Yesterday I went out for a 14 mile run. In the morning I bit the bullet and decided to go with the Garmin Forerunner 405. Actually the decision was sort of made for me, and I went with it. Given the idiotic letter I had received from Garmin vis-a-vis George Hincapie, I had decided to try Polar first. Well the shop I went to yesterday did not have any more GPS Polars in stock, and since I did not want to spend hours trawling around the shops, I went with the Garmin. I decided to sort all the mechanics out on Sunday.
Saturday was a windy day. The temperature was around 57°F, and the real feel was 37°F, with the wind at 30mph. Autumn weather can be quite difficult to run in, as I never seem to get my clothing right. As soon as I set off, it was so windy that I had to turn back and leave my hat with the concierge at home. Setting off the second time, I had to stop after half a mile as I was baking. Thankfully I had a sleeveless top on underneath. That being said, it did feel a bit brisk at the same time. And so it continued, past the Museum of Science, until I started down the opposite side of the river.
It was so windy, I could not breathe, and I could not see. My nose started running, my eyes were streaming and I had to stop several times just to catch my breath. Yup, it was then that I had a total recall.....not only did I remember what Hyannis was like when I did the 10K this past February, but I also remembered running last winter and just how cold it was!
On and on it went, and worse of all, I started feeling light-headedly hungry! I suppose a cream cheese bagel for brunch is not sufficient fuel for a long run. Thank goodness for GUs, but there was no instant magic. It took a few more miles of agony before I started feeling ok again, and at this point I had reached with blustery side of the river again. Anyway, I finished the run, but it was a wake up call.
What possessed me to sign up for a February marathon in New England? The upside is that these runs in this weather will allow me to be better prepared, but the enormity of what lies ahead has finally sunk in. I arrived home in pain, my ears were ringing and I was frozen to the bone. But after a hot shower, all was right with the world. It was a great run, and I enjoyed it through thin and thinner!
ps. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I did not enjoy the run whilst I was doing it. I struggled with it, I suffered through it, and just hoped that it would end soon. I think the 'joy' came afterwards - joy at having finished it. But it was a lousy run, and I was disappointed in how slow I was.
No comments:
Post a Comment