April flew by in a blur of motion, miles, and music. Here is the highlight reel of the month’s adventures.
Running & Fitness: The 5 Peaks Milestone
It took 1,365 days, but I finally lined up for my first official running event: the 5 Peaks Trail Festival in South Australia! Crossing that 26km finish line in just under 4 hours was an absolute thrill.
You can read about it here in Part 1 & Part 2
- April Stats: 116km covered. (Tapering and recovery dipped the numbers slightly from March’s 179km, but it is still a solid month.)
- The Experience: While perimenopause means I am carrying a bit more weight than during my Warburton Trail Festival days, I am the strongest I have ever been. Dialling in my nutrition made a massive difference on race day.
- Looking Ahead: I am in the early planning stages for Run Tasmania (November 2026) and Ikara (Wilpena Pound, May 2027).
- May Focus: Shifting to a dedicated strength-building block in the gym, incorporating plyometrics to improve trail agility, and starting a 10km training plan with long runs on the trails.
Reading: The One-Page Streak
The reading streak is alive and well! I am still hitting my “at least one page a day” goal, even if some days I only read for 10 minutes.
April’s Reads:
- This Is How It Always Was by Laurie Frankel: A deeply moving look at family and life with a trans child.
- Funny Story by Emily Henry: A fantastic contemporary romance featuring great fake-dating tropes and emotional depth.
- The Way I Loved You by Fiona Lucas: A beautiful second-chance romance with a time-travel twist.
- Artemis by Andy Weir: High-stakes, fast-paced fun set in space.
Current Read: Underneath the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (I’m 60% through, and the jury is still out!).
The Strategy:
To keep my focus sharp, I am aiming for 2 Kobo books, 1 physical book, and 1 audiobook per month. Next up is The Last First Date by Hayley Quinn, a mystery addition to my library that just appeared out of nowhere!
Music: The Musical Marathon
My year of “listening to entire discographies” has officially evolved into an accidental “Year of the Whole Album.” There is just something special about an album that tells a cohesive story.
April’s Musical Deep Dive:
- The Highlights: Spring Awakening was a total hidden gem, and experiencing Heathers completely blind was thoroughly entertaining.
- The Misses: Cats. If I never hear that again, it will be far too soon.
- The Takeaway: We seriously need to bring back 1950s-style overtures!
- The Algorithm: My Discovery radio is very confused by all the musicals, and it has been highly entertaining watching it adapt.
May Goals
The calendar is looking refreshingly open. Besides a bi-annual trip to the dentist, my main focus is getting out onto the trails for long runs and sticking to my new strength plan.
How did your April shape up? Did you hit any milestones, or are you just getting ready for the cooler months?