Weather to run?

As will probably be my routine throughout training, I'm currently kicking back after my weekly long run and reflecting on the week.

The mid-week runs are going well.  I was actually looking forward to Tuesday's hill repeats as they were something a bit diferent and, in my head, shortened my run as 1.5 miles of it was just up and down the same stretch. Sho' was cold though; literally freezing in fact and for one who normally glows like the nosecone of the spaceshuttle upon re-entry to Earth's atmosphere, I was layered up to the max.  Cold weather, assuming it's not like a skating rink on the streets, is fine for running and will never put me off.  Other elements are a different matter...

My first long run of marthon training was wet.  It was that stupid rain that didn't seem that heavy but had seeped though my water-resistant coat enough to send my i-phone into some kind of spasm so that I was getting feedback from Nike on my progress every thirty seconds.  What I don't understand is how come, even when I'm drenched, I still take it as a massive personal insult when a great big drop falls from a tree branch and lands squarely on my head.

Today was a totally different kettle of fish.  The husband dropped me off in Macclesfield and I ran home, via Wilmslow and Mottram St Andrew (Macc's closer to Alderley Edge than you think!).  I knew it was windy, but it really didn't bode well that the old A34 was closed as a HUGE tree had been blown across the road.  After the pang of sorrow for the poor, dying tree had passed, I realised this had the potential to be a dog of a run.  And I was right: the first eight miles were into a headwind, the like of which I've never encountered before.  You don't realise how much extra power you have to put into combatting a headwind, which is one of the reasons why running on a treadmill can never fully take the place of road miles.  Aside from it being tiring, it can also be demoralising because you know you could be putting that power to better use - either pace or distance. I also couldn't feel my legs for the last two miles becauase of the combination of fatigue and the wind-chill.

At least the difficulties of running in heat will evade me in this escapade.  The above is just the classic winter training; long runs are miles in the bank and are the runs that REALLY matter, so there's no avoiding them.  They have to be run at some point so it might as well be regardless of the weather.  I do tell myself 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' but it doesn't stop me railling, Lear-like, at the wind. It's just that, unlike Lear, I don't want the wind to crack his cheeks, I want him to piss off and leave me alone.

Happily, despite the weather's best efforts, I recorded a half marathon PB today, knocking four whole minutes off my previous time.  I'm really pleased with this but can't help wondering what my time would have been if there had been no wind to battle against.  I guess I'll find out in the coming weeks as the miles ramp up.  By the time I run the Blackpool Half I'll have one 20 mile run under my belt and hopefully the elements will be kind.....