Long (Painful) Run - A Ranting Post

After a week of being sick, I was determined to get out today and make up some of the miles. Initially I had thought 15 miles would do fine, but I decided to spend the day with Sara yesterday and thought I could make up the miles today. My main goal was to at least break 20 miles this week so minimum was about 16.5. In the end, that was about all I could muster. This was one of the more painful long runs I've had. Yes, it was 53F today, but the winds were wild. The first half of the run wasn't too bad, going through Central Park's lower loop and cruising down Broadway all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was when I went over BB and up the west side highway that was painful. To make matters worse, I had centered my run around a year-round water fountain at Battery Park City. It didn't work! I was a little despirited. Luckily there was a Duane Reade about 100 yds away where I guzzled down a 48oz PowerAde and a small candy bar. The last 5 miles, I was going against seemingly constant 25mph gusts. It was definitely a tough run today. Thankfully, my first long run for this season is done and I have a better idea of the work ahead of me.