Pain and Rain

Well, almost two months in and I hit a different kind of first for 2012:

My first crappy run.

Sure, we've had cold temps and less than desirable weather to run in thus far in 2012. But until yesterday, I hadn't realized how lucky I'd been to not have a truly. craptastic. run.

Several factors went into this relatively unsuccessful run.

1) I did an hour-long vinyasa yoga class the night before. The class focused on the shoulders and hamstrings with lots of twisting and bending. From the get-go of yesterday's run, every pendulum swing of my shoulders was a distraction. Pain. Pain. Pain. Luckily, not hurt-pain, just sore-pain. But pain, nonetheless.

2) It was 75°F with nearly 15 MPH wind gusts yesterday. In February.

3) I'm still testing my new shoes. I'm not going to lie - the transition has been tough. I don't feel like I can run fast in them. I know the mechanics are completely different and it will take time to acclimate. However, I was so discouraged by the way I was feeling yesterday - both with the way my feet were striking the ground and the feeling in my legs as I moved - that I found a bargain deal on some Ravenna 2's. The jury is still out, but I think I'm going to feel like my PureFlows will be for short runs, my (more stable and predictable) Ravenna 2's for long runs.

The warm winds of yesterday ushered in some pretty significant rain clouds today and as I type, sheets are still strike the window. Tomorrow the gang plans to run in our first 5K of 2012 in downtown Goldsboro. Here's hoping there's not a wash out!