Running in the snow.......

There is something quite magical about snow.... it muffles sounds as it is falling and covers all the mud and grey with a fresh layer of bright white.

It also stops all the traffic, closes the schools and gets people out of their houses !

I love running in the snow, maybe it is the child in me.... It is hard work and you have to be careful of the ice so in some ways it is much safer running over the Downs away from people (most people don't really go far). Luckily my new trail shoes arrived just before the snow, I had run the tread off my last pair !

My new trail shoes have a different tread pattern on the bottom and it is amazing the difference this makes, especially down hill. I had also forgotten how comfortable new trainers feel and it makes me realise that my old ones really were knackered; they had to go through the washing machine after the bog of doom and I don't think they really recovered....

Anyway, this is a photo of the snow. I have just ordered a new running camera so hopefully I will be able to post some of the photos from it over the next few weeks so this may be one of the last iPhone photos on this blog :)

Running in London

Well, I had a fabulous few days away (I was working !) and had the chance to catch up with some old friends. One thing I love about the new venue for the convention is its location, only a few minutes away from Hyde Park and right on the Paddington Basin and the start of the Grand Union Canal.

One thing running has done is give me a good excuse to go out to places that I might not visit otherwise. Before I started running I didn't really leave the convention hotel for 5 days apart from the evening out to pub or restaurant. Since I've been running I have been out and seen more of the area.

One run I wanted to do was round Hyde Park. I have never been round Hyde Park before.... I mapped out my route down Edgeware Road, round the edge of Hyde Park and back, a total of just over 5 miles so it fitted in perfectly with my marathon training plan.

This may sound strange to anyone that lives in London but it was quite strange seeing so many people out and about in the park. When I'm running over the Downs if I see 6 people it is busy and quite often I don't see another person for most of the run !

So, that is another run that I have wanted to do for a while ticked off the list :)





This (I think !) is the back of the Albert Hall.

The other run that I did while I was away was along the Grand Union Canal. I was chatting to some of the delegates waiting for my seminar about running in London and one of them pointed out that we were right on the Paddington Basin and it was a lovely run along the canal. So, the trainers were laced up and off I went ! There was a lovely smell of wood burners and bacon as I ran past on Sunday morning.... I love the colours of the boats and absolutely everything that is loaded on to the roof of the boat...

This was a shorter run, just 3.5 miles (again to fit in with the schedule) but it is a route I will remember and one that I will return to next year :)

On the train again....

Well, I'm heading off to London for a few days. I'm hoping to get some running in while I'm away, I don't want to start getting behind on my training this early in.

I took Millie running with me again last week, she really enjoys it and starts to get excited when she sees me putting my muddy trainers on. At the moment I'm still running 6 miles with her although I think this will increase over the next few weeks.

I have also taken advantage of the sales and bought enough trainers to last me the year. With various discount vouchers and offers it meant I was able to get them for less than half price ! Ok, they may not be the latest models in the most fashionable colours but then neither am I :)

Happy New Year !

Ok, I know I'm a few days late but it has been a busy couple of weeks :)

2012 was quite a good year for running for me; I ran my first ever marathon and achieved a sub 2hr PB for a half.

I still haven't got a sub 50 minute PB for a 10k yet and I'm not sure if I will achieve that goal this year or not.

I'd still like to improve my half marathon PB. I have found it is a distance that I really enjoy running; I can keep a level of fitness that means I don't have to do too much training before a race and because it is 13 miles I don't run it as fast as a 10k :)

Millie is still running with me, she came out on Christmas Day for a short but muddy run across the Downs.

I've entered Brighton Marathon again for 2013 and training has started. All I need to do is to stay injury free and make it to the start line. I don't have any real goals yet set after that, I think I will just spend the year enjoying running and being out on the South Downs.

Anyway, this is Millie and I after our Christmas Day run.