The Glamorous Life of a Runner

Today’s Workout:

• Easy Run – 4 miles          41min 27sec
• Strength Training            Legs, back, biceps, triceps, abs

After resolving to get back on track with my training after two days of doing nothing, I dutifully got up at 05:30 this morning to head out for a run.  Even before I got out of bed I could hear the wind and rain thrashing against the bedroom window and the recycling boxes being blown around the patio.  It took a huge amount of resolve to crawl out of bed and not to snuggle back down under the duvet. 

I always find it difficult to dress appropriately when running in weather like this.  I have a tendency to dress as if it is colder than it is and consequently end up over-heating half way round. 

So this morning I settled for a base layer vest, a thin long sleeved top and my wind breaker.  I very rarely wear waterproof clothing to run in as I get far too hot... so resign myself to getting wet... it is only water after all! 

I donned my cap and gloves (I hate that cold, painful fingers feeling) and headed out into the driving rain.  It is always quite a liberating feeling running in the rain and makes me feel like a kid again.  Although the rain was heavy it wasn’t too much of an issue.  The problem was the wind.  Part of my route takes me along a very exposed airfield, where I almost got blown over.  I think at one point I was actually running with my body leaning to the left at a 45 degree angle. 

As always happens to me when running in the cold and wet... my nose was streaming uncontrollably.  So what is a runner to do when a snot storm occurs, use any and all available clothing that can be stretched to reach one’s face.  So by the time I got home, not only was my clothing saturated with snot, I had two lovely trails up each cheek and a slug across my top lip... attractive.  The glamorous life of a runner eh!!  Sadly, I am definitely not one of those runners who you see who look like a model - with pristine hair and makeup no matter how intensely they train. 

The last mile was run directly into the wind and rain, the water was running off my cap in rivulets and the wind was so strong the rain was stinging my eyes and face (being the hypochondriac I am, I was convinced I must be bleeding!) and I realised I was actually running with my eyes shut... not a great idea.  About half a mile from home, I had to dodge an oncoming car and jumped straight into a puddle without realising quite how deep it was going to be.  Consequently, my foot was completely submerged resulting in me squelching my way home (if there is one thing I detest, it is having wet feet). 

Despite the conditions, I kept a really comfortable pace (although slightly slower than usual).  I didn’t feel out of breath and my legs felt really fresh (that’ll be the effect of the pervious lazy days).  I am really pleased because I actually managed to keep my heart rate down (but that is a discussion for another day).

           

After stripping off in the kitchen to prevent dripping muddy rain water all over the house and doing some naked stretching (not a pretty sight), I dried off and headed to the gym for some resistance training.  I was feeling strong and blitzed my legs and biceps.  I had seriously shaky legs when I had finished... but that is the sign of a good workout!  

Looks like it may be another rainy run tomorrow too. 

Do you enjoy running in the rain, or do you avoid it like the plague?

What are your essential kit items for running in the rain?