Prepping for the Wind and Rain: Lessons in Adaptability

Jeff and I planned a 15-mile run for yesterday, but two obstacles resulted in a revised goal: a daunting forecast of rain with a high-wind advisory and a change in work schedule requiring Jeff to be at work by 7 AM. So, we adapted, deciding on a 10 mile run that would begin at 4:30 AM--rain or not. We couldn't avoid the work-schedule requirement, but we could face up to running in the rain and wind.

In preparation for the inevitable I did my homework and came up with this list of precautions for running in wet weather:

1. Lube up. Especially feet. They will be wet, no doubt. Wet feet are more likely to blister and chafe than dry feet--keep a film of Vaseline between skin and socks.

2. Once you're wet, you're wet...it won't get worse, so just settle into the feeling.

3. Be careful to not slip on wet pavement, bricks, branches, flattened squirrels, leaves, etc. Falling is bad.

4. Unless it is torrentially bad (lightning, and persistently dangerous winds--that can lead to falling branches) go for it. Every runner has to run in the rain at some point (and we have, several times in the past few months ran through summer showers).

5. Dress in wicking layers.

6. No cotton on your head--it will get soggy and heavy.

7. Gloves are probably a good idea. Choose gloves that will protect from moisture and are appropriate for the temperature. In the early fall when the temperature is just cool I wear a light pair of running socks--I always have an extra pair and they are cheap--and lighter than my running gloves.

8. Have a back-up plan. We decided to shift our 15-miler to Sunday or even Tuesday--something early in the week so that we could still be faithful to our taper.

9. If you're planning for a half-marathon and you're up to 15 miles, you're really, really ready even if circumstances stop you from the longest run on your schedule!

10. Remember why you're there. A running plan should not be a set of rigid rules. Running (unless you're a professional competitor) is supposed to be for fun, friendship, and fitness. If your plan leads to stress, then you might re-think why you're running in the first place.

And so, with all that in mind, we ran. The temperature was chilly, but we were ready. And, remarkably, it was wet and windy, but not raining when we set out. We trekked along our route--through the city and out to Riverside Park, then on to West River Drive where Jeff had stashed a couple bottles of water for us. We had a few showers and some heavy gusts, but nothing dangerous. We returned to the Y in plenty of time for some steam, good chat with friends, and for both of us to get to work without too much hurrying. 

Oh, and our 10-miler turned out to be 11 miles...15 might happen tomorrow. We're ready.





The photo for this post is from last year's GR Marathon. The city is most beautiful at sunrise.

Some Encourgement to My Running Friends (and to me, too)

I took the photo above onthe morning of last year's Grand Rapids Marathon. I hope that we get to enjoy a sky that blue this year.

Jeff and I will run our longest training run of the season tomorrow morning--15 miles, starting at 4:15 AM. The forecast is calling for showers and gusty wind...not ideal. But, we're hanging on to our commitment.

This morning, as we finished our second 8-mile run of the week I remembered the words of Abram Maslow:

“We fear our highest possibilities (as well as our lowest ones). We are generally aftraid to become that which we can glimpse in our most perfect moments, under the most perfect conditions, under conditions of greatest courage. We enjoy and even thrill to the godlike possibilities we see in ourselves in such peak moments. And yet we simultaneously shiver with weakness, awe, and fear before these very same possibilities.”

Maslow went on in the next paragraph to charge us with aiming higher:
“If you deliberately plan to be less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you’ll be deeply unhappy for the rest of your life. You will be evading your own capactities, your own possibilities.”

So, I suppose we should do our best (and dress well!).

Jeff and I are in peak week, running our longest run on Friday, three weeks before the Grand Rapids Half Marathon. We've 15 miles planned, complete with course picked out and water and Gatorade stashed along the route.

Tuesday morning we ran 5 miles, once again, or at least for the second day in a row, missing the rain (which is coming down as I write this post). The run was great...sprinting along through the city and seeing some ArtPrize pieces.

This morning we faced the rain, consequently running 8 miles or 56 laps on the track at the YMCA. If we have nothing, we have commitment!