I don't mind looking like a prat

"I hope I don't wake you when I get up early tomorrow morning" is a part of conversation held many times in our household during the past four years since I have been training in the mornings.

A week ago there was a taste of my own medicine when Marie announced that she was getting up even earlier than me on Saturday morning to join the queue for the best seats at the Young Farmers Concert. Including that day, three times in the past week I have now been up soon after the clock would have struck five, if we had one that chimed! I had to catch the "red eye" flight on Tuesday for a meeting in Manchester and on Wednesday I was up early for a more normal reason (for me) to run 12 miles starting at 6 am.

I regretted an early start two weeks ago on Saturday. Although it was only 7 am that I hit the road  that day I was on the Marine Drive running a multi-lap course trying to avoid the icy conditions. There was ice there too and the first few laps were extremely difficult, in fact I fell twice in the slowest place as I turned.

My feet were pretty sore after the session and much to my surprise remained sore around the toes for the whole of the following week. There was no sign of blisters and I just thought it must be the cumulative affect of all my winter training. Even when I wrote about it being the anniversary of getting frostbite on my hands I didn't twig until I looked more closely around my usual set of blackened toenails to realise that I had more frostbite. It may have only been minor but it was still pretty uncomfortable for 10 days or so - they were least sore when I got warmed up and into my running.

When I have been saying "I hope I don't wake you when I get up early tomorrow morning" I have been reminded to wear my extra gloves. When I say "You don't mind if I go to take photos of the fell race on Saturday afternoon" I get told to where my extra hat and my extra thick jumper that she has donated to my cause. So it you see someone running with extra socks you will know the reason why!