Run 67, 2009 …into the wind

I’ve just logged my 942 nd kilometer this year.With winds at 35 kph gusting to 56 kilometers per hour and a largely overcast temperature of 20 degrees Celsius today’s 14.3 kilometer run was like being in a roller coaster. Running with the wind was a breeze (ha ha) and I literally felt like I was floating, but running against the wind was pretty much like running up river. Slow like, real slow. Leaves, twigs, and debris everywhere. I notice many leaves starting to turn yellow with the fall coming on and the heat stress brought on by not enough moisture from rain. The understory in the woods on the trail portion of my run definitely looks like early fall. The sarsaparilla (common name of a local short broad leafed plant) leaves are all yellow fall colors. It’s like it happened overnight! Last time I ran this trail was only 8 days ago and they were still green.

I took a little break from running because I was feeling pretty sick from an allergic reaction brought on by dust, pollen, and probably mold spores I inhaled while doing chores outside. Or maybe it was a kind of almost-flu. Who can say? Anyway, I couldn’t stop sneezing, and my lungs felt like they do after you’ve just recovered from a chest cold. It was weird. Anyway, today I’m still not 100% but I couldn’t bear the though of missing another running day so here I am! There I go! There I went! Whatever.

So today’s pace turned out to be 7:25 per km and my total distance was 14.3 km. I’m starting to ramp up my long runs to match my half marathon goal coming up in October. I’m also beginning to suspect that it’s time to change out my running shoes to new ones, or get another cushioning insert to try to prolong these ones as they have 965 km on then so far. I think maybe I’ll just replace an insert and wait to switch over to new shoes until after my half and just before I begin my training for the Avenue of the Giants marathon next year.