Fall is truly a beautiful time of the year. There is so much to love about fall - the cooler temps, the changing and falling leaves, etc. However one thing to not love about Fall is ragweed - that unseen toxin in the air that affects so many of us. This past Sunday in worship, so many times all you could hear was the sniffles - and that was before I started losing it while confirming my two sons. The ladies that give me my allergy shots tell me that ragweed will be strong until we get our first good frost - so here's to praying for a nice frost this weekend.
This morning as I went for my run, I knew that the temps were going to be cooler today than they had been over the past few days where it felt like it was July again. Not only did it feel cooler, but the wind was really whipping, and I found myself longing for a long sleeved shirt - not just because I was cold, but so that I could use the sleeves to wipe my nose! Yes, I know that is gross and something that I used to tell my kids not to do, but when you are 3-4 miles away from home and do not have a tissue, do you have a better solution? You trying blowing a snot rocket! Adding to the snot issue, the wind was blowing so hard it was causing my eyes to water so bad I truly had to look like a site - snot dripping and tears rolling. Oh, but it gets better. Around mile 3, the snot really started to drain down the back of my throat (I apologize if this is grossing you out - it's really supposed to be a reminder to me, so if it offends, please feel free to skip this part). The snot going down the back of my throat allowed me to work in a little ab work - gagging and running are all well and good when done separately, but together they just don't mix. Once I got that out of my system (literally), things actually improved a bit. I seemed to be able to breathe easier, and I seemed to finally settle into a comfortable pace.
I was reminded in my running today that when I am trying to set a pace to begin my run, I have got to take into account how cool it feels, or how cold I am. If I am cold, I have a tendency to run a little (or a lot) faster than what I want. That was the case today - I intended to run a nice, slow pace somewhere around 9:30-10:00 per mile. Instead, my first 3 miles where closer to 8:30. I ran a total of 8 miles, and never got to my goal pace for the run, instead I averaged a 9:06 pace. Since I'm really not training for the marathon yet, that really was faster than what I wanted. I felt like I was going slow at first - yet I kept trying to slow myself down. The problem was when I slowed down it felt like I was almost walking. That's what the cold does to me. It may not do that to you, but when I feel cold like that (especially running into the wind), I just pump those legs trying to warm up. Anyway, considering everything, it's still snot a bad run.
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