High Wind Warning

Sat, Feb 19, 2011, 12:00 AM EST

HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EST THIS EVENING

* LOCATION... ALL OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.

* WINDS... SUSTAINED NORTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH... WITH GUSTS OF 50 TO 60 MPH.

* TIMING... THROUGH THIS EVENING.

* IMPACTS... DOWNED TREE LIMBS. LOCALIZED POWER OUTAGES POSSIBLE FROM TREES FALLING ON UTILITY LINES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT IS EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR MORE CAN LEAD TO PROPERTY DAMAGE. 

So, yea.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  Today was my last long run before the Disney Princess Half Marathon and the schedule said 8 miles.  I toyed with the idea of running 10 miles or maybe even the 12 miles I didn't do last week.  I felt good, better than I have all week and had high hopes. 

And then I tried to get out of my car.  And I mean try.  The wind was so strong it kept trying to shut the door on me (yea, on me.  I have one leg out when the door started to close!).  Got out and realized A. it was going to be a rough run and B. I shouldn't have been so cavalier about not wearing my gloves.  

It started out ok.  Cold, but ok.  I did the big hill today, which I haven't really been running lately.  I did that first, then headed into the neighborhood I normally run.  And the neighborhood seriously almost killed me.  The winds were killer!  Several times I had to just concentrate on not being pushed into the road.  And as I ran, there were all sorts of things the winds did to people's houses/yards - knocked over someone's mailbox, pulled off someone else's siding, and some yard decorations were rolling around in the street.  

So those high hopes of 10 miles or even 12 miles?  Yea, they got ditched when all the above happened.  I managed 8 miles, which is 2 more than I really thought I would get in with this wind.  Today's run was scheduled to be 8, so I'm happy with it.

And this time next week, I'll have done packet pick-up at Disney's Wild World of Sports and will be hanging in Epcot.  Preparing myself for the half marathon the next morning.  Eep.