Ranidrops Keep Falling on My Head

Today I am 189.2 pounds of rolling thunder.

I've got to tell you, in my next life I'm coming back as a meteorologist or an economist. Both good-paying gigs if you can get them, and both professions based on wild guesses.

I came to this realization about a week ago after my daily run. You see I had come home from work and was prepping for my daily running  ritual, which on this day was to be a four-mile loop with a three-mile time trial (I use that term loosely and with great poetic license).

Anyway, the skies were overcast but not worrisome so I switched on the local weathercast to see what my fate might be if I went out for my run. The local weather guy, let's call him Larry, predicted that storms would be headed into the metro in about two hours.

Perfect, my little romp around the 'hood would only take about an hour. Plenty of time to make the run and get inside before the nastiness hit. But, as they say, the joke was on me.

So I rolled up the warm-up hill without any issues. It takes me about 10 minutes and serves as a good way to get the heart and lungs ready for the rest of the route. The skies were gray and the air a little heavy. But Larry had promised me no rain for two hours. Remember that, it will be on the quiz.

My first timed mile is downhill. And while I'm not at all fast, it's generally the fastest portion of my run. Fresh legs and a steady incline will do that.

I hit the one-mile corner in good time. Not great, but good -- for me, at least. The second mile usually is my do or die. There are four or five hills and a long stop light if you hit it wrong. Normally, hope of doing anything good time-wise dies during this stretch.

On this day, I was doing OK. I made the last hill and hit the corner in so-so time. It was at least well within the window of success. So I made the turn for home, and then disaster struck.

Rain began to trickle down as I headed down the hill into the last mile. First, I could hear the droplets hitting the leaves on top of the heavy canopy of tree limbs. Then it began to spit on me and at long last the skies opened and it began dumping rain down.

I made it to a stoplight where I stood in the deluge as motorists stared at me as if I were naked. Two thoughts passed through my head: please don't let me someone I know and please let someone I know offer me a ride.

As I stood there waiting to restart the clock when the light turned I thought to myself that if there was no lightning and the weather was warm I might as well make the dash to the finish -- rain be damned.

So I said a little prayer and gave a little curse to Larry, and off I went. I made the final light, and of course had to pause again. This time shorter than the last. The rain continued to pour down and I considered ducking under the canopy of a local bank.

What the heck, when you're wet, your wet, right? So I dashed ahead, finished in decent time and the rain slowly let up as I jogged the half mile home -- soaked to the bone. Thanks Larry.

So it is that when you see me in the next life I'll be giving you the daily downpour report or telling you how to invest your 401K. Both are based on guesses. For now, however, if you see the world's slowest human out running, give me a big wave -- and a ride home in the rain.

Let's Hear It For A Snow Day!

Dec. 20, 2012

With only one day left of the world as we know it, this could be a make or break blog update.

Say something profound, and whatever or whoever comes next will remember you in legendary tones. Just plop something down in the blogosphere, and you end up just another Webizen swept up by the the fallout from the end of the Mayan calendar.

The great thing is it's a snow day.

So if you were all set to take those high school finals today, never mind. First, it's a snow day. Second, the world will be coming to an end. So you might as well while away the final few hours by playing some video games.

Me, I'm not setting foot outside. Baby, it's cold outside. And windy. And slick. And ... (insert your own excuse here). And who wants to risk killing themselves with so few hours left for the world.

I'm just glad someone at our house was brave enough to get up and put on their jammie pants and jacket and head out into the cold and wind and get those front steps shoveled off. You wouldn't want the mail man slipping and falling on the last day of the Earth as we know it.

My guess is the sun will break out soon and well be back in the running business before we know it. Besides, this is a good excuse to jump on the spin bike, watch some History channel, and get ready for a little work from home action.

Today's Runner's World quote of the day comes from

Peter Magill, 2010 USA Masters 5K champion  

"No one is born a perfect runner. And none of us will become one. But through incremental steps, we can become better runners. And that's the beauty of our sport: There are no shortcuts, nothing is given to us; we earn every mile, and we earn every result."

So if we're all still around on Friday, I'll hopefully be a better runner and blogger. Good luck all!

Peter Magill, 2010 USA Masters 5K champion

I don't love running ... I like it

Day whatever, it's Nov. 4 just two days until the elections if that's your preferred kind of race

Like most things, after about 30 days, you start to lose interest of complete track of something ongoing such as the number of days you've run or blogged in the past few months. I like to think of it not so much as sloth, but more as the introduction of serendipity back into something I do for fun and enjoyment.

Hence, it's day whatever of my running blog, and that suits me just fine.

Recently, I added a like to Facebook page that said, "I love running." Personally, I don't love running, I run. I like running, although from my blog you can tell I'm not very good at it.

But I like what running does for me. It keeps your heart and lungs healthy. It gives you something to chit-chat about at parties. It keeps your weight down. And most importantly it gives you that great feeling after you've run for an hour or so. 

Yes, I'm addicted to the runner's high. The euphoria of all those endorphins rushing around my body. The friendly aches you get in your muscles that remind you that you’re alive.

 

In all honesty, I probably just have a crush on running. This isn't love, it's more like dating. I go out and do it almost every day, but it doesn't consume my every waking moment.

And I'm not a running stalker. I don't lust over new running shoes or the latest gizmo from Garmin. I pretty much know where I'm running and I buy a new pair of shoes every year. I did give in to my desire to own a lung exerciser and that seems to be working out OK.

I have to say writing a blog about running keeps you honest. You feel the need to get out there and move in some form or another. Frankly, I've felt more guilt not writing about it for the past week or so than anytime I miss my daily run, job, walk or whatever.

So Daylight Saving Time kicked in this week, which means we're looking down the barrel of a long winter of treadmills and bundled up trips outside to run in the cold, snow and ice. Last year was so mild that the outdoor running window really never closed. Hopefully, we'll have the same good fortune this time around.

Remember, whether you run, walk or jog, just keep moving. I will always be the world's slowest human, and I'm there for you every step of the way.