Blimey, that was blowy...

[Tikiczocky]

...ditched the music (no bpms for me to keep to today, so almost naked), as I decided not to compete against myself for a change & just see how it goes.... just me, my dog, several layers of thermal clothing (thank goodness) and Basil-garmin...he was there just to prompt intervals (1 min to 30 sec, today...which I liked) and to keep score!!

Grim weather...started out okay on warm-up, then spotted heavy black clouds which brought horizontal sleet & headwind in parts!! arrrgh!! Having said that, still enjoyed being out and found my pace was roughly the same as with tunes! Might continue semi-naked

Happy Thursday runs, all

[misswobble Graduate]

I've been running for weeks with no music as I have a dodgy ear. I like running free, with nothing to distract me. It's a good idea to concentrate on what's happening around you when you're running in poor conditions

Well done for turning out. Don't know about you, but this cold, windy weather makes me ravenous.

[Tikiczocky Graduate in reply to misswobble]

TBH MissW, I enjoyed the lack of faff most of all, I think...bloomin' ear phone in, phone on arm or down sports-bra, then have to move the bloomin' thing to strip layers & put it all right again...aaaaaagh, what a pain!!

Plus, my playlist was in danger of boring me to death!! Yeah...running free...that's for me!

Ravenous - yes, getting that too!!!!

Have a good day x

[austracey Graduate]

Goodness me, horizontal sleet and headwind. I am going to stop complaining about the rain here in Melbourne, Australia. I went out "naked" without Laura for one of the first times ever today and was really surprised at how well I ran without someone in my ear. I was surprised when I checked my phone and had run for 20 odd minutes without realising. Maybe the 30km odd wind at my back helped.... Just seeing how it goes seemed to work for me today too. Glad I could do it without your weather though!

[Tikiczocky Graduate in reply to austracey]

...and this was the better of the last few days!! I'm in the Scottish Highlands - we've had a bit of a battering, ths week! I started this crazy running thing in the summer (20+ degrees on my first beetroot-faced evening outing), so my first winter as a runner...I prefer the cooler weather (could live without the horizontal sleet & headwind though).

[useitorloseit Graduate]

I don't bother with the music any more. Just me and my son's old digital casio watch and, if I'm feeling a bit more techno, my phone with mapmyrun just to check I'm not slipping backwards timewise!

[Tikiczocky Graduate in reply to useitorloseit]

I really wanted to up my cadence, so the music has been great for that...I can manage the 175/180bpm now, so satisfied. Think I must have gotten into the habit of naturally running at around the 170/5 mark, as there was little difference in my pace today & I was taking it 'easy' (it's never easy)!!

[Hidden]

I ditched my music a few weeks ago as well and I find it so much more enjoyable. I can gauge how I'm feeling a lot better, I'm much more aware of what's around me (very important with our dodgy weather at the moment!) and, as you say, there is a whole lot less faffing about just to get out the door.

I thought it would be a struggle without the music to 'motivate' me but I'm finding it so much more enjoyable. I still have the old Garmin to beep at me as well so I'm not completely naked!

I managed a cracking impression of Rudolph when I got back in this morning, just heavy rain though no sleet here yet.

[Tikiczocky Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Haha...my nose was fine (don't know how it escaped...had my head down for a while), but was glad of my buffed ears & neck (a double-buff day, today)!

[Zev1963 Graduate]

I was semi nakes for most of Tuesday's run, because I forgot to charge Mr Sansa Clip MP3 player. He only needs charging every few weeks, but that means that charging him isnt a habit.

Anyway, I also found that it made no difference to my pace. This wasnt a big surprise to me, as I'm doing C25K+ stamina at the moment, and my natural cadence is around 60-65.

More interesting for me was this morning. I'm running 45 mins this week, and this morning 45 minutes brought me only a few hundred metres from where I turn off the river bank path and head up the lane into the village. So instead of just stoping and doing my warm up walk I decided to run faster as far as the lane. Really surprised that there was so much left in the tank, and how much faster I was able to run. I think tha

[Zev1963 Graduate in reply to Zev1963]

t all this running C25K and the weeks since, have given me more speed available than I'd realised

I'll have to sprint the last bit more often

sorry about the break in the text, I must have hit submit by accident !

[GettingFitter Graduate]

Sounds like Fun. Brilliant that you braved the weather bet you feel good now

[Ullyrunner Graduate]

Semi naked in a weather bomb! This running makes us all crazy!

Well done.

[Tikiczocky Graduate in reply to Ullyrunner]

Yes, Ully...definitely crazy! Saw you had similar troubles yesterday...well done for venturing out. I decided to avoid the trail for most for my run, today...it's just waaay too mushy after the last few days of heavy rains. My orange laces are still fairly orange...hanging on in there!!

I sometimes see the red kites on my runs...is your 'up here' near my 'up here' (Highlands)'? i know they're in other places, but plenty around here.... (Hope you don't mind me asking & don't worry if you'd rather not say)

[Ullyrunner Graduate in reply to Tikiczocky]

No, not so far up the country - I'm in North Yorkshire. They're gradually becoming more common here. Lovely birds.

[Tikiczocky Graduate in reply to Ullyrunner]

Ah! Wild, weather bombs all over..

Yes, love red kites...there's been a successful reintroduction not too far away from here, so they're spreading out and seen more often

[Tomas Graduate]

Sounds like a rough one for you today. Well done for getting out there and sticking with it.

I've only had my phone play up on me once, but like you I found that my pace was roughly the same "naked" as with music. I remember being quite surprised about that, as it felt so much slower without the music to distract.