End of Week 16 - "Long Run"

Starting off the New Year with a few excellent pictures courtesy of Ann Marie. We all had a great time on New Year's Eve.

Sarah, Ann Marie, Susan A & Susan L

The Group

Sarah & Susan L @ Cinco's

A few party crashers

Hiding the drink I just ordered from the Paparazzi

The Kids

The Gang @ Dinner

Yesterday was spent on the mud room. Time and patients is what I need to continue to tell myself with this process. Time and patients.

This morning the air temperature was around 18 degrees. With the wind chill it was in the single digits. I was scheduled for a 13 mile run this morning. We woke around 7AM and got ready for church. The main emphasis of the service was that "life is not fair". Read Matthew 20:1:1 about the land owner to get the whole understanding. But what I took from the service is that "life is not fair, so just deal with it".

After church I headed over to Johns Creek LTF to start my 13 mile run. I figured I would hit Route 141 South since there is a wide lane for bikers which would keep me off the concrete sidewalks as much as possible.

I dressed for the weather. The amount of extra clothing on me weighed me down with about an extra 10 pounds, but at least I was warm. The start of the run was cold. Actually, the whole run was bitterly cold. I never did warm my core up at anytime.

I had the wind at my back on the way out that gave me a split at the 6.5 mile turn of 0:45:24. I knew the 6.5 miles back where going to be hard with the hills and the head wind.

When I turned at the half way point it was just that. The Arctic blast cut through the layers down to my core as I made my way north on 141. A head wind with hills I knew the back half was going to be a positive split but I was good with that since I made the time on the way out.

As I ran north my nose that was running profusely had stopped. I thought the wind had dried my nose out until I started to rub it. This is when I found out that the snot had frozen solid in my nose! This was an unpleasant feeling at the time. I had to breath out of my mouth until I could dislodge the frozen drainage from my nostrils. This process was continuous all the way back to the gym. With the wind, hills, frozen snot, cold core and just all around freaking cold day, I finished the 13 miles as I have said to all my friends, "too fast"!

But, even with all what life had thrown at me during this Arctic run, I did not complain once. I took it for what it was and proceeded forward with my goal. I ended the 13 miles at 1:34:14 or 0:07:14/mile. This was 22 seconds too fast per mile.

The next run will be at goal pace, I promise Ann Marie, Jay & Bob...