Tuesday run

6:00 am start and it was damn cold. Temperature had dropped to -8°C and a thick frost covered the ground. It was still fairly dry, so no snow to really make the going difficult but the icy patches had to be avoided.

I've prepared my winter training gear now so running in the cold is no longer a problem. 2 layers of long sleeved running tops with the second insulated, a pair of long running tights, a pair of gloves and a thinsulate ski hat. Perfect for all temperatures down to -10°C. Below this, I think that I would suffer terribly. At least for the running tights, I 've found a solution with a nice pair of silk boxer shorts that Laurence offered me in the past. These now protect me from any chafing from the tights and extra insulation on cold days.

I did the usual 10km course around Maisons Laffitte and I set off fast to avoid getting too cold. Having negotiated my way down the slope to the Seine in the dark, and avoiding the ice traps, I pushed the pace harder alongside the river. I've bee thinking about my lack of VMA training and I thought that I could alternate the effort on these morning runs over each kilometre: one slow then one fast. Unfortunately, the thought has remained just that for the moment and I haven't managed to overcome the mental barrier to actually putting this into place.

10.1 km in 43:06 or an average of 4:15 per km. Good run.