It's too cold to run fast!

"It's too cold to run fast!"
Well that is what I would have said had you asked me before I went out on my lunchtime run today.

As it turns out, the honest truth is that it is far too cold to run slowly!

It must have been at least a couple of degrees below zero out there. The frost hadn't cleared since last night, cars were still iced up, the grass was white, walkers were looking at me as though I must be mad (I was looking at them thinking, "it's too cold to walk!"), the paths were glimmering and glistening with little ice crystals and the ponds and puddles were well and truly iced over. It was very cold. Too cold to run slowly!

With a Nativity to attend this afternoon, I was fortunate enough to get an extra day working from home today. But with the nativity in mind, I could only spare half an hour or so for my lunchtime run. I dressed up sensibly for the cold: two long sleeve tops, long running tights, thick gloves and a thick hat. I have to say I was still cold right from the start and that really didn't change.

I normally wouldn't risk running quickly in weather like that. I find it far too risky with my history of muscle injuries, but today I daren't run slowly for risk of freezing solid! I knew it would be a quick one when I arrived at the parkrun start line about 30 seconds quicker than I ever have before. A quick stretch and I was off for the one and only parkrun freedom run I had time for today. It was too cold to stand still for long!

It was bound to be a quick one and I suspected it would be close to my 20:08 of last week. That was my second quickest parkrun freedom run this year. I have actually only gone below 20 minutes once all year during a freedom run.

I was running and breathing quickly, and although not struggling with the pace, I knew it was pretty quick for a training run. At the 1 kilometre mark I glanced at my watch and saw 3:40. That's 18:20 parkrun pace, which is pretty ridiculous for me. But I was still so cold and there was no way that I was going to slow down and risk freezing to death!

At the half way point the time was 9:20, so I was still on for a very fast 18:40 parkrun. At this point I started to wonder what my fastest ever parkrun freedom run was. I knew I had only just dipped under 20 minutes this year, so I was bound to get my fastest of the year, I also knew I had gone under 19 minutes a couple of years ago, but I had no real idea of my fastest. Not that I was going to specifically try to beat that, but it would be interesting to see how close I got. Especially as all I was doing was running fast to try to get warm.

I kept the thick gloves and hat on throughout, something that I would never normally even consider when trying to run fast. I have to say that I never warmed up or even really broke sweat. It was freezing! Don't get me wrong though, it was lovely being out running in the (very) fresh air on a day like today. The park was beautiful.

I finished my parkrun freedom run in a time of 18:38 and incredibly I didn't even feel like I had tried, or warmed up.

It wasn't until I got home and took a look at my list of recorded parkrun freedom run times on the parkrun website, that I realised that this was indeed my fastest ever parkrun freedom run. Only by 4 seconds and only the 3rd time I had gone under 19 minutes, but my fastest ever all the same. And I was very chuffed with that!

Another bonus is that now I don't need to go training this evening, when it will probably be even colder!

200 Up!

Today I finally ran my 200th parkrun freedom run around the Coventry parkrun course. I believe that I am only the second person to have recorded 200 freedom parkruns, after Ken Fox. Not that anybody other than Ken and myself would care less!

I ran my first parkrun freedom run on the 16th September 2010, so it has taken a little over 2 years, with 106 run this year already.

I know, this is very sad! Not only am I admitting to running the same Coventry parkrun route a couple of times every week (on average), but also to counting them. The parkrun website does help with the counting if I am honest.

To be fair to myself though, my running has mosly been around War Memorial park in Coventry over the last decade or so, so once I knew about parkrun and started running more regularly, it was no great change to switch to the parkrun course rather than the park perimeter path.

I also have to say that, like most parks, War Memorial park in Coventry is a lovely place to go for a run.

Part of my original aim in running parkrun freedom runs was to get to know the Coventry parkrun course a bit better, so as to help improve my times. I know the course so well now that there is no great need for that any more. However, it is still useful to know exactly how far I have run and to be able to compare like for like runs from the present with similar runs in the past.

Looking at trends today I see that I used to run my parkrun freedom runs much harder than I do now. Often trying to get within 30 seconds of my real parkrun PB. My fastest freedom run this year is about 2 minutes 30 seconds off my parkrun PB. I think this shows that I have finally learned not to push it in every training session these days.

Another change to my freedom runs this year has been to use them as interval sessions. My favourite being 500 metres fast, then 500 meres slow, followed by 1 km fast then 500 metres slow. That perfectly fits into the 2.5km parkrun lap and I know exactly where the 500 metres marks are, so it is a simple session for me to stick to. I tend to do that lap 4 times for a double parkrun (10km).

So, even though I know it is repetitive, I am sure that I will continue to run parkrun freedom runs for a while to come, both because it makes my training so simple and because I love being in Memorial park whenever I can be.

Singing and running in the rain...

What a glorious feeling, I'm happy again!

Well, I wasn't so much singing in the rain, but I was certainly humming that tune to myself on my round my parkrun freedom run today. I was certainly in the right mood for a run and nothing was going to dampen my parkrun spirits. Even the blustery wind and driving rain were no match for my determination to enjoy my run.

I honestly don't think I stopped smiling throughout the whole duration of my run. The conditions certainly weren't ideal, but that really didn't bother me at all. After all, it's a work from home day today and if it rains tomorrow I could be destined to spend my lunch hour in the office, reading about yet another England sport team that has failed to live up to the high standards set by our Olympians and Paralympians this summer.

Better out than in (doors) as it were!

I started out with no aims for my freedom run, no aims other than enjoyment that is, but I suspected it would take me around 25 to 27 minutes. I quickly settled into a comfortable pace and did my best to ignore the wind, rain and flying leaves.

I headed round the normal course, smiling and saying hello to all the other fools braving the tricky Autumnal conditions. The weather may not have been great, but it was still a lovely day to spend time in the park.

As it turned out, the speed that felt comfortable was a fairly decent pace. I eased round in just under 22 minutes and I honestly hadn't  taken a single deep breath. Running within yourself is a really nice feeling. The time had just flown by. There were none of the disappointed feelings of failing to meet my targets like last week. So I didn't even hesitate and just carried straight on into a second parkrun freedom run.

The weather even eased up on me a bit during the second freedom run. The wind died down a touch and I think it just about stopped raining. I carried on a at very similar pace, finishing my second freedom run just over 10 seconds quicker than the first in 21:43. That gave me a combined (double parkrun) 10km run of 43:38. Not bad for taking it easy!

That is now 199 parkrun freedom runs completed around the Coventry parkrun course!

All in all a very satisfying run in the rain.