Ran a record 16 miles today, in the biting, blustery, bitter(ish) cold of this beautiful fall day. Not gonna lie, it was rough. I was fine for the first 12 miles (a nice realization), but it felt like every step I took after that was a struggle. Really though I have to thank that random kid at mile 14, who, out of nowhere, decided to race me down the street. He was a fast bugger, but I managed to pull from some crazy energy reserve to win, and I ran on with a smile on my face and some extra spring in my step. By the end of my outing though, I had come to a soberingrealization: I was gonna need some tights.
Now, I’m not really a tights guy. Haven’t touched a pair since my fifth grade production of “Peter Pan”. Hmm, now that I think of it, I guess I did have to wear tights for that production of “The Rivals” I worked on in college. Oh geez, maybe I am a tights guy. Regardless!
I”ve tried my best to not let the weather effect my running too badly over the course of the year. I first started pushing hard-core in the middle of the summer, carrying on through 100+ degree heat waves and moonsoon-y rainstorms. Though this past month has been a bit nippy, I’ve always powered through, warming up as I go. But it;s the long distances that’re gonna kill me. I was freezing when I first started out, warmed nicely at about the halfway point, but started to crash again at the end as I slowed down, downright freezing my butt off when I was done running and left with a 1.5 mile walk back home. The sad realization is, it doesn’t mad how proud you are of braving the elements, eventually you’re gonna wrap that sweet ass of yours in spandex. Or, worse yet, run on a treadmill. Indoors. Yuck.
Brief note on treadmills: they are boring as crap. Oh man, don’t get me started.
So yeah, I finally declare mother nature the winner. If I’m gonna keep going crazy throughout the winter, I’d better get used to running with the extra layers now, to avoid later misery. Of course this means shopping (Yah!) and investing more money (Boo!), but hey, it still beats the subway.
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P.S.- Check out my buddy Jono’s latest post over at Two Fat Nerds; where he talks about his satisfying experience with destination running. Glad to hear my rambling theories actually are a little relatable!
P.P.S- While you’re clicking on links, why not click on this one? Just in case one daily dose of StaufenWriting wasn’t enough.
StaufenRunning 
I have a pretty unflattering pair of black spandex. Just remember, it makes you feel like batman. Especially last night, as I walked the isles of the grocery store.
Congrats on your latest monster run, it is something really inspiring. It makes me want to push the limits and see if I can start busting out longer runs too!
Thanks, man. Don’t worry about pushing yourself too hard, the worst thing you can do if injure yourself. but there’s nothing wrong with saving up your energy for a few extra days for one long run. I’d say a safe distance would be about twice what you run on an average day. Anything past that can get a little iffy on the safety side. Just listen to your body, and don’t be afraid to beat tactically withdraw if it starts getting too rough.
[…] the fact that my legs were f’ing freezing. Yes, dear readers, it’s true. After lots of big talk about tights, I still have yet to upgrade from shorty-shorts. On the one hand, it has been […]