There’s not much to tell about the last two days; I’ll try and keep this mercifully short. The weather turned nasty on Monday. I woke a few times during the night to hear the wind and rain outside, but the worst seemed to have been over by the time I got up. When I opened the door I noticed that it was still raining, and when I got out of the wood I noticed that it was still windy. Initially both weren’t too bad, and I kept thinking of it as a smooth introduction to the winter weather – if the coming winter is like the last one, that is. Unfortunately as the miles got on the weather got progressively worse. The wind stopped bothering me too much once I reached the turnaround point but the rain was a nuisance. I love running in rain, but once it starts pouring and your feet are soaking wet, the fun ends, especially in combination with the biting wind. The last half-mile was almost apocalyptic with the way the water came down. I was really glad to reach our front door and some shelter. I got an additional shock when I checked my HRM afterwards (it had been too dark on the road to read the display), 153 for a slow run was way higher than expected. I’m still paying for Sunday’s idiocy.
I repeated the same 8 miles today, with nicer weather (though it still started raining after the halfway point), and with better recovered legs. The effort level was basically the same as yesterday, but I ran over a minute faster with a much lower heart rate. Today was fun again, but I don’t know if I’ll have the required discipline to keep running all through the dark and cold winter nights if the weather will be as atrocious as last year. Last year I had the ultra to look forward to, and the thought of running 39 miles in one go kept me scared enough to keep training through the worst of the elements. This year, without any plans apart from the hope of building a good base for whatever race next year will bring, the motivation might not be as high. I’ll see.
Both days it was pitch dark when I left home. The end of daylight saving time can't come soon enough for me.
- 22 Oct
- 8 miles, 1:06:44, 8:20 pace, HR 153
incl. 6x100 strides - 23 Oct
- 8 miles, 1:05:13, 8:09 pace, HR 146
The motivation for getting up in the dark and going out in the wind and rain a few weeks after a marathon escapes me. Could you not afford to be more selective since you don't even have the sniff of a race to aim for.
ReplyDeleteYou keep going Thomas. The benefits far outweigh some wind and rain.
ReplyDeleteYou need a goal race just after mid-winter :)
ReplyDeleteSend some of that apocalyptic rain down this way Thomas - we need it. We're having to face up to runs in 30+C heat, unless they are very early morning or late evening runs.
You're right it can be fun running in the wet but the biting cold must soon wipe the smile from your face. Was it stupid or smart Thomas that made the decision to venture out in those elements?
ReplyDelete