Happiness, life, running.

Now June is well under way, I am psyched for the impending adventures. All going to plan I should be in Chamonix this time next week, to catch up with some very dear friends, time for some filming and time for some racing! It’s also a pivotal moment in my life as I head to my 25th birthday on Midsummer's day. So what ten things have I felt I have gained in terms of wisdom as I go into the next quarter of a century? For one, my adventures with running have taught me some life lessons. You go through a journey; hardships of training and setback, the adventure of the trial, the good days, the wins, and the bad days. Here’s a moment to reflect so far.

1. Don’t take yourself too seriously. People will always be better than you; there is a big world out there; quit worrying; perspective is precious, seeking and gaining this is valuable.

1. In the same vein, don’t take life too seriously.Things go wrong, you make bad choices; you learn, you get it better next time. Learn to laugh at yourself; accept flaws in life. Nothing is perfect, but keep motivated.

1. But take your passions seriously. Watching inspiration sports/adventure films of men and women, wise beyond the years that gave them such wisdom, speak of their passions as if time were no limit – that’s living.

1. Get out of your head by getting outside your door. I sometimes worry that we are moving towards generations where the outdoors isn’t seen as a necessity; but is treated with apathy. Countless people have spoken of the health benefits of being outdoors and exercising for both body and mind.

1. Determination pays off, but self doubt is costly. Quite a few people recently have told me how that they wished they ran, but they felt self conscious; they didn’t feel fit; they didn’t think they could go very far. After times of injury I have felt pretty powerless with running. All of this stops you conquering fears and stops you doing what you wanted to do. Only you can will convince you that you have the right to be free to fight the fear.

1. Set back happens. Why did you think it would be smooth sailing (or running for that matter…)? I have been unspeakably luckily with the opportunities I have had in my life so far. But I am also one of the first to fold my arms and furrow my brow when things don’t go to plan. But then, trails that haven’t followed the expected route have turned out pretty interesting.

1. You have a lot to learn.I feel somewhat humbled and embarrassed to write this as if I know what I am talking about. I don’t. But I’ve learnt to accept that, and that none of us know truly what we are doing.

1. Take care of yourself.Drink more water. Do your stretches. Discipline pays dividends. It's also a learning process.

1. When comfort is the preferred option, go run in the rain. I forget this on a frequent basis, but then am reminded when I do do it - heading outdoors in the cold/rain/when you are tired/mind elsewhere etc is always the better option than not. As has been said countless times before, you rememeber what you do, not what you don’t do.

1. This girl can.And I’m so glad that there is a worldwide move to remind every girl that this is true.