But before I talk about that, I am grateful to report that I am back to running short distances (four mi. or less, for now) since the plantar pain (heel) is almost completely gone in my left foot! The regimen I describe in the previous post, plus a special anti-inflammatory prescribed by my foot doctor have really been doing the trick. Yay!
Now, about the rain run: Yesterday (Sunday) was one of those days with little, intermittent showers coming through, in between periods of bright sunlight. One shower had just passed by, and a quick look at the radar showed another one on it's way, but not for a while. I'd been wanting to get a run in, and thought this might be the opportunity to do it.
So I threw on my gear, (runners, shorts, -no shirt- hat -just in case it did rain- and GPS watch, to track my performance and distance) stretched good, then off I went after another quick glance at the radar. The rain was close, but I really thought it would miss me.
The conditions were great with temps in the mid 70's and calm. There were a few little puddles on the trail, but the concrete was already starting to dry.
About a mile in, the clouds started to thicken (no surprise), and I could hear a little thunder in the distance. I was prepared to get wet if it did rain, but was ready to turn back if the thunder got any closer! Getting struck by lightening has never sounded like a pleasant experience, especially if I could prevent it.
At about a mile-and-a-half it started to sprinkle, which felt kind of nice, as I was starting to get a good sweat on. Then at at little past half way the sky opened up, and buckets of huge drops came straight down. It was awesome! The temperature was just right, and it was oh-so refreshing. The hat proved to be useful keeping the rain out of my eyes, too.
It was full-steam ahead with new energy, just me, the path, and the rain. There's only one drawback of note, and it's that my shoes got soggy-squishy. Other than that, it was an amazing experience, perfectly timed. Had it been raining when I was ready to start out, chances are that I would have not gone for a run at all. The way it turned out, though, I had a chance to get warmed up so when the rain came it was very welcomed.
Then, as suddenly as it had started, the drops stopped coming with about a half mile to go. By the time I walked back up to the house, the sun was trying to peek out again. I will remember this as one of the easiest 3.5mi runs ever. And it felt like I could have just as easily gone twice that far.
