Long runs in Bad Weather - 15th Jan 2012

Well we are pretty lucky in most parts of Australia in terms of having a great climate for running. We can run most months of the year with a few adjustments to our preparation and clothing, unlike those in may parts of the Northern hemisphere. However sometimes in what is supposed to be the best part of the year for running we will all encounter worse than expected weather conditions.

Most of the longer runs or key sessions for those that work full-time or have family commitments etc will always fall on the weekend. This means that we hope for great weather. Make sure your prepared ahead of time and read the weather forecast but, as always take the forecast with a grain of salt as we all know, its often incorrect.

This morning after having completed my longer run on the Saturday, Sunday had me scheduled for a 90 minute run in the morning and a 40 minute recovery run in the evening. It had rained on and off but when I got up and prepared to drive to the start point of my run it started pouring. By the time Id reached my destination, although overcast it wasn't raining and looked to be clearing, phew! Well the first 20 minutes of the run was great but after that the next 70 minutes were run in torrential rain. It was so bad I didn't need to stop for water, I simply opened my mouth when I needed a drink, there was flash flooding and in parts of Centennial Park I was running ankle deep in water. Although you would get soaked no matter what you wore, Luckily I had worn light shoes and enough layers to make sure I wasn't cold, so although I was drenched I was still relatively comfortable and put together a good session without barely laying eyes on any other runners who probably opted for the sleep in (Double runs means I don't have his luxury). One thing I can say though is that the 2xu compression socks worked a treat even in the rain and didnt get heavy or soak up to much water.

The key session this week was my Saturday long run. Although i started fairly slow I still averaged 4:15 or faster for the run and between 20 and 30k I ran a solid block of 10km on Moore Park with Sean Williams averaging 3:25 which is relatively quick on grass after 20km. This is where having a structured plan works well and ensures you can hit the key sessions - For me its the Marathon prep runs. If you'd like some guidance for your own running goals feel welcome to browse www.runlab.com.au.

Buggered after another 160km week!