Wednesday 4 February 2009

Ice and snow

Because of the icy conditions underfoot I had to slightly alter my training today. I was going to do an acceleration run (where each mile is slightly faster than the previous mile) on the route of the Otley 10. I decided though that narrow country lanes, ice and hills don't mix very well.

For those unfamiliar with the Otley 10 the first four miles are flat. The next four miles involve 680 feet of climbing (210 metres). Mile nine is downhill and the final mile is uphill to complete the loop.

I ran in the other direction instead. The temperature, as yesterday, was -1 degree Celsius (30 degrees Fahrenheit) and I was mildly amused to see other folk out and about without gloves ... I'm running in three pairs and struggling for the first 20 to 30 minutes.

Had a fantastic hot bath when I returned home and a large cup of fresh coffee. Fay had some from Sainsbury's ... Continental Blend. I don't usually drink supermarket's own but I thought I'd give this a try - it was good, I really enjoyed it. Not sure where the beans actually came from but I'd guess there was quite a lot from Indonesia in there.

Also in the bath was some stuff from Lush. They make fantastic bath and shower products, the things with cinnamon and other spices I find particularly good for recovery after long runs (or on a cold day).

I also use chocolate milk to aid recovery. In this case I drank almost a pint whilst making the coffee.

The plan is to run twice tomorrow but we'll see what the weather brings.

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