Running in the Rain

Yesterday morning I ran the outer loop at Huntsville State Park. This is about seven miles. I brought along water as my check of the weather showed it was already 90 degrees. Make no mistake about it, it was a brutal run.

I did see a few deer grazing near the perimeter road at the far southwest side of the park. I also ran into about three single mothers with six or seven kids. They were on the Triple C looking for the Alligator Branch trail. They had come from the nature center and were trying to get back to their campsite. I let them know they made a wrong turn and got them turned back around. On the way in I ran into J.C. who was running until he couldn’t run anymore.

In the evening I went back to the park and ran five miles with Phillip. It was raining when I got to the park, so we waited until the rain died down. Then about a mile into the run it started to pour. It rained down on us just about as hard as I’ve ever run in at the park. It was still fun.

Earlier this afternoon the temperature reached about 91 degrees where I live. Then in the matter of about an hour that dropped by nearly 25 degrees as dark clouds blocked the sun and rain poured down. I watched the radar and saw that most of the storm (including the rain, lightening, and sounds of thunder) had passed the area. I went out and ran 5 miles. It’s always interesting to run after a storm because you have to pay a lot of attention for downed branches and trees blocking the trails. After the run, I told my friend that when it’s under 80 degrees I really feel like a different runner. It’s so much easier to push the pace and finish in good time.

It’s been a couple months and I still haven’t cured my minor case of runner’s knee. I have bought a knee strap that is starting to help along with supplements to help the joints. Regardless, it’s a little annoying when my knee acts up in the middle of a run. I think it’s starting to get better little by little.

Today I went to the park with Phillip to run the five mile loop. He was a little interested in doing the seven, but I was still a little sore from 20 yesterday. Unlike Norman, I actually wouldn’t mind running in the rain more often. The only annoyance (aside from the knee) was how bad the jeep trail was with mud. It was like running through quick sand as our feet would sink a couple inches into the ground. No doubt our footprints will be visible until the next hard rain. We finished the five in a decent time of about 38 minutes.

Yesterday I worked out by running hill repeats. I found a good hill that was steep and long enough to take a minute or so to run up. I did it for 45 minutes. It sucked.

Today I went out with a friend from the running club to run a little at the park. I wanted to run five miles so that’s what we did. It was starting to rain when we started and proceeded to come down harder. I decided that I should run shirtless since I was getting soaked anyways. After about four miles we found a group from the running club. They were about 2 minutes in front of us. We ended up catching them by the end of the run. All in all it was a good day of running.

After work, I called one of my running friends to see if he was going to go to the trails. He said that he was waiting for his daughter to call as they might grab dinner. After discussing how the sky was looking odd, we decided that I would go on my run and he’d give me a call later in the week.

Once I got to the park I could hear a little thunder in the distance. I decided that I would still run the five mile run as I had discussed with my friend. It’s a quick loop that is covered by a good amount of trees. I figured if any rain began to fall it would be blocked by the canopy overhead. I was wrong.

It didn’t take much time but I was soon drenched with rain. That doesn’t bother me — in fact, I enjoy running in the rain — but I was bothered by the lightening. It was around me in each direction and in very close proximity.  It dawned on me, with about 2 miles left, that I would be out there alone if I was hit by lightening.

I picked up the pace to try to get to some safety. Turning around wasn’t an option because it would be further to go. There aren’t any bail outs on this trail, so I was truly stuck with only one feasible direction to run.

As I turned around the corner on the trail, I saw someone running towards me. It was my friend who had come out to run and decided, with all the lightening, to risk his safety to make sure I made it alright! It revived my spirits and I ran even quicker to make it back to our vehicles.

As we got into our vehicles, he threw me a towel so that I wouldn’t get my interior soaked.  That’s what running friends are for!

I don’t mind running in the rain because it’s a good way to keep cool. What do I care if I get a little wet? When it’s hot and humid I sweat my clothes wet anyhow.

Over at That’s Fit they offer some tips for running in the rain:

•  Wear a water-repellent top layer, like a rain coat, so the water doesn’t weight you down
• Avoid cotton shorts and cotton socks — neither are very comfortable when wet
• Waterproof your iPod with a zipper-top plastic baggy
• Wear old running shoes, unless yours are waterproof
• Wear sunglasses — you might look silly but it will keep the water from your eyes
• Don’t run too close to the road — you might get splashed by a car!

My thoughts are that you should:

1. Always wear gear that is good at wicking water. I wouldn’t wear something akin to a raincoat because it won’t breathe well. If you are going on a run in the rain expect to be wet. Just protect your skin from chafing and unnecessary blister by wearing the right gear.
2. Never wear cotton when you’re running. There is little that could be worse.
3. Wear shoes that get good traction in the rain and that you don’t mind getting wet. Old shoes are fine if they aren’t damaged or worn out. You don’t want to sacrifice your own foot for the sake of a shoe.
4. I like to wear a hat in the rain because that really helps to keep the water from my eyes.

Enjoy your rain runs, stay away from the lightening.

The only solace I can find is that it says “scattered” which means that maybe I can catch a pocket when there is a break from the rain to run.  Or, like yesterday, I can just run in the rain as long as there isn’t

lightening.

My advice would be to not try to outrun an approaching storm. The sky might be clear overhead but if you can see the gray skies and hear thunder in the distance — stay inside.

I tried to run a quick 3.5 mile run. I figured the onset of a storm would get me to run it quicker, and it did.

Unfortunately, I was about one mile into it when the rain started to pour down on me,  lightening was striking in the park, winds were knocking down tree branches (it’s disconcerting to find obstacles on a previously clear path you ran ten minutes before), and trails flooded with flowing streams.

Bad Curtis.

It sucks that I can’t run, but I am not going to risk being struck by lighting. If I had access to a treadmill I might run on it. I lieu of running, I am enjoying watching some TV and mentally preparing for the 50K this Saturday.

I didn’t quite make it the 28 miles that I should have gone. I ran about 21 and called it quits to meet my uncle for lunch as he was driving through town.

The first 45 minutes of my run were done in a drizzle to downpour. Even with the trees blocking a lot of the rain, I was drenched with water. It was fun but made it a little heavy to run and the paths were muddier than I enjoy.

After running 7 or 8 miles, I decided to take a GU packet. I ran most of the way but would walk on a few of the hills.  The last part of the run was better than the front part of run because the rain went away.

It was a fun run. Tomorrow I will run about 10 miles with the running club to make this a 50K weekend.

I know that there are a plenty of bad excuses I have made to not run in my past. Today is a fairly common bad excuse: it was raining.

This is a bad excuse because really the rain shouldn’t stop me. I don’t mind a little bit of rain when I’m running as long as there is no lightening involved. The only major considerations are avoiding traffic. Drivers cannot be trusted to begin with but it’s really a poor idea to trust them when it’s raining outside. The other consideration, for me, is to have a nice warm drink to have when I get home.

I woke up at 4am this morning to head out on my 21 mile run. My plan was to run a quarter of the way around the lake and then off towards downtown Dallas. On the way back I would head north about 5 miles and then turn to go back home.

I left my place at 4:15 to the bitter cold. The temperature when I left was around 22 degrees. I was bundled up with a few layers, a hat, gloves, and a scarf around my face. Much to my surprise, I saw one person who was running in shorts. Please wear appropriate running gear in the elements! You might feel warm because your legs are moving, but you are exposed to bitterly cold temperatures.

As I was approaching downtown Dallas, the weather started to change as I felt some rain drops. As I continued I noticed that it was actually a wintry mix of snow and sleet coming down. As it started to accumulate on me, I decided that it would be best to turn around.

Instead of heading north, I decided to back track my path. I didn’t see the guy running in shorts, but I did start to see some cars slipping around. This is a good reason to avoid road running, I suppose. I decided to run on some back routes where I wouldn’t see as many people on their morning commute. As I ran, I decided to pick up some speed because of how uncomfortable it was outside. My miles went from being about 8 minute miles to closer to 7:30.

When I made it back to the lake it was pretty clear that a lot of businesses would be closed in DFW. There was simply way too much of a mess which was making it difficult to get traction on the run. I made it back in one piece and had a shower and a bowl of oatmeal to warm myself up. I made it 18 miles today.

Despite the rain, I decided that I would go on a quick three or four mile run last night. There was a lull in the rain, so I figured I could miss most of the rain, which I did. I also wanted to try out my new hat and gloves in the colder weather. I’m happy to say that I was so warm that both my hands and head were sweating a little.

After I made it out a mile and half, I decided to turn around and head back in. It was sort of errie at the lake because the only things I saw were the flooded lake and a few random cars parked along the side of the lake. I’m guessing the people inside of them were only there to make out on that somewhat secluded road.

I did have my flashlight with me, so I felt pretty safe, and was going back at a good clip. I was able to see about a 100 feet in front of me a lone runner was coming the opposite direction on the path. When we crossed, he turned around and asked if he could run with me. Of course, I said that I’d be happy to have someone else out with me.

He let me know that he’s training for the Cowtown Marathon in Ft. Worth and was out on an 18 mile run. I think he was also a little lonely out there as there was really nobody running. This wasn’t even late, maybe like 5:45 or 6pm. It was great to have someone come over and decide to run.

Nick, if you happen to run across this, thanks for running with me for a couple miles and best of luck at the marathon.

I ran a quick three mile run today. It was nice but a little rainy. When I left to go on the run it was overcast but soon the rain started to come down on me. Tomorrow should be better…

Isn’t it great when you feel nothing but strength on your run? The past two nights have been a breeze. I love it when I feel just as strong, today I even felt stronger, at the end of the run, as I did at the beginning.

Yesterday I ran about 2.5 miles in a very quick run. Today I ran 3 miles, lifted weights, and finished up with 25 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machine.

I went on my evening run fully expecting to come home drenched in rain. Instead, I just came home drenched in sweat. Why is it 80 degrees the week before December? Why, despite all the dark clouds, did it not start to rain?!

I enjoy running in the rain, so I am disappointed. However, I had a great run that didn’t feel bad on any level. I went out about 2.5 miles then turned around and strolled back. My pace got quicker as I continued and I never felt much pain. It was a nice run for a Monday after a 15K.

But where, I ask, was the rain?