you will get wet

Two Thursdays ago, I had a nice little hill repeats run on my training calendar. I actually love these types of workouts with short bursts of a lot of intensity and then plenty of recovery between. With hill repeats, I always feel strong - or like I am getting stronger - as I do them, and the park where I go to do them is peaceful during the day, with beautiful views of the mountains. The Thursday forecast showed rain moving in mid-morning, so my plan was to get up early and do the workout before I had to take my car in to the dealership for new tires. I wouldn't mind waiting for the service to be completed while I was sweaty.

Well. I took an allergy med the night before, which did exactly as it warned on the packaging and caused me complete and utter drowsiness. I was awake in time to run, but as I was peeling my eyelids open I could hear many, many raindrops pelting my bedroom window. The storm arrived early. I really don't mind getting wet while running, but I do very much mind sitting around while wet. So, between a very groggy me and a VERY soppy outdoors, running after I took the car in seemed the better option. Then I could follow the run directly with a warm shower. I got dressed in my running clothes, drove through the rain and past several accidents on the way to the dealership, and took advantage of their free latte machine while I waited for my car to get its new shoes. I had a book with me and read that to pass the time - what a gift to be able to read indoors on a rainy day! 

Just before the car was ready, it was still raining steadily and my coach texted to offer up a treadmill option if I preferred - I said no thanks, I'd rather be outside, the rain wouldn't bother me as long as it wasn't freezing or lightning. She agreed, she loves running in the rain. As I was checking out of the service appointment, the agent asked me about my plans for the rest of the day. I told her I was heading straight from here for a run in the rain. She said she used to do that a lot. She ran the Berlin marathon, years ago, while she was stationed there in the Air Force. I certainly didn't expect her to understand the fun in my next task - I had no idea she was a runner, and it was really nice to find out. This woman takes really great care of my car and I am always sorry I don't know more about her, so I really appreciated the share. Yea for human connection. 

The drive from the dealer up to the park was steady rain the whole way. I was very thankful for my new tires, that I got to test them in weather right away, and that I made it to the park without issue (I passed even more accidents). No surprise that the park looked like a ghost town under the gray sky and all the water falling out of it. There were no pretty views. I checked the weather radar on my phone, the rain was going to keep up for about an hour, then get even worse. It was about 52 degrees out - not freezing, but not warm either. My car was very nice and warm. And it was really nice to be dry. Maybe the treadmill would be better, later, after all... hmmmm... and then I saw some guy running up on the ridge. FINE - if he can do it, so can I. 

I left my safe warm cocoon and immediately started my warmup run toward the hill, and of course also immediately got wet. As I approached the base of the hill, a pair of mallard ducks were just off the path. There are a lot of ducks in Oregon, where I'm headed to do my first IronMan 70.3 this July. I called out 'Cheerio, duckies!' to them, and I'm not sure if they or me were more surprised by my chipper greeting. Then I took off up the hill for the first of eight intervals. Easy odds, hard evens, and I got faster, and the rain fell harder, with each repeat. It really was a great day for ducks and that day, for that hour, I was one of them. 

Two weeks later, I'm still in the rainstorm. I am wet. Things were hard when I did this run in the rain - I had just returned to Colorado from my mom's in Florida, where my grandma is dying. She's 98 and has been extremely healthy until now. She has had a great long run of life, always saying 'Don't sit down too long, you'll get old.' Wise words from a great lady who took her own advice, until last month when she physically couldn't. But that trip was likely the last time I will see her alive. Just like the rain on my run that morning, we knew this was coming. All of us are drenched from it a little sooner (and for much longer) than we expected. I'm not sitting down in my sadness. I do my best to just carry it with me on my runs and my rides, and I drown my tears in the pool. I know the workouts provide a little spot of sunshine even if they are hard, or muddy, or the water is freezing cold, so I do them. And during and after, I'm always reminded that every day is a gift, even if you get wet.