Running in the Rain

I’ve got no problem with the rain…generally. OK, once it starts coming down, I curse under my breath for the impending frizz on the OFF chance that my hair isn’t in a ponytail. And I really hate not having the appropriate foot gear and/or landing in a puddle and having wet feet for the day.  Then there’s being stuck inside with the kids, or outside and then just dragging soggy, whining children around.  But otherwise, I’ve got no problem with it…really. Really.  It looks pretty, it makes stuff green, and…it ain’t snow.

After a ridiculous amount of snow and freezing cold days, the forecast has eased up a bit though and so has my stance on exercising out in the elements.  Once some of the frozen tundra of my small Connecticut town started to melt and give way to sidewalk, I decided it was time to don my warmer running togs and take it outside.  (Thanks to my bud, Anna for getting me the very thoughtful presents of a fleecy headband and running gloves for the purpose.)   I even said ‘what the heck’ and signed up for a 5K in NYC on March 6th with Anna.  I figured that if it’d be fun to run in what might be freezing weather with anyone in a ‘race,’ it’d be my friend Anna.  To boot, there was a ‘Kids’ Race’ (a 100 ft. dash or some such) which Cole was totally game for running in, so I registered us both and figured we’d make a family day of it.

With only one outside run since Thanksgiving under my belt, I began to get nervous at the prospect of the run.  Anna is an outdoor exercising fiend; living in NYC where the snow disappeared quickly so she could run and bike at every chance she got (which is nearly every day).  My buddy Ward decided to register too.  And after a exercise hiatus, picked up running again and emailed me ‘Ugh, I managed to run 20 minutes today only at an 8:40/mile.’  Really??  An 8:40?  Have I told you how slow a runner I am and how i HATE it?  Yes…this might be interesting.

So no surprise that as the day approached, I DREADED it for the forecast of rain and for my nerves at being so slow and dragging Anna down (we knew Ward would start ahead of us and just meet up with us at the finish line).  Unfortunately, the impending rain put the nix on this being a family affair, thus I left the house at 7am alone to travel to the race.

Finding a parking spot was a challenge, but doing the race was not.  Anna and I started running together and surprisingly, I breezed my way through the 5K, barely noticing I was running.  We gabbed the whole way, up and back our childhood neighborhood in no particular hurry, getting a steady soak of rain and visual reminders of our childhood.  As usual, my mom and I continued our quasi psychic connection with my finding her on the route, standing with her partner Joanne, waving and cheering us on in the rain.  We hugged them coming and going.

For the first time ever, 3.2 miles ended in no time for me (though the clock would say differently, but who cared?!?)  Anna and I gabbed and laughed the whole way.  And something about the run and the rain told me that spring was indeed coming, as were good things.  The rainy day run provided a look back and a look forward to the spring.  The rain came in torrents for the rest of the day and into the evening.  I awoke this morning to find nearly all the remaining snow washed away.  I feel like running to the spring.  The path is clean and cleared for it.

 

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