Running in the Rain!

Saturday morning I had 6 miles planned. But a few days before that my phone started blowing up with weather alerts...we would be under a flash flood watch from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning. Nooooo! Not again! I couldn't stand another flooding event like we had two weeks ago! Plus...I NEEDED to run this weekend!

I kept a close watch on the hourly forecast for the next few days. It looked like the rain was going to give me a break at the time I wanted to run. I was ok with running in the rain...as long as it wasn't hard rain and there wasn't any thunder and lightning.

So when I woke up Saturday morning the hourly forecast said 0% chance of precipitation. But the radar showed something entirely different.

I knew I was going to get a little wet. But I didn't see any ugly stuff headed my way so I decided to chance it. I was super happy that Holly was coming to run with me!

I stepped outside and was hit with humidity. And there were light sprinkles of rain. I knew the rain would keep me a little cooler at least. The first few miles my legs felt heavy. Holly said she was having the same problem. But we kept on running. I will say that all the rain lately must be making the snakes come out. We saw FIVE dead (thank goodness) snakes on the road during the run!

We both eventually found our groove. The rain was light and actually felt pretty refreshing. But around mile 4.5 the rain started coming down pretty heavy! It only lasted a few minutes and then it went back to sprinkles.

Finally we made it to 6 miles!

As soon as I stopped running my legs felt so heavy! Then I realized it was because my skirt was soaked with rain! My shoes were soaked too! The rain definitely adds some extra weight. No wonder the run felt hard!

I was thankful to run with Holly! She's the best running partner! And yes...I wore a hat instead of my beloved BAMR Band...had to keep the rain out of my eyes!

And just an FYI...it stopped raining shortly after my run...and never rained again all weekend long!!!!

QOTD: Do you like to run in the rain?

Rainy Run Day!

Saturday the plan was to run 6 miles with Holly. We've been enjoying our long runs together and we were both excited about running again this weekend. The forecast called for rain but it was only a 30% chance at the time we would be running.

I went to bed at a decent hour on Friday night. But around midnight Hayden came into my room and scared me to death! I was in a deep sleep! As soon as I saw him I knew something was wrong...and I said a quick prayer it wasn't the stomach bug (it's amazing how that thing always hits in the middle of the night). I was relieved when he told me what was wrong...he was only coughing and wanted some cough medicine. I was able to fall back asleep pretty quickly after that.

My alarm went off and I got up. I immediately checked my phone and had a text from Holly saying there was rain on the radar, our other friends had cancelled their run (which was an hour and a half earlier than ours), and she was going back to bed.  I checked my radar...it had light green rain but the hourly forecast showed only a 10% chance. I looked out the window...no rain. I decided to go back to bed anyway.

I laid there for about 10 minutes. I couldn't go back to sleep. And my mind kept telling me to run. The forecast for tomorrow morning had even a greater chance of rain so this would be my only chance to run. Plus...I just really wanted to run! So I got back up, got dressed, and headed out.

I made sure the hubby's ringer was turned on in case I got stuck in a thunderstorm. I put my phone in a ziploc bag to protect it from water. I grabbed my old ear buds in case I got rained on and the water ruined them. I had a plan to run at least 5 miles if I could. I was ready to run in the rain!

The first mile was dry. It was cloudy and there were puddles everywhere (from earlier rain) but so far so good! The temperature was right at 73° so it felt wonderful! And then I started feeling a drop or two of rain. Eventually the drops came down at a steady pace...but it was only a light rain thank goodness!

Around mile 2.5 I saw my friends Gina and Angela! They were at mile 13 of 16 miles (training for the Chicago Marathon)! They were running strong! It was great to see them!

The run felt great! And the rain didn't bother me a bit! Normally if I'm going to be running in the rain I will wear a visor, but I forgot it. Luckily the rain didn't get in my eyes too bad.

I was wearing my water belt so I kept reminding myself to drink water so I wouldn't get dehydrated. Even though the air was cool I knew I still needed to drink water. Normally I would stop about halfway and take a short water break but I didn't stop at all during this run. I just kept sipping as I was running.

At mile 4 I decided I was going to run the full 6 that I had planned to run with Holly. I was already soaking wet and there wasn't any thunder so another mile wouldn't hurt!

Not one time did I feel tired during this run! I felt great the whole time! Maybe I should wish for rain for every run lol! ;-)

The only thing that bothered me during this run was my ear buds! They kept falling out of my ears!!! I'm not sure if it was because they were wet or what. But I know I will never wear those again for a run!

I was also excited that I wasn't the only one out running in the rain! I saw 10 other runners out that morning and a group of bikers! I'm not the only crazy one lol!

I'm so glad I went ahead and got up and ran that morning! I always enjoy running in the rain!

QOTD: Do you like to run in the rain?

Rainy Run!

This weekend it rained on and off all day on Saturday and Sunday! My friends scheduled a 5 mile run at 5am on Sunday morning. We were supposed to go to a family party on Saturday out of town and wouldn't get home until late Saturday night (we ended up not going because the hubby wasn't feeling well). I knew getting home late and waking up early to run on Sunday would not be wise for me so I decided to run on Saturday instead. Lately I've been running by myself but I decided to let my friends know I was running and see if anyone was interested in joining me. Luckily, Holly from Running and Baking Oh My and my friend Marcella joined me for the run! Yay!

I knew the rain would be a factor. I don't mind running in the rain...as long as it's not heavy rain that hurts when it hits you! And no thunder and lightning is a must too. I woke up Saturday (not too early...I scheduled our run for 6:15am) and immediately checked the radar.

We had a little bit of a window in there but I knew we would probably get a little wet. I wasn't backing off...my run was scheduled and I was all in! And no my friends didn't cancel either! :-)

As soon as I stepped outside it was sprinkling. I immediately took my phone back inside....I wasn't going to risk it getting wet. So no pictures for you. :-( 

After a few stretches we were off! We had a hill during the first and second mile...but I barely noticed it since we were all talking. That's one of the many joys of running with friends! Before I knew it we had made it to the halfway point! We stopped for a few seconds to drink some water and then we were off again!

The last half of the run felt just as good as the first half. We kept a steady pace. My legs and lungs felt great. And the rain sprinkles kept it cool. It was an awesome run!

I came inside and took my #proof pictures.

And then I refueled with a Designer Whey chocolate velvet Sustained Energy protein shake (review coming soon).

I had been inside for about 10 minutes and all of a sudden it started pouring down rain! The kind of rain that stings when it hits you! I was so happy we got our run in before that started!!!

I spent the rest of the day with the family, indoors, being lazy. I snuggled up in my Zensah compression socks and watched a few episodes of Pretty Little Liars! (Is anyone else addicted to this show too?)

It was a great long run...and a great rainy day Saturday! :-)

QOTD: What do you like to do on rainy days? Do you like to run in the rain?

Ready for #10!

So I'm running my 10th half marathon tomorrow! I'm excited! It's been an awesome summer of training some awesome ladies...my Sole2Soul Sisters! I'm so proud of each and every one of them and can't wait to see their faces tomorrow after they finish their 1st half marathon!!!

But...I did something stupid this week. I went with my friend to her personal training session and the trainer worked me out pretty hard. Of course at the time I didn't think it would be a big deal. This happened on Wednesday. Getting out of the bed on Thursday morning was quite the sight! I almost fell trying to stand up! Seriously! My calves were killing me! They loosened up some so I went ahead and went for my run. By that night my legs were hurting so bad! And yesterday was awful!!! I had to sub in a kindergarten class and it was awful when I sat on the carpet with them to play a game and had to get back up...OUCH!!! My son Hayden asked me why I was walking like a grandma! Yeah thanks son! Today my legs are feeling a little better...they are still super tight but I'm hoping by tomorrow they will be feeling close to normal. Fingers crossed!

Me and the boys headed out this afternoon to the race expo and packet pickup. It was pouring down rain and the expo was outside so there weren't a lot of people hanging around shopping. This is the first year for this race...there's only around 300 people registered so the expo wasn't anything exciting. We grabbed my number, shirt, and swag bag. We stopped and talked to a few of the booths and then we were on our way.

I'm hoping this number is a good one! :-)

We stopped to take a quick picture in front of the water during a slack in the rain! Aren't my boys just too cute??? :-)

Then we stopped by our local running store so I could pick up one of these:

Why do I need a visor tomorrow? Because don't I normally wear a cute headband? Yes! But tomorrow's forecast looks like this: 

So yeah...I'm pretty sure I'm going to get rained on at some point during tomorrow's race. It was bound to happen...so far ALL of my races the weather has been gorgeous. 

But I'm still gonna have fun!!!

I'm ready!!!

QOTD: Any tips for me for running in the rain?

LSD Is For Me!

Yeah I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a phone call from my Dad who is a retired cop after he sees this title!!! I'm not talking drugs people....I'm talking "long slow distance!" If you're a runner you already know that!!! I just LOVE long runs! I always feel so much better in these runs...in fact...I really don't like short runs. I know they are a big part of training but they suck. I think it's because my short runs are usually 3-4 miles...and it takes that long for me to even warm up! So I struggle through those runs a lot more than my long runs. Now I'm not saying long runs aren't hard for me...they are. Especially when I get into those 16, 18, 20, and 22 milers in marathon training. But I prefer them to short runs any day! I know I can push through. And feel super accomplished in the end!

Now I am not a fast runner by no means. Fast for me is in the 9's...and I don't run this pace often. My average pace for short runs is between 10-10:30. My average pace for long runs is between 11-11:30. I know that is super slow for a lot of you but it works for me and I'm proud of it!

That being said...today was a long run day for me. It was the last long run before I start tapering for my half on Sept. 30th. It was the last long run for these amazing women called the Sole2Soul Sisters that I've been training for their first half marathon...and they are ROCKING!!! I'm so proud of them and how great they have done with their training!

This run was awesome!!!! We ran one of my favorite routes that's down by the bay. My goal for this run was to take it slow and easy and try to stay at an 11:30 pace. The first 3 miles I ran a little faster...I was in the 10's but kept telling myself to slow down. The last half a mile of this route there is a gradual, never ending hill and I knew I wouldn't make it if I didn't pace myself. So I kept slowing myself down to an 11:30 pace. Around mile 4 it started sprinkling. I was super surprised because the rain chance was only 10%! I don't mind running in the rain but my iPhone was in my belt and I was super worried about it!!! (Hey don't judge! I LOVE my iPhone!) Luckily, my friend Donna came to my rescue and gave me a ziploc bag to put my iPhone in...thanks so much Donna!  And boy am I glad I had that ziploc bag because at mile 9....the rain started coming down heavy! It was like a monsoon out there! But it felt GREAT! Very refreshing when you are super hot!

Can you see the drops of rain???

Wouldn't you know it would rain pour when I had a white shirt on!!! That's my luck lol! 

I had 3 miles left and I wasn't stopping...and neither were my Sole2Soul Sisters! I was so proud of them for sticking it out in the rain! We made it to the end (and yes I KICKED that hill in the booty) and the sun came out!!! Yay!!!

Here's the scenery I had to look at while running today...so gorgeous!!!

Jennie and Me after the run!

After the run, the sun had come out, and I was SOAKED!!!

Just in case you are a numbers person like me...here are my stats:

12 miles, 2:19:24, average pace 11:38

QOTD: Do you prefer long or short runs? My shoes are SOAKED...any suggestions on how to dry them out?

Don't forget to enter my Energy Bits Giveaway! Ends tomorrow night!