Mid-review · Year One + Half
The Health Journey, Mon 25 Nov 2024 → Fri 15 May 2026
A comprehensive review of 18 months, 10 phases, 4 completed races, 16 disruptors, and one body-composition arc that touched the goal and then quietly walked away from it. Prepared as input to the Phase 10 design conversation.
Start (25 Nov 2024)
70.7 kg
22.2% body fat
Peak (22 Aug 2025)
62.25 kg
16.8% body fat
Today (15 May 2026)
69.5 kg
21.6% body fat
Net 18-month change
−1.2 kg
−0.6 pp BF
Phases attempted
10
4 completed · 6 failed/cancelled
Races completed
5
4 cancelled
5K PB
24:15
Sat 27 Sep 2025
Sustained-consistency window
4 mo
Jun → Sep 2025
Sections
0.Opening
Net dial-move in 18 months: ~1 kg down. The flat number hides everything.
▶ Narration
You stood on the scale at 70.7 kg / 22.2% BF on Mon 25 Nov 2024. You stand at 69.5 / 21.6% today, Fri 15 May 2026. Net: −1.2 kg, −0.6 pp BF. By that measure, 18 months moved the dial by almost nothing.
But the shape of the journey is a bell. Nine months of compounding gains to a peak on Fri 22 Aug 2025 at 62.25 kg / 16.8% BF. Then 8.5 months of slow regain back to roughly where you started. Eight months down, eight months up. Almost perfectly symmetrical.
This report is the receipt of those 18 months. Take it in your own time. Each section has its own audio narration, and a comment recorder so you can drop your reactions inline. I'll transcribe those before we design Phase 10.
Your comment
1.The body composition arc
9 months down, 32-day silence at the peak, 8.5 months of quiet drift back up.
▶ Narration
Monthly average weight (kg) — Nov 2024 → May 2026
Monthly average body fat (%) — Nov 2024 → May 2026
Peak window: Aug 17 → Aug 30 2025 held a cluster at 62-63 kg / 16.8%. The lowest single reading was Fri 22 Aug 2025 at 62.25 kg / 16.8% BF. That is, by every meaningful measure, the best body composition you have on record.
The 32-day silence: Sat 30 Aug → Wed 1 Oct 2025. Zero scale readings. The peak was immediately followed by tracking blackout. The silence itself is data — the period where the trajectory reversed went uncaptured.
Rapid-loss windows (both 2024-25): Dec 2024 (−2.1 kg in 14 days), early Jun 2025 (−2.05 kg in 14 days). No equivalent rapid-loss windows in 2026. The regain since peak has been slow, gradual drift, not a crash rebound.
Your comment
2.Training volume — two peaks, two valleys
Sustained consistency lived in 4 months. Everything else is boom-and-bust.
▶ Narration
Activities per month — total (DB-tracked)
Tracking note: Nov 2024 → Apr 2025 has zero activity entries in the DB (only 6 stray Strava entries). The systematic activity log begins around Mon 26 May 2025. Treat the first 6 months as untracked, not inactive. Bali (Thu 30 Apr → Tue 12 May 2026) is also a tracking gap — 11 days of class-based training that didn't make the DB.
Running is not the volume driver — even in running phases. Peak months Jun-Jul 2025 had <25 km of run mileage. Jan 2026 (39 km) is the highest single-month on record. If a Half Marathon is on the calendar, current and historical run volume does not support it.
Your comment
3.The ten phases
10 named phases. 4 completed cleanly. 6 abandoned, failed, or cancelled. 40% success rate. Trend is downward.
▶ Narration
| # | Phase | Period | Goal | Status | What ended it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foundation | Mon 25 Nov 2024 → ~Fri 28 Feb 2025 | Build habit from sedentary | COMPLETED | Rolled into structure |
| 2 | Structure Emerges | ~Sat 1 Mar → ~Wed 30 Apr 2025 | Systematic training + nutrition tracking | COMPLETED | Rolled into race prep |
| 3 | Commitment / First Race | ~Thu 1 May → ~Mon 21 Jul 2025 | First 5K (~28:00) | COMPLETED | Transition to Barossa block |
| 4 | Precision Performance (4A & 4B) | Wed 23 Jul → Sun 21 Sep 2025 | 4A: Barossa 10K sub-50. 4B: sub-2:00 City-Bay HM | 4A COMPLETED · 4B FAILED | City-Bay mechanical collapse km 11-12 |
| 4B | Rapid Reset | Mon 22 → Mon 29 Sep 2025 | Bounce-back parkrun | COMPLETED · 24:15 PB | Rolled into Phase 5 |
| 5 | Redemption | Mon 22 Sep → Sun 19 Oct 2025 | Adelaide HM sub-2:00 | CANCELLED ~3 wk in | Cervical hernia + Blue Mountains recurrence + soleus/fibularis flare |
| 6 | Body Recomp + Injury Prev | Wed 15 Oct → planned Wed 10 Dec 2025 | 61-62 kg / 15-16% BF, injury-free | ABANDONED ~4 wk in | Sat 18 Oct parkrun DNF (left knee) + wry neck |
| 7 | Beyond The Peak | Mon 10 Nov 2025 → Sun 4 Jan 2026 | 61.0-61.5 kg / 16-16.5% BF; Victor Harbor 10K | FAILED on body comp | Ended at 67.30 kg (+2.15 vs −4.15 target). Holiday drift + Newcastle trip + Victor Harbor cancelled |
| 8 | 75 Soft + 10K + Adelaide HM | Wed 7 Jan → Sun 29 Mar 2026 | 62 kg / 14% BF; sub-1:45 HM | PARTIAL · DOWNSCOPED | Insufficient run volume (3 runs in 6 wks); HM downscoped; Clare Valley downscoped 10K → 5K (26:16) |
| 9 | Comeback 5K | Sun 12 Apr → Wed 29 Apr 2026 | Sub-25 5K + 67.2 kg / 18.8% BF | CANCELLED Tue 28 Apr 2026 | Bali trip Thu 30 Apr → Tue 12 May 2026 |
Your comment
4.Races attempted
5 completed. 4 cancelled. The completions are on the record — don't let the cancellations erase them.
▶ Narration
| Race | Date | Status | Result / Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| First 5K | ~May 2025 | COMPLETED | ~28:00 (your first ever) |
| Barossa 10K | Sun 24 Aug 2025 | COMPLETED | 54:02 (5:24/km, PR at the time) |
| City-Bay Half Marathon | Sun 21 Sep 2025 | COMPLETED w/ mechanical failure | 2:18:38 (target sub-2:00). Right posterior chain seized km 12. |
| Parkrun 5K PB | Sat 27 Sep 2025 | COMPLETED | 24:15 (7 days post-HM disaster) |
| Adelaide Half Marathon (spring) | Sun 19 Oct 2025 | CANCELLED | Cascading injuries (soleus/fibularis + cervical + Blue Mts) |
| Glenelg Classic 10K | Sun 16 Nov 2025 | CANCELLED | Injured — left knee + wry neck |
| Victor Harbor 10K | Sun 7 Dec 2025 | CANCELLED Wed 3 Dec | Not ready; body-comp pivot |
| Clare Valley | Sun 29 Mar 2026 | COMPLETED — downscoped 10K → 5K | 26:16 (5K) |
| Adelaide 5K (autumn) | Sun 3 May 2026 | MISSED — Bali | Target race for Phase 9 Comeback (cancelled) |
Oakbank Half Marathon Sun 30 Mar 2026: previously listed in Phase 8 plans as a tune-up. You've confirmed there was no Oakbank Half race that day. Removed from the record.
The pattern of completions: when you make it to race day, you finish — even when things go wrong (City-Bay 2:18:38). The cancellation list isn't about racing ability. It's about not getting to race day intact.
Your comment
5.The disruptor cascade
16 distinct disruptors over 18 months. The pivotal sequence runs from Aug → Nov 2025.
▶ Narration
-
Tue 16 Jul 2024
Migraine #1 (Paris)Long day + heat + dehydration. Severe. Pre-window but on record.
-
Sun 17 Aug 2025
Breakup3-year relationship + her 6-year-old. Year-one summary flags as derailing 6 weeks of progress (Oct–Nov 2025). Coping = alcohol, sleep collapse, missed sessions.
-
Fri 22 Aug 2025
Peak weight 62.25 kg / 16.8% BF5 days after the breakup. Not coincidental; not causal either. Worth sitting with.
-
Sun 24 Aug 2025
Barossa 10K — 54:02PR. Completed clean.
-
Sun 21 Sep 2025
City-Bay HM — mechanical failure2:18:38. Biceps femoris + IT band + lateral gastroc seized at km 12. Cause: 10h sleep across 48h, parkrun depletion Sat, hydration failure, cold/rain, weak warmup.
-
Fri 26 – Sun 28 Sep 2025
Cervical hernia flare (C5-C6)5 days after City-Bay. Neck/shoulder lockup.
-
Fri 3 – Mon 6 Oct 2025
Blue Mountains tripRight-leg HM injury recurrence + alcohol.
-
Sat 18 Oct 2025
Parkrun DNF at 4.2km — left kneeFirst flare on the OTHER side.
-
Sun 19 Oct 2025
Adelaide HM CANCELLEDRight soleus + fibularis longus.
-
Early Nov 2025
Wry neckCompensation from cervical chain.
-
Sun 16 Nov 2025
Glenelg Classic 10K cancelledKnee + wry neck active.
-
Wed 26 – Sun 30 Nov 2025
Newcastle / Rising Tide tripVolunteer physical labour replaced training. Momentum break.
-
Wed 3 Dec 2025
Victor Harbor 10K cancelledNot ready. Pivoted to body comp.
-
Sat 4 Apr 2026
Migraine #2 (Adelaide)4 drinks across 8h + heat + chronic sleep debt (sub-6h ongoing since mid-March).
-
Fri 17 Apr 2026
Neck flare at lat pulldown (26kg)Sleep debt 5h42 / 5.5h two-night window.
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Thu 30 Apr – Tue 12 May 2026
Bali trip (11 days)Phase 9 race cancelled. Deliberately movement-positive trip, daily classes at Nirvana Strength. Even so, produced a new compensation pattern on first run back.
-
Thu 14 May 2026
Anterior shin / tib anterior compensation + missed plasma donationFirst Adelaide treadmill run back. Active watch-point.
Your comment
6.The patterns
What's empirically true now, not just heuristic.
▶ Narration
- The 4-month consistency ceiling. Your only sustained training stretch was Jun → Sep 2025. Four months. Every phase since has busted within 8 weeks. Designing 12-week phases is designing for collapse.
- Sleep <6h = injury within 48h. Empirical now, not heuristic. Every documented flare traces back. The single highest-leverage variable you have, and the one most often deprioritised.
- Trips disrupt reliably. Blue Mountains (injury). Newcastle (momentum). Bali (new compensation pattern even though deliberately movement-positive). Phase 10 has to plan for trips, not pretend they won't happen.
- The breakup factor. Sun 17 Aug 2025. Peak weight 5 days later is more poignant than coincidental. Year-one report flags it as derailing 6 weeks. No phase plan since has accounted for emotional recovery as a training variable.
- The false-start signature. Phases 5, 6, 9 all started while still carrying residual from the previous block. Each ended in ≤3 weeks. Today (Fri 15 May 2026), you're still carrying the anterior shin pattern. Phase 10 with same signature = same outcome.
- You under-run. Every running phase has had <25 km/month except Jan 2026 (39 km). If you target HM, your training has to actually look like HM training. Phase 8 didn't; that's why Adelaide HM was downscoped.
- You can do hard things when integrated. Jun-Aug 2025: 100+ activities/month while a relationship was unwinding. The peak was 9 months of compounding. The mechanism is real and lives inside you. It just doesn't survive disruption.
Your comment
7.Where you are today
Fri 15 May 2026. The state before Phase 10.
▶ Narration
Weight today
69.5 kg
+7.25 vs peak, −1.2 vs start
Body fat
21.6%
+4.8 pp vs peak
Muscle mass
51.78 kg
Stable, +0.28 vs 3 Apr
Visceral fat
6
Stable
Recent training: 1 short Adelaide treadmill run + 1 Adelaide gym session in 18 days (post-Bali). Bali block was 11 days of class-based training (Nirvana Strength) — not in DB.
Recovery state: still rebalancing hydration (sauna + travel). Missed plasma donation Thu 14 May. Tiredness mentioned 4× today. Anterior shin pattern from Thu 14 May 2026 is active.
Calendar fixed points: Plasma cadence locked Thursdays — next Thu 21 May 2026 15:30 at Lifeblood Regent Arcade (booked). Sat parkrun with Max tomorrow (slow by design). No race on calendar yet.
Last completed race: Clare Valley 5K, Sun 29 Mar 2026, 26:16. That's 6.5 weeks ago.
Your comment
8.Open questions for Phase 10
Answer #1 and #3 first — they frame everything else.
▶ Narration
- Phase duration. Knowing the 4-month consistency ceiling, do you want Phase 10 to be 4 months fixed (e.g. Sat 16 May → Sat 12 Sep 2026), ending before it can collapse on its own? Or chase the 8-12 week structure that has failed 4 phases in a row?
- Sleep. Is this finally the phase where 7h becomes the non-negotiable headline metric, not item #4 on the list it always ends up at?
- Race calendar. Barossa Valley HM, Glenelg, Adelaide HM (spring/autumn), City-Bay rematch. Which are real targets, which are nice-to-haves, which are off the table? You mentioned wanting the 75 Soft modified version to end just before Barossa Valley Half Marathon — exact date needs locking in.
- The breakup factor. Has the emotional weight settled enough that you trust yourself to commit, or is it still a variable to plan around?
- 75 Soft modified. Phase 8 was 75 Soft; body comp goal wasn't met. What would the modified version do differently? Different rules? Different metric? Different cadence?
- Run volume reality. Are you willing to actually run 25-30 km/week as a base requirement, or do you want a phase that doesn't require that?
- The anterior shin pattern. Phase 10 will start while it's active unless we explicitly wait. How long do you want to give it?
Drop a voice comment per section above with your thinking. I'll transcribe before our next conversation and build the Phase 10 plan from your actual answers, not from assumptions.
Your comment