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Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Thoughts on being a wimp.

The intentions were there... I got up despite the snow falling and met my friends Liz and Steve for a long run on Saturday morning.

Things started out great! I was actually enjoying the snow falling and we were keeping a pretty good pace, the weather was reasonable. All in all... it seemed like I was cruising along to knock out my planned 18 miles with no problem.

And then... as a run can often do... it turned ugly... and as all you runners out there know.. when it turns ugly... it turns ugly quick and I have no patience/stamina/balls for ugly runs.

Random thoughts on Saturday's epic FAIL of a run:

-- One should always consult various weather readings before stepping out for a run that is going to last you about 3 hours. For instance... you should take into consideration the following stats:
    a. The current temperature, the temperature in an hour, the temperature in 2 hours, etc.
    b. The wind speed.
    c. Whether its going to be sunny or cloudy for the next 3+ hours.
Did I take any of those stats into consideration before getting dressed and heading out the door on Saturday morning? Of COURSE not. I merely looked at the current temperature (a balmy 31 degrees) and figured... piece of cake... one layer of clothing will be fine! And it was for the first hour or so... until the wind picked up, the temperature dropped, and the sun went away.

-- One shouldn't go balls to the wall out of the gate in a long run when it's 31 degrees outside and you're trying to run 18 miles. You'll sweat in those first few miles and that sweat will be come back to haunt you when you slow down because the wind is blasting you head on. Frostbite, anyone?

-- I've ran in some cold ass weather. But, there was something about Saturday that just chilled me to the bone. The point of no return was when we stopped around mile 10 so that I could take some shot blox (which were FROZEN) and drink some water. There was no way in hell I was warming back up in my one layer of clothing.

Sometimes, you just have to quit early. It happens. And I have no regrets. But, I have learned my lesson... always be PREPARED.

Aside from the failure of the long run on Saturday (and hey.. 11.5 miles at 9:42 pace in gusty, cold as shit winds, is still a decent workout!) I got all my workouts in from last week! All the runs, the yoga, the strength training.

Unfortunately I won't be able to say the same thing about this week's workouts.. since I've already miss two days of running because of slippery/icy/snowy conditions. Oh well... you can't control everything, I guess (although, DAMN do I sure like to try).

2 comments:

Allie @ The Constant Pursuit said...

I am so over the cold weather! I literally came back with ICICLES in my hair after my 10 mile run Sunday...

Old Man said...

Yep, same here. Cut my long run short, because of the *&^%$# wind. Planned on it warming up, even the sun was shining.