The Christening of the New Shoes

Oh yes.  The best running weather ever.  41 degrees and rainy.

And my New Shoes performed beautifully.  Here they are, but the photo doesn’t do the sloshy-ness justice:

Wet, sloppy and happy.

While many (most) of my running friends prefer to run on days like this:

Whatever.

Photo Credit

Here is my perfect weather:

Can’t you just feel the awesome?!

Mmm hmmm.

And now, I’ll be returning to my endorphins.

You know you’re jealous!  🙂

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Compression Pants? Are Ya Kidding?

I started running in the very warm weather.  At the time, the key training issues for me were strategic hydration and forcing myself to haul my body out of bed to run at the crack of dawn to beat the morning heat.  I remember wondering vaguely about how I was going to handle running in the elements, but secretly considering the thought that icky weather would be my excuse to avoid running. 

Then I met Dotty.  Yes, the same Dotty that filled my mind with visions of the Virginia Beach Half Marathon and enticed me to register for the 26.2 with Donna Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer.  That one.  When I found out she had been a distance runner for many years, I asked her about how she handled rain, wind and snow.  She shocked me with her response.  As I recall, it went something like this:

I run every day it’s on my training schedule and I always run outside.  The only reason I would not run outside would be if there was lightning. 

Two or three seasons full of running excuses, blown to smithereens in about 20 seconds of conversation!  And yet how awesome was that?  With snow on the ground even?  Yep.  Even when it’s really, really cold?  Yes.  Pouring rain?  As long as there’s no lightning.  How on earth do you do that?  Just have the right gear and go. 

Wow.

So, I figured this was probably a gold standard for outdoor runners and, since I hate the treadmill, I immediately adopted this as my standard too. 

Now, you may recall that in our neck of the woods we have had a really, really rainy Fall.  In fact, as of today, there are still crops in fields locally that have not been able to be harvested because the ground is too wet.  It has been one rainy season!  Interestingly, I have not had one run cancelled due to lightning.  I’ve watched for it, but all this rain has produced almost zero lightning.  So on I ran. 

Then in the late Fall, the weather began to do something famous for our area of the Midwest.   It started to get COLD.  The shorts and cropped running pants had done just fine so far, but what now?  I’d already learned that the wicking material did wonders to stop the chub rub.  What to do about those frozen legs? 

Enter Coach Shelly:

Me:  What kind of gear am I going to need for the winter?  I don’t plan on dealing with that stinking treadmill unless I absolutely have to and I’m afraid I’ll lose my mind cooped up inside the gym all winter.

Shelly:  There are some things you’ll want, for sure. 

Friend [Anonymous friend, we’ll just call her Chris for this post, offering her thoughts]:  Hey, I like the treadmill and the gym.  Could do without that creepy gym guy, however.

Me:  I think all gyms must have a creepy gym guy.

[Random conversation about gyms, creeps, and other Very Important Girl Talk that ensues when girlfriends are having important conversation about things like Gear.]

Me:  What were we talking about?  Oh yeah, what gear do I need to avoid the gym this winter and still keep training?

Shelly:  You’ll need a long sleeve wicking shirt made for cold weather, something for your head, gloves, and you’ll want some compression pants.

Me:  Compression pants?  Are ya kidding?  Like those skin-tight things that real runners wear?

Image Credit  (and before you ask, NO these are NOT my legs…Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.  No.)

Shelly:  [cheerily] Yes, those are the ones.

Me:  Um…No Way.  There is No Way I am putting this behind into something like that and running around my hometown terrifying innocent bystanders.  There could be an accident or something.  I would have to slither through the streets under cover of darkness.  I simply Couldn’t Do It. 

Shelly:  I know, they look terrible, but they work wonderfully and they are absolutely worth it.  They will allow you to run in very cold temperatures and there is zero chub rub with these things.

Me:  That is because they are SKIN TIGHT!

Shelly:  If you really had to, you would wear a pair of shorts over them.  Either way, it is something you really should consider. 

Me:  No.

Chris:  No.

Shelly:  Well, it’s up to you.  Maybe you’ll change your mind later.

I can tell you that I struggled against the compression pants for weeks and weeks.   Finally, I took the plunge and bought a pair of the hideous things.  I put off wearing them for a long, long time.  Always able to find a way to run when it was a little warmer. 

Then I found myself in 30 degree weather the morning of the Indianapolis 5K (yet another race that Chris had talked me into!) and there was no getting around the compression pants.  I pulled the suckers on and, grateful that I’d remembered to bring the little black shorts to yank on over the top, to protect the unsuspecting public, I ran my first race in the compression pants. 

And to my complete surprise, I had my Very Best Time Ever for a 5K.  The pants kept me warm without overheating.  And they didn’t rub or twist or bunch around.  These things were great! 

They still looked hideous, mind you.  But they were great! 

Since then, the hideous compression pants have become like an old friend.  They accompany me on most of my runs, especially when the temperature is under 40 degrees.  They’ve been on long runs and short runs, uphill and downhill, on the street and on the trail. 

If I get the nerve, I’ll find and post a picture of the Indy 5K compression pants maiden voyage here.   But it ain’t pretty.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 

And I find myself, again surprised and saying:  Shelly, you were right!

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Let it Rain!

Photo Credit

Nope, this isn’t a picture of the rain that’s been falling and falling and falling and falling in my hometown for days.  But it could have been.

And nope, I never ran on this particular road on this particular day in these particular conditions.  But I would have, if I’d had the opportunity. 

Used to be, the gray, rainy, windy, cold conditions of late Fall and early Spring, really got to me.  And not in a good way.  At one time, I even considered the possibility that I might have that sunlight deficiency syndrome–whatever it’s called.  I would be moody, crabby, blue. 

This year has been different.  This year I have encountered the Running Transformation.  True, the body hasn’t been entirely very transformed, but my attitude is getting quite the overhaul.  Here (in part) is how:

I discovered that I really love to run in the rain.  The colder and wetter and windier and messier, the better, really.  I think it’s absolutely awesome and my attitude, coupled with the endorphins that flow during and after a decent run, have caused me to have a Pavlovian response to a rainy weather forecast.  I actually feel better when I know it’s going to rain and I can get out and run in it.

I know, it’s Just. Not. Right.  But I can’t help myself.  I love it.

Partly, I think it helps that I’ve got a few pieces of couldn’t-run-in-the-cold-and-rain-without-them running gear that have made a humongous difference in the enjoyment department.  For instance, the right shoes and socks have kept my feet cozy dry in downpours and while running through puddle-laden streets.  (I promise I’ll do posts on my very useful gear pieces separately.  And soon.  Don’t give up on me…I’m just random like this.)

Also, I think it’s kinda cool to feel cozy, warm and dry, even when the cold rain is splashing on my face.  I love the contradiction.  Plus, it’s perfectly fine for me to have people think I’m a little crazy.  I rather enjoy it. 

Then there’s the idea that I hate being told what to do.  When the weather guy tells us how cold and rainy it’s going to be and the darling little anchor sitting near him becomes all sad and says in her sweet little voice, “Brrr…No fun…Bring your umbrella and bundle up…Stay inside if you can,” I think, “How stupid.  They can’t tell me what to do and how to feel about this weather!”  Yet, this was the first year I actually had a viable alternative to rainy-day-misery.

When I run in the rain, I feel like with every step I take, I’m crushing all that negativity and with every swing of my arm, I punch that doom-and-gloom attitude right in the nose.  When it’s cold, I am awake, alert, and alive–and I often don’t even need that second pot of coffee.  When it’s windy and messy and muddy and sloppy, the challenge is invigorating and (dare I say it?) fun.

And my times are actually better in the rain.  Not that my times matter (like, AT ALL), since my running times still put me well behind most runners, albeit ahead of the walkers.  Still, the contradiction thing keeps sparking my interest–lots of runners have slower times in the rain.  Once again, I am the opposite of normal.

Anyway, just wanted you to know that as we all deal with the downpours together, there’s somebody out here really, really happy about the weather.  If you really hate the weather, I promise to do my best to enjoy it for you!  No need to thank me. 

And just think.  Soon, I get to try my feet at snow! 

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