But did manage an hour of 5-a-side; competing with men from a different generation.
And I managed to get-up Simon's Seat early on Sunday morning. I took the whole experience in my stride whilst it happened. But looking-back it has to be one of the most enjoyable runs I've ever completed.
In the past I'd always tried to get to the top as quickly as possible; often in the wake of runners who exceeded my fitness. Consequently I would feel destroyed at the top and struggle around the rest of the circuit in a state of advanced fatigue.
But this time, amongst different runners, there was an air of sensible pragmatism. And this allowed me to keep enough in reserve on the way-up to stretch my legs across the upland peat-beds; descend with some level of abandon and even pick-the-pace-up along the final river-bank miles.
The weather was sublime with blue skies, Simpson clouds and a thick mist hanging in the valleys below. And we made it back before the temperature started to get uncomfortable.
Ascending, traversing and descending. If running is indeed meditation then it's these kinds of landscapes that we need to run through in order to remap our mental terrain.
