Weekend Long Run - 30km (sub-zero, but still getting it done!)

dannewton just finished a 30.2km run, that lasted for 195 minutes.
This run helped dannewton burn 2245.0 calories.

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Description from Strava:

Feckin' cold out there this morning!

So cold in fact that I decided to go food shopping with parents first thing in the morning, and wait until the temperatures had improved late on. Saying that, by 11AM it was still -1C (feeling like -4C) so still pretty chilly!

Due to the conditions of freezing cold temperatures and a risk of slippery running conditions, I decided to play it safe and keep it local (similar to the long run a couple of weeks ago).

Running loops around the village meant I was sticking to roads which I knew were 'safe' and also meant I was sticking close to home in case I needed to put warm layers on, or refuel. I also had the option to cut the session short if the conditions worsened or became unsafe.

At Midday, i decided to put on some running shoes and went for a 5 minute walk outside just to test the conditions. I carefully checked the road outside and some of the different pavement types... it appeared that most of the ice had gone, so i thought it was worth giving it a go

view out of the bedroom window at 7:30am - the freezing fog was the cause of the death trap conditions out there!

View out of front door at Midday. The Fog was still hanging around, and it still felt flippin' cold BUT the paths were now mostly ice fee

Happy that conditions were now safe enough to run in, I got changed into some running gear. There was a long sleeve technical top, and the thin jacket. I also had a beanie and some gloves. Most importantly I decided to go for running tights as opposed to shorts. I chose the tights as I knew I would be out for over 3 hours today, and wanted to make sure my legs were protected. Cold muscles are more likely to be injury prone, and I'd rather avoid that!

As my long run off the week, I was aiming for around 30km today. This would mean just over 5 loops around the village (each loop is 5.69km).

Even though I was happy with the conditions underfoot, I still took my time on the first loop, checking the conditions as I went. There was still plenty of patchy fog around, but remarkably the paths and roads seemed to be clear.

With the first loop completed successfully, I was able to relax and settle into the run. It also gave me a chance to admire the scenery...

I do like it when the weather is cold like this... and I love it when there is a proper hard frost (I prefer it to snow in fact!). It would have been nicer if there had been clear blue skies instead of the damp foggy conditions we actually had, but I can't have everything I guess!

After 3 loops were completed, I paused at home for a few minutes, for a drink and some snacks (along with a quick bathroom break). Once I was sorted I then headed back out to complete the final 2 loops.

The 2nd half felt a lot harder than the first, and I'm not overly sure why. Perhaps I had sat down too long and the body didn't want to get moving again... I don't know. The time just seemed to drag, and the last loop seemed to take forever.

I checked the times of each loop, and the times were pretty much the same for each... it just felt longer... perhaps I was just getting tired??

When I was coming to the end of the final loop I realised that I was going to be finishing on 29km, so I ran round the streets a little further just so I could get the nice round number of 30km.

So it might have been slightly later than expected, but I still got the run done. And considering how slippery it was first thing this morning, I'm glad I waited until lunchtime so I could complete it safely.

When I arrived back home at the end and consulted my watch, I was in for a nice little surprise: my estimated VO2 max has gone up again :-)

The watch estimates my VO2 max score, presumably as a result of analyzing the heart rate date and pace data. I know its not as accurate as a proper VO2 max test (which requires a scientist and a laboratory) but it's still nice to see the increase to a score of 50. And it just shows that my training is still heading in the right direction (or at least, my watch thinks it is!!)

With the run done, and after a nice warm shower... its time to chill and relax for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow will be just a small 10km recovery run (which will be interesting if we receive the Sleet that we are forecast!) And then after that I think I will be cleaning the house in preparation to putting some Christmas Decorations up... it is December after all!

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If you would like to check out this activity on strava you can see it here:
https://www.strava.com/activities/10317018598

About the Athlete: Living in the UK, I am an intermittent Runner, but always striving for more consistency. When I'm not training I can be found photographing insects or listening to really loud angry music (which is the best type of music obviously!)

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