Megan and I couldn't avoid doing a 17 mile long run in the rain today for three reasons 1) this was the first chance we'd had to catch up with one another in two weeks, 2) we are training for the California International Marathon (CIM) and really needed to keep building our distance, and 3) it was rainy yes, but not cold enough to be severely uncomfortable-- just moderately uncomfortable. So before the sun rose, we drove off together, to our long-run destination. I was secretly disappointed that I couldn't find an excuse legitimate enough for me to stay home in bed.
So, we took off chugging along down the secluded, non-residential, partially paved country road in the pouring rain. Not even the cows were dumb enough to be out. Good conversation and exhausted enthusiasm made the miles fly by. At about mile 15, just as I was starting to really whine about being fatigued and stiff, we heard a very loud and frightening noise...CRACK!! I jumped and instinctively grabbed Megan's arm-- as if Megan, who is 100 lbs sopping wet (quite literally today)-- was going to save me from this potential danger. I looked all around wild-eyed like an animal in the night trying to identify the location of the noise. After a few seconds, we realized that the "danger" had been nothing more than a fallen oak tree branch. The fresh oak meat splintered in the rocky creek below proved our theory. It was at this point during our run that we were finally able to definitively answer the age old question "If a tree falls in the forest, and two crazy runners happen to be meandering by-- does it make a sound?" YES, YES, yes it DOES make a sound!
It was also during this run that Megan came up with our newest Rotten Runner t-shirt phrase. The phrase is so intensely inappropriate, but at the same time fundamentally accurate, especially for today's soggy 17 mile long-run: "Running in the rain gets me wet." Look for it soon in our online store!
Miles of smiles from the Original Rotten Runners,
Jetta and Megan
www.rottenrunner.com
running in the rain! i always had trouble with the shoes and socks getting soaked, uncomfortable, and heavy. any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteHa! The only suggestion is a good sense of humor! There isnt really a way to make it any better. If the rest of you is even more uncomfortable, soaked and heavy than your feet--you won't even notice your feet. Running in the rain isnt my favorite, but it is nice for a change. Thanks for commenting :)
ReplyDeletehah! thanks for the response...and for the comfort of knowing that there isn't some secret that the running community is hiding from the rest of the world :)
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