The running bug

Today I can proudly say I ran five miles.
I know to you running pro's out there five miles is nothing but to me it was a landmark moment.
You see I have arthritis and was always under the impression I would not be able to run. But since taking up a more active lifestyle last year I decided a little bit of running couldn't hurt anyone.
And I tell you what, I caught the running bug good and proper.
I probably did my first real run about eight months ago and only managed about a mile but it was a mile non the less. It took me a few months to start taking it seriously but as my fitness was increasing so was my desire to keep up with it.
So when I went back to Yorkshire for the weekend and didn't have my gym to hide in I would slip on my Nikes and go for a run.

These bad boys deserve some recognition for
the miles they put in.

Back home there is an old, paved rail track that goes for miles surrounded by countryside and woodlands. I love running there, it is stunning and so therapeutic. So that is how I kept my fitness up when visiting my home county.
Now when I run that track I feel so accomplished thinking about how much further I can go in comparison to when I first started.
Six months ago if you told me I could run five miles I probably would have laughed. It was never my aim to run a certain number of miles, just to run and keep fit.
But the further I could go the further I wanted to push myself.
Then I stumbled across some similar tracks in Congleton (where I now live in Cheshire) and I love the run.
Previously I just ran when I went home but now if the weather is beautiful you cannot stop me.
I'm one of those who loves all the seasons and finds the positive in all weathers. Never the less, spring ignites something in me. It is so fresh and beautiful. The temperature at the minute is spectacular, bright, mild, clear and fresh. So instead of sitting in a stuffy gym today I decided to run.
The longest run I had done until now was four and quarter miles. I never felt exhausted by it but for some reason couldn't break through. I decided to push myself a little bit more today, unaware of how far that was and when I checked my app at the end of the run I could of squealed with delight.
I ran a whole mile further than I have before. It feels fantastic to be able to say I can run five miles.
It is fair to say running bug, I have 100% caught you!
I just get caught up in my surroundings, all my problems seem to disappear and I adore the sounds of the birds rustling in the bushes next to you and wolf whistling as you run past. It really is a form of therapy for me and I will never look back.