First Foul Weather Run of the Winter Season

December 8, 2009:

Forest Park

5 Miles

50:33 ET

10:06 pace

When I awoke this morning the weather forecast was not great--cold and windy. I had a haircut scheduled for 3:30 near Forest Park so a run around the park seemed to be the thing to do. As I was dressing I kept looking out the window, the Christmas lights were swaying in the wind, the skies were gray and threatened rain. One word reverberated in my head-----brrrrrr!

I wasn't going to run right then but just packing my bag was hard. After all, if I didn't take my gear I couldn't run after my haircut and then I could say, "Oh well, it's too late" after I got home and had dinner. With trepidation the bag got packed and put in the car.

By early afternoon the rain was really coming down, the dread set in again but by 3 I was changed and off to the salon. As I walked in the door Lisa asked incredulously if I was going to run in this weather? One of her clients was sitting in the warmth sipping a glass of wine, yes another temptation.

After Lisa finished and I downed a couple of peanut butter cookies and a few chocolate covered macadamia nuts it was time. Outside, in the rain, I stood anxiously waiting for my Garmin to acquire the satellite signals. As the rain came down, my car called to me from just across the street: “Come, sit in my dry interior, just push one button and I will warm your butt!” But, just in time, the Garmin was ready and off I went.

The rain is lightly but coldly pelting my face. It was 40 degrees, too warm for my Extreme Masque, too warm even for a Balaclava. At a quarter mile, I stopped for a traffic light, crossed the street and turned onto the bike path. AHA, I thought, no biker in his right mind would ride in this weather; I’ll have the trail to myself. They just aren’t tough enough! At a half mile. I’m warmed up, the rain has all but stopped, and hey this isn’t bad at all!

It was great being out there virtually alone I passed only 1 walking commuter and a couple of runners the entire time. I decided to be adventuresome and take some unfamiliar trails. New sights and a new perspective on the park. I won’t take the JFK trail again. It was designed for wheelchairs with a lot of switchbacks.

By two miles I was actually getting too warm, I unzipped my jacket and felt a rush of warmth rising across my cheeks. I calculated my turn-around point and headed back toward the car. As I approached the car it was only 4.8 miles, now there was no hesitation, I passed the car ran around the block to be sure I got my promised 5 miles, after all, I would only be cheating myself!

It felt good to get that first nasty weather run under my belt, once again realizing that it just isn’t that bad once you get going.

Run Grampy Run!