When I was running all the time I became an obsessed weather girl. I had several iPhone Apps to track the weather, I obsessively checked weather.com leading up to the moment I was about to change to run at lunch time. One time I changed my normal lunch hour to 10:30 in the morning to avoid thunder and lightning! I carefully planned my entire day around when the best time to run during a heat wave was. The rain in Oregon is hard to avoid and on days when it was a downpour and I didn’t want to run in that, I was grumpy and irritated the rest of the day. How dare it rain when I want to run! I was training for Hood to Coast and I’d become completely consumed with training. Running. Preparing for the Big Day. Practicing. Tracking my mileage in Excel Spreadsheets. Comparing my PR’s with each run I did and getting upset if I was 30 seconds off from my last run. I also got obsessed with the weather.
I became a total weather girl, scoping out the sky, analyzing the clouds–do those look like rain clouds? Thursday night on my way home from work I was once again analyzing the sky for signs. Could I get in a run before the rain? Were those rain clouds? Or just normal clouds?
Thursday isn’t a normal work out day for me but because of weekend plans I had to shift some things around. I’ve also been battling a cold since Wednesday. What I thought was allergies was most definitely not allergies (mainly because it felt like a cold and the Claratin wasn’t working at all). I so didn’t feel like going to the gym. I decided that I would take my temperature when I got home and if I had a fever I’d take a rest day. If not? I’d go for a short run.
This is pretty epic because I haven’t run outside at all in like 9 months? The last time I ran the track next to our house I realized I was injured. That was Labor Day Weekend–the morning of my photo shoot. What followed was a doctor’s mandate to stop running for 2 months, then there was physical therapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, yoga, lots of stretching and crying and frustrating doctor visits where they told me my IT Band would “just have to heal in time.”
Eventually I WAS able to run again but I’ve been sticking to the treadmill. In all honesty I was SCARED to run. I was scared to be injured again. I was scared of feeling any sort of knee pain or twinge in my body. So for the majority of the winter and spring I’ve been on the horribly boring and tedious treadmill. But hey, at least I was running. I did get to enjoy a run outside on my vacation in Arizona–which renewed the fire in my to run again.
I decided on Thursday that I was running the track no matter what the weather did. I put on a hat and headed out, prepared for anything. I walked down the secret pathway from our house to the track.
When I got to the track I was excited to run again. I told myself I’d run for one mile and see how my body felt. I had no expectations, I wasn’t worried about my TIME or MILEAGE–I was just going to run. I put in my headphones and started out. I was slow at first but then I got comfortable and before I knew it, I’d run one mile. I was VERY happy to see that it wasn’t hard and it didn’t hurt. I was worried that all the treadmill running would mean I’d be a horrible mess trying to run outside. This was not the case.
I was feeling so good I decided to do another mile. I ran. I listened to my body. I felt my breath going in and out of my lungs. I glanced periodically at my HRM to see my heart rate and I was right in the zone.
I ended up running 3 miles. 2.75 of that without taking any walking breaks. I lucked out and the weather held up. I walked back to the house to cool down and felt sooo happy that I was able to run outside again!
Run Stats:
Time: 44 minutes
Calories Burned: 399
Miles: 3
There was too much to do Thursday night in preparation for our anniversary weekend so I didn’t get to rest and nurse my budding cold. 🙁 I packed, cleaned the house, did laundry and packed a care package for Susan that will hopefully distract her from the latest hardship.
I’m looking forward to a weekend away.
QUESTION: As a runner do you run in all weather or do you obsessively track the forecast?
cindylu
Glad you felt good out there. I’ve been lucky to avoid running related injuries thus far, but have had to take more than a week off from running before due to back pain. That was tough.
I’m not obsessed with the weather when I run, but that’s probably because (a) I live in LA, land of mild winters, little rain and lots of sunshine and (b) after a marathon in monsoon-like conditions and a half marathon in rain, I know a little inclement weather actually does me well during the race.
I also have a really flexible schedule, so if I don’t want to run when it’s 75 and sunny out in the morning, I’ll wait ’til the evening. For long runs, I’m a little more concerned about weather since I have to be out there longer.
Lisa Eirene
LUCKY!! When I was really miserable last winter because of the rain I often thought about moving to LA…. 🙂
The few times I ran in the rain because I was so fed up with the weather I realized it wasn’t that big of a deal. Not preferred, but not as awful as I thought.
I wish I had a more flexible schedule.
SlimKatie @ Runs for Cookies
It sounds like you had an awesome run! Don’t you just love that? I will do pretty much anything to avoid the dreadmill–even if it means super cold weather or hot weather or rain (actually, I love running in the rain!) I use the dreadmill when I don’t have anyone to watch my kids, and I am truly stuck.
Lisa Eirene
I am warming up to running in the rain. Sometimes it can be refreshing!
Lesley
I don’t know how you’ve been running on the treadmill. I had to force myself to run on the treadmill about 10 times this winter. I ran last week on it because I’d have free childcare at the gym. But, I always feel tweaked after running on a treadmill. IT Band is always wonky, ankles and knees are unhappy. I’m much more afraid of injuring myself on that crazy machine.
Now, on the other hand, if I want to baby my legs and joints, I find the squishiest, softest trail I can find. Not too many rocks, but a little bit of variety to strengthen my tendons and joints. Speaking of that, have you run Forest Park? I was in Portland, OR for 2 months for work (a million years ago) and I couldn’t get there fast enough to run at least twice a week. it’s where I fell in love with trail running. And, there is the best canopy of shade!!! Treat yourself with one of the best urban trail runs I’ve ever run—Your feet and legs will love ya!
Lisa Eirene
The only way I’ve survived the treadmill was zoning out and watching tv honestly. It’s really awful!
Necia
As a new runner, I absolutely do Not check the weather. If I feel like a run, I go or a run. And I sometime pay for it too!
Kristin
I track the weather obsessively, but I do run in all kinds of weather. I’ll make minor adjustments to accommodate conditions, but living in WA state you really have to take what you get or you’ll never run. Mostly it doesn’t bother me once I get out there. I did then Portland Half last year in a downpour! Although I didn’t like that so much….
Lisa Eirene
You do have to kind of get used to it when living in the NW!