12.21.08

I changed this run a few days ago from 3.5 hours. I wanted to get a cutback week in and since it'll be Christmas I figured it would be a good time to take it easier. It actually turned out to be a great idea. The first half of the run went great and I made it to the greenway and did a lap which put me halfway through the run. I did skip the subdivision which has some monster hills so that helped too. Because I thought "oh I'm halfway" I turned back and started back down middlebrook. I forgot to do the loop back through the park so that threw me off a little later on. I kept wondering why I was so ahead of schedule the closer I got back to the park. I was thinking "how fast am I running this second half?" But I knew something was up because of one, big huge, giant factor and that was the friggin' wind. Just RIDICULOUS.

At a few points heading back I just wanted to quit. I was like man I'll just do this tomorrow and walk it back from here (5 miles from the car). Now I hate to sound complainy, but it was just tough. It literally felt like someone had two hands on my chest and was pushing me not unlike an angry football player in the complete opposite direction I was running. So I just kept trudging along, each step feeling like I might either lift off or be blown across the sidewalk into oncoming traffic. Still persistent I moved on. Eventually I made it back to walmart and got a little break from the wind, but not for long. I made it to the huge hill at wiegels and ugh, I almost lost it. A few more explicatives flew out of my mouth. Not only was the wind killing me, but my hams felt like they just went through a meat grinder. It was not easy or fun. But I kept moving somehow, just tiny little baby steps it seemed. Barely getting one foot in front of the other up the hill with no end.

My spirits grew the closer I got to the park, but the downhill section after Aubrey's was by far the worst. Even though it was downhill the wind was just whipping so hard I was still going slow. It was also cold so my face started to freeze. I covered up my face with one glove, and just kept pumping the other arm. I finally made it back to the park and thank the good lord for the trees there as I finished up with a final mile around the broken pavement track. So because I had to work harder due to the wind I got a good aerobic workout and due to the hills the legs got no remorse as well so it was a good run, just harder than I would have liked it to be. At least I ended an hour earlier as I said, because I don't think I could have made it much longer after the obstacle course I just ran. I was really happy to have this one out of the way.

2pm. ball camp to greenway. 30 degrees 14 mph wind from W.
2:32:38, gm 771