Notes
So, I want to run just by feel, but not all of it feels good. It threatens rain and a couple of loops should be enough. I make it one loop. I should have been better prepared. I manage to not even look at my Garmin. Instead of putting it on my wrist, I wrap it, buttons up, around my right belt loop, making it almost impossible to look at without stopping. So, I go by feel. The loop starts well. I nasal breath, trying to listen both inward and outward. The sky is a gorgeous orange on the bottom of the clouds. There is a bit of a twinge at the 10:00 position of my left knee and the 2:00 position of my right knee. This is left over from the 8.25 on Monday. This area ached quite a bit on Tuesday, but mostly subsided by Wednesday. I am enjoying moving along in the breeze, listening inward and outward. After a while, I notice that if I tune in just right, I can feel the fabric of my HRM strap move faintly against my skin. A slight detune and it fades away. Other things are similar as I query different parts of my body to see how they are doing. The burn in my calves after they first tightened is a bit louder. That, too, fades. The wind does not. Part of the way through the loop, it picks up and the rain starts. There are now white caps on our little lake. I am almost blown off of the path and must change my tack to stay on course, crabbing slightly into the wind. My left arm begins to chill. As I turn more northerly along the path, the wind blown rain begins to sting my skin. Half way up along the lake, I decide I have felt enough for this run and head away from the lake towards home. Having the wind at my back is a pleasant change. I turn and look back, briefly considering resuming my loops. But, that is not the feeling I am looking for. If I had a rain poncho or light jacket instead of just short pants and a short sleeved shirt, would I have continued? Possibly. I'm not sure. It depends on how much whipping around they did. The wind is much calmer down our side street. I reach home, fumble for the Garmin at my side, and press the stop button. The feel of this run is over.