Soggy Sixteen

You down with PPP? Yeah, you know me. You down with PPP? From all the homeys! 

[PPP = Positive Peer Pressure and YES I made it up!]

This morning I had 16 miles on the training calendar. I didn't look at the weather until yesterday when I noticed the STORMS were a-comin'... Apparently it's the Pineapple Express, crazy weather heading our way from Hawaii. Anyway, I wasn't sure how I felt about doing 16 miles on the treadmill so decided I would wait to see how the weather was when I woke up.

Well played Mother Nature... well played!

I looked at the hourly forecast and saw it was supposed to let up around 10 and stop around noon. I posted that my run seemed like it would turn into an afternoon run and that's when the PPP started (and got me out into the elements a little earlier than I was expecting). 

First I got a text from Shelby.

Then @skylerwallace posted on my Instagram picture of the weather. [If you didn't know, he and his FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC wife are SPEED DEMONS, so when they say something you listen ;)]

And finally PavementRunner tagged me in a tweet.

Alright, alright, I hear ya! I am putting on my "weather proof" jacket and heading out the door. 

While I was walking Walt around the building

When I had tried to take Walt out to go to the bathroom before I went on my run (which consisted of me coaxing him out of the house and dragging him around our building) I noticed that although it was raining and windy, it wasn't too chilly. Shorts, a t-shirt and my jacket it was.

By mile 1 I was drenched through to my core. By mile 3 I had to take my SPIbelt off and hide it in my pocket (my jacket was just a little too short and all of the rain run-off was soaking the belt and the contents inside... including my phone). By mile 4 I had to hide over an overpass and put my watch in my jacket pocket because the rain was coming in my sleeves. By mile 8 I stopped under another overpass to eat a couple Clif Shot Bloks and take a couple pictures. By mile 10 the rain had started to let up a bit. By mile 11 I had to cross the Red Sea (okay, it wasn't that bad, but the water was up to the middle of my shins). By mile 12 the rain had all but stopped. By mile 14 all I wanted was WATER, yet couldn't find a working drinking fountain. By mile 16 I was home and the sun was starting to poke through the clouds.

My shorts were soaked about .25 mile in...

 

You can see the water pouring out of the hole in the street

Taking a little shelter while having some fuel

The tumble weeds are HUGE!

The riverbed overfloweth... 

 

I should have taken a video of my crossing but I was worried I might lose my phone

The sky started to open once I got down to the harbor -
HALLELUJAH 

My time wasn't great, but it was supposed to be at my long run pace (which is 9:42/mile) and it is all about getting in the mileage. Also, I had to be careful with my footing in some spots (the pavement is slippery when you haven't had rain in forever) and had to navigate raging rapids in other parts. All-in-all I will take it as a successful training run!

Average pace turned out to be about 9:50/mile

Now I've said it once, I'll say it a thousand times. I live in Southern California where we pay a HIGH Sunshine Tax. For me and my home, the price we pay to live in the 70* sun is VERY worth it. (I also realize that most other runners run in MUCH WORSE conditions than I have, so I need to be MUCH MORE GRATEFUL for the weather I am blessed to run in on a daily basis.) Obviously we are in a terrible drought right now so any rain we can get is much appreciated. Although I may not welcome the rain EVERY day, it did make for a super fun run (and like Shelby mentioned, it did make me feel pretty BA)! And hopefully one that will only make me stronger!

Do you run in the rain?