Top of Landport Bottom, 10 July 2014Run #29 was a difficult run to get started on. It’s been a hard week and I really didn’t want to do it. The only way I convinced myself to get out was that I’d only run up to the top of Landport Bottom and then run home, just to get out and not lose too much fitness.

Almost immediately I started I began to feel more upbeat, and by the time I got to the top of Landport Bottom, to say hello to the sheep in the picture, I knew I’d done the worst of it. So I just kept going.

The brain is a funny thing. This was exactly what I’d hoped would happen, but I made sure it didn’t become a concrete thought just so that I could get out of the door; in other words set what feels like a challenging (up Landport Bottom is not easy in any circumstances) but doable goal and then see what happens.

The run was a couple of minutes slower than last time, but I’d got round. What started out as a chore, turned into something that felt like a proper achievement. And just like the weather as I went round the loop, my mood turned from overcast to brightening.