Have you ever booked an early doctors or dental appointment and then regretted it? My latest attempt at Juneathon started with a 06:30 alarm and a peaceful morning walk to collect some retainers from my dentist. Perhaps not ideal for a weekend, but it meant that I managed to tick off quite a few ‘adulting’ tasks. It unfortunately also meant that I didn’t make it to my local parkrun.

So, what else did I get up to on the first day of Juneathon?

After the realisation that I didn’t need to schlep into the centre of Birmingham to purchase my travel pass, I spent ages trying to find a reasonably flattering passport photo. I *think* I successfully set up a monthly direct debit and purchased a travel pass; £72.60 a month doesn’t seem enough for a monthly train pass. If it really is that cheap, from next Monday I’ll be saving a fortune on both rent and travel costs.

I spent an uncomfortable couple of hours assessing my personal finances. While leaving Wallingford means I’m going to save a lot of money, I’m seriously considering finding myself a weekend job. Perhaps I should be brave and should say ‘yes’ to some of the sponsored review posts I’ve been offered. I’ve thought about monetising this blog for some time, but don’t have a clue where to start.

The rest of my Saturday was what I’d describe as dull. I mean I didn’t even go to the pub. I spent an hour gardening, an hour ironing, and an hour in bed catching up on some much-needed sleep. Life really does begin at 40… I then had a reminder of what life was like as s PhD student when I headed into my old university for a violin lesson. Birmingham University is amazing; I’m convinced that the campus is constantly changing.

It think its pretty safe to say that Juneathon got off to a steady start. When I made it back home in one piece – the Cross City line can be quite entertaining on a Saturday evening – I laid out some running kit, set my alarm, ate slightly too much chilli con carne and then created this blogging masterpiece.

As I don’t want my Juneathon updates to look like essays, so throughout June, I’ve decided to take and to share some random photos each day. I just hope my colleagues in Wallingford don’t mind! I’ve also decided to share something that grabbed my attention – good or bad – on social media.

Random photos from Day 1

Best thing spotted on the Internet on Day 1

Runners get in trouble if they stubbornly follow a training plan when fatigued, afraid to take a day off. Bad things may follow: injuries or an inability to perform up to expectations. But it is also stubbornness that pushes us out the door every day into an activity we love.

— Hal Higdon (@higdonmarathon) June 1, 2019

I’m definitely not afraid to take a day off. At the moment, I’m more afraid of actually running.

Cumulative Juneathon Distance: 0 km

Do you think I should attempt to monetise this blog? I’ve literally never made a penny from this blog; it actually costs me money. The occasional bit of free kit is amazing but doesn’t pay the bills.

Can you think of any unusual ‘thank-you’ presents for my colleagues in Wallingford? So far, I’ve thought of chocolates, posh biscuits, some sort of plant for the office. For someone who is usually good at thinking outside the box I’m struggling!