Channeling Gene Kelly

It rained. It rained the entire time we were running. It rained relentlessly, sometimes hard, but certainly steadily like a meteorological metronome. I heard my wet sneakers smacking the pavement and the rain hitting the leaves and my heavy breathing, of course, ruining it. I discovered that I like running in the rain.

We practiced effort levels again. My quads have yet to recover from last week. I had a peculiar discussion with one of the coaches about whether my quads were tight or sore. Both? What's the difference? I don't know what to make of it. All I know is I started off gravely concerned that my thighs might not make it through the 4-mile loop. It didn't get easier. I just tried not to pay attention. I was bouncing along, trying to keep track of the lamp posts so that I could switch effort levels as instructed, but it's damn near impossible to talk to someone, run and count at the same time. Running alone and counting has proven to be a challenge. I was running by myself for probably one third of the course until a gal who is doing the Alaska marathon came along and we ran together the rest of the way.

I don't think I made enough effort because I wasn't gasping enough. Note to self: push it. The only downside to running in the rain is the cold subway ride home. Next time, I'll bring an extra hat.

Today: 4
Miles to date: 65