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| Wringing the water out of my rain-soaked shirt |
Needless to say, I didn't add many rainy day runs to my life list when I lived there.
Florida, not surprisingly, has changed that situation right quick.
Today, with an 8-miler on the calendar, Hubby and I drove home from a blissful, sunny, 24-hour mini-vacation in Panama City Beach and drove right into a rainstorm. (Maybe I should have run before we checked out of the hotel? But the storm was heading toward us... Earlier departure = more dry driving time, and I hate driving in the rain.)
We got home, unpacked the car, and I surfed the weather radar for an hour. When I finally saw my opportunity -- no rain outside at that moment, and a clear spot on the weather map -- I laced up my running shoes and headed out.
Lesson learned: I was not cut out to be a meteorologist.
Within 2 blocks of home, the sky opened up. (So much for that clearing on the weather radar!)
I considered turning around and picking the run up again later, but really, the rain didn't hurt. And I don't melt. Plus, I have a streak to maintain, so I had to get in at least a mile.
Once I got used to the squishing, I realized that running in the rain is kind of fun. The roads were nearly empty. All the off-leash dogs were inside staying dry. The world was quiet. And I got to splash in puddles like a little kid.
I sloshed past a house where a woman was sitting on the porch, in a bathrobe, smoking a cigarette. I thought to myself:
I'll bet she thinks I'm crazy.I also wondered:
And I know I think she is.
To each their own...
If I hadn't started out on this odd little holiday run-every-day streak, would I have braved the rain?The answer is... I probably would have rescheduled. (San Diego turned me into a bit of a weather wuss.) So I'm glad I had an incentive to get out and run today, despite the rain. It was much more relaxing than I thought it would be.
Do you brave the elements, or do you head for the gym at the first sign of bad weather?
Same thing happened to me today! There was freezing rain all day and everything outside was covered in ice. My driveway was a skating rink! I almost turned around and went back inside, but I didn't want to mess up my streak. So I went back out and did my mile and I survived. If it weren't for the streak, though, there's no way I would have done it. Good for you for getting out there!
ReplyDeleteI like running in the rain, unless it is super cold out. Sometimes it is nice to feel like you are kind of alone out there while everyone else is sticking inside!
ReplyDeleteI'll run in most weather but I avoid running when it's icy outside
ReplyDeleteI don't mind running in rain, but I do try to avoid thunderstorms. I might not melt, but I have no desire to get crispy fried. Winter weather is more of a challenge for me, having grown up in Texas. I'm trying to be braver about getting out in the elements this year.
ReplyDeleteI always find that the thought of rain is far worse than reality. In fact, once you get soaked, it's kind of fun out there. Way to keep the streak going!
ReplyDeleteI live in Oregon, so running in the rain is pretty much par for the course! Heat/humidity kills me, but the rain ain't no thang...
ReplyDeleteGreat job running! I've yet to run in the rain, I'm a big sissy, but rain here is only cold (and we don't get much of it anyway, that's CA for you). I think I may have to try a running streak, it sounds fun.
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