Into the WIND
“I live in the Eastern Cape. A day seldom passes when the wind isn’t pumping. It rastically affects my training times. Will my training still be effective in the wind?”
— Shelby
In his How Or Why series, we dive into some of the specific troubles that you face. Coach SEAN TAIT is founder and Running technique coach at Off the Mark.
I am from Cape Town, where it’s more likely that the wind will blow than it is that the sun will rise, so I feel Shelby’s pain.
The answer to training in the wind is a multi-layered one, depending on the type of training session. So let’s dive into the different types of sessions in more detail and discuss adaptations that can be made to account for wind.
The Science-y Side
It is not your fault! Running in the wind will result in you running a slightly slower average pace than running at the identical intensity on a breathless day.
Why is that? Doesn’t the into the effect of headwinds and tailwinds on runners suggests that you really only get half the time back from the tailwind that you lose into the headwind, if the wind is roughly equivalent to your running speed.
