Cold is good for you

[Yesletsgo]

Radio 4 currently has a series by Dr Michael Mosley, Cold Therapy. The third episode deals with exercising in the cold. One of his conclusions is that people who run reasonable distances for fun (as opposed to marathons, ultra runners, professionals) have their best performance at around 10-11C. Well worth a listen bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001t9nn

So, today the thermometer read 11C and the sun was shining so no excuses. Our garden is very sheltered so I thought I'd be warm enough with a short sleeved t shirt. Didn't realise how chilly the breeze would be.

It was great. I was singing Jingle Bells in my head (and occasionally out loud), perfect rhythm for the pace, a bit more than usual. When I got to the puddles by the marina I skirted them instead of running straight through and pretty much avoided cold wet feet, then turned towards home.

It was the quickest run I've done in a long time, not something that I particularly aim for but the combination of the chill in the air and a couple of days rest was perfect. It was strange, at times it felt like everything was working like a well oiled machine and it was huge fun. Usually I only feel that good when I'm going slowly.

As I ran back through the puddles I was springing from dry bit to dry bit like a gazelle with a hyena chasing it (or that's what it felt like), at least until I realised how hard my heart was working. I decided it was prudent to slow down a bit, and by now the wind was at my back so much less effort, so I even achieved negative splits

I'll go back to slow and steady when it warms up again.

[nowster Graduate10]

I would agree with that. My best times have been in spring and late autumn.

[Yesletsgo Administrator Graduate10 in reply to nowster]

I much prefer the cold to the heat for running, no contest.

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate]

Gosh, that's a bit chilly for short sleeves, a great fun run though

[Yesletsgo Administrator Graduate10 in reply to SueAppleRun]

We have a balcony that's a real sun trap, and the garden is walled, so when I went outside in the sunshine to check the temperature it felt quite pleasant. By the time I realised how cold it was it was too late.

I warmed up by the time I finished though 😁

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate in reply to Yesletsgo]

I've done some lar but running warms us up nicely

[Bruch1]

I prefer the cold too as I get really hot during a run. Love the cold air on my face. Yesterday I did just over 3km with a Christmas mix - singing Feliz Navidad out loud!

[Yesletsgo Administrator Graduate10 in reply to Bruch1]

Absolutely! Who wants to be hot and sweaty 😂Nice choice of music too!