Running in the Rain

I’m a little over 2/3 of the way through my running journey to run a 12k. The race that seemed so far away is now just around the corner. I booked my flight today, and what seemed to be this far off event is now becoming really real.  I am actually going to have to run this race! (Gulp)

When I started out, I would run for 1 minute and then walk for 2.  This wasn’t too bad. I was fine doing it on the treadmill.  Now, however, I am running anywhere from 30-80 minutes at a time, depending on the day. I do this four times a week.  I have learned a lot about myself and about working out; setting goals and trying to be realistic.  The thing I have come to realize the most, however, is running on the treadmill is really boring!

Those of you who have read some of my earlier posts know that I am not a running fanatic.  I am still waiting for that runner’s high to kick in. While I might never love running, I have come to no longer hate it. As I progress in my running journey, some days, I even kind of enjoy it.  The treadmill, however, is not my friend. I have wanted to try running outside for some time now. If for no other reason than that’s where they will run the race.  Probably ought to get some practice in under race conditions.

Since the race is in San Francisco, practicing on hills might not be the worst idea either. Now I know that my treadmill has settings for incline.  However, I’m doing good just to run on it most of the time.  There is no way I’m coordinated enough to run and change the incline settings at the same time.  You’re probably wondering why I haven’t been running outside sooner.  It’s not for lack of desire.  It’s that I live in Nebraska. The weather has not been even remotely cooperating.

When I started out, it was mid-November. I consider myself to be fairly tough. However, running in the snow and when it’s less than 20 degrees is  way to hard-core for me. Fast forward to March. I thought surely the weather would start to cooperate.  Not!  By the time it got over 30 degrees, it started raining. It hasn’t stopped. It doesn’t rain all day long, but it rains enough.

Last week, I finally decided enough is enough.  I’m going to be running in San Francisco.  It might be cold, it might be wet, it could very well be both.  The point is, if I keep waiting for the perfect conditions, I’m never going to run outside. I bit the bullet, put on my running gear, and hit the trail in the rain.  I ran 6.5 miles in about 65 minutes.  It was cold and cloudy for part,  then it sprinkled on me for a while.  It even rained pretty good for a section. I survived.  In fact, the rain was a pretty good motivator. I was averaging 11 minute miles on the first half. I bumped up my pace to 10 minutes on the back half.  My last mile was even at a 9.5 minute pace.

I had a lot of time to think while I was running. It was really nice to be out and moving; watching the scenery go by.  I experienced a real sense of accomplishment.  Sure I had run that far on the treadmill. This time it felt like I was actually going somewhere.  This got me thinking about quilting.  Let’s face it, if I’m being honest, this wasn’t really a stretch for me.  If you ask my kids, they will tell you this is all I think about. (Not true, but I’m probably one of the only mothers at their schools people ask for advice about longarms at parent teacher conferences.) Anyway, I got to thinking that just like with my running. I found myself waiting for the “perfect day” for a lot of the things I wanted to do quilting wise.