I have never been the kind of runner who must at all cost go through a strenuous training regime, executing every planned session to the minute for fear of spiralling into a tailspin of guilt and panic. I enjoy running too much to make punishing and, as a result, when I miss a day, I'm just happy to do a bit more the following day.
With this in mind, I will readily admit that last weekend was spent celebrating my husband's birthday with winter walks in the New Forest (there were many pony sightings!), a lot of nice food and wine and a great deal of rest. It was thoroughly enjoyable and, after 4 days of this, I was looking forward to a run in the park but when I came back to London I found my usual route blanketed with snow...
Was that going to stop me? Certainly not! After all, I have a marathon looming. So I added a mid-layer to my usual training kit and hit the snow running. Coming from a country where snow is a certainty every single winter, you would think that I ought to have a natural ease in icy conditions. That proved not to be true. After a few clumsy slips that, thankfully, did not result in a full spill, I slowed my pace and shortened my stride to find that this was manageable, if not graceful.
I also realised that these are ideal conditions for trail shoes which have more traction and, most importantly, which are waterproof. That last realisation came when I stepped into a puddle of melting snow only to be left with wet, cold toes for the remainder of my run.
In spite of my awkward start and my clammy digits, this was an altogether bracing and very satisfying run. With the wintry conditions showing no signs of letting up, it's probably a good thing for me to just get used to a bit of snowy training. By the way, I'm running the Action Duchenne Love Run at the weekend
I say, cover up and carry on!
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