In January, this will seem like pleasant weather, but...

This morning ata around 3AM, I couldn't sleep because the wind was so loud it rattled the windows and walls of my house.

It's not inclement weather or a "weather alert"(I spend most of the winter tracking these days on intellicast.com, because running outside when the windchill is -30 isn't something I want to do by accident!). Still, any time the weather actually wakes me up, it seems like it might affect my run.

So I stayed in bed for awhile wondering if I'll be able to come up with a route that avoids the wind as much as possible. I am absolutely sure that wind resistance--like snow, ice, heat, hills, and all of the other things Mother Nature throws out there to keep running interesting--makes me stronger and that, without it, my speedwork on the treadmill is faster and easier than it would be on a track or a straight stretch of road.  And I know by the end of December, January, and February, I'll have written more posts about running through sleet, snow, and ice.

Last year, when I returned from an early morning run, my eyelashes were frozen and my then-3-year-old daughter decided to help me warm up by pulling the ice off for me.

Right now, though, as the seasons are changing, I think I'm a little more of a wimp about the weather than (hopefully!) I'll be in February.  It's much harder for me to leave for a run when the weather's transitioning from warm end of summer and crisp early fall to wild winds and crazy temperature changes.

I spent a few minutes asking myself: Will I be able to even hear my IPod over the wind if I bring it on my run? Should I shorten my planned eight mile run and try running six with some faster segments, or will I regret that next week when I'm running a relay race and know I missed my last run?  Can I make a route that avoids every gust of wind?

I won't regret running through wind and slightly colder temperatures once I'm back from my run, and I'll definitely look back on my October and November runs with a little bit of nostalgia soon, but right this second, I don't want to go outside and feel cold!

What kind of weather makes you dread going outside more than hitting the treadmill? I'll save my questions about how to quickly thaw out hands that are too cold to untie shoes for winter.