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.