Drip drip drop

Rain. Rain. Rain. Interspersed with short periods of sunshine. Followed by rain. That pretty much sums up the weather in Chicago over the past couple weeks. 

Last Tuesday was a short period of sunshine so I decided to go for a run with a couple of friends. I was a little weary when they suggested 45 minutes instead of the 30 that I've been running during the week. But I agreed. As we ran I realized a couple things about marathon training. Around 2.5 miles (3o min) I was ready to hurl. *Don't run after overstuffing yourself for dinner. I was tired at this point, but we kept going. We ran up one street and down another. Along busy streets and then down a nice quiet tree-lined street. BAM! I fell flat on my face. *When you're body is still exhausted from the long run, don't push it. And pick up your feet when you're running on the sidewalk. It's not quite as smooth and forgiving as the lakefront path. About an hour and 4.25 miles later we finished. Too long for a weekday run.

Thursday was another day marked by cold, wind and rain. I really wished I had some sort of rain jacket for running. Not to stay dry as much as to stay warm. Either way, I still had to run and running in the rain is actually somewhat meditative. Or so I thought. 

All of this was in preparation for our longest run yet. 12 miles. When we started, it was a little cool with a light breeze. A good day for running. Our course was 3 miles north to the Buckingham Fountain then 6 miles south and 3 miles north again to the start point. It was an easy first 6 miles. At the halfway point we all stopped for a potty break before continuing on south. That's when it began. The rain. At first it was a cool steady rain, but it didn't stop. It just got colder and heavier. As we got closer to the lake the winds picked up and it was miserable. Running in the rain is not always somewhat meditative!

After a nice hot shower at home, brunch and a nap, I awoke to that short period of sunshine. I got dressed, grabbed a beer and walked down the street to enjoy a fantastic evening at the Midsommerfest. 

Now it's time to put on the running clothes and start all over again.