50K Training, Week 9: Blow Me Away
I was a skinny little girl. My best friend’s mom used to say that one day I would blow away in a strong gust of wind. I think I took those words to heart.
First day of school, 1966
Everyone has their own personal running nemeses. High heat and humidity come to mind, both of which I struggle with. For me, though, nothing is worse than running against a strong wind, especially when it’s cold.
It’s getting to be that time of year when the wind makes its reappearance. My first two marathons are still my toughest races, mostly because of high winds in each race, with the second even windier than the first. Probably because of those two races, strong wind is my least favorite weather to run in. Winter temperatures make it even worse.
Two of my runs this week were “winded out” because of strong, gusty winds and cool temperatures. No guilt; I just didn’t feel like fighting 35+ mph gusts on those two days. I did get in three quality runs, though, so I’ll call it a step-back week and pick up the mileage this week.
MON: Yoga – 40:00 – Woke up with a slightly sore lower back (probably from a small fall on the trail yesterday), so I did some back bends, then hip openers to help stretch out the sore quads. 88 degrees today!
TUE: Rest Day – Heard the wind howling all night long, bringing in a cold front and plunging temperatures. Even Liz didn’t want to run in that wind, so it was easy to convince her to bail on our morning run. We attended a luncheon together and standing in the cold wind afterwards at valet parking got rid of all my guilt at not running. The wind continued into the evening, and I was having dinner with a friend anyway, so an unplanned rest day took place. This only means I will have to try and make up the miles later in the week.
WED: Hill Run – 8 mi, Power Yoga – 20:00 – Liz and I packed in as many hills as we possibly could on our run today. As usual, I dreaded the run and wound up loving it in the end. Liz and I had a great conversation on our run, and it reminds me that I’ve made some truly amazing friends through running. Power yoga in the late afternoon wore me out.
THU: Tempo Run – 6 mi – Yoga – 20:00 – After yesterday’s hill run, I don’t know how we did it but Liz and I picked up some serious speed today. We ran fartleks in between what we thought was an “easy” pace, and couldn’t believe some of the splits we pulled off. Liz loves sprinting, especially at the end of a run (I don’t), but our fast fartleks felt exhilarating. It was a great workout, and I could barely keep my eyes open later in the evening.
FRI: Rest Day – I thought about doing a few miles in the neighborhood in the afternoon, but after a hill run followed by a tempo run, and two scheduled long runs this weekend, I decided against it. Somehow I got busy later in the day and never got around to yoga either.
SAT: Long Run – 12 mi, Yoga – 20:00 – What a warm, humid, windy run. I guess I should be thankful that the wind kept us cool, but it was mostly just plain irritating. After morning runs these past few weeks in the 30’s and 40’s, starting with a temperature of 61 degrees was a shock to the system. It certainly kept our pace slower than usual, and there were some hills in the end, but I managed to have a great run.
SUN: Rest Day – Another trail run rained out. I enjoyed sleeping in on a Sunday morning, but could hear the wind blowing and gusting outside. I had planned on running in the afternoon but felt absolutely zero desire to battle the wind. I took a rest day instead and will make up the miles next week.
Stats for WEEK 9: Run – 26 miles, Yoga – 1:40:00
RUN NATURE 
adorable pic! I hate the wind, too. I ran at cedar ridge Sunday, and the wind in the parking lot was CRAZY. it was fine in the woods, though parts were a little muddy. Sounds like a great week, in spite/because of your impromptu rest days. 🙂
I knew the trees would block the wind but thought it would be too muddy to run trails on Sunday. My first ever muddy trail run was at Cedar Ridge, in a drizzly rain, and it was like running with cement blocks on the bottoms of our shoes.
yuck
What a great picture! I often think about that house on S. Tyler. The Mercury Montego was a 1968, the first year they made them. The strongest memory I have of that car was NO AIR CONDITIONING. Can you believe I ordered a car in Dallas, Texas without A/C? Love the pic.
But the photo was taken in 1966, on my first day of school.
I heard about your winds this past week: strong stuff. I am betting the tempo run helped compensate by throwing some extra seasoning into the wind. Also glad to hear the 12 miler had a good feel!
I only ran three times this week, but each run was quality. That counts for something!
Windy running is tough…try windy cycling! 😉
Yeah, I can’t imagine. I’m always amazed when I see the cyclists out on those cold, windy mornings at the lake.
No shame in avoiding the wind–especially when it’s 35+ mph. If it was 5 mph, I’d give you a hard time. But anything over 10 is tough. And you still managed three great runs for the week.
Anything over 10 is pretty much the norm around here, especially around the lake, but I do have my limits. Thanks for understanding, Jack!
I don’t blame you for avoiding the strong winds. After all, running is meant to be fun 🙂 .
That’s such a cute pic.
Thanks. I always loved the first day of school!
The big gusty winds that take your breath away are not for me. Combine that with pouring sideways rain and you’ve got one girl who would prefer to stay indoors. I find there’s something so draining about the wind as well. It just blows your energy away.
And headwind during a race feels totally self-defeating.
It seems to take twice as much energy and force to run against the wind. It’s exhausting, and makes for a miserable race. I honestly don’t know if I would run another marathon with winds that strong. I’d probably hit the closest bar instead!