So you run and you run to catch up with the sun

Sunday morning dawned and I awoke - thanks to the irritating people upstairs. Thankfully, they weren't having sex this time but they were jumping around and giggling - a lot. It's nice that they're so happy, but I do wish they'd try to keep it down a bit.

Anyway, 0730 and my legs feel a lot better than they did yesterday. I think the 5k on Saturday evening limbered them up a bit. A slice of toast with crunchy peanut butter and catching up with Strictly Come Dancing on IPlayer. I decide that Gary Rhodes looks like a raw prawn - all grey and hunched. Unpleasant.

At 9am I decide to set off on my 5.2 mile run. I look at the clock and think I'll have 5 miles done within the hour - no excuses. If I'm on pace for my desired 10K time, I should be back midway through 'That's Entertainment' by The Jam.

The first mile is always the toughest, but after that I always seem to settle into it. I run up to London Road via Rossie Place and then back along to the top of Easter Road. My route takes me down past Leith Links and along to Ocean Terminal and back. It's a beautiful morning for a run and I'm particularly enjoying it as I run alongside the water at the Scottish Executive building.

Running up Easter Road after having already clocked up 4.5 miles is a tough one, but I've got A Town Like Malice blasting in my ears and I feel pretty cool. I feel even cooler when I notice a wee old lady hanging out her front door looking for someone to take her rubbish bag and put it into the bin. I duly oblige without stopping, scooping it out of her hands, running over to the bin and depositing it inside. I turn around and give her a wave, my civic pride swelling in my chest - well, that and my pumped-up heart and lungs.

Unfortunately, That's Entertainment finishes as I turn into my street. I'm off the pace. Still, 5 miles in 53 minutes isn't too bad for my 6th week faking it as a runner. Go me!

I climb the stairs, kick off my trainers, run my face under the tap and drink half a litre of water. My top is soaking and I look a state, so I have a cold shower and put a fresh t-shirt on. Then I put 'Dark Side of the Moon' on and lie in the middle of the living room floor watching the clouds roll by.

I'm thinking about the first time I discovered this album, which isn't the same as the first time I heard it. I 'discovered' it in Orlando of all places. I was lying on a sun lounger by the pool in May of 2003. It was a scorcher with a perfectly clear blue sky. I just listened to the music and stared up at the sky. Sheer and utter bliss.

The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I'd something more to say.