Sometimes when I run, it’s just about distance and time and getting back to work or to get stuff done. Sometimes it turns into lots of smiles though. Like knowing I’ve rescued another local worm, or replanting a bulb that has fallen out of a bank.

Or a view like this first thing in the morning:

Which later in the day when the sun is up you can sit and enjoy:

Or meeting a very excitable three legged dog….who is clearly faster than you.

Or getting to the top of a 3km hill and being shouted words of encouragement by a cycling club who overtook you a while back….and them giving you a round of applause when you gasp that you ‘did it without stopping’.

Or being shouted to over the road in the evening that ‘you can slow down, the pub is open for a while longer!’

Or a stranger just stopping you for a chat, because they want to share with you that it’s a lovely day.

Or seeing something like this out the corner of your eye and stopping to capture it:

Or seeing the start of the bluebells coming out and watching as more appear every day:

And then there is the thrill that even though you can barely put one foot in front of the other by the end,  you have done your longest run, ever:

The time isn’t great, but as this time last year I refused to run, anywhere, ever, I’m proud of me that I’ve run my first 10 miles in one go (and I was taking photos and meeting dogs etc!)

And of course, that meant that I didn’t need to feel guilty for spending this afternoon sitting in the sun :o)