free
nutrition that supported energy and immunity
sleep discipline so I could recover and go again
the courage to say no to what didn’t serve me
protecting my headspace like it was part of the plan (because it was)

What people don’t say out loud about goals

When a goal really matters to you, you start living in alignment.

And that changes everything.

Sacrifices stop feeling like deprivation.Discipline stops feeling like a battle.

Because you’re not trying to impress anyone. You’re not chasing approval. You’re quietly building proof that you can trust yourself.

That’s freedom.And it’s a kind of belonging no one can take away from you.

That is why we make goals.

It’s January. And this is the part where most people quit.

“Quitter’s Day” is often used to describe the point when motivation dips and people abandon their New Year goals. It’s commonly tied to the second Friday in January — which in 2026 fell on Friday 9 January.

But here’s the reframe I want you to borrow:

If you quit, it’s not because you’re weak. It’s usually because the goal was never built to hold you.

The trouble with goals that weren't built to go the distance is the damage they do when they end.