Yesterday I used my better judgment (don’t you hate when you have to do that) and pushed my long run back a day to let my IT band rest. When I stepped out the door I thought, this is a great idea! Yesterday it was pouring down rain all day, and today it is sunny and beautiful out. I made a good decision.
Cut to 1/4 mile into my run, when I literally ran into the 20 mph winds forecasted for today. The great thing about running right along the ocean, is that not only did I get the NNW winds, I also got the ocean winds coming from the East and Southeast. So basically everywhere I turned there was wind. I didn’t know it was possible for wind to make you nauseas. I would find a reprieve for a minute here and there, but for the most part it was 7 miles of straight wind. I did not expect it to be this cold so I had only packed running tights and a thin long-sleeved top. I did not have any gloves, headbands, or ear warmers. I kept switching off my handheld so I could put the free hand in my armpit to keep it from freezing. I only passed 2 other runners the whole time, and both had on thick jackets, scarves, and gloves. So, I may have been a bit underdressed. I checked the weather when I got back to the hotel and the wind chill was 33*, which may explain the numb hands and face when I was done.
Our hotel was in the middle of the jogging track on base, so I headed out to the south till the track ended (about 1.25 miles), then turned around and ran north till the track ended on the other side (about 4 miles). I headed back to the hotel and at about 5 miles I saw hubby driving by. He pulled into a parking lot near the track and came running out to join me! He had not planned on outdoor running so all he had was a t-shirt and shorts! Poor guy. If I was freezing, I can only imagine how cold he must have been. I was glad he could join me for the last 2 miles though. It was fun to share in this character-building run :)
Hubby has also been reading Dean K’s new book “Run!” all week. It has been re-invigorating him to run. He hasn’t really been into it since we moved. In fact, today was the first time we have run together since last fall. Previously running has given him something to focus on when work wasn’t going the best, so hopefully it will do that for him again. It is nice for me to have a running buddy again! This training cycle I have done all of my runs solo, and it gets a little boring and lonely sometimes.
I am glad to be done with my 7 miles. Only 2 long runs left, 10 and 11 miles, then taper week and the race! I am excited to do another race in cooler weather. When I first started out today, I was just running at a natural pace. My usual long run pace is around 12 minutes, and when I checked my Garmin I was doing an 8:05 pace! Holy cow! I have never run that fast. I think my cross training is helping. And the cold weather of course. I am not sure what pace to go for during my half-marathon. Based on my 10K time, I should be able to do a pace in the low-to-mid 10s. But I am afraid of burning out too soon. Maybe I will try for an 11 minute pace for one of my long runs coming up to see how I can hold that. Don’t want to have any regrets with this race!
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