Morning Rain or Evening Cold

Day 70 – November 15, 2007

That's the choice I was faced with this morning. At first it was pretty easy. The torrential downpour that ushered in today's cold front was a lock for pushing me to a date with the freezing temperatures expected this evening. But around 6:00, the rains gave way and I decided to take advantage of the window of opportunity. I quickly changed into my rain gear and headed out. The temperature wasn't too bad at first, but the rains returned about a mile into the run. I managed to avoid the heaviest downpours and it really was only uncomfortable for about 10 minutes.

There is something about running in the rain that really focuses me. The hills today, and I ran quite a few, did not seem to bother me at all. Sure, I am getting stronger with running them every day, but I'm talking about a significant difference even from this past weekend. It reminded me of the time I ran the Charlottesville 10 miler race in a nasty thunderstorm. The day of that race started with a steady light rain that had been falling all evening. The temperature was warm enough, but the rain was cold. About three miles into the race, a large thunderstorm rolled in and it let loose. By Mile 8, we were running in water that was over an inch deep, and in places it was over the tops of my shoes. Not exactly great conditions for a race. My goal that day was to run sub 65 minutes. When I crossed the finish line, the clock read 64:10. I was so focused on the rain and the puddles that I didn't notice my own discomfort and had run the best 10 miler of my life. This was 1:20 faster than my previous best.

So, some days, the bad weather can actually help get you through a run. It seems counter intuitive, but I've noticed it over and over. Yes, it is still hard to go out when you know the weather is bad, but I try not to get discouraged when the weather suddenly turns bad on a run. I think this supports the idea that running really is as much of a mental exercise as a physical one. Another reason to stay positive and not let the negative things get me down.

Day: 70 .....Time/Date: 6:40 AM 11/15/2007 .....Weather: Rain, 51F
Run: Twin Lakes 4.8..... Miles: 4.8 .....Time: 36:30 .....Pace: 7:36 min/mile
Miles to Date: 282.7 .....Total Running Time: 35:00:07