Fall for Running. . . without Running

Fall is coming; I can feel it in the cool night breeze on my skin when I read in bed with the windows open.  I can smell it in the morning air (when I can smell at all--allergy season starts again).  Fall is my favorite season; it's one of the reasons I moved back to Ohio.  I get to see beautiful scenery like this:

Fall is the Blue Line Run, the Akron Half Marathon, the Columbus Hot Chocolate, the Buckeye Half Marathon.  Fall is gorgeous Sunday morning long runs where the Towpath Turtles run farther than they ever thought possible.  Fall is hill repeats and track workouts after school.

I am doing none of these things this year.

I am still here, though, and I am enjoying these things vicariously through my friends and my fellow running bloggers.  I love your posts and your pictures.  I read the blogs and I close my eyes and think, "My time will come.  I will be patient."

Yesterday the kids and I manned a water stop with some other club members on the Akron Blue Line Run, which is a test run for the Akron Marathon.  My son was so excited to see all the runners ("We have more customers!" he shouted each time he saw a group), and he loved pointing out which cooler contained water and which had Gatorade.  That boy is going to be my runner.  My daughter will take more convincing.

I loved seeing people I know in the running community.  I loved the high fives and the sweaty hugs.  I am still a runner; I'm just not running right now.

My time will come.  I will be patient.

Singin' in the Rain

Today I ran four miles in the rain.  When I got up this morning, I heard the familiar pitter-patter of the rain falling on the roof, and instead of crawling back into bed (tempting), I dug out my baseball cap and got to it.  No thunder = still gonna run.

This is EXACTLY how I look when I'm running in the rain.  Damn, I'm sexy!

I like running in all kinds of rain, from this morning's drizzle to the torrential downpour I  experienced during the multi-club practice run for the Akron Half Marathon last September.  I especially liked the rain this morning because it was a great relief from the oppressive humidity we've been experiencing in North East Ohio.

This is EXACTLY how I look when I run in the humidity.

It took me a while to figure out that rain doesn't make any difference in whether I run or not.  I run.  After being caught in a few storms, I realized that I was going to be wet, no matter what.  The important thing is to relax into the rain.  Hunching your shoulders will not prevent you from getting wet.  A ball cap helps, but your face is going to get wet, too.

Most importantly, get in touch with your inner child when it rains.  Laugh.  Skip.  Jump.  Dance.  Splash.  It won't make you any wetter than you are.  You are surrounded by water.  Make the most of it.

This is EXACTLY how I look when I discover my inner child.  I'm cute, right?