…if you count the three pounds of weight you drop by just removing your water soaked clothing.
This was a pretty wet night for a run (Wednesday) but I’m happy I did it. (Which is pretty clear by my photo)
Mind over Matter
I decided that if I’m going to kick-start this training, I need to get used to running in the rain. It is the Pacific NW after all. I’m not a stranger to rain, but it does sway my opinion of outdoor activities from time to time. This time I threw in some contacts, put on my brightest shirt, set my iPhone to shuffle, and headed west from my house. I really only wanted to put in a couple of miles to acclimate myself to running in inclement weather, as the rain was starting to fall and the wind gusts were still under the 20mph mark.
Less than 1/4 mile
It took less than 1/4 mile for me to have two soakers. I kept running. The wind started picking up and the power lines were swaying with each gust from the south. I kept running. The rain went from “nuisance” level to “impossible to keep eyes open” level. I kept running. My pace slowed, but I kept running. I ended up covering just under 3 miles, which in itself is no large feat, but when factoring the weather and the threat of falling power lines and trees, I think I did okay. My pace was slow, but not terrible considering the amount of time I spent running against the wind. Check out my profile at Strava
Features:
Distance: 2.9 Miles
Pace: 8:35/mile (I’m shooting for 7:00/mile)
Weather: Shitty
Playlist:
Blonde Redhead – Symphony of Treble
Aphex Twin – Vordhosbn
Go Slowpoke – I really don’t think I’ll ever figure it out
Mongolian Death Cloud – Track 01
Arcade Fire – We used to wait
Broken Bells – The High Road
Frightened Rabbit – The Greys
Next Steps
I plan to meet with Trailhead Athletics soon to go over my training and I should probably consult a healthcare pro about this chronic cough I’ve developed. Stupid allergies.
ONWARD!

Todd Elsworth is one of the many “Mossy-haired lunatics roaming the dripping peninsulas”, described in “I’m Here for the Weather” by Tom Robbins. As executive director, he works to fulfill our mission to teach the health benefits of nature, promote outdoor recreation, and steward the places where we play.