I frequently remind readers of this site that I’m not a coach and I don’t write here to give advice, but here’s one of those exceptions: wind.
Stay the hell out of the woods in the wind.
No exceptions.
We were running recently on a crisp autumn evening through blazing fast winds. The neighbourhood provided a bit of shelter, but there were gusts that were certainly approaching a hundred klicks per hour in some of the more open places.
As we ran past the entrance to a familiar, well-trod trail someone instinctively suggested “take the path?”
Nope. We wisely steered back onto the open road running parallel and heading in the same direction.
Sure, it would have been pretty running through the autumn trails with the fresh fallen leaves crunching under our feet, but the creaks and groans whispering from the trees as we ran past were a stark reminder that in on a windy evening a trunk can snap without warning, a branch can break in a moment, and distracted as we are by the scenery a falling tree would end our running career permanently—and indifferently.
Running through the woods in the wind is like running through a minefield. Unwise.
Consider that your wind warning.
Definitions
- advice
- This is NOT an advice site. I write for entertainment only. Please see my note on advice in my page called "Some Notes" in the menu at the top of each page.
- august
- In the month of August where I live summer peaks and the days are often relatively hot (in the high 20s or low 30s) muggy, smokey and dry. Rain is infrequent, but when it arrives it comes in the form of drenching downpours and epic thunderstorms. We begin our runs earlier in the day because the local marathon runs late in the month and our training distances are maxing.
- klick
- As a Canadian I run in metric. As a writer, I find the word kilometre clunky and clinical. I'll usually use the colloquial "klick" or "klicks" to substitute in for this.
- october
- Fully into autumn, October is a month of shifting seasons, short days, long shadows, and gorgeous sunsets. The cobwebs are hung on the eaves in preparation for halloween, and here in Canada we're running off Thanksgiving dinner for a couple weeks after a proper good meal mid-month.
- september
- The days are noticeably shorter when we realize that September is upon us. The post-summer routine kicks in and people are back to regular work schedules and kids are back in school. It can still be warm, but the hottest days are behind us and most of the biggest races of the year are in the rear view. We savour September knowing winter is too soon to come.
