Stormy week

It was actually alright for the first half of the week, and really started on Wednesday afternoon when I did my 45 minute easy run after work. It started to drizzle as I started my run and the clouds were all black. There was a bit of lightning too but they seemed quite a distance away. As a cyclist overtook me at one of the intersections, he said "I thought I was the crazy one riding home in this weather!"

Well, as it turned out, there were many other crazies running that evening too. John Cooke was one of them as he posted on his blog here. The downpour really came on my return journey from Burswood. It was not only wet but the winds were strong too, such that the rain were hitting me diagonally and hard! And my glasses were all fogged up, I could barely see beyond a few metres in front of me. Thank god I got home safely that night.

I didn't have further altercations with the weather for the next couple of days. In fact, it was clear when I did my long run on Friday morning. Managed 21.6km for the 90 minutes, an average pace of 4:10 per km. My best effort so far... and looking forward to attempting another PB at the Perth Half Marathon next weekend.

Saturday's ride in the hills was when the skies opened again. Although I must say I was pretty lucky, when it really poured, coincidentally I was near sheltered areas. The first was at the toilets at Mundaring Weir dam, the second when I was making my journey back at the Windan Bridge at East Perth. But most of the paths were flooded at East Perth, forcing me to make a bit of a detour and I found myself cycling along playgrounds and boardwalks.

I had another ride on Sunday morning, this time along the Swan River. Although it didn't rain as much, I think the winds got stronger. Or it could be the impression from the waves crashing onto the Freeway South bike paths. I could barely go down on my aerobars without risking being blown away. On my return journey, I even struggled to maintain riding on the outer lane as the winds kept pushing me in.

Previously I would probably be cursing the weather throughout these sessions. But somehow I've learnt to accept these things and take them as deposits into my memory bank to draw upon if it gets tough on race day. As John Cooke aptly quoted from Macca's I'm Here to Win book, EMBRACE THE SUCK!