Running in the Rain

Distance & Time: 8 miles, 1 hr, 55 min.

Run / Walk Interval (in minutes): 4 / 1

Weather: 40 degrees; slight drizzle to moderate sprinkle

Course / Dogs: PATH outside my house; WITH dogs

Nutrition / Hydration: Apple and Sharkies energy chews before run, along with water; no hydration during run. A whole fruit smoothie with whey protein for a recovery drink afterward.

Notes on the Run:

I got up excited for my first above-freezing run outside in 2 weeks. The dogs were more than excited as they have not been running in 2 weeks either (they don’t go without me, the authorities or the neighbors wouldn’t appreciate it too much). I went out to test the air and it felt so warm compared to the 20’s and lower that we’ve been having; the sky was gray but it was dry. I ate an apple and packed a Cliff bar in the doggie pack; we’d been walking to warm-up for about 5 minutes before I realized I would have to go back to the house and get more sustenance and my buff to keep my neck warm. I quickly downed some Sharkies energy chews and a glass of water, got my buff on and headed back out the door.

When we walked back out, I noticed a few rain drops. But, hey, I ran a 5K on Halloween after being poured down on, so this was nothing, I thought. Besides, there was only a 20% chance of rain before noon, so I thought we’d be fine. And we were, but by the end of the day we were pretty wet. The thing about running in the rain is that the worst thing that happens to you is that you get wet.

The run other than this was pretty uneventful. I did bring Sandman (my pit bull) back about half-way into the run since he was lagging behind us a bit. I brought him back home, and Bella (my border collie mix) and I went back out to finish the run, feeling a bit colder after being back in the house.

Wanting to stay near the house for the final 3.5 miles in case it really started pouring down, I ran down streets I had never run, since I usually run down the PATH, which is a cement bike and running path from Atlanta all the way to Stone Mountain. My Garmin GPS came in handy here since I wasn’t sure of the distances, and I was able to finish the 8 miles within 75 feet of my house. I was very grateful for this, as I was wet, Bella was smelling like a wet dog (well, she WAS a wet dog, but I digress), and my heart rate was elevated in the last half mile and I wasn't feeling like going any further.

All in all, it was a good run, and I was happy to be home, dry off, eat something and take a long hot shower. Now to enjoy the MSU beat-down of Illinois, and the Colts beat-down of the Ravens!