I struggled with this long solo run at first. I’ve really enjoyed running in a group recently and I lacked some motivation for the first few miles.

Once I reached the Garth, I felt much better. The feeling of freedom and adventure took hold and I got into the groove of planning which route to take and just enjoying the views.

I started thinking about motivation and what keeps me running. I recently told a friend that a few years ago, I stopped thinking of myself as “someone who runs” and now I strongly identify as “a runner”.

I’ve never run competitively or at a high level but I’ve run regularly for just over 10 years and I think about it all the time!

A large part of being able to run regularly is luck. I’m really lucky that I live somewhere with access to the trails. I’m not sure if I’d run as much if I had to travel to reach them.

I’ve also been really lucky with injuries. I’ve had a couple of the classics, but after taking a break and resting I managed to recover. I still get a few niggles, which cause me a fair amount of anxiety, but I’m really good at rest days.

One of my goals this year is to do some strength and flexibility training. I actually did 30 minutes of yoga before this run. (I find yoga really hard!)