It rained!!!

We have been in drought conditions for a few weeks now and I don’t think it has really rained since around mid-May, so we were due. The other thing is that I actually like running in the rain like this, 60ish, not a downpour, just a nice steady rain and none of that bright flashing lights or loud booms to scare the crap out of you midstride or make my long gray locks even curlier.

As long as I stay on the roads, I don’t even bother to wear my glasses when it is raining, which means that I really have to focus on the running and not worry about sightseeing, because I can’t see a whole lot beyond blur after about 30 feet, unless it is pretty good sized.

The Run

Planned run and focus: Run down to the end of Pepin and get in 5.0 miles fairly comfortably. Since it was raining I wanted to try the Inspire 15s in wet conditions to see how their grip was.

• Course: Pepin 5.0 miler
• Weather: Drizzle, 63°F, Feels like 64°F, Humidity 100%, Wind 10mph from NE
• Distance: 5.04
• Time: 44:00
• Pace: 8:44

Splits:

• 1.0 – 8:36
• 2.0 – 8:28
• 3.0 – 9:12
• 4.0 – 9:04
• 5.0 – 8:23

What did I do well?

I love running in the rain and it was one of those light rain/drizzle mornings with the temps warm enough that the rain felt refreshing. I ran a little better than I have recently, so that was nice.

One thing I am figuring out is that when I run without my glasses, I run better, well at least on tar. A smooth surface that I don’t have to plan my lines a ways ahead or rely on sharp vision to pick out obstacles or tripping hazards. It forces me to be in the moment and focus on the road ahead versus gawking around to see what is interesting.

Maintaining a nice solid pace without trying to push the effort too much. Pulling back when I started to get a little too stoopid, I want to have a great workout tomorrow on No Track Tuesday.

Tried my old way of holding arms from an old photo and the body seemed to settle in very quickly. Most of all it just felt right and I noticed a slight change in how much my shoulders move, which seemed to give me more snap/recoil with my stride, until I got fatigued.

Coming back up Philbrick Hill, did a decent job of keeping upright and not slouching into the hill.

What do I need to work on?

Maintaining a more even pace throughout the entire run. Although I have a feeling that some of the waviness in the Strava graph is a result of going into the trees

Shoes:

Mizuno Inspire 15 – Again they did everything I wanted from them comfortably and with zero issues from the feet. Other than them being a bit louder than other shoes, I am really liking how they are working. The traction on the wet tar was just fine and I no problems with them feeling insecure on the road.

What was I thinking?

That I can’t see a damn thing past 30 yards clearly, but I can see good enough to pick decent lines to avoid major obstacles, but smaller things I don’t see until I am almost on them or not at all. Which means glasses will always be worn on trails, though I might run more often without them for workout when I want to focus more on my running.

Going down Pepin, I remembered a photo of me from the 80s and how I used to hold my hands in another day and age. I figured that I should try it and felt like my stride had a bit more snap to it because my shoulders were twisting just a bit more, but could not hold it very long because my core is not strong enough.

A good run in the rain and I have a feeling when the sun comes out, I will be hearing the grass growing so fast, it will make the lawn mower do double duty this week.