Monday Jan 22 and I rocked up to my new evening track session with the Generation Run gang in Croydon. The focus tonight was going to be on form and the flow which naturally accompanies a runner when one gets ones form right.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable session with lots of drills to help us fix our form and a demonstation by one of the gazelle like members of the run on great running technique which us wombats kept in mind as we tried to emulate her form. So when I headed out for my 6K run later that week, keeping good form was at the forefront of my mind and made a farily pedestrian (flat) run go a little quicker as I made sure I was conscious of my posture and where I was placing my legs and arms.

I also accomplished 100K this month, just in time for my trip to South Korea which means I have 30ish days of snow and minus temperatures to complete the next 100K. Going from 35+ degree days and uncomfortably sweaty nights to days when the themometer barely makes it to +3 degrees is going to be a challenge.

On Monday afternoon (yesterday) I ventured into “outside” with a thermal base layer, my usual running gear plus some water proof shell walking pants and my running waterproof windcheater, hat, gloves and balaclava and clocked up a satisfying 5 and a bit kilometres.

Garmin tells me it was -3 with it feeling like -10 in the wind and I admit while standing in the shadow of my apartment building wating for my watch to find the satelite I did wonder if this was a good idea. But once I was moving, I warmed up pretty quick and as long as I kept moving, it wasn’t too bad.

The paths and roads around the accomodation I am staying in a prefect for runners, nice and wide and well made and away from the road, I have even found the road to the Olympic Park and am planning to run a 10K out and back tomorrow morning. In truth, it is a little more urban than I am used to but a chance to expore this costal town as a runner more than makes up for the less than natural surroundings.

This work gig is all about good flow and sensible working practices, good running is about good form and good flow, combining my need to run outside, my need to stay sane and my need to be in good mental and physical condition for shift work means that form and flow are very important when one finds oneself in far away places.

Of course, my partner is here with me and the people we have around us at work also add to the balance needed to survive a month at the Winter Olympics but I guess I am feeling very zen at the moment with myself, my work, and the landscape I find myself in.

Here is to a month of some very cold but very enjoyable running and that moment when I can write 200K in the snow.