Seems that for every few great runs where I feel unstoppable or particularly determined, I have runs like the one I had this morning that bring me back to Earth. There are so many variables that determine how each run is going to be for me. Time and the position of the sun play a factor. Sunny days are different from rainy days are different from windy days are different from snowy days. Humidity levels can wreak havoc. On the really hot and humid days this past summer I’d sweat like mad and my salt levels would become depleted so much faster causing me to become light-headed. If I don’t hydrate well the day before my muscles start complaining earlier on. If I don’t eat I run out of gas. If I eat too much I feel bloated, bogged down and gross. If I don’t wear proper clothing for the weather I’m prone to overheating. If I tie my shoes too tight, I get shin pains. If my shoes are too loose, I don’t get enough support. If I start out too fast, I fade out fairly quickly.
So, with all of this knowledge, you’d think that I’d have a good grasp on everything that I need to do to be optimal. Ha! I think there are just too many things to pay attention to. That being said, I can at least make some things better for myself wherever possible–I can’t be perfect. And if a factor outside of my control decides to whip my butt, what can I do?
Well, all of my long distance half-marathon training has so far been in the summer. Over the last winter I decided to take two months off, so I missed the worst of the winter weather. I’ve yet to learn how to cope properly with these conditions that are entirely new to me. Overnight it snowed leaving a good amount of cover on the sidewalks. The temperature this morning was -6°C but with the wind chill it felt more like -20 something °C. I wore a long sleeve base layer, a heavy tee and a windbreaker up top. For my legs I wore tights and another pair of pants on top. I had my tuque and a pair of gloves. I was ready to go. Over the first 10 minutes, the front group was pulling far ahead. They were dealing with the uneven soft sidewalks really well. The back group was taking it easy, and I was somewhere in the middle of the mass of people. This continued for a couple of intervals. On some residential streets, I had to get off the sidewalk and run on the street. The winds were fierce and really added a good amount of resistance. There were many moments where I felt like I wasn’t making any forward movement at all because the wind was totally pushing me back. The wind also pierced my gloves making me fear frostbite. I had to put my hands in my pockets. I was really struggling with the snow on the ground. Just by running on it, I could feel my glutes and hamstrings working extra hard. After a while, I started to feel aches in those muscle groups. I had to slow down significantly.
Eventually the back group caught up and passed me. I would have been content to just let them go, but I decided to up the effort just to keep up somewhat. They were never more than 100m ahead. This run was brutal! I was sweating profusely and had snot dripping. My mustache became really frosty from all of the moisture I was exhaling. My backside was really feeling it. I had no choice but to go really slow.
Overall though, I’m proud to have finished this 10K run. It takes a lot of character, and perhaps a touch on insanity to put up with such conditions. I often tell people in my running group who’ve had a rough run that any completed run is a good run. I had to heed my own advice today. I’m going to call today a learning experience. This won’t even be the worst of it–it’s only December: conditions will only get worse. It’s going to be a crazy few weeks!
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2 comments
Hui says:
Mon. December 8, 2008 at 9:27 am (UTC -4 )
Yeah I’d definitely consider running in the winter to be nucking futs. Good on you though.
Jay says:
Wed. December 10, 2008 at 4:17 pm (UTC -4 )
It’s tough! I consider myself to be someone that can handle the winter weather, but man, these past few runs have made me question that.