Weather Condition: Clear, 6C, Humidity 81%, Wind 29.5 KM/H

Location: Hyde Park, London

Running Structure: 19.45km. 1h47min

Heart Monitor: Garmin Fenix 5 Sapphire + Garmin HRM-Run Heart Rate Monitor Strap

Running Apparel and Trainers: Mizuno Half Zip Merino Wool Running Top with OMM Contour Race Fleece Running Top, Asics Gel Kayano 27

When I heard about the third UK lockdown, physical activity outdoors with one other person remained one of the few activities that have not been banned in the last ten months of the pandemic, here in UK. We have flip flopped from total lockdown in March 2020 for three months, to a tier system, second lockdown, promised three bubbles over five days of Christmas, which was frustratingly withdrawn to now a third lockdown where all but essential shops and nursery schools are shut.

To top it all the weather is awful, cold, dark and wet. At least the first lockdown had glorious weather in April, the sunniest ever recorded with number of sunshine hours exceeding most UK summers. Lockdown was a novelty, we were all in it together, baking, putting up key (healthcare) worker rainbows in the window, going for daily family walks, clapping for carers and being thankful for the friends and families that we have. I for one ran the most I ever have, regularly clocking in excess of 100km a month, which with a family of three kids is a lot. I have got to admit the sun made the sacrifices to our freedom a lot more bearable.

Lockdown 3.0 was a late new year gift, coming in on Tuesday 5th January - mentally we had prepared for our children going back to school - then Boris (UK prime minister) pulled the rug from beneath us. Our two boys went back to home schooling,  Amazon orders of computer screens so that my wife I could have decent homeworking setups now that the kids had taken ours, check that our weekly Ocado (home grocery delivery) slots were still in place we were ready to go again. Well, at least on the surface....

I love seeing people, having social contact, a quick chat at the school gates, that serendipitous encounter with someone you know, hearing people meet up and have conversations in the daily rhythm of life. It's the simple things that you miss the most.

Without running I think I would be pretty down. I have been running regularly for the last eleven or twelve years and if I don't get out at least twice a week I don't feel great. So it has been a relief that we are still allowed to run and and with one other person. Since September, I have been meeting up with my University friend Dr T. Usually, we meet up a couple of times a year with our families, speak on the phone about our frustrations over the football team we support, but since September we have been meeting up once on most weeks for a 30-60 minute run together. He lives 5km from my house or 3km from the school I drop my middle son to. So I use my runs with DT as my long run day.

Part of any training program for a running event or race includes a weekly long run as part of a plan of at least three runs a week. The purpose is to improve your endurance and also mentally condition you to the distance, which is why for a half marathon 16 week program say, you actually have one training run which is longer than the intended race distance. It is usually at a slower to medium pace, comfortable enough that you can have a conversation.  Which is exactly why it is has become one of the highlights of the week that I look forward to.

With the cold, dark and several rainy days , it would be easy to give in to the urge to hibernate in the warm.  Given the COVID restrictions,  I resolved not to focus too much on what we have lost and that I need to add structure to my week, some 'me-time' to focus on activities for my own well being, renewal and some challenge - hence three runs a week and if my April half marathon is cancelled I will get into training to break the next milestone in terms of personal best for running a 10k.

Last Saturday night I looked at the weather app on my phone to see what the weather was going to be like for the next week and saw that Sunday was the driest day and the rest were very wet. Sunday it was. Usually, I get up after 6am, doing a 10 minute yoga routine, some releasing tight muscles using Trigger Point massage balls and go out before breakfast. When meeting someone it is usually after breakfast, so I have to allow one hour before setting off.

It was forecast to be 6 Celsius, so I did not need to put on as many base layers (four!) as I did the previous week when it was 0C. I hate being cold, which is why I layer up, but lately I have been finding the multi-layers a bit restrictive. I have decided that I need thinner layers, so I ordered a few items from the SportShoes.com sale - I put on my new Mizuno Half Zip Merino Wool Running Top. Also the last couple runs, my hands have gotten so cold, my thumbs almost felt frost bitten so I bought some Montane microfleece mitts, so my fingers would be all together (they have the added advantage that they can be folded into quite a compact ball).

So! After all that prep - I was off. iPhone on my arm, Garmin watch on, borrowing my son's Apple AirPods (story for another day!) I was off. It was a cold crisp morning, one that is refreshing and the light improves as you run which usually improves my mood. It was a gentle downhill run from Hampstead to Primrose Hill. Lovely day time of the day to run, thanks to Coronavirus the roads were quiet, but busy in the parks. Saturday was a stinker of a day, raining on and off most of the day, so it seemed like everyone had burst out of their homes to go for a run or walk the dog.

I picked up DT near Oxford Street, music off and we headed to Hyde Park. The morning improved as we ran with the sun coming out more as the dat progressed. We decided to mix it up and took a different route through Hyde Park, heading towards the Holland Park end and hanging a left towards Kensington Palace - where Harry and Meghan used to live. To be  honest, I was feeling a little stiff running in the cold today. If it wasn't for the fact that I was running with someone I may have stopped a couple of times. That is the good thing about running with someone, you motivate each other to keep going.

We took a meandering route, following the sunlight. Catching up on eachother's news. My friend used to be a doctor and has volunteered to be administer the vaccine. He told me that he vaccinated 176 people in one day last week and a total of 300 in two weeks. In places it was bit of an obstacle course, dodging fellow runners and walkers, but most of it we got a clear run. We kept up quite a pace, neither one of us wanting to be first to stop. We did about 9km together, stopped for a chat at the end, socially distanced of course, near DT’s flat. Hopefully , once lockdown is over we can go out for brunch!

I then headed off home on my home, through Regent's Park. There were quite a few groups of cyclists riding in formation. I did wonder how safe it is to be riding in peloton! I think it is much safer running with one other person. Fortunate for me Tariq has been vaccinated. Of course any activity at these times is not without risk, but you need to balance your mental health, physical health with remaining safe and healthy.

I ran 19.46km in the end - I don't think the way my legs were feeling in the morning that I would have necessarily run that much, if I had run alone!

Stay safe and sane everyone!