Since 1912, the inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York city has read:
"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."
However.... today, I one upped the USPS b/c today there was snow AND rain AND cold and it did NOT stay this runner from the swift completion of my appointed runs. Today I ran 4 miles in 36 degree rain snow (or maybe snowy rain?) - Boo......Yaa.....
In stark contrast to last Saturday's run where I was not dressed appropriately (and therefore mostly cold, miserable and wet for 7 miles), today was probably the most appropriately I've EVER been dressed for a run. I'm starting to realize that my rain/running coat is more awesome than I thought when the weather is particularly bad.....i.e. when it's 36 F-ing degrees outside and I'm very thankful for all the heat it keeps in! So, I wore my rain coat with a short sleeve polyester T (another key to the rain coat comfort is wearing a short sleeve shirt), capris, a fleece hat (rather than my Ani baseball style cap) and some gloves. I spent the first mile or so with my hood over my hatted head, but when the wet snowy wind let up a bit, I found myself comfortable enough to take my hood off. (On a side note, one positive aspect of wearing a real hat rather than a baseball cap is that it keeps your earbuds in!) Then around mile 2, I even took my gloves off. Despite the cold wet windy rainy snow, I was perfectly temperate for my entire run :)
On a funny note, around mile 2.5, I was zoning out thinking about G-d knows what rather than watching the sidewalk in front of me and I ended up submerging my entire left foot in a gigantic puddle. For the final 1.5 miles, I just felt my feet going "Squish, clop, squish, clop, squish, clop, squish." After about 1/4 mile, most of the wetness was finally squished out and it was surprisingly not terrible for the rest of my run. In truth, my feet were starting to fall asleep a little and it woke them up pretty nice :)
I felt like I was running really strong, zoning out and thinking some thoughts:
1) Showing off: I have to admit there is a piece of me that wants to show off for all the drivers that pass me by when the weather is bad. It's almost as if I WANT people to think I'm a lunatic for running in that kind of weather!! And in my head, the more people who drive by thinking, "Wow... that lady is nuts for running in this!", the more I try to look each driver in the eye and put a maniacally look on my face which says, "HELLS BELLS MOTHER-FU**ER!!!! I AM A BAD ASS RUNNER WHO CANNOT BE DETERRED BY COLD OR WETNESS!!! I HOPE YOU'RE SITTING IN YOUR WARM CAR FEELING LAAAAAAAAAZY!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!" I want to show them up by running with my chin up, my belly in, a nice stride and a big smile on my face. I guess when I go out in that kind of weather, I get so damned proud of myself I want to show off..... which is why whenever the weather is particularly bad I post it on Facebook within moments of being finished :) Give me mah props bitches!
2) Running with people: I've mentioned several times today that I have some inadequacy issues about running with other people. I always feel like I need to keep up and if I fall behind then I'm crap, but today I realized I have it all backwards! First off, there's nothing wrong with a little friendly competition! I have confidence in the friendships I have with my running buddies and a little bruised ego (usually on my part) doesn't matter. Second, when I run by myself I do feel really good running in my little world, but running with other people gets me out of my comfort zone to push myself in a way which I just wouldn't do if I was by myself. I look at my friends who love running up hills and despite thinking they're a little nuts, I find myself trying to love running up hills too! It hasn't worked yet, but I know one day it will!! They challenge me in gentle non-judgmental ways which makes me want to push harder! I'm pretty sure that all my best running times have been when I was running with other people..... so lovely lady running buddies.... Thank you :)
3) Shoes: Shoes are supposed to last about 300 miles or 6 months. I'm pretty sure right now I've run less than 200 miles in my current shoes, but I'm fairly certain they're already going. Maybe it's due to running exclusively outdoors and generally in rain (Helloooooo Oregon)? I've started feeling a little bit of knee and hip pain and my shoes just don't seem to have the bounce they once did.... poor shoes :( I always feel so sad putting a pair in the trash. This weekend I'll be running the Ft. Vancouver 10K and will hopefully get a nice fat running store coupon which will be used next week to buy 2 pairs of shoes. I think that rather than buy 1 pair now only to need another pair by the time the marathon comes around, I'll buy 2 pairs and keep one at work for my Tues/Thurs runs. This way, by the time the marathon comes around, I'll have a lot less mileage on my work shoes, so they'll be better for the marathon.
4) Races: When I started this odyssey, I only planned to run two races: The Vancouver Marathon, and the Ft. Vancouver 10K b/c it was free with registration to the Vancouver Marathon :) However, 3 months later, I'm now signed up for 4 races.... which was not anticipated!!!! This Sunday is the Ft. Vancouver run which will be my first timed run en route to the Marathon. Then in 2 weeks I'll run the Shamrock run which I look forward to mostly for the dressing up (I was raised with too many Irish not to love St. Patty's Day!) and the beer upon crossing the finish line. Just this morning, my friend Alycia convinced me via text to sign up for the Portland Rock N Roll Half Marathon on May 20. Then, finally the Marathon on June 17. Oddly enough, the first three races fit into my training schedule for the marathon or I wouldn't have signed up. In my whole life, I've run in TWO races.... now I'm running in 4 races inside of 3 months....It really does amaze me how this marathon training has changed my whole life :)
5) Costs: One of the reasons I took up running was because I thought, "The only costs associated with running are for shoes!".... YEAH RIGHT!!! I CANNOT believe the small fortune I've spent on running. My expenses have been as follows: $300 on entrance fees, $60 on shoes, $110 on sports bras, $50 running jacket which only really works in extremely cold temperatures, $20 on an iphone strap for my arm, $10 energy gel packs, $30 hydration belt, not to mention paying parking meters gas (or $230 on a double jogging stroller and $100 for a single jogging stroller). AND.... I'll be spending at least another $300 over before the marathon because I'll need 2 more pairs of Over-Pronator shoes, more capris (One of them developed thunder thigh holes), and I'll probably suck it up and buy a bonafide running jacket which will work better than the one I have. I'm amazed that this so-called "cheap sport" has cost me around $1000 over 6 months...... It's a damned good thing I finally got a job.
So now that I've gone through all the stuff going on in my head during today's run, I no longer have the umph to write about yesterday's run...... it was fine and I ran 3 miles in a nice 9:44 mile pace :)
GOOD NIGHT!
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