Does this finally make me a “runner”… funny how I put that in inverted commas.

I’ve watched people for years and thought I’d love to be a runner but I hated running. I’ve always hated running.

That’s aside, it seems to be my latest addiction and I guess there are worse things.

Contrary to popular belief, I no longer have any knee pain, muscle pain or stiffness now that I am running on a regular basis. I know maybe I’m just lucky but my knee was agony for a long time and now, nothing.

I don’t enjoy the early starts but I will never let the girls down when they are meeting right outside my house.

Up until now I’ve run in a T-shirt, with only a light jacket on a few occasions.

Today…. T-shirt, long sleeved overtop with jacket and a hat!

My legs were freezing though as I only have 3/4 length leggings…. I’ve already ordered two pairs of warmer leggings this morning.

It was such a beautiful morning with the stars very clearly visible, in the pitch black.

The clothing was just right for -3°C and I only had to free my wrists at one point to allow a bit of colder air in.

The whole “glasses when running” thing is a bit of a pain. They steam up pretty quickly in this weather…. Or in any weather for that matter. With my bright red face they don’t stand a chance!

So I thought a bit too much about this today and I’ve decided I can now call myself a runner. It feels pretty hardcore to go out in -3 and run 5.4k before 6.30am and to run it faster than I ever have.

It didn’t even feel that fast today. I had to walk a couple of times to catch my breath but that’s fair enough.

I am really proud of myself.

I am also proud of another decision I have made.

Marcothon is a thing where you run 5k or for 25 minutes (whichever is faster) every day in December.

I was going to do it.

I am now not going to do it.

Running 5k a twice a week is an amazing achievement for me. I’ve said, I don’t enjoy the early start or even, sometimes, the run itself… but I love the endorphins. I LOVE the after run feeling, even if it’s been a bad run. You can’t bottle that.

I think 25 minutes a day will be too much for me and I don’t want it to become a chore.

I also have two trips coming up so I’d have to run in Rome 🇮🇹 and Iceland 🇮🇸.

So I am being kind to myself and saying no.

I was worried I would have FOMO…. But I feel a sense of peace from knowing that I don’t have to do it.

Onto today…. Another lovely drive to work. Chauffeur driven of course.

I love this tree. Dark trees will always make me think of a lovely lady, no longer with us, who called these spooky trees.

Still really cold and when Craig came to pick me up from work, it actually snowed for a while. That wasn’t forecast.

It didn’t last long but that’s early for our first snow of the year.

My car was ready to collect…. A mere £448 🫣😆 I’m trying to get over it…. My ego is kicking off all over the place. Raging.

What’s the point… no amount of rage makes the price less but a lesser amount of rage makes my life more peaceful. Get over it.

So that’s all for tonight…. Crochet is cancelled as the fire in the pub isn’t working properly.

So it’s back in the comfies. Will these ever get washed?!?!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️