A run in the snow and sunshine

Today started with an early morning snow fall adding to the fun driving for the swim, although it did mean fewer swimmers and a free lane in the pool.  The swim session was purely swim sets and no drills for a change.  A warm up, main set and cool down maximum of 45 minutes.  360m warm up in 9'20" followed by 1160m in 30'12" and 80m cool down in 2'50" giving 1600m in total in 44'25".  I was quite pleased as I had been able to concentrate on swimming long, gliding, the pull/push and keeping my hips and legs still.  Not sure it worked all of the time but used fewer strokes when I counted, getting 21/22 a time although the watch told me that I had average 26 strokes a length so when the focus is off I still use to many strokes.
The run was a new route from Rob starting from Harlestone Firs.  There was snow on the ground but it was just above freezing and the sun was out.  With 11 of us today, we quickly headed off road into the woods behind the garden centre and headed off across fields heading out to Nobottle and then to Harpole.  The views and tranquility were fantastic, you wouldn't believe we were so close to Northampton and the M1, it would have been good to have a camera to record it.  We followed the road out of Harpole - it is a steep hill and then across fields again until Harlestone and then back to the car park.  The route was muddy but fortunately the ground was frozen so it wasn't too bad.  I was supposed to be doing an easy run, staying in HR zone 2 but I failed with the heavy going and the hills, although I did manage an average HR of 133bpm which is in my zone 2!  I ran 8.38 miles in 1.27.01 in total.

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