A Warm Dawn

Warmest dawn of the year for us early birds; 17.5 degrees a little after 5 a.m. and we were ok with that. My husband Steve was suitably dressed for our long Runday in a pair for triathlon suit shorts and a light sleeveless open zip front run shirt. He looked pretty cute in it too and not just for a seventy-year-old triathlete. I had selected an orange day-glo long sleeved high neck half zip long sleeved winter runner top and full- length tights with ankle-zips and day-glo orange flashes down the outside of the legs. YEEEEssss, there’s none so queer as folk, as they say in hushed tones in the darkest Sussex villages.

 

Just before we arrived at our start point today, Steve swore loudly which made me jump, and said that he had left the precious Garmin Forerunner on the key rack in the kitchen at home and that he thought we’d better go back to get it otherwise, how would we know all the details of our training run today. It’s only a ten-minute drive from home so it wasn’t the end of the world. Steve does love to pour over the technical details and this run was to be 10 miles, instead of our usual 8 miles that has become something of a standard at this time, though occasionally, we throw in a 10 km if either of us is feeling a little jaded.

 

There was clear sky everywhere which meant that sunrise; that we both love, would not be anything special without clouds; a golden glow for a few minutes was it really for today. What there was not, was any other people either daft or canny enough to be out so early. The wild life must have thought something was different about today also, because we saw nothing but one little deer that we startled with a clanging gate closure as we passed. Sheep don’t count; or at least we don’t count sheep.

 

The view however at the high point, was something to behold no matter the direction your eyes followed, everything was crystal clear from the wind farm to the Isle of Wight, just a hint of a sea fret hovering on the horizon far away from the coast line. The only thing that was new were the half dozen towers of baled hay awaiting collection in one large field.

 

The temperature had risen to 22.5 by the time we got to the end. I had been running much of the way with my running top hoiked well up, leaving my mid line with a bit of air. There was nobody around or I would have pulled it down, but I do need to keep my arms and legs safe from bramble scratches. Home, coffee and an hour of Qigong awaited.