Dad-daughter 10K challenge 2025…Post Four 15.01.25 Winter Training methods: Porto v Press-ups, Botox v Blaise

Of course, we’re told to think ‘there’s no right and wrong, just different’ ways to prepare for an athletic showdown…but I’ll leave you to judge whether ‘my’ truth is preferable to Rachel’s.

Over the course of the last month, the weather in Bristol and London has been wintry, cold, grey, and often wet. And dark.

One can react in several ways to inclement conditions. I’m not sure why, but if I’m out of the sack at 5 or 6, everything seems equally impossible – so going for a run is just as unappealing as anything else.

Before I know it, I’m decked out in high viz t-shirt, headgear, shorts over leggings, trainers and socks, gloves, and, heater on in the car, I’m gone, driving down to the flat-ish route around Bristol Harbourside or the more local, Blaise, and after some leg-swings and lunges, I’m off, podcast selected for a pre-dawn 5K.

Then back, shower, tea, and fuss around with Strava to record my efforts.

Rachel’s methodology – remember the showdown is later in the year as we attempt a 10K – has been, shall we say, alternative?

Strava tells me I recorded 12 runs or walks in December and, thus far in January, 3 runs and a few walks. My most recent Harbourside 5K took 30:03 minutes and the one completed on Nov 26th – 29:39.

Yes, that’s right, despite the commitment to ‘training’ I’m getting slower.

Meanwhile, I’ve noticed that Rachel has kept very quiet about her winter training. When I spoke to her a few days ago to see if she was heading out for a run – on a rare sunny day – her reply was ‘I wanted to go for a run this weekend, but I had my Botox done on Friday and they advise you not to do any strenuous exercise for a couple of days’.

And before that, a previous weekend exchange of WhatsApps revealed that, due to the weather, work, and why not, Rachel had relocated to a posh hotel and was relaxing, reading a book, cocktail in hand, lounging around beside an outdoor infinity pool in sunny Porto.

I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions.