Running in the Rain

So, some of you serious runners will probably get a good laugh out of this...but, I HAVE NEVER RUN IN THE RAIN BEFORE. My thought process is if there is a perfectly good treadmill in a nice, warm, DRY gym with ESPN on the TV then why run around the block getting wet and going nowhere? But this morning my dear friend Barbie got her butt out of her bed and dragged it through Atlanta at a run in the rain for the ING 1/2 Marathon. And PRed to boot so I figure I could do a nice little jog today as well.

So I threw on some Nike Tempo shorts, a nice wicking shirt and my Nike jacket and headed out.

Ummm...you people who like running in the rain...you're fucking crazy. No joke.

You could see it in people's faces as they drove past me. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT GIRL DOING?!?!?! I was asking myself the same thing. But, Barbie did this today and for a hell of a lot longer. So I just kept pushing. At first it was a light drizzle hitting me from behind. I can take this I thought. About 2 miles in, it was pouring and I heard thunder. Shortly after I saw lightening. Unfortunately, I went by my parents house and was 1/2 way through the route. So even if I turned around, I had the same distance to go. So I kept going.

The route I chose was hilly. But the hills are saved until the last mile and the last one is hell. I usually run the route the opposite direction so I tackle the hills first. But I don't know what I was thinking, today I ran it with the hills on the backend of the run. Which of course is when the rain was the worst. God is really testing me today, I kept thinking to myself.

I got home in a nice 44 minutes for 4.25 miles which is way faster than I felt. I was cold and dripping wet. My Nike jacket kept me completely dry which is just another awesome pro to the jacket. So far no cons!

I don't know that I will be adding rain runs to my routine often but it's nice to do on occasion I think. I know I should incorporate them because you never know how race day is going to be but in my mind working out and running should be fun or I won't do it. I'm not racing for the fastest pace or for money so I don't see why I can't enjoy the comfort of a gym. But that sense of accomplishment at the end was almost as nice as the runners high at the end of the race!