There Will Be Rain

I woke up, laced up my running shoes, grabbed my keys and...it started pouring. Ugh! I stopped at the front door, staring in misery at the wet. I had planned to do a 12k today. I was supposed to do it yesterday (keeping in line with the Saturday = 'long run', Sunday = rest) schedule. But on Friday my gluteus was maximus sore. I think it was more about my hamstrings than my glutes, but regardless, Friday was an unfortunate day. I climb on average 12 flights of stairs at work, and I could feel each and every one on Friday. So I took Saturday as my rest day - no sense pushing, right?
But then came Sunday.
Then came the rain.
There were two and only two thoughts that pushed me out the door into the rain.

1. At some point in my life, luck will run out. I will get up on race day to find - not clear skies - but a torrential downpour. At that point I will have to make a decision: get up and race in the rain or cut my losses and go back to bed? To increase the likeliness of the former decision being made, I will need to practise training in the rain.

2. Two weeks until training camp. I only have two more opportunities to get a "long" run in.

So out I stepped into the storm.
There are some people who like running in the rain. I know because they've told me. I say, if I wanted to be wet I would partake in triathlons. I can't say I enjoy the feeling of being damp all over. The chances of chaffing and blisters sky rocket, and I have enough tweaks and pains from running that I don't desire to worry over any more. Pure luck had my shoes staying relatively dry until the last 20min, when it poured. And then it felt as if I were running through a swamp. If this had happened at the beginning of the 12k, I can't say I would have finished it easily...or at all.

Sadly, my watch isn't working at the moment. Happily, it means I don't have to admit to my pace! I can't say that today was the best of days for my running either in terms of weather or me. I was one big ache all yesterday and last night and running with good posture was surprisingly difficult this morning. So let's just say:

1. I managed to reach my goal of 12k (~12.2km)
2. I ran almost the entire distance with 4 exceptions: (a. climbing stairs onto a bridge, b. stupid loose dog I had to walk by, c. traffic light, and d. a really steep hill right at the end where I had nothing left to give)
3. I kept the pace nice and easy. ;)