It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

A typical long run for me usually has several different phases.  Although not nearly as dramatic as my long-course races (where I cycle through the Kubler-Ross stages of grief multiple times), most of the time my long runs start out on a positive note.  Sometimes, I feel a bit worn down from the previous days' training, but figure that it will get better as I warm up; sometimes, I feel great and think that I want to run forever.  Yesterday, I felt surprisingly chipper, considering the previous day's tempo run.  My legs could feel just a bit of fatigue, but much less than I expected.  So, off I went on a planned 17 mile journey, carrying some Apple-Cinnamon Hammer Gel, Endurolytes, and water (no bonking for me today). 

It was the first day of Spring, and the weather, although blustery and a bit cold because of the wind, was dry.  I was hoping that it would stay dry for me for a change.  The wind was coming mostly out of the north, so it was going to be a cold one.  From my high school days, I remembered that it was always more pleasant to start off into the wind and return with the wind, so I decided to head north and run for awhile.  Figuring that one of my out-and-back courses would get me 15 miles, I realized that I would need to add a few more miles somewhere.  I thought about adding on a couple of trail miles at the end of my run, but then decided to add in the Soundview Trail by Chambers Bay golf course.  Nothing like throwing in a 250 foot elevation drop (and subsequent climb) in the middle of a long run to challenge the quads and make one wonder about his intelligence.  Still, I figured that if I could survive it, I would feel better about my fitness.  I also rationalized that, although the "out" part of my run was going to be hard because of a headwind, the return trip should be a literal breeze.  And I could look forward to a tailwind while I was running along the golf course.  I was partially right.

The "out" was hard, but not terrible.  The "back" was interesting; because of the tailwind, my stride was affected and I felt like I was being pushed along at a faster pace than I really wanted to run.  And the Soundview Trail?  Yikes!  Steep enough heading down, that I was punishing my quads to brake, and equally steep heading back up, so my hip flexors were suffering.  And there is a good news/bad news part of almost every run from home:  the good news is that the finish of every run challenges me and (I hope) makes me stronger; the bad news is that it is because I have to climb a 1 mile hill at the end. 

But, with the Chambers Bay loop added in, I did run my 17 miles, with a feeling of accomplishment due to the wind and the hills.  A day off today is going to feel good.