As the days rolled on, the discomfort started to seep away. By day 10, I was not only able to hold myself in positions for the full minute, but I was also able to do them with a bit more ease and at times, could even stretch some positions further than the ones pictured in the poster.

A curveball hit me on day 22, in the form of an injury that I thought would set me back 10 months. What did I do? I practiced doing the splits as usual and I could see my bottom was almost flat on the ground. Rather than being happy with that progress, I stupidly pushed myself to try to get an even flatter split and in the process, injured the top of my left leg (which felt like a pulled muscle).

As is so often the case with injuries, I thought that I’d bounce back after a couple of days or, at a push, maybe a week. However, after describing my pain and what I did to a physiotherapist friend of mine, he broke the news that it probably would be a while until I can get back on form. In reality, it wasn’t until February this year that I felt comfortable trying again and even now, I can still feel the strain on my left leg when I go through some of the positions. So for this re-attempt, I’ve had to take it very easy.

I began again on 1 February. Instantly, I could feel just how much of a setback last year’s injury had caused but I was determined to at least give it a go. Last year, this felt like a physical challenge that I was mentally excited to conquer but the second time around, I found it far more mentally challenging. Perhaps that’s because I’ve been through it all before – there’s no novelty element anymore – and also now have to deal with being in a little more discomfort. Either way, it’s meant that I’ve had to dig deeper for a new level of focus in order to complete this challenge.

Fitness challenge: how flexible does a 30-day splits challenge make you?