I am lucky

I did a lot of thinking today, as I ran for the 17th consecutive day. The last week has been full of ups and downs with the old Advent Running. Some days it's been easy, others it's been a huge struggle. It's been a busy week and some days it would have been so easy to give up, not least at 5am yesterday when my alarm chimed to send me off on my first ever pre-work gym session (early morning sessions are weird and I'll definitely do a blog featuring them in detail at some point!)

So naturally, I've done a fair bit of moaning this week. I do love a good moan and running has given me plenty to moan about over the last 7 days... "it's cold" "I'm too busy" "I'm too tired"... the list goes on!

Today while I was running, I started to think about how really, I shouldn't moan at all (or at least not as much). This train of thought began when I was thinking about my route. I'd already ran through the crowds who were starting to gather for football, soaking in an atmosphere that I've only ever experienced during the pre-match buzz. Then I started to head out of the city on a long, tree-lined stretch of road. 

I wanted to bank an extra mile or so today, in anticipation of tomorrow's inevitable hangover so I added in a bit of a loop around the park. It was gorgeous, quiet and peaceful and that's what made me start to think about how lucky I am. I can go from being in an urban centre which I love, being surrounded by people to being by a tranquil lake with only a few ducks for company, which I also love.

Then I started thinking about all the other reasons I'm a lucky runner.

I'm lucky that I can run pretty much whenever I want. I'm lucky that even at night, I can run by myself in the dark knowing I'm pretty much as safe as anyone can be. I'm lucky that I can run on roads, by rivers, over bridges and through the city. I'm lucky that I can afford to go to a fancy gym when I don't feel like running outside, or if I fancy a swim instead.

I'm lucky because of the people who support my running - I've got a fantastic family who have made sure I've never crossed a finish line without familiar faces clapping and cheering. I'm lucky to be part of a brilliant running club which means I'd never have to run alone if I didn't want to. I'm lucky to be a member in several online running groups, thousands of people at my fingertips to give advice, encouragement and inspiration. I'm even lucky for the fantastic friends I've got who listen to my regular conversations about running.

And, I suppose when it all comes down to it, I'm lucky that I can run at all.