10k?

   Lately I have been aiming towards competing in a 5k trail run coming up near the end of April. To this end, I have spent a lot of time running 5k routes in my neighbourhood.
   It has been suggested to me by Kathryn, Fearless Leader, that I start incorporating the occasional longer run into my weekly run schedule. She suggested that once a week I should lengthen the run by one more kilometer.

Was thinking more like 3 weeks...

   Two weeks ago, on a Saturday, I ran 6K for the first time. I know that for many more experienced runners, running 6k is small potatoes. For me, however, 6k represents the longest distance I have ever run in my life. The following Saturday, I ran 7k. This then became the longest distance of my life. Barring the unforeseen, next Saturday will put me up to 8k, and so on.
   Not too long ago, I was happy running 5k and never thought I'd need or want to run any farther. I'd been asked to join the Running Room 10k group and thought that it just wasn't for me. I have been in a couple of organized runs now, both of which have had longer race divisions but both times I opted for the shorter race and the thought of ever competing in a 10k race seemed totally outlandish.

Good route to follow

   Now, however, my interest has been piqued. At any run I've completed lately I've always felt I could have just kept on running. These days, I have no fear that I will need to stop and walk at any time during a 5k run and it has been the same every time I added more distance. The fact that I am not yet running fast at those longer distances doesn't faze me, eventually (hopefully) the speed will pick up.
   So right now my goal is to be able to run 10k. All I want to be able to do is to say that occasionally I run 10k, I don't know that I will ever enter a 10k race or not. There was a time, though, when I thought the same thing about a 5k race...