My first run with Hannah

Having been out New Year's day and paddled the 4.4 miles into the wind and spray, I was a little tired and my shoulders now ached quite a bit! Despite paddling downstream, the wind was driving small waves upstream. Whilst the waves were only 3-4" in height, when the boat your in is less than a foot high, that can mean spray hitting you off every wave. And after 2 hours, that starts to drag.

So the weekend came round, and my shoulder's still ached and I was still feeling tired. But I knew I needed to go for a run all the same. However, I had lunched booked in with Hannah and her previous Marathon running partner to discuss fund raising ideas so it was left for today.

Today arrived, and so too did loads of fog and cold temperatures. Or put another way, my least favourite running conditions. But on the plus side, Hannah was up for a run and it would be our first one together. As we've not run together, and I'm quite a bit taller than she is, I suggested we did the same route Alex and I did; down to the reservoir and back again. The height difference could have a big effect on our stride rates and lengths.

We set off well, and well wrapped up, as the wind was biting. It soon became clear though that the ground had warmed up even if the air hadn't. Where I ran with Alex and the ground was frozen, it was now mush and mud again. The air was making my chest feel cold again, whilst the fog also meant any attempt at photos was a fuzzy waste of time. However, Hannah has a fancy Iphone with Strava loaded:

Assuming that I got the times right before, this means we were anywhere from 2 secs to 2 mins slower than before, due to not knowing an exact time. But with the ground being soft and the air cold, I'm OK with that where ever we are in the range.

However, next time will be faster!