Sarah's sub 3 - part deux by Sarah_Doodge

As it's my birthday month, I always like to pretend  February’s spring, but even I’ve had to admit it’s deepest darkest winter at the moment.  I’ve been fighting the elements with technology - I’ve hauled out my fleece-lined running tops and trousers from the back of the cupboard along with thermal gloves and hat, I’ve covered my face in Vaseline (great in the bitter wind!) and I’ve been drinking a LOT of tea:

So once I’ve got out there looking like I’m off ski-ing rather than running (and there was quite an amusing incident when at the end of a run in a shop, an Arabic lady mistook me wearing a Buff over my thermal headband for her daughter in a hijab , which we all found hilarious once we realised), it has gone ok. Some runs have been slower than usual, but there have also been some fast bits.  I’ve felt I’ve needed to sleep a lot, so there have been some very early nights, but these have paid off helping me feel like I’m recovering.

It was great running in daylight today for my long run, as I’m so used to the early morning dark, and a few times this week I’ve felt like the only person up in London as it’s been so dark and cold.  So I really enjoyed seeing hundreds of runners in bright thermal kit all trotting happily round a beautiful frosty Richmond park today.  I did the second part of my run along the Thames towpath which was lovely and clear as all the walkers seemed to have opted for staying inside (only one minor collision with someone who didn’t understand what “coming past on your left” means..)  This helped me run a faster section and I was quite pleased to do this without feeling it was beyond me, which it sometimes does!  It could be the training’s working, and I think it also felt luxurious to be on flat after the mountains of Devon & Cornwall last week [Running entertainment, 29 Jan].

So back to the high tech recovery of dried leaves in hot water and milk with dunking repetitions of a chocolate biscuit (repeat several times).