I woke to a howling wind this morning – well at least that’s the way it sounded through the trees outside. It was definitely not a gentle breeze. So I was feeling just a tad apprehensive before my long run. Running 26km is hard enough without being buffeted by strong winds and the last thing I needed was a headwind in the homeward stretch.
Nor was it particularly warm which, after the warmer weather we’ve had lately, was a bit of a shock.
Not a particularly fast run this morning but it’s another one ticked off on my program. There were times when I had to pull my running cap firmly down at the front so it wouldn’t get blown off and then just focused on plodding along, trying to ignore the wind.
Passed a guy feeding the ducks, swans and other water fowl as well as the ever-present and noisy seagulls. The birds were coming from everywhere not wanting to miss out on some scraps of bread.
Also passed some parkrunners running in the opposite direction to me. I must get to one of the parkruns one weekend, when I’m not doing such a long run.
At some point my water bottle carrier was driving me up the wall. The carrier wraps around my waist with a Velcro closure but if I don’t wrap it tight enough it starts moving around my midsection. So I’m running and forever moving it back into position so the water bottle sits in the small of my back. I really don’t like things around my waist at the best of times but when running long distances I really need to wear it so it does become a case of put up and shut up. 
Finally, home. Always love that feeling when I can stop and turn off the Garmin.
“It’s very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.” – George Sheehan
We were lucky down this way with the wind, almost calm or a southerly behind us most of the day out in the Orroral valley. Nice in the afternoon up in the mountains. Good work on another long run done.