Rainy Day Run

Today's Run: Linear Trail. 44 degrees. 4 miles; Splits: 9:03; 8:51; 8:57; 8:44. 35:35; 8:53/mile average pace.

I wasn't going to let the rain prevent me from running today. After walking outside to my car, I decided to do a wardrobe change from shorts to long pants (I guess I was in denial that it was 44 degrees and raining) I drove to the linear trail. I decided to run 4 miles, since in my mind 3 miles wasn't going to be long enough, and 5 miles was going to be too far on a rainy day. Great logic, huh? Just as I was about to leave my car, the rain increased in intensity (Meaning it started pouring). I turned on my mp3 player, put on my hat, and left the cozy confines of my car to start my run. I was surprised to see that I wasn't the only brave person (fool) who was at the trail. About 1/10 of a mile past the start is a wooden bridge. Today the wooden bridge wasn't draining so well. I had no choice but to run through the puddles on it, so with 3.9 miles to go, I already had wet feet.(Side note: My new shoes from RoadRunner Sports shipped today). Ahead on the paved trail I could see lots of puddles just waiting for me to run through. It became a challenge to avoid as many of them as possible by either zig zagging around them or running on the crushed cinder on the right of the trail. After about half a mile I was warming up, with the exception of my red hands. Oops, forgot to wear my gloves. Part of me being in denial that Tuesday is December 1st, and it gets cold in Connecticut. I wasn't looking at my Garmin, since that involved moving my long sleeve and exposing more bare skin to the cold rain. At 8/10 of a mile I crossed a street, and the puddles were pretty much gone on the trail. At mile 1 Garmin beeped, and a quick slide of my sleeve revealed a 9:03 split. It was faster than I expected. Around this time the circulation improved in my hands, and the rain had decreased in intensity. I was warm and in a wet running rhythm, and actually enjoying myself. The remaining 3 miles went well, including the last 8/10 back dodging puddles. My average pace per mile overall was actually under 9 minutes (8:53), which I certainly didn't expect on a cold and rainy day. Overall, I ran by four women walking, one man walking, one man jogging, and one pony tail bouncing woman running. Every one of them had a smile on their face, as did I. It had been a while since I've run in the rain. I have to say I really had fun, but I know I enjoyed the hot shower I had afterwards even more.