Tag: running in the rain

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Racing In The Rain

We opened the triathlon season with a frozen jaunt through the rain at the ADPiathlon in Murfreesboro.  Last weekend I ran the Country Music Half in a steady downpour and celebrated by shivering in the rain for two more hours.  This weekend I’m heading to Knoxville for the Rev 3 Olympic and the forecast is for a 60% chance of scattered showers. 

First of all, what the hell does 60% chance for scattered showers mean?  Does that mean there’s a 40% chance of solid showers or a 40% chance that it will be dry?  I have sent an email to Knoxville meteorologists for clarification and will give you an update as soon as I hear. 

Either way, I’m mentally preparing for rain, which, in theory, isn’t that big of a deal while you’re racing, except on the bike.  You swim in water and it can actually feel good while running . . . but rain dampens the excitement of the event for anyone watching and frankly, I use their energy.

So, Sunday, when I’m treading water and it’s also dropping on my swim cap, I will turn inside to channel all of the training and experiences of past races as I drop my face into the river and pull myself upstream toward the first orange buoy.  Then I will turn downstream, glance at the three spectators, and settle into a nice backstroke toward the swim exit. 

As I find land, I’ll rip myself from the wet suit, and plod the point 3 miles to my bike where I’ll stuff garbage bags under my top and hit the lonely roads of Knoxville.  Biking in the rain is dicey, but I figure the more I ride in the rain, the easier riding in nice weather will be.  Sooo . . . bring it on! 

In the last 3 weeks I have run exactly 3 times.  A 10K race, a 3 mile jaunt with the East Nasties on a Wednesday, and a half marathon.  Sunday I will hop off my bike and run for the fourth time, another 10K.  Since this is my second Olympic, I’m feeling more confident about sticking the run, so we’ll see what happens. 

Years ago I listened to a cassette tape from motivational speaker, Zig Zigler, and the very first thing he said with regard to staying positive was, “Never judge a day by the weather,” and while it’s not always easy, that line has stuck in my head.  Truthfully, the rain will “bother me” most in the swim because I would prefer to enjoy the sunshine while I’m in the river, but once you dig in, water is water, and my body will be alive and full of light, even though the sun is behind the clouds. 

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Blame It On The Rain

It rained the whole race.  Then it rained four straight hours after the race.  Country Music Marathon was good running, but a bummer on all other levels. 

People did their best to brave the elements and cheer on runners, and in the end, there was great support by the fans.  For running, it was almost perfect, and thankfully I felt strong for most of the race, even though I came out way too fast (possibly because I started in corral one). I was shooting for something below 1:40 and built a nice cushion by doing the first two miles at an average pace around 7:08.  Even the third mile, which is almost all a hill, was around 7:20.  I was feeling it.  But that’s not all I felt.

Around mile 9 my IT band started acting up and I elected to back off a little.  My pace was pretty strong and sub 1:40 seemed like it was in the bag, but I couldn’t read my watch because of contacts and the rain, so I was just looking for a “7” on the pace count and hoped it would all work out. 

It did work out.  I finished in 1:37:28, which is about 35 minutes faster than I ran this course last year and 5 minutes faster than I ran the very flat New Orleans Half.  All in all a good day, but literally two minutes after I crossed the finish line I was freezing. 

Soaking wet and standing there in a tank top, I quickly grabbed a race blanket and pulled it tight around me while I waited for friends to finish.  I walked out of the chute, looked for somewhere warm to hang, but unfortunately there were no options.  I walked back and forth near LP Field and was perplexed at why they didn’t open the stadium for people to get out of the rain.  It was absolutely brutal. 

People were shivering and waiting for people they couldn’t find because everyone looked identical wearing their “Rock n Roll marathon” warmer blankets.  It was a steady rain in 50 degree weather and I’m staring up at this massive stadium that is basically locked.  I don’t care if marathon people asked or not, the people in charge of LP Field should have saw it coming and offered the facility.  It is an incredulous oversight and I don’t care about politics or safety or anything else.  It should have been done. 

So, instead, I wandered like a vagabond, teeth chattering, and legs shaking, trying to find people I knew.  I ran into exactly two people I recognized, but had no clue how to find Rebekah, whose warm clothes were waiting in my car. 

My knee ached and I contemplated walking 6 blocks to the car and back, but thought it would be best to just hang, then walk together, and leave.  After almost two hours, I decided to go to the car, change, and bring her bag of clothes back.  All told, I was standing or walking in the rain for over 3 hours.  It was miserable and I still can’t believe they didn’t at least put up some more tents or something.  Not like it’s their first marathon in the rain. 

Anyway, the actual race was great considering the circumstances.  The post-race, however, was a nightmare.  I know you can’t plan for everything, but the forecast was calling for this exact weather a week ago.  It would have been very easy to make this a better experience.