Today was a crisp and windy day. The forecast called for the winds to pick up in the afternoon so I made sure to get going before noon. I didn’t have clear plan. I thought I would run somewhere between 3 and 8 miles. That sounds pretty silly but I just hadn’t given it much thought. I went to Back Cove (pictured right) in Portland which has a 3.5 mile loop around a tidal cove. That way I could run 3 or 6 or 8 without having to plan a route.

However, I had the number 8 in my head and I just couldn’t shake it. The first time I ever ran 8 miles, I fell head-over-heels in love with running, so I think of that distance as special to me.

The first loop (3.5 miles) went pretty well.  It was windy but nothing crazy. I stopped at my car after loop 1 to drink some Gatorade and to eat a couple of Chomps. I grabbed my phone so I could take a few pictures (although they all pretty much look the same since it’s a loop) and I started loop 2.

It seemed a lot windier on loop 2. I definitely slowed down quite a bit. I love my Nike Fit Dry hoodie (which kind of looks like this, except it has a hood) because when the wind picks up I can put the hood up but I don’t have to carry a hat when it’s not windy.

I found a half mile stretch on loop 2 that wasn’t as windy so I doubled back to pick up the extra mile I needed to get to eight miles. I ran slow but I felt good and never really doubted I’d be able to run all 8.

The other day I set up a Facebook page, so if you enjoy reading my posts, please Like my page on Facebook.