The magic of a 5am run makes me feel alive – and I’m determined to feel safe

‘Other runners say bright and breezy good mornings or hellos as we pass each other’ Photograph: Artem Varnitsin/Getty Images/EyeEm/Posed by model

There is no better time to go for a run than 5am. Especially in March.

Two or three mornings a week at the moment, I edge out of bed, creep down the stairs and stand fully naked in the kitchen. The curtains are closed and there’s nobody awake to see me anyway. Then I change into my running things – out of earshot of my partner and sleeping son – and, turning the front door as quietly as I can, slip out.