Distance: 9.12 mi
Time: 01:09:50/7:39 pace
I love running in the rain...I mean, I really love running in the rain. There's just something about it. It's...spiritual, almost. I feel like rain is one of Mother Nature's many of showing that the runner is part of it, that you belong amongst the elements and fit there perfectly as another moving, admiring part, cutting shapes in between the fresh rain drops. And no, I don't smoke weed.
This morning, however, was a little different. I took one look outside my window and said, "Oh, hale naw!!" It looked as if a category-four hurricane was storming through the apartment complex, and I went back to bed.
Shortly after noon, I saw my chance: it was raining pretty steadily, the way I love it, and I took off down the roads. I was going to do this long run on feel, meaning it would not be a long run at all if I felt the least bit worn out. I don't think I had made it a quarter-mile down the road when the skies opened up once again and I found myself in a torrential downpour. Those words are not exaggerations. It was raining so hard that I could barely see in front of me, and it was probably a good thing I was on a familiar road (Randolph).
There were a few cars out, and anyone who saw me had to have thought (known?) that I was completely insane. A few of them even pulled off and stopped; it was that bad. I wiped the water off my Garmin to see that I had been running about 7:25 pace, and it felt more like 6-flat. It's tough getting doused with rainwater, fighting through wind, and trying to make sure your clothes stay on, all whilst maintaining a decent pace. There was nothing spiritual about this; this was nature's way of saying that sometimes it's best to just stay indoors. I stopped for a few minutes at a red light under a small gazebo right by Presbyterian Hospital, made certain that I was where I thought I was, then continued. And then...it stopped. I got to Kings Drive, then turned on Trade Street and headed downtown. The sun was now shining brightly, and it would stay that way for the rest of my run. Obviously, I was soaked, but the Brooks seemed to do a good job of allowing the water to seep out. I was thankful for that.
I had decided I was going to run downtown, check the mileage, and then plan the rest of the run accordingly. I went past the Cable Box (Time Warner Cable Arena), past the Bank of America tower, where I waved to a client of mine who happened to be standing at the window, and made my way down to Poplar. I enjoyed this, downtown's most scenic street, arguably, and then made my way out on 7th. I ran past Discovery Place and Capital Grille and headed away on Trade Street again before cutting back to 7th.
I checked fitness and realized I could easily do 9 miles today, then checked the Garmin and realized I could easily extend this route to the Plaza-Midwood area. And so I did. Given the recent rainstorm, there weren't many people out and about, but I ran around there for a bit before heading home.
This was one of those runs that would not have been possible before, without my Garmin - not if I wanted to know the details of the run and not have to spend thirty minutes mapping out a route on the PC. I loved it. The conditions were awful - after the sun came out it was ghastly humid, of course - but the best runs are where one can just trot out the door and figure out the way on the fly.
My last mile equaled my second one as the fastest of the run, at 7:25. I felt great at the end.
Stats and Map (this is definitely a good time to click that link, if you don't normally)
Time: 01:09:50/7:39 pace
I love running in the rain...I mean, I really love running in the rain. There's just something about it. It's...spiritual, almost. I feel like rain is one of Mother Nature's many of showing that the runner is part of it, that you belong amongst the elements and fit there perfectly as another moving, admiring part, cutting shapes in between the fresh rain drops. And no, I don't smoke weed.
This morning, however, was a little different. I took one look outside my window and said, "Oh, hale naw!!" It looked as if a category-four hurricane was storming through the apartment complex, and I went back to bed.
Shortly after noon, I saw my chance: it was raining pretty steadily, the way I love it, and I took off down the roads. I was going to do this long run on feel, meaning it would not be a long run at all if I felt the least bit worn out. I don't think I had made it a quarter-mile down the road when the skies opened up once again and I found myself in a torrential downpour. Those words are not exaggerations. It was raining so hard that I could barely see in front of me, and it was probably a good thing I was on a familiar road (Randolph).
There were a few cars out, and anyone who saw me had to have thought (known?) that I was completely insane. A few of them even pulled off and stopped; it was that bad. I wiped the water off my Garmin to see that I had been running about 7:25 pace, and it felt more like 6-flat. It's tough getting doused with rainwater, fighting through wind, and trying to make sure your clothes stay on, all whilst maintaining a decent pace. There was nothing spiritual about this; this was nature's way of saying that sometimes it's best to just stay indoors. I stopped for a few minutes at a red light under a small gazebo right by Presbyterian Hospital, made certain that I was where I thought I was, then continued. And then...it stopped. I got to Kings Drive, then turned on Trade Street and headed downtown. The sun was now shining brightly, and it would stay that way for the rest of my run. Obviously, I was soaked, but the Brooks seemed to do a good job of allowing the water to seep out. I was thankful for that.
I had decided I was going to run downtown, check the mileage, and then plan the rest of the run accordingly. I went past the Cable Box (Time Warner Cable Arena), past the Bank of America tower, where I waved to a client of mine who happened to be standing at the window, and made my way down to Poplar. I enjoyed this, downtown's most scenic street, arguably, and then made my way out on 7th. I ran past Discovery Place and Capital Grille and headed away on Trade Street again before cutting back to 7th.
I checked fitness and realized I could easily do 9 miles today, then checked the Garmin and realized I could easily extend this route to the Plaza-Midwood area. And so I did. Given the recent rainstorm, there weren't many people out and about, but I ran around there for a bit before heading home.
This was one of those runs that would not have been possible before, without my Garmin - not if I wanted to know the details of the run and not have to spend thirty minutes mapping out a route on the PC. I loved it. The conditions were awful - after the sun came out it was ghastly humid, of course - but the best runs are where one can just trot out the door and figure out the way on the fly.
My last mile equaled my second one as the fastest of the run, at 7:25. I felt great at the end.
Stats and Map (this is definitely a good time to click that link, if you don't normally)
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