I was out of bed well before the alarm this morning, as I had been unable to sleep in the wet sheets. I felt like changing beds and going back to sleep, but having arranged to meet Aki for a before Uni run at Mt Ainslie, I did a load of washing and tried to de-grog instead.

It was cold (0°), and a beautiful low fog formed a layer above the ground and around the tree line. Grass on verges and sports-grounds were distinctly crispy-white and I kept thinking about Monty Python's Wizzo Chocolate sketch ('Spring Surprise' and "crunchy Frog') as I was travelling through the ethereal scene. Aki and I were both querying our sanity on one hand, and congratulating ourselves on arranging to meet to get us out. We parked at the end of Antill Street, near the start of the Vets 9.3km Mount Ainslie loop, on the course for the Bush Capital runs on 30 July and not far from Uni.

I was slow to start, and we both left in long legs, long sleeves, hats and gloves. We jogged very slowly to begin with, the cold bit, and our muscles need much warming. We frequently came across mountain bikers coming off single track, headlamps attached to their helmets; other joggers; walkers; and a large number of cyclists obviously using the trail adjacent to the houses to commute to work. The run became more and more special ~ the rising sun glinted off frosted bushes making them glow silver. The light had an uncommon intensity, highlighting the red trail in it's orange glow, with a deep blue beyond the mist line. Unsure of the time available, we turned back at Mt Ainslie Road, and essentially retraced our steps.

Aki was significantly lighter on her feet as the run continued and the pace picked up greatly. We both agreed that it was wonderful to be out there running this morning, and look forward to doing it again soon. Wouldn't be dead for quids.