runnin' runnin' runnin' runnin'

It's been 10 months since I last ran 10k, and it's been a long slog to get here.  I've got a funny relationship with running, I've talked endlessly on this spot about how much I dislike it, and yet, here I am, over a year since I started, and I'm still sticking with it.
It's been a rollercoaster, there's been good runs and bad runs, weeks of no running, and then weeks with three runs.  I've set myself goals and targets, some I've met, and some I haven't, and here I am once again blogging about it.
I don't need to share my story about why I started running, (but if you are interested, you can check it out here), and why I'm still sticking with it, I'm not entirely sure.  However, there is something really satisfying about running, knowing that whatever time of day it is, whatever that weather (ok, I wish that was the case, I'm a fair-weather runner) and wherever you are, all you need to do is don your trainers and hit the pavements, and that's your workout in the bag.
For various reasons, losing my dad and being unemployed to name a couple, I've upped my running over the last couple of months and I've seem to have found myself enjoying it more, and hating it less.  Before Christmas, I aimed to run 5k in under 30 mins, I did it, and with a whole 12 seconds to spare..I know to many, that's pretty slow, but it's good enough for me.  I then set myself the target of running 10k before I started working again.
On Monday, I started my new job.  On Friday, I ran 10k.  I think setting myself that challenge, and knowing that if I didn't complete it on Friday it was unlikely that I would, gave me the motivation I needed to keep going.  Now, I should I probably admit that I tried to complete the whole 6 miles avoiding hills, it's not easy when you live at the top of a hill, but I knew if I came face to face with one 7/8k in, I wouldn't make it, so at the end of each road, I weighed up my options and always took the flatter route.  

Now that I am working again, I know my running is going to suffer.  Going out for a quick jog after work, when it's cold and dark requires a lot more motivation than a mid-morning, protein porridge fuelled, bright and fresh run. 
So, my next challenge? Well, it's just to stick with it.  If I can manage one run a week, then that would be good.  If I can keep my 5k's around the 30 minute mark, I'd be happy, and if I don't run 10k again for another 10 months, then it's not the end of the world.  But, who knows what may happen, with the mr in training for the Paris Marathon, maybe I'll catch the bug, or maybe I'll remember that slow, relaxing yoga classes are much more my bag than a sweaty 26 mile run.