Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Wednesday Workout Update

Rain.  Warm rain, cold rain, rain, rain, rain...my last few runs have been all wet!

Example A - warm rainy run last Thursday morning:
I actually don't mind running in rain when it's warm - this was 68 degrees.

Example B - freezing cold rainy run last Saturday morning:
North winds, rain, and 39 degrees (which felt like 30 with the wind chill) - brrrr!
The few who showed up for our second-to-last long run (plus Jeff, who was the photographer).  

Our run on Saturday had a few Organizer Fails, but we still had a great time.  The first Organizer Fail happened when Jeff and I finished dropping off the water and Gatorade along the route and pulled into the parking lot to start the run...Jeff asked me who was bringing the orange water cooler (that we have at the park for the after-run hydration).  That would be us, oops.  Yes, I completely forgot about it.  Luckily, it wasn't a hot day; otherwise, we would have had to drive home and get it (plus ice and water).  It was pretty funny to see everyone arrive and stay in their car (several of us were texting each other), until the very last minute - it was raining and windy and no one wanted to stand around in that weather!  At 6:00 am we all got out and it was so cold that running to get warm seemed like a good option!  Although I started off with my teeth chattering, by a few minutes into the run, it wasn't so bad...and another epic running adventure began!

My second Organizer Fail happened before we even reached the first mile - somehow I managed to lead both Amy and Pam (and Sadie-dog) off course (I’m the person who does all the mapping, so I should know the route), and we ended up running all the way to Harvey Road instead of detouring through Veteran’s Park.  At one point, Amy and I were running single file because some big trucks were blasting by us, when I realized she was not behind me and turned around to see her straddling the guardrail – her hat was blown off by the trucks, and she was climbing down a ditch to retrieve it!

We were able to avoid Lake Valero (the entire driveway to a gas station was flooded) and not get our shoes wet, plus we counted 11 deer as we ran through the fancy neighborhood, including one who, I swear, gave me the "oh no you didn't" neck swivel as we ran by!  We chatted with other runners along the route and had a great time - honestly, I think that because we've had to let go of any thoughts of a decent pace (thanks to my hamstring injury), we are enjoying running a lot more, and aren't focusing on the miles or how difficult the run might be.  Eventually, we'll probably try to increase our running beyond the 1:1 intervals, but right now, we are definitely having a blast and it's hard to believe that we knocked out 8 miles in ridiculously bad weather, with smiles and laughter. 

The reward for running in such cold weather?  Hot coffee!  We planned this as one of our treats back in June; who knew it would turn out to be such a perfect post-run treat?
Not gonna lie, we talked about this coffee A LOT during the run, and when we finally finished and got our reward?  It was the best cup of coffee, ever!

While we were enjoying our coffee, Pam told a funny story about how, when she stopped at the 5 mile mark to refill her water bottle, Sadie sat down and refused to get up and run.  Sadie ALWAYS has the energy to run - heck, even after the 21 miler she still looked good to go - but she was cold and wet and DONE.  Poor pup!  Too bad for her, as they were several miles from our starting point, so she had no choice but to keep going.  By the time Amy and I got back, Sadie was dried off and snuggled in a blanket in Pam's truck, and she was very content.  I emailed Pam on Sunday to see how Sadie was doing (yes, I checked on the dog and not the human, but to be fair, I knew Pam was fine) - she replied that Sadie had recovered but spent all day in bed, and sent this picture:
It truly IS a dog's life!

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Tomorrow we'll be running the Turkey Trot 5K.  Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers!

9 comments:

  1. That looks like a very cold and wet run! Ah sweet Sadie, she looks like Bella who is sleeping the entire day too after one of our long walks :)

    Happy Thanksgiving my friend, I hope you have a great day/weekend with your loved ones.

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  2. You are so hard core! You inspire me, because I usually wimp out when the weather is crappy!

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  3. I have to confess that I checked the weather using my phone from the warm nest of my bed. The temp said 32 so I snuggled back down under the covers and am planning on hitting the gym later today. I'm not going out in this weather without a friend ;)

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    1. Going out in this weather with a friend makes it more normal...alone? You're just crazy! ;)

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  4. The ONLY times I willingly run in the rain is if it's a race I've already paid for, or if I'm already out and it starts - gotta get home. Other than that, I refuse! But you have to realize I have done my fair share of rain running in the past 14 years... including running in a hurricane because I just 'had to' get in my 20 miler during marathon training. So, after all these years I'm just making different choices now.

    Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours as well Shelley!

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  5. It's so good to see you running again! :) I like running in warm rain too, but running in cold rain is rough! I've gotten stuck in that way too many times (because I apparently suck at checking a forecast before leaving the house), and it's no fun.

    Have fun at your turkey trot tomorrow, and Happy Thanksgiving! :)

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  6. Yeah, you are a runner extraordinaire! I don't even want to go out for a walk when its less than 50 degrees! But how fun to have buddies keeping you company, and looking forward to coffee at the end! Hope you have good weather for your Turkey trot, and also for the big race coming up!

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  7. Poor Sadie!

    I almost got blinded by your reflective logo in the first picture.

    Enjoy your turkey trot!

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