Yawn.

A work conference thing in Harrogate Monday and Tuesday this week, but with the current austerity-fest we decided to work til 10 (including eating tea and drinking wine) and then start again at 8, with breakfast at 7.  Running was going to be tricky, so unless I was going to drag myself over to Harriers tonight I was going to have to try and run very, very early.

So - no wine, a quick pint then off to bed by 11:15.  Sadly due to space constraints in the biggest hotel in Harrogate 3 of us were lodging across the road in another hotel.  To say it was "a bit tired" would be insulting to insomniacs everywhere - it was bloody horrid.  A classic "Wallace Arnold Coach Holidays for the Nearly Dead" stop-off, you could smell tea and wee the moment you stepped through the doors - my room was on the uber-grotty 3rd floor and had single glazed windows that wouldn't shut, and some constantly running water pipes in the walls - so a restful night it was not.

Nevertheless, my new "base training" motivation saw me up at 5:45 and out of the door by 6:10 for a run through Harrogate and round the Stray.  It was odd running that early - I've never really been one for very early runs, but it was very peaceful in the dark, and once I'd worked out where I was going quite enjoyable.

I cut left at the Stray and across to the Wetherby road, then past Hornbeam Park station to where the Leeds road comes into Harrogate.  There was quite a valley on here, with a stiffish climb up to the junction.  Then it was gently downhill back into town, across the Stray again and back to the hotel.

Showered, dressed and into breakfast for 7:15 and into the conference room ready to talk bollocks all day.

Feel pretty good - even though it was a bit of a nothing 5.5m at 7:38 pace, it would have been easy to sink a few beers then had the day doing nothing with a thick head - as it is I'm bright eyed, bushy tailed and currently charging my "best" Hope lights for tomorrow's commute!