Sunday, January 27, 2008

Mmm...rainy run :)

I woke up this morning just before 8 (without an alarm, thankyouverymuch) and was feeling good enough that the 4 I had planned seemed sure to happen. I hadn't run with music in a while so I decided to laze in bed (reading about fractions for a lesson I'm planning) while the ipod was charging. At about 9:30 I finally forced my way out the door. The clouds looked a bit heavier than when I woke up, and it seemed a bit colder, but I was optimistic.

I drove on over to the track and, just as I parked, noticed a few droplets on the windshield.

hmm...

By the time I was out of the car and my coat was zipped, those drops made some friends and things were getting a little wet.

Running around and around (each lap was 1/2 a mile) was tough, with rain flying almost sideways in the wind. It varied from heavy to lighter, but that darn wind never let up! I'm battling the beginnings of a cold right now, so this probably wasn't the best thing for it, but otherwise things were good, so there was no way that I was stopping!

My legs actually felt surprisingly great today. They were a tiny bit sore, but the good "i've just been running" kind of sore that I haven't had in a while. On the last lap, I finally turned off the ipod, and the cacaphony of raindrops hitting the ground filled the air. Oops...probably should have turned off that ipod earlier. It was beautiful, and I didn't get to enjoy it for that long. The good (?) thing is that since its going to likely be very wet for a while hear, I'll have plenty more opportunities to run in the ran with only the weather to keep me company :)

Driving back home, I got that overwhelming feeling of giddyness and happyiness (anyone who has seen me at the end of a good run will recognize it) and was just so thankful for the day.

I'm now all showered and warm (my body is still feeling tingly in a good way from the run) and reflecting on this week. 20 miles completed in the last 7 days, which is the biggest week for me in ages. And overall, I feel pretty good! Hopefully I can do around that (or even...25?) next week, making the weekend run closer to 8 or 9.

Of course, the challenge here is that my time is going to become increasingly more limited once again as running reclaims its rightful place in my schedule. Not sure yet how that will effect things but hopefully it'll be relatively workable. The good thing is that I have a just over 2 hour chunk of time tuesdays and thursday where I can run during the school day, and wednesdays I'm generally done about 1, so perhaps it won't be too hard to fit in weekday runs after all!

Anyways, for now, I just want to keep up what I've been doing. PT will start up relatively soon (I hope!) and then things should just keep getting better!

Hope everyone is staying safe and dry on this lovely wintery day!

6 comments:

Mark Sitton said...

Hey!

Came across this blog via Scott's. You seem to be coping with injury, something I'm all too familiar with I'm afraid. I'm there with you at that feeling at the end of good runs, of course us runners know this as the natural high!

I miss it, I'm stuck with an elliptical for a good while but I've already started my race schedule...we'll see how it holds up, haha. Take care and keep reeling in that mileage!

Mark S

runningtwig said...

Good for you getting out there in the rain! Hopefully your leg will continue to feel better and you can keep upping that mileage...then you can race and write some nice reports! Keep it up!

Southbaygirl said...

I love running in the rain-as long as it's not a drenching rain! So far this weekend I've missed the rain! Hope your leg feels better-injuries suck!
Penny

Sarah said...

It all sounds good! Except the wind part. I hate wind. Best of luck increasing that mileage while feeling good! : )

Backofpack said...

I really liked the previous post about the wind. Running in the wind is one of my favorites, though around our area it can be dangerous with all the trees. Rob and I actually saw a tree fall once last year when we were running! And the rain...it can be beautiful too. I think it's a matter of opening your mind to running in the elements. Although I love the summer (when I can wear shorts and a tank) the other seasons have their beauty too.

Anonymous said...

"By the time I was out of the car and my coat was zipped, those drops made some friends and things were getting a little wet." I LOVE that sentence!

Backofpack - I NEVER in my life saw a tree fall in the woods (naturally, I have cut them down) until last summer, doing my first 100 miler, and I saw two fall within one hour! It was incredible - the odds! Sorry for hijacking your comments to share that Addy!