I decided to do my 20 mile training run today instead of tomorrow as I had originally planned. Why? The weather forecast. That's why.
You see, tomorrow the weather forecast says it is supposed to be cold and rainy all day. Today's forecast predicted overcast and cold with a chance of showers. A chance. It did not say, there will most definitely be showers. It said A CHANCE! Whatever. Eff you weather dot com and local news-caster-weather-man-schmuck with your toupee, capped teeth, and fake happy voice. You know why I say eff you to the weather people? Because, it friggin' rained. It rained a lot. All. 20. Miles.
I went to a local park with a five mile loop for bikers and runners. It is about and hour drive from my home. However, it is worth it because of the nice scenery and the easily mapped distance. The cold rain started about 5 minutes prior to my arrival. I wasn't happy about it. But,I had all of my cold weather and rain gear ready to go along with my drinks, GU, and iPod. Plus, the weather experts said a chance of rain which clearly meant that there were no large precipitation systems covering the area. Right? Uhhhhh....WRONG!!!!
Lap one was a smooth 5 miles. I felt strong. I felt focused. I felt COLD AND WET! However, I fought through the discomfort caused by the conditions with a fair amount of ease. There were not too many others on the course, by the way. Those people were smart. They did not try to run 20 freakin' miles in 38 degrees and rain.
Before lap 2, I shed my gloves and ear warmers. My hat was keeping my hair dry and the gloves were driving me crazy. The rest of the gear felt bulky and uncomfortable. From a running persepctive, lap 2 felt good too. I was cruising, strong, and COLD and WET. But, my pace was good and I felt like I could go forever. Boy, was I wrong.
Lap 3 was the beginning of the end of my mental toughness. I decided to switch from clockwise to counter-clockwise on the 5 mile loop. I thought the different perspective would help keep me going. Like the meterologists in my life, I was WRONG. The change seemed to toy with my mind. I began to feel out of sorts when I saw the oncoming traffic that would have been at my back had I stuck with the clockwise pattern. (This was around mile 13.) Then, the Gatorade and GU chomps started to taste like poison to me. Did I mention that it was cold and rainy too?
After I fought the last 2 miles of lap 3, I stopped at my car to hydrate, shed my hydration belt (it was chaffing on my hips due to the wetness of my shirt from the unexpcted rain), and pull myself together for the final 5 miles. Oh, and I shouted out asking for someone to, "PLEASE HELP ME!!!!" (Not kidding!)
The first 2 miles of the final loop felt ok. But, then came the hill. I walked it due to the pain in my legs. My nose was running, my legs felt like jell-o, I was freezing, and my mouth tasted like citrus GU. Obviously, nobody heard my shout for help. I just wanted to stop. But, I didn't.
Even my music was on my nerves at this point. Some song by the band, Hole, began to play and I just lost it. I started thinking that Courtney Love was surely not running 20 miles in the rain today. In disgust, I turned off my iPod and accidentally dropped it. When I bent over to pick it up, I felt like someone was hitting my lower back with a sledge hammer....and if Courtney Love had been standing in front of me at that very moment, I'm pretty sure I would have punched her in the face and screamed, "Why don't you live through this?!?!?". My gloveless hands and iPod were covered in mud thanks to picking up the dropped iPod. Great. Thanks, Courtney. Now, I had to clean my hands and my iPod and it was all Courtney's fault. Once I dealt with the iPod dropping situation and got over my irrational anger at Courtney Love, I resumed my jog to the quiet, peaceful sounds of the park in the rain. It felt nice again....and suddenly, I was done.
20 miles in the books. My time was 3 hours and 19 minutes. Upon completion, I stopped at Chipoltle and ate a giant burrito. And, it continued to rain. All. Day. Oh, and Courtney, I forgive you.
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