Life has continued to plod along at a pedestrian pace for me, but I am slowly starting to finally see something happening in my personal life, running life, and in a potential career.

Since dad passed away I have been struggling to find regular work, and having a CV that shows you have not done any proper work in over 7 years is always going to be a massive stumbling block for anyone under 25 – never mind someone who is only a couple of years away from the big 40.

But I have managed to get onto a couple of courses and have completed a qualification in Waste Management & Recycling. I am also waiting to start a course that will make me a qualified home carer, something I did for dad on and off for almost 20 years.

I have also gained my CSCS card, which opens up a lot of work as a labourer, but most companies want you to supply your own PPE (which I believe is actually illegal), something I can’t currently afford to do.

I am slowly starting to adapt to life on my own, it has come as a clout around the nut, but I am now starting to see a way through the bills that I thought I was drowning in.

My running is coming along nicely, this year I have broken my 10k PB by a minute (46:52), broken my 5 mile PB (39:36), broken my 5k PB on two occasions to knock it down to 22:48, and I am well on my way to breaking my half marathon PB (2:02:45) on Sunday when I tackle the Run Hackney Half.

I am hoping to start track running next month and will also be looking to give cross country racing a go at the end of the year.

It hasn’t been easy, but things are slowly starting to come together.

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Photo by Tibor Fazakas from FreeImages