Running in the rain

RUN: 6.1 miles in 50:59. OK, 51 minutes. Ave HR 154bpm.

Rain can really mess with my schedule. You can swim in rain, but only if there's not lightning. You can ride in rain, but that's crazy to do because of the slick roads. But running...you can run in the rain. But that brings up another rule for running: there are 3 good weather reasons to not run--cold, dark, and rainy. If two of the three conditions are present, then it's safe to consider skipping your run.

I usually don't follow this rule. If I hid from dark, cold, and rain, I'd never get anything done.

So when I woke up to more rain, I got ready to go. I knew I wouldn't be the only one there. Sure enough, 3 other runners. Just me and the guys, EK and LC were a no show. And just yesterday I declared that I wanted a fast run today, so now I had to live up to my words.

The pace started off fast, so much for the warmup. The rain really started around 2 miles, turning the run into a warm shower and soaking us in minutes. I did OK until mile 3.5 or so, at which point my front row position in the pack was threatened by fatigue. It's not so much that I was leading the group or setting the pace, it's more of a group effort. I pull, they push, I push, etc, and the pack keeps a pretty steady pace this way. You start to slow down? Out the back you go!

So when I started to wear down, the fear of being dropped on my "fast run" kept me going. I took it mile by mile. No, in reality it was more 0.25mile by 0.25mile. Each hill got my heart going faster and I never took a moment to recover. This was more like a race! The mental battle began: my body wanted to stop, my mind didn't. This sounds like something that is easily resolved, but when faced with a mental ultimatum, my body responds in a way that ratchets up the stress. This in turn raises the heart rate, causes me to tighten my upper body, and lengthens my stride. All of this wears me out all the faster. Two more miles to go. I need something else to think about!

Puddles had accumulated on the path, tree branches sagged under the weight of water, the lakes and ponds sang a song of raindrops and ripples. I focused on this. I love running in the rain, it changes the atmosphere and adds a coolness factor, a little bit "I'm tough". You get a too-cool-for-school attitude when you see people in their comfy, warm, dry cars watching you. The roll of the eyes only spurs you on to prove that a little cold, dark, or rainy won't deter you from your run. What, me worry about some rain?

No way I was going to be dropped. The only drops were going to be the ones on the sidewalks and grass around me. Keep going!

My legs were putty. My lungs burned. My breathing was getting louder (to me anyway) and my heart was pounding in my chest. But the "finish line" was only a few tenths away. Keep going!

Finished! The watch said 50:59 before I could hit Stop. In review, the pace was not all that hard--8:22 min/mile, so why was I so tired?

And so ended my last speedwork session of the season. Let's hope I have the same tough attitude come race day.