Warm weather training

That's right, your eyes do not deceive you, WARM weather training. It doesn't seem that long ago I was complaining about the sub-zero temperatures, in fact, at one point in January the weather was so bad I couldn't run for a week. Sheet ice inches thick covered just about every pavement in South East London.

We Brits are famed for our obsession with the weather but I don't think anyone could argue that the last four months have not been easy for us lot training for the London marathon. I've ran through sub-zero snow covered streets, pouring rain so bad that it left standing water a foot deep in some places along the River Thames, and today, something completely different... hot sunshine and high humidity.

Not that I'm complaining, one of my worries about the up coming marathon has always been that the later than usual start (a week later than last years) left the event vulnerable to warm or even hot weather.

This morning I woke up and did my usual preparation of porridge, bananas, stretching and circuits. While watching the weather forecast I realised that today was going to be a warm one, "hmmmmm", thinks I, "..here's an opportunity to get some warm weather running in".

Now, I've ran a warm marathon before and I can tell you, I did not enjoy it, not one bit; and that was after months of training through an unspeakably hot German summer in Cologne. Running in warm weather takes some getting used to and after months of training though the coldest winter to hit Europe for 70 years, any opportunity to run in the sun has to be taken.

I actually waited until about one o'clock, the sun was shining in a clear blue sky, the heat had built up to 19 Celsius in the shade, making the in the sun temperature well into the mid-twenties. After about 3 miles of running I really started to flag, I started getting worried that if these conditions were to be repeated on the 25th, I wouldn't make it. After four miles I stopped and had a stretch, I started to relax, drinking regularly, pacing myself nicely. I realised that I had gone off too fast, running close to 7:50/ mile pace, I eased off to around 8:10/mile pace and all of a sudden I really started to enjoy it.

I ran around Peckham Rye Common three times (about 5 miles), enjoying the sun beating down on me, the sight of people soaking up the warm spring sunshine, dog walkers, builders and other runners all out there, I just relaxed and got on with it.

I'm planning a 13 mile run on Sunday, apparently it's going to cool off a bit, it will be sunny but not nearly as hot as it was today, shame really, I would really enjoy another thirteen miles just like today.