Wind season?

I've long heard that spring in New Hampshire is known by less enticing names such as mud season, or frost heave season, but I've decided that a third alternative should be introduced, the season of eternal headwinds. Now I'm no stranger to head winds. I biked from Seattle to San Fran in 2000 and despite my father's prediction that I would go fast since going south means all down hill, I discovered that coastal biking=head winds. But in those days, I was riding with 75 pounds of gear and 10 kids in tow, so speed was not my goal, simply arriving at camp intact and with all accounted for was enough. Since those days of touring, I've obviously gone to just road riding, and lately, racing...on a touring bike. Again, hasn't been something too bad. I love my bike and I haven't ridden enough to really worry about it. Well, after last week's successful return to outdoor running, I decided I was done with the stationary bikes (especially since they're in the gym and I am restricted to 30 minutes) and headed back outside. I knew there would be hills, I even expected some wind. I tried not to be concerned about time (but let's face it, we're all competitive with ourselves) and I was overall enjoying the sunny, 60 degree day. But let me just tell you, in a 30 mile bike ride that went south, west, north, east, then south again, I had a head wind the entire time. I had wind strong enough to stop me, to tilt my bike in the opposite direction I was leaning, and I arrived home absolutely beat. After consulting my coaches and rationalizing with myself that it was my first outdoor ride on a touring bike on roads covered in frost heaves and several significant climbs, I'd really done well. Ok, so I moved on, finished up my week, rested this weekend, and today tackled the outdoor run again. And again, discovered that just because you're running uphill into the wind it does not mean than when you turn around 180 degrees to head home that the wind will be at your back. My hope is that this wind is all caused by increasing temperatures and melting snow creating these crazy convection currents. If that's the case, we're almost in the clear. If not, I will be so diesel by the end of my training :)

One last quick note from today's run, a frustration of sorts. I can't burp, I've never been able to really, at least not voluntarily. This is a fact that my mother loves to tease me about since all of our relatives pride themselves on the strength and depth of their bodily functions. She thinks I'm not really part of the family. It was never an issue until today when about 3 miles into the run, all I wanted to do was burp. I was doubled over in pain from the air trapped inside and even in my greatest desperation, I could barely summon some relief. Maybe my mom is right and I'm some wierd, repressed version of a Newton. Too bad for me, it meant a very uncomfortable run that otherwise was feeling amazing. Note to self...no more jambalaya...