The Cold Rain

"They" say one of the reasons people keep running marathons is that we have some kind of instinct to forget the pain and suffering, and only remember the highs. I don't know if that's true, but I notice the exact opposite happens when getting ready for a run on a cold rainy day. I dread it. All I can think of is that first uncomfortable mile. I hate being cold. We moved south in no small part because we were tired of the brutal winters.

However, once I'm warmed up, I love being active in cooler temps like 40 degrees. But I don't seem to remember that when I'm bracing myself for that first barefoot step on cold cement.

Today I had Cold November Rain going through my head. Both the song and the chilly weather drenching my hat. My training plans are loose, but I had figured on going ten today. I didn't have to, and was considering cutting it short while shivering through the first mile. Eventually my circulation kicked in and I could feel the ground again and was able to relax. Then the rain felt good, the cold pavement felt refreshing. Still, the first ten or so minutes of cold left me feeling a little worn out.

I do a 3.5 mile hilly loop around town three times for my hour and a half runs. The objective is to run each lap a little faster. Today was 30 min, 29 min, 27 min. The last lap felt good, but I was definitely done. "Done," in my interpretation of Lydiard's description, is feeling pleasantly tired but able to vacuum after toweling off. If I'm too tired to vacuum, I ran too hard/far and the wife is mad.

I vacuumed.

Anyway, great run in the cold rain, much better than anticipated. It seems like the miserable weather runs always are better. But then, I haven't run in the 30's yet...