The weather in my particular corner of the Middle East is not conducive to the type of running I usually like to do. There are no big mountains to run up. There are no stinking mud (and then some) pits to slop through. There is no freezing rain storm to howl at. There is hot. There is dry. There is sweat. And. There is a treadmill.

It is no big secret, I am not a morning person but the only time to run, outside, is the morning. So. apart from a few, fleeting and chance encounters where I find myself awake, kitted up, and game for a run at 4am, the bulk of my running is largely on the spot in a small, poorly conditioned gym at my hotel.

But it is not so sad, dear reader. Yes I miss running in the great outdoors, getting wet, getting muddy, putting holes in my knees. But with some music going and the realisation that I need to take my pace right down to run, happily, in the stuffy gym, I can run 5,6,7 miles (or 8,10,12K’s), get lost in the music, reminisce about muddier times, wettier times and surprisingly, thoroughly enjoy myself.

I have also found a new high with the treadmill. It is probably the heat and the severe depletion of my salts and water level, but about 50 minutes into a solid treadmill run, this real sense of euphoria washes up the shores of my psyche and, well, gets me HIGH!!! It’s awesome.

However, the treadmill is reliable and requires distraction. The real fun is on the road, I will find a way to get back out there. And ultimately, this is only temporary. More MM centric pastures are on the horizon.