Goal Weight: 195 lbs.
Today’s Weight: 200 lbs.
I watched the radar. The rain was in Southwestern Hinds County (translation: Far enough away for me to get in my run).
Or so I thought.
A thunderstorm popped up just to the southwest of where was running. I was three miles out on the Ridgeland Multipurpose Trail when I noticed the clouds getting ominously dark. OK, I thought. The rain is in Hinds County. And then I looked at the radar on my phone. Ruh Roh. It started as a sprinkle. Hmm. I can live with this.
And then it sky opened up.
Thankfully I had my phone in a Ziploc and a hat on my head (to keep the rain out of my eyes). A wall of water pummeled me. (I HATE running in the rain) But I didn’t have it as bad as some. Today is the day of the Natchez Trace Century ride. Numerous poor bikers roared past me, trying to get back to base. (I hate riding in the rain. It’s slick and nearly impossible for me to see). I stayed far right on the trail and then got back on the Trace so I could cut back into my neighborhood. The rain had tapered to a drizzle by that point. But the damage was done. My shoes weighed as much as concrete blocks. My heart rate was running 10 bpm higher than normal — averaging in the 160’s (which is high for an old man like me.) I cut back into my neighborhood to get closer to the house (more dark clouds were building on the horizon and it was thundering — not a safe situation). I finished out the last two and a half miles in my neighborhood. The last .25 miles was in another downpour. I sat on my front porch and dripped.
Today’s theme song should be Fool in the Rain.
But I got the run in. I managed 8.06 miles. I saw friends out of the trail and had a good morning. It wasn’t an easy run. It wasn’t a pretty run. But I got it in.
Sometimes in life, a little rain must fall. And when it does, you have to get your butt out there and run anyway.