Just Survive

It was just another brutal day in Philly. We are having quite the cold spell. I waited until 11 AM to run and it was still in the 20s with a wind chill in the teens. I ran 11 grueling miles anyways. This time, I started from my apartment and ran first along Kelly Drive.

Kelly Drive is a real pain in the wind. I need to just start on West River Drive for long runs I guess. I was comfortable and cruising until I hit Lloyd Hall. Then the wind picked up and I had to really fight to keep a nice pace. I worked so hard against the wind on the whole way out. From Lloyd Hall to the Columbia Bridge (1.5 miles) is the worst, but it doesn't get much better on much of the rest of the route.

I was very impressed with how many runners were out battling the elements on this day. It was also interesting to note that there were a lot more female runners. Maybe they are just tougher. I passed a couple of them throughout the run. I was surprised to see quite a few of them wearing less layers than I was.

I grinded through the tough miles to Falls Bridge. It really wore me out though. Those four miles felt like ten miles. I kept going though and the route back was a big relief from the wind. It got so warm at one point that I really struggled with the heat.

Because of the hard early miles, my IT band started acting up between miles 5 and 6. With that and the fatigue, I was wondering how I'd be able to finish. I knew I would finish though. My pace was actually pretty solid now that the wind was gone. The IT band was only slightly nagging, it never got too bad. Another problem I encountered was my heel rubbing against my shoe. I had longer socks on, but the rubbing still occurred and was uncomfortable early on. It got better though as I got used to it.

I made it a point to pick up the pace after hitting the 8 mile mark. I was just flying for the next mile. I ran hard until the Art Museum. By then, it got warmer and I was exhausted. As I hit Lloyd Hall again, I was really dieing. Hitting the headwind again for the next 3/4 of a mile was brutal. I battled on though and pushed very hard after the last turnaround. I cruised down the home stretch and blew by a bunch of other runners on Boathouse Row.

I finished strong and was relieved to be done. That was one of the more difficult runs in awhile. It's amazing the ability that the wind has to wear you down. I survived though and feel much better doing it. I'm trying to track my pace and hope for progress, but in these conditions, I just need to learn how to survive and simply finish the run. I probably shouldn't push as hard as I do when going against the wind. It's a great learning experience though and I'll be so strong once spring comes around.

11 miles - 1:21:00 (7:21 pace)