A Tale from a Long Run

I’ve just come back from a long run.  It was a bit of an adventure.  This particular run had it all.

It’s May, we are coming into the last month of Autumn, soon winter will be upon us.  Which means the weather has been all over the place.  This week alone, we have had cold temps, rain, fog, wind and sunshine.

Last night it rained.  The rain was lovely.  All of 6mm, which isn’t massive, as it’s still much needed.  Knowing that it did rain would mean there would be some larger than normal puddles.

Prior to leaving for my long run, I double-check the weather app and report to see what’s going on.  I also look out the window because you know, sometimes the weather report tells a vastly different story than what looking out the window does.

After studying the weather, I settled on wearing my skins, a long sleeve top and a buff.  While it was overcast it was on the cool side, so my outfit was justified.

I also decided to run the same course that I had run two weeks prior, as I was covering the same distance.

Plugging in my headphones I had my podcasts queued up and out I went.

Things were tracking well.  At the 4km mark, I turned off the sealed road and headed out into the Deep Lead Nature reserve.  I waved to a couple of running mates, that had finished up their run and were back in their cars heading back home.

The recent rain meant that there were quite a few puddles to circumnavigate around.  As a trail runner, I wasn’t too phased by this.

It wasn’t until I hit Bonnie Dundee track that I thought to myself “I wish I wore my trail shoes”.

The track was slippery,  It got so bad in some sections that I was running on the verge of the track (where the track meets the bush).  It was either that or go arse over.

I was also hot.  The buff was now stuffed into one of the pockets of my pack.  The backs of my legs were itchy (heat rash), and my long sleeves were pulled up as far as they could go.

Not only did I have to deal with being overheated, but I also had to be careful with my foot placement so I would slide into a big, wet, muddy puddle.

Half an hour later, I was off Bonnie Dundee track, back onto a gravel country road. With a change in road conditions, I also saw a change in weather conditions. No longer overcast, the sun was out and the forest was glistening.  While it was now sunny, I noticed a change in temperature.  The long sleeves now pulled down.  The buff out of its pocket and back on the head.

While some runners would have gotten mad, I saw the valuable lessons that this long run taught me.

  • Weather can change track conditions
  • Weather can also dictate how your body deals with temperature changes.
    • eg It’s possible for it to be overcast and you be hot.  It’s also possible for it to be sunny and you be cold.
  • What you wear will determine how hot or cold you get
  • Not all shoes are suitable for the long run, the ones I wore today gave me blisters

Long runs do more than build up the endurance into your legs.  These training runs are designed to help you become a better stronger runner, mentally and physically.  Come race day you can tackle anything.

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