In the long run – First Snow Fall

All week there were warnings and mass panic because winter was scheduled to arrive with a vengeance by Sunday afternoon. It happens every year around the same time. We’re still enjoying fall and we’re not ready to for 5 months of the cold.

But I had to ignore all the naysayers because I had a 30K run planned today. The long run was non-negotiable. I’m quickly approaching my taper phase for my training. These longs runs will see me through the finish line in Tucson. What’s a little snow and wind?

I was half asleep when I dragged my butt out of bed. I could hear the wind calling my name the night. I wanted to hide under my covers. I guzzled down two cups of coffee before I went through the motions of a warm up. I stepped outside around 8:20 a.m. Sunrise was a few minutes earlier. I didn’t want to start in the dark so I allowed myself a few more minutes of precious procrastination. 

I switched on my iPod. I had downloaded two podcasts – Q and Trail Runner Nation – to keep me company over the long run. I find listening to music in the first few kilometres messes up my pace. Not too long after I started, I met up with another runner. We chatted for a bit before he turned around. I was surprised to see anyone out in the first snowfall. He wasn’t even training for anything. 

The snow and the wind did not let up. I felt surprisingly pretty good. I reversed my long run route so it seemed new. I wanted to do a loop around the city. It worked out in the end. At around the 15k mark, I got confused. I should have turned but I kept going. I had to use the toilet by now so I ducked into a store to use the bathroom. I used the time to regroup and figure out which neighbourhood I was in and how could I make it back to my original route without adding too many kilometres to my run.