It's Raining, It's Pouring.. I'm Running?!

Remember that scene in "Can't Hardly Wait" when one of the characters stands in the center of the party after his first several drinks and yells "I can't feel my legs!"? That's how I felt out on the all purpose trail loop at Sharon Woods Metro Parks this morning. Not because I had been drinking but because I got caught in the rain! And not just any rain either; this was a down pour! My legs were so cold from the falling rain I could no longer feel them as I took the turns, slopes and sights of my favorite Columbus running trail, learning to find love on my unplanned run in the rain.

I've written before on this site about my love of running and before today I would have told you that as much as I love running, I hate running in the rain. This morning I woke up and looked outside to see a few clouds in the sky. I asked Siri if it was going to rain today which she told me was likely but I decided I knew better and that since I wanted to get my run in run in at that very moment, it wasn't going to rain. (I'm still working on that whole "patience" thing.)

About 10 minutes into my run I found out why I am not a meteorologist. There I was taking in the sights of Ohio in the Fall, thinking of this site and how maybe I could write about loving running outside during this season and even snapping a few photos of the trail and my pure joy as I ran, when the clouds opened and let out their wrath of rain onto Columbus. As I ran my clothes became heavier as they grew more and more soaked with rain. I remembered the awning we had on our house when I was very little. When it would rain, the water would gather in puddles on top of it and my sister and I would hit the puddles with a broomstick from the porch, watching the rain spill powerfully over the edge of the awning as it fell to the ground. On the bright side? I hadn't thought about that for awhile and it's one of my favorite memories of our life at that house. 

Another thing I enjoyed about running in the rain? I've heard a lot of the songs that I run to many, many times however I had not thought about them in the ways that I did when I heard them in the middle of a down pour. "Call Me, Maybe," I was thinking of all the people I wish would call me with a ride to my dry apartment. I even ran the route faster than I usually do which almost surprised me until I realized how much I was thinking about how badly I wanted to be home the whole time I was running; I guess the motivation paid off! The people on the trail were noticeably more friendly today than any other time I've ran. I think we all were laughing at ourselves and each other for being the fools in the rain... at least that's what I was smiling about. 

Now that I've changed out of my soaking wet clothes, taken a hot shower and am sipping a hot cup of coffee inside, the sun in shining with hardly a cloud in the sky and only puddles on the streets as evidence of this recent rain. If I would have waited an hour I could have stayed dry the entire time. I am thankful for the experience as now I know I can survive a run in the rain and there are some things that I actually enjoy more than my average non-rainy run. Why did it feel so good to run in the rain? Because it felt so good to stop! :-)