Monday, January 30, 2012

January 29, 2012

I did not get my Thursday 5 mile run in, because it was windy and rainy. The rain had slowed enough that I could handle it, but the wind was outrageous.

I also did not run my 16 miler Saturday. According to News Channel 4, the high was to be 48 degrees and sunny, but the wind was to have gusts in the 30 mph range, making the temperature feel like it was in the 30's. (At that time in the morning, they had recorded a 34 mph gust.) This had me to cancel my afternoon run, especially since Sunday was to be sunny and in the mid-50's.

After church, I forced myself to go for a run. It was sunny and around 54 degrees. There was an occasional gust of wind that did not seem too bad. That was before I decided to run! I drove up to Hill Top so I could see some different scenery as I ran. The wind was horrific!!! I thought I would be comfortable in a long sleeve shirt and sweat pants. The wind was blowing so hard I could barely stand up. I almost got back in the truck and drove home. And I would have, if I didn't just happen to have an Under Armour jacket that I had left in the truck from the other day.

Well, I ran toward Palmyra until I finally had enough of the wind. It was a constant, strong wind. I didn't see or hear what the wind speed was forecasted to be today, but it had to be like yesterday or more. It also was not just windy and a strong gust blow through. It was a nagging, constant wind! As I neared the Palmyra Market, the wind picked up. It was unbelievable. If I had not known that the wind had been blowing in a straight line for about 5.5 miles, I would have sworn it was a tornado. I forced another half mile and turned around. There would be no 16 miler today.

The first 6 miles took about 10 times as much energy to run as it would have under normal conditions. Running downhill even felt like I was running up hill. I couldn't settle into a comfortable pace; my feet didn't always strike the ground as expected. I don't think I have ever cussed the wind so much. The toil of the first 6 not only stopped me from getting in 16 miles, but stopped me from running 12, even though I finally had the wind at my back. After 10 miles, I walked. Total Time: 2:10:49. Pace: 10:54. Pathetic!

I have not felt soreness like this in awhile. I feel I am getting worse instead of better. I think I will adjust my schedule to where the upcoming long run is 10 miles. The 14 miler a couple of weeks ago was not that bad, but to complete 10 was so difficult today.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

January 25, 2012

Ran 6 miles in 50:40. Pace 8:27.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Catching Up for 2012

Short and sweet (and sour):

Jan. 5 - 6 Miles in 47:41. 7:57 pace.

Jan. 7 - 8 miles in 1:08:04. 8:30 pace. Nice 57 degrees.

Jan. 8 - 12 miles in 1:56:50. Pace 10:33. 55 degrees. Cloudy and windy!

Jan. 9 - Did not run. Alabama beat LSU 21-0 to win the National Championship!

Jan. 10 - 4 miles in 33:25. Pace 8:21. 51 degrees and a light mist.

Jan. 11 - 6 miles in 52:02. Pace 8:40. 48 degrees and misting some. Windy at times, but always strong. Toward end the wind made the mist feel like rain. May be blowing in snow for tomorrow.

Jan. 13 - 3 miles in 25:27. 8:29 Pace. Well, didn't get that snow during the day yesterday, but got it last night. It wasn't much - just enough to cover the road and grass at our house. We didn't go to work mainly because of the previous rain and cold temps that caused black ice. I ran at 2:15. (Most of the other runs in the post are between 5:00-5:30 pm - when I get home from work.) It was sunny, but only 35 degrees. And it was Windy! Windy! Windy!

Jan 14 - 14 Miles in 2:15:35. Pace 9:41. Excited about the pace for this distance. This was a Saturday, so started at 12:15. 35 degrees at start, 45 when finished. Sun came out around Mile 4. It was WINDY! for half. I wore my yellow Under Armour jacket for the first time, and it really helped with the wind.

Jan. 16 - 4 miles in 34:13. 8:33 pace. This run began at 5:15 pm. Strange, but it was54 degrees when I left and 56 when I returned. It was up to 58 by 10 pm. Windy! So wore yellow jacket again. Didn’t need it, got hot. I checked the temps on 2 different thermometers to make sure it was getting warmer the later it got.
Jan. 18 - 6 miles in 50:05. Pace 8:20. Even though it was only 33 degrees, I felt pretty good during this run, probably because it wasn't so windy for the first time in awhile.

Jan. 21 - I have had a lapse in my running. The wind and cold "prevented" me from running Thursday and Friday. Today was to be a long run of 16 miles. Tomorrow (Sunday) is supposed to be a little warmer, so I decided to wait.

Jan. 22 - After church, I changed into my running clothes. Drove back to the church to begin my 16 miler. I never got out of the truck. I thought it was to be warmer with some sunshine. Plus, I was dreading the "16 miles".

Jan. 23 - 6 miles in 54:20. 9:03 pace. 49 degrees felt cooler than that. The wind wasn't too bad, but i really had to force myself out door.

Monday, January 9, 2012

End of 2011

I didn't realize I was so far behind. You will be thankful that I forgot all the details and will provide only a summary of the last runs for 2011.

December 8: ran 8 miles
December 9: ran 10 miles
December 10: ran 5 miles
December 12: ran 2 miles. Yes, only 2. It was cold, dark, and I just wasn't into it.
December 13: ran 8 miles.
December 17: ran 20 miles. Well, traveled 20 miles. I ran from Crissy's house to the lake at Danville. I turned around and ran another mile, but 11 miles was about all I could run. I did try to run every now and then, but 99% of the last 9 miles was spent walking. I felt like I was about to freeze to death. The wind was awful - both directions. This let down really told me to forget the Mississippi Blues Marathon on January 7.
December 20: ran 10 miles
December 23: ran 9 miles.
December 31: ran 10 miles.

I used the Christmas "going-ons" to slack on my running, which cost me from hitting the 1,000 mile mark for the year. I finished 27.5 miles short. The good news is that the 104 miles I ran during the month was my second highest monthly total ever, just behind September's 108.1. Something I would not have expected during a winter month, but it was a unusually warm December for the most part. This was my 5th month to go over 100 miles, and the 4th time in 5 months (November was only 69.3).