He loved it. During the winter months it meant he could fit his training in at convenient times that did not impact his family too much, but there was something more fundamental. It felt wild, dangerous, and tapped into his primal urge to run. He always used a head torch, its powerful beam stretching far enough ahead to pick out terrain. A second torch attached to his belt cast a complementing beam, meaning that shadows gave texture to the landscape and showed him potential trip hazards. Beyond the light, the darkness was deeper. He only went to places he knew well, so that he didn’t have the added complication of navigating as well as running. He liked the sense of isolation it gave him, the only sounds his heavy breathing and smooth footfalls. He enjoyed the feeling of speed as the illuminated ground passed by beneath him. He loved it when eyes were reflected back at him from fields, hedgerows and woodlands – cattle, cats, foxes, badgers, and other creatures that quickly vanished.
