It was fairly cold with the snow coming down hard now. Fewer people from the usual group turned up and we decided to go for a shorter than usual run just in case it got too hairy. Going up a hill, contour around for a bit and back down again. Pretty simple run for around 45 minutes.
A bit cold for the first few minutes despite the windtop with hood over a long sleeve jersey. Luckily it wasn't very slippery as it was just above freezing. Felt much better as we started climbing. Unconsciously one would go harder than normal to keep the body temperature up but I had to make sure that no one got left behind. The temperature dropped as we went higher. The snow was now crunching under our shoes, big snowflakes reflecting the streetlights like sparkling falling leaves and each breath was a puff of white smoke.
One great thing about running in December is the Christmas lights some people put up on their houses. Yes this is still November but there are "kiasu" people who already have decorations on. No extravagant affairs with hundreds of lights yet tonight, still too early in the season.
Soon it was time to start the descend into the "warmth" of the valley below. There was a significant change in the conditions underfoot from fresh hard snow into slush again. This has been a good real life demonstration of how temperature drops as you go up in altitude. The freezing level must have been just above the altitude down below the valley to give such a difference in just a few miles.
Finished the run, get changed, back into the car and off to where I often stay in Sheffield, a nice little B&B down the Rivelin Valley...
Next morning at Quarry House
Location 53°N 1°W
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