Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Foothills YMCA 5K/Run For Literacy 5K
This past weekend I ran the Ahwatukee Foothills YMCA 5K on Saturday and the Run For Literacy 5K at the Glendale Public Library on Sunday. Both of these races were timed by the Arizona Road Racers, a club that handles many of the races out here and usually does it well. the timing in both of these races was botched, so they gave awards on the days of the events based on order of finish instead of chip time.
Ahwatukee Foothills YMCA 5K
The YMCA race started at 8 AM. I had gotten there with time to jog over the course. It was a gradual uphill for the first half, at which point there was a 40 yard steep rise, then all downhill back to the finish. All of it is in suburban Phoenix blacktop streets.
In hindsight, I shouldn't have jogged the course. It's usually fine for me to do that, but it was a hot day already at 7:30 AM, and there were hills. I'll say it before anyone else points it out. It's hot, but not humid in Phoenix, so the conditions were nothing like Boston on Monday.
I started toward the back, mainly because I didn't feel like swimming through the crowd. I felt okay about being able to pass the slower runners once the race started, but it may have cost me some time in the first mile. I ran a disappointing 21:20. I ran a 5K on a tougher course in 21:34 at the end of March, and I thought I was in great shape for a PR this weekend.
splits
1. 6:37
2. 6:51 13:28
3. 7:18 20:45
3.1. 0:35 21:20
That third mile split is very strange, because as I said, the second mile had the big hill, and the third mile was all downhill. And I was pushing it. So I think the third mile was long.
Run For Literacy 5K
The next morning was cold, probably in the 50s. I know, to many of you, that doesn't sound cold, but remember it was in the 80s the morning before. We get used to being warm.
I didn't warm up very much before the start either, because I got there kind of late.
Once again I lined up toward the back of the pack. It was a smaller crowd in this race, and I was able to move at my pace once the race started.
The course was perfectly flat, paved streets around Glendale Community College and the library. I never saw the 1 mile marker, but someone told me it was probably placed at about the 1K point in the race, because his split there was 4:39. I reached the two mile mark in 13:20.
Shortly after that, I passed a 10 year-old girl, Nathalie Nguyen. I didn't see her again until after the finish, but I heard people cheering for her every time she came around a corner behind me.
She ran the 5K in 21:33. (gun time since the chip timing was screwed up)
My gun time was 21:22, but my watch time was 20:56. Still disappointing, but at least I can blame it on having run a race the day before.
I haven't run since Sunday. Lots of things going on is all. I feel like I have no time to breathe.
I'll take another shot at the 20 minute 5K this weekend, then forget it for a while.
Ahwatukee Foothills YMCA 5K
The YMCA race started at 8 AM. I had gotten there with time to jog over the course. It was a gradual uphill for the first half, at which point there was a 40 yard steep rise, then all downhill back to the finish. All of it is in suburban Phoenix blacktop streets.
In hindsight, I shouldn't have jogged the course. It's usually fine for me to do that, but it was a hot day already at 7:30 AM, and there were hills. I'll say it before anyone else points it out. It's hot, but not humid in Phoenix, so the conditions were nothing like Boston on Monday.
I started toward the back, mainly because I didn't feel like swimming through the crowd. I felt okay about being able to pass the slower runners once the race started, but it may have cost me some time in the first mile. I ran a disappointing 21:20. I ran a 5K on a tougher course in 21:34 at the end of March, and I thought I was in great shape for a PR this weekend.
splits
1. 6:37
2. 6:51 13:28
3. 7:18 20:45
3.1. 0:35 21:20
That third mile split is very strange, because as I said, the second mile had the big hill, and the third mile was all downhill. And I was pushing it. So I think the third mile was long.
Run For Literacy 5K
The next morning was cold, probably in the 50s. I know, to many of you, that doesn't sound cold, but remember it was in the 80s the morning before. We get used to being warm.
I didn't warm up very much before the start either, because I got there kind of late.
Once again I lined up toward the back of the pack. It was a smaller crowd in this race, and I was able to move at my pace once the race started.
The course was perfectly flat, paved streets around Glendale Community College and the library. I never saw the 1 mile marker, but someone told me it was probably placed at about the 1K point in the race, because his split there was 4:39. I reached the two mile mark in 13:20.
Shortly after that, I passed a 10 year-old girl, Nathalie Nguyen. I didn't see her again until after the finish, but I heard people cheering for her every time she came around a corner behind me.
She ran the 5K in 21:33. (gun time since the chip timing was screwed up)
My gun time was 21:22, but my watch time was 20:56. Still disappointing, but at least I can blame it on having run a race the day before.
I haven't run since Sunday. Lots of things going on is all. I feel like I have no time to breathe.
I'll take another shot at the 20 minute 5K this weekend, then forget it for a while.
Wednesday, April 7, 2004
ARR Open Mile
I know I was supposed to do my Doctorvals, and I said that was my plan, but I wasn't thinking about the fact that the Arizona Road Racers were having one of their Open Miles yesterday.
Monday I bought a pair of racing shoes, Brooks Racer STs, for my 5K on 4/17, and this was going to be my first test of them, whatever I ran. I decided to go ahead and do the mile and see if I could still do the Doctorvals after.
These Open Miles are pretty neat events. They are just a little more formal than a track work out, and a little less than a real race. They have a group start, call out your splits on the quarter miles, have a big, digital clock so you can see your time as you come down the starting straightaway on each lap, ring a big bell for the last lap, and record your time. No charge except club membership.
There are two heats, the first for folks who expect to finish in over 7 minutes, and the second for sub-seven minute milers. A lot of the faster people use the first heat as a warm up. I ran the first three laps of the first heat at two minutes a lap, then stepped off and just moved around to stay loose.
I started the mile a couple of steps back from the line. I knew a lot of the guys there were much more serious about the mile than I was.
One of them did a sub-5 mile as a warm up.
The mile:
1/4: 1:26
1/2: 2:54 1:28
3/4: 4:31 1:37
1mi: 6:07 1:36
I'm very happy with that, much improved from the last time I did this, and for the first two laps, I felt great.
Then I started jogging around, waiting for the crowd to thin out so I could start my scheduled workout. After the miles, a large group of people usually run descending distances to complete a track workout, 1200 meters, 800 meters, 400 meters.
At the same time, other members of the club are getting together in the parking lot for pizza and drinks. (no beer since the school doesn't allow it)
I decided to slip into the 400, and did it in 80 seconds.
Then i jogged another lap and started my 200s. the track i usually do these on is sand. this one is rubberized. i've been doing these intervals in training shoes. Last night I had on my new racing flats.
1. 34.06
1:29
2. 36.38
1:29
3. ???
At the start of the third 200, I pushed the stop button instead of the split button, so I got no time. Then I walked off and got some pizza. I don't know why I stopped. I was tired. I goofed up my time. I was self-conscious because the timer and some of the volunteers were still hanging around and I felt like they were watching me. I told myself it was two weeks to my race, so I could do the workout another day, like maybe Thursday.
Last night I was pretty jazzed. After a lot of hard running, including the fastest mile I've run in years, I easily whipped off a faster 200 than I have in a while.
But I should have gone ahead and finished the workout. I just let one little thing throw me off track.
However, I am fairly certain I can break 20 minutes on 4/17.
Monday I bought a pair of racing shoes, Brooks Racer STs, for my 5K on 4/17, and this was going to be my first test of them, whatever I ran. I decided to go ahead and do the mile and see if I could still do the Doctorvals after.
These Open Miles are pretty neat events. They are just a little more formal than a track work out, and a little less than a real race. They have a group start, call out your splits on the quarter miles, have a big, digital clock so you can see your time as you come down the starting straightaway on each lap, ring a big bell for the last lap, and record your time. No charge except club membership.
There are two heats, the first for folks who expect to finish in over 7 minutes, and the second for sub-seven minute milers. A lot of the faster people use the first heat as a warm up. I ran the first three laps of the first heat at two minutes a lap, then stepped off and just moved around to stay loose.
I started the mile a couple of steps back from the line. I knew a lot of the guys there were much more serious about the mile than I was.
One of them did a sub-5 mile as a warm up.
The mile:
1/4: 1:26
1/2: 2:54 1:28
3/4: 4:31 1:37
1mi: 6:07 1:36
I'm very happy with that, much improved from the last time I did this, and for the first two laps, I felt great.
Then I started jogging around, waiting for the crowd to thin out so I could start my scheduled workout. After the miles, a large group of people usually run descending distances to complete a track workout, 1200 meters, 800 meters, 400 meters.
At the same time, other members of the club are getting together in the parking lot for pizza and drinks. (no beer since the school doesn't allow it)
I decided to slip into the 400, and did it in 80 seconds.
Then i jogged another lap and started my 200s. the track i usually do these on is sand. this one is rubberized. i've been doing these intervals in training shoes. Last night I had on my new racing flats.
1. 34.06
1:29
2. 36.38
1:29
3. ???
At the start of the third 200, I pushed the stop button instead of the split button, so I got no time. Then I walked off and got some pizza. I don't know why I stopped. I was tired. I goofed up my time. I was self-conscious because the timer and some of the volunteers were still hanging around and I felt like they were watching me. I told myself it was two weeks to my race, so I could do the workout another day, like maybe Thursday.
Last night I was pretty jazzed. After a lot of hard running, including the fastest mile I've run in years, I easily whipped off a faster 200 than I have in a while.
But I should have gone ahead and finished the workout. I just let one little thing throw me off track.
However, I am fairly certain I can break 20 minutes on 4/17.
Monday, April 5, 2004
Mummy Mountain 10 Mile 2004
It used to be the Mummy Mountain Madness, but now they're calling it the Roy Hay Memorial Mummy Mountain 10 Mile Run. Roy Hay was a popular local runner and the director of this race until he passed away. The race still seemed like madness to me.
I think I told you it was billed as having "just enough hills to make it interesting." It was interesting enough for a mountain goat. Sir Edmund Hillary would have found it interesting.
But it had lots of flat, too. Really, it was a great race with lots of variety. The weather was fairly close to perfect. It was slightly overcast, and early in the morning it was sunny but cool, a very rare combination in Phoenix.
The first 3 miles were fairly flat, with long, straight stretches, but I was anticipating the coming incline, so I reined myself in.
Mummy Mountain was looming overhead.
I didn't get the first mile split.
2. 14:26 (7:13)
3. 21:31 7:05
Then there was some climbing. At the same time, the streets became curvy, following the contours of the terrain, hiding ups and downs, mostly up, around each bend.
4. 29:16 7:45
Then we came back down out of the hills.
5. 35:55 6:39
6. 43:08 7:13
Just before mile six, the runners could see the school where the race started and would finish, just a couple blocks away.
Then we turned back up into the hills.
7. 50:38 7:30
8. 58:10 7:31
These last two miles were fairly flat. It seems from my splits that the last mile marker must have been off, mile 9 must have been long, and mile 10 short.
But I was darn tired going into mile 9, and I concentrated on putting everything I could into the last one.
9. 1:05:46 7:37
10. 1:12:40 6:53
This was a really good run for me over a hilly course. I'm very happy with my time. It was a very competitive race, though. I was 7th in my age group in spite of running a pace which got me 3rd in a 10K the week before.
I think I told you it was billed as having "just enough hills to make it interesting." It was interesting enough for a mountain goat. Sir Edmund Hillary would have found it interesting.
But it had lots of flat, too. Really, it was a great race with lots of variety. The weather was fairly close to perfect. It was slightly overcast, and early in the morning it was sunny but cool, a very rare combination in Phoenix.
The first 3 miles were fairly flat, with long, straight stretches, but I was anticipating the coming incline, so I reined myself in.
Mummy Mountain was looming overhead.
I didn't get the first mile split.
2. 14:26 (7:13)
3. 21:31 7:05
Then there was some climbing. At the same time, the streets became curvy, following the contours of the terrain, hiding ups and downs, mostly up, around each bend.
4. 29:16 7:45
Then we came back down out of the hills.
5. 35:55 6:39
6. 43:08 7:13
Just before mile six, the runners could see the school where the race started and would finish, just a couple blocks away.
Then we turned back up into the hills.
7. 50:38 7:30
8. 58:10 7:31
These last two miles were fairly flat. It seems from my splits that the last mile marker must have been off, mile 9 must have been long, and mile 10 short.
But I was darn tired going into mile 9, and I concentrated on putting everything I could into the last one.
9. 1:05:46 7:37
10. 1:12:40 6:53
This was a really good run for me over a hilly course. I'm very happy with my time. It was a very competitive race, though. I was 7th in my age group in spite of running a pace which got me 3rd in a 10K the week before.
Sunday, March 28, 2004
DC Ranch 5K/10K Double 2004
Earlier I said if I went to the DC Ranch Run, I'd run the 10K. If not, I'd run 20 with the East Valley Runners.
So I thought about it, and decided that doing both the 5K and 10K would be almost as good as doing a long run, but I would get to race, too.
The 5K would start at 8:25, and the 10K was at 9. Plenty of time for both.
I felt very tight in the 5K. I wasn't sure what the course would be like, and it turned out to be all rolling hills. Steep rolling hills.
My quads felt pretty tight the whole race, and the late start made it very warm. I could see a couple of runners in my age group pass me near the first mile point, but try as I might, I couldn't catch them. I finished fourth in my age group in 21:34.
It turns out it was a very competitive age group, and by that, I don't mean that we were all fast. I mean that there were seven of us within a couple of minutes of each other. There were runners in my division 2 and four seconds behind me. So it's good that I kept pushing to the finish.
My splits:
The 10K included the entire 5K course, the first half at the start, and finishing along the same route, but with a long trip into the foothills, part way up a mountain, and back down.
Where the 10K course split off from the 5K course, a volunteer was saying, "Turn right and take the sidewalk." Well, some of us went on the sidewalk, and others stayed on the street. The sidewalk had more turns and dips than the street, so some of us did a little more than others. I was a little bothered by it, but I don't think it mattered much since it was only for a few yards.
It was getting very hot out, too. I drank as much as I could while running and threw water over myself at every water station.
I didn't feel as tight as I had in the 5K. I was able to settle into a more comfortable race pace. You can see some of the uphills and downhills in my splits. I held my own on the uphills, and did very well passing people on the downhills.
I ran a 45:09, and took third in my division.
There were no awards or medals, just a discount at the local running store. I got $10 off for finishing 3rd. First and second were worth $25 and $15 off. It's all right, I got a nice shirt off the clearance rack, but I would've like to have gotten some race junk to
put on my shelf.
Oh well, it was a great way to spend Saturday morning.
I was pretty tired the rest of the day, and a little sore this morning.
So I thought about it, and decided that doing both the 5K and 10K would be almost as good as doing a long run, but I would get to race, too.
The 5K would start at 8:25, and the 10K was at 9. Plenty of time for both.
I felt very tight in the 5K. I wasn't sure what the course would be like, and it turned out to be all rolling hills. Steep rolling hills.
My quads felt pretty tight the whole race, and the late start made it very warm. I could see a couple of runners in my age group pass me near the first mile point, but try as I might, I couldn't catch them. I finished fourth in my age group in 21:34.
It turns out it was a very competitive age group, and by that, I don't mean that we were all fast. I mean that there were seven of us within a couple of minutes of each other. There were runners in my division 2 and four seconds behind me. So it's good that I kept pushing to the finish.
My splits:
6:45
14:02 7:27 (This mile marker had to be wrong.)
21:34 7:32 6:51 (For 1.1 miles.)
6:57 pace
The 10K included the entire 5K course, the first half at the start, and finishing along the same route, but with a long trip into the foothills, part way up a mountain, and back down.
Where the 10K course split off from the 5K course, a volunteer was saying, "Turn right and take the sidewalk." Well, some of us went on the sidewalk, and others stayed on the street. The sidewalk had more turns and dips than the street, so some of us did a little more than others. I was a little bothered by it, but I don't think it mattered much since it was only for a few yards.
It was getting very hot out, too. I drank as much as I could while running and threw water over myself at every water station.
I didn't feel as tight as I had in the 5K. I was able to settle into a more comfortable race pace. You can see some of the uphills and downhills in my splits. I held my own on the uphills, and did very well passing people on the downhills.
I ran a 45:09, and took third in my division.
7:17
22:23 15:06 7:33
29:28 7:04
36:45 7:17
43:49 7:04
45:09 1:20 6:40
7:17 pace
There were no awards or medals, just a discount at the local running store. I got $10 off for finishing 3rd. First and second were worth $25 and $15 off. It's all right, I got a nice shirt off the clearance rack, but I would've like to have gotten some race junk to
put on my shelf.
Oh well, it was a great way to spend Saturday morning.
I was pretty tired the rest of the day, and a little sore this morning.
Sunday, March 14, 2004
Valley of the Sun Marathon 2004
I'm sure some of you are asking yourselves things like, "Isn't Jerry ever embarrassed to report on his marathons?" or "When is Jerry going to wise up and train correctly for a marathon?" or "Why doesn't Jerry pace himself better so he doesn't have to hobble in to the finish of a marathon?"
Well, yeah, I am kind of embarrassed to post my marathon results sometimes. I swear I'll train for a marathon before the end of the year. I don't know if I'll ever get the knack of pacing myself properly for 26.2 miles.
Leading up to Valley of the Sun, I knew I needed to get in some long runs, but there were too many little races going on every weekend. I have a limited amount of time and energy. I'd tell myself I could run a race and a long run in the same weekend, or a long run in the middle of the week, but I'd do the race and not the training.
Lack of discipline killed me. Between the Pacific Shoreline Marathon and Valley of the Sun, I ran six races, and no long training runs. On one occasion other than the half marathon race, I ran 13 miles.
2/8 Runners Den Classic 10K
2/15 Desert Classic Half Marathon
2/21 Foothills 10K
2/24 ARR Open Mile
2/28 Run to the Sun 5.5 mile hill climb
2/28 Diamond Run 3 mile
3/13 Chandler Gold Medal 5K
So I didn't train for the long haul, and I got used to racing at a faster pace. That last 5K, the day before the marathon, was just the final disrespect to the distance.
The Valley of the Sun is a very fast, downhill course. The downhill is all in the first half, and after that it levels out. There is one steep uphill near mile 16, but it's just a bump in the road, and it really is just giving back what we had gained in a steep downhill near mile 15.
Results posted for this race include an interesting statistic you don't usually get, your relative place at the chip splits along the course.
Here are the gruesome details:
I have plenty of other excuses for a bad performance. It was getting very warm in the second half of the race, high 70s to low 80s.
My blood sugar wasn't bad at the half, but was out of control when I checked it at 21 miles. It most have been rising steadily for those seven miles. I had decided to cut my insulin basal rate even more than I usually do, and see if I could do with eating less, then during the race I forgot about that adjustment.
My calves were cramping during the last mile. I would jog a few blocks, start to cramp, walk a little, then start jogging again.
The finish line was on the track in the stadium at Red Mountain High School. I jogged as far as I could, then stopped and started walking while I was still a few yards from the end. Someone in the crowd yelled at me to run. I can't imagine that anyone who knows what it's like to do this would yell something like that. I knew my priorities at that point. It wasn't worth it to me to make my legs cramp up just to cut a few seconds off my time.
So here's my trouble. I haven't committed to training to run a great marathon. Similarly, I haven't committed to training to run a great 5K.
About all I'm committed to doing is running for fun.
If a race sounds like fun, I'll probably do it, marathon or 5K.
This works fine for short races if you enjoy competition but you don't really care if you get a medal. But it's a painful way to run marathons, especially if you feel compelled to compete, which I do.
Marathoning well takes discipline. I know. Out of 24 marathons, I've run three or four in which I was somewhat comfortable.
I'm looking at training to run the Whiskey Row Marathon, May 1.
But I'm also looking at the other races around town before then.
Well, yeah, I am kind of embarrassed to post my marathon results sometimes. I swear I'll train for a marathon before the end of the year. I don't know if I'll ever get the knack of pacing myself properly for 26.2 miles.
Leading up to Valley of the Sun, I knew I needed to get in some long runs, but there were too many little races going on every weekend. I have a limited amount of time and energy. I'd tell myself I could run a race and a long run in the same weekend, or a long run in the middle of the week, but I'd do the race and not the training.
Lack of discipline killed me. Between the Pacific Shoreline Marathon and Valley of the Sun, I ran six races, and no long training runs. On one occasion other than the half marathon race, I ran 13 miles.
2/8 Runners Den Classic 10K
2/15 Desert Classic Half Marathon
2/21 Foothills 10K
2/24 ARR Open Mile
2/28 Run to the Sun 5.5 mile hill climb
2/28 Diamond Run 3 mile
3/13 Chandler Gold Medal 5K
So I didn't train for the long haul, and I got used to racing at a faster pace. That last 5K, the day before the marathon, was just the final disrespect to the distance.
The Valley of the Sun is a very fast, downhill course. The downhill is all in the first half, and after that it levels out. There is one steep uphill near mile 16, but it's just a bump in the road, and it really is just giving back what we had gained in a steep downhill near mile 15.
Results posted for this race include an interesting statistic you don't usually get, your relative place at the chip splits along the course.
Here are the gruesome details:
SPLIT TIME PLACE PACE
10k: 0:46:44 64 7:31
Half: 1:38:37 55 7:31
20 Mile: 2:40:06 68 8:00
FINISH: 3:58:41 116 9:06
I have plenty of other excuses for a bad performance. It was getting very warm in the second half of the race, high 70s to low 80s.
My blood sugar wasn't bad at the half, but was out of control when I checked it at 21 miles. It most have been rising steadily for those seven miles. I had decided to cut my insulin basal rate even more than I usually do, and see if I could do with eating less, then during the race I forgot about that adjustment.
My calves were cramping during the last mile. I would jog a few blocks, start to cramp, walk a little, then start jogging again.
The finish line was on the track in the stadium at Red Mountain High School. I jogged as far as I could, then stopped and started walking while I was still a few yards from the end. Someone in the crowd yelled at me to run. I can't imagine that anyone who knows what it's like to do this would yell something like that. I knew my priorities at that point. It wasn't worth it to me to make my legs cramp up just to cut a few seconds off my time.
So here's my trouble. I haven't committed to training to run a great marathon. Similarly, I haven't committed to training to run a great 5K.
About all I'm committed to doing is running for fun.
If a race sounds like fun, I'll probably do it, marathon or 5K.
This works fine for short races if you enjoy competition but you don't really care if you get a medal. But it's a painful way to run marathons, especially if you feel compelled to compete, which I do.
Marathoning well takes discipline. I know. Out of 24 marathons, I've run three or four in which I was somewhat comfortable.
I'm looking at training to run the Whiskey Row Marathon, May 1.
But I'm also looking at the other races around town before then.
Saturday, March 13, 2004
Chandler Gold Medal Run 5K 2004
They held a race in my neighborhood on my birthday, Saturday, and I couldn't resist. It's little race around Desert Breeze Park, which is less than a mile from where I live. It was almost completely un- promoted, and a friend of mine said that he and his wife had finished first in their age groups for the past two years. He wasn't running it this year because he and his wife were going to run the Valley of the Sun Marathon on Sunday.
So Saturday morning I jogged over to Desert Breeze, registered for the run, and did this 5K in 21:28. It's all very flat, blacktop through suburbs around the park.
The weather was perfect. It had just rained earlier in the morning.
It was overcast and cool for the race.
I started off running about 90%, not wanting to go all out. For the first mile and a half (no mile markers) I was in about sixth place and didn't see anyone close to my age ahead of me. At close to half way, a guy my age caught up with me, and I dueled with him for about fifty yards, then decided I didn't want to work too hard.
I didn't want to be too sore for Valley of the Sun the next day.
In the end, I got 10th overall, and 2nd in my age group. It was a cherry-picking race. While I'm sure I could have gotten a better time, I'm not sure I could have moved up a position in my age group. The guy who took first ended up with a time very close to my PR, and I'm not sure he couldn't have run faster if I pressed him.
Anyway, I had fun on my home track, and came away with some race junk.
So Saturday morning I jogged over to Desert Breeze, registered for the run, and did this 5K in 21:28. It's all very flat, blacktop through suburbs around the park.
The weather was perfect. It had just rained earlier in the morning.
It was overcast and cool for the race.
I started off running about 90%, not wanting to go all out. For the first mile and a half (no mile markers) I was in about sixth place and didn't see anyone close to my age ahead of me. At close to half way, a guy my age caught up with me, and I dueled with him for about fifty yards, then decided I didn't want to work too hard.
I didn't want to be too sore for Valley of the Sun the next day.
In the end, I got 10th overall, and 2nd in my age group. It was a cherry-picking race. While I'm sure I could have gotten a better time, I'm not sure I could have moved up a position in my age group. The guy who took first ended up with a time very close to my PR, and I'm not sure he couldn't have run faster if I pressed him.
Anyway, I had fun on my home track, and came away with some race junk.
Friday, March 5, 2004
Running in the Rain
A local running store, the Scottsdale Running Company, holds group runs on Tuesday and Thursday nights. I had planned on going to the Thursday night run, and headed over there after work, even though the weather wasn't looking too good. It was raining on and off all day.
When I got there, it was raining, and only a few other people had shown up. A couple of them decided not to run, but five of us started out into the rain.
I tried to run around the deep puddles at first, but within a mile that was obviously futile. I was wet through, from my hair to my toes.
It was just raining as we started about 6:10 pm, but there were soon some bolts of lightning across the sky, followed in two or three seconds by crashes of thunder. It was getting very dark, both from the sun going down and from the clouds thickening. It was really pouring after about three miles.
As we started back towards the store, along Hayden Road, we were going into the wind. The lightning had come closer, and I saw it come toward the ground. Often you will see a lot of lightening out here, but it will all stay in the sky.
For a couple of minutes, we were pelted by tiny pieces of hail that melted quickly on the ground. They added just a touch of sharpness to the cold rain.
Passing cars on Hayden couldn't help but throw water on us from the flooded road. I ran to the far right side of the sidewalk, but a couple of times the water would splash over me as high as my left shoulder. I don't know how, but the water from the road felt even colder and wetter than the rain.
Within a couple of blocks of being finished, everything went white, brighter than sunlight, so that I couldn't see. That was followed immediately by a crash of thunder. I stopped in my tracks. Another runner passed me and I shouted, "That was scary!" He just said, "Yeah!" and kept going full speed.
We all survived. It was quite an adventure for a workday.
When I got there, it was raining, and only a few other people had shown up. A couple of them decided not to run, but five of us started out into the rain.
I tried to run around the deep puddles at first, but within a mile that was obviously futile. I was wet through, from my hair to my toes.
It was just raining as we started about 6:10 pm, but there were soon some bolts of lightning across the sky, followed in two or three seconds by crashes of thunder. It was getting very dark, both from the sun going down and from the clouds thickening. It was really pouring after about three miles.
As we started back towards the store, along Hayden Road, we were going into the wind. The lightning had come closer, and I saw it come toward the ground. Often you will see a lot of lightening out here, but it will all stay in the sky.
For a couple of minutes, we were pelted by tiny pieces of hail that melted quickly on the ground. They added just a touch of sharpness to the cold rain.
Passing cars on Hayden couldn't help but throw water on us from the flooded road. I ran to the far right side of the sidewalk, but a couple of times the water would splash over me as high as my left shoulder. I don't know how, but the water from the road felt even colder and wetter than the rain.
Within a couple of blocks of being finished, everything went white, brighter than sunlight, so that I couldn't see. That was followed immediately by a crash of thunder. I stopped in my tracks. Another runner passed me and I shouted, "That was scary!" He just said, "Yeah!" and kept going full speed.
We all survived. It was quite an adventure for a workday.
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