Running – the perfect way to blitz unwanted inches, lift your mood and have some peaceful time to yourself. But becoming the fitter, slimmer, happier you can’t wait until summer – it’s time to embrace running in the low light of winter mornings and evenings. There’s no need to let darkness stand in the way of an exhilarating run, whether you live in town or country.
If you’ve never run in low light, you’re really missing something. Set your alarm for 6.30 and you’ll emerge to the thrill of running in the quiet, misty early morning. Head off into the night after work and you’ll run against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset.
There’s something special about seeing your town or city at dawn, or witnessing its nocturnal character, lit up and buzzing with nightlife. And don’t let the winter weather put you off – it’s actually the best time of year for running if you’re wearing the right kit. The cold is cooling, the rain refreshing, the wind invigorating.
Carry your Xperia Z3 with you and you’ll be able to capture the most incredible pictures of your run – it’s the world’s first smartphone to feature an ISO 12,800 sensitivity* (the ISO setting is the sensitivity of the camera sensor to light), meaning that you can take perfect, blur-free photos in low light to share with friends and family. You can even do this in the pouring rain, as it’s waterproof**.
Every run will boost your speed and stamina, enabling you to go further with less effort. See your stats in all their glory by tracking yourself with your Xperia Z3, SmartWatch 3 or SmartBand Talk and, over the coming weeks, revel in the increasingly impressive figures when you load them on to Sony’s app, Lifelog.
To celebrate running in low light, Time Out and Xperia Z3 are hosting a series of free London runs at dawn and dusk. Led by pacers from Hackney running club Run Dem Crew, they’re the perfect way to see London in a whole new light. Visit timeout.com/runyourway for more information on registering, start locations and times.
Icon to icon run – 8.5k
Sunday 15 February, 4pm
A scenic route, taking in some of London’s most iconic landmarks – Tower bridge, Tate Modern and St Paul’s Cathedral, to name a few. Capture a photo of each icon during the run, upload it to Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #SonyRunYourWay, and you could win a new Xperia Z3 smartphone if your picture is judged to be the best.
Morning rave run – 5.5k
3 March, 7.15am
Turn up to work with a smug smile after completing this dawn run. Wear your brightest clothes and bring a glowstick! This time, they’ll be looking to award an Xperia Z3 for the best photo of London waking up using the hashtag #SonyRunYourWay. The run will finish at the Vaults underneath Waterloo station, where you’ll enjoy an all-you-can-eat breakfast of champions.
City lights run – 5.5k
15 March, 4.45pm
Check out south London at dusk with a run that starts at Trinity Buoy Wharf and finishes at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. You’ll then get after-hours access to the observatory for an incredible view of London illuminated at night and private access to the current exhibition. Upload a photo of the city from Greenwich and you could be the proud owner of a new Xperia Z3 smartphone.
- Content brought to you by Sony Xperia
*Based on the results of a blind assessment by 201 UK consumers of images captured by Sony Xperia™ Z3 and LG Nexus 5, Apple iPhone 5S, LG G3, Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 (being the “Leading Smartphones” defined by Strategy Analytics as top selling smartphones globally). Research was conducted by Strategy Analytics between 4 and 5 August 2014. For more information, go to: www.sonymobile.com/testresults.
** The Xperia™ Z3 is waterproof and protected against dust as long as you follow a few simple instructions: all ports and attached covers are firmly closed; you can’t take the phone deeper than 1.5m of water and for longer than 30 minutes; and the water should be freshwater. Casual use in chlorinated pools is permitted provided it’s rinsed in freshwater afterwards. No seawater and no saltwater pools. Abuse and improper use of device will invalidate warranty. The phone has an Ingress Protection rating of IP65 and IP68. To see what this means and for more information, see www.sonymobile.com/durability.
