HomeA wet run
Toowoomba can be wet. And cold.
As much time as I spend walking or running, I rarely get caught in the weather. A flexible schedule combined with having the BOM Radar on speed dial normally keeps me out of trouble.
Today was different. It had rained most of the night. I really wanted to do a 5am run. I was going to get wet.
Old shoes. Didn't want my best runners getting all wet and skanky.
Forget the glasses. They would be unusable, covered in water droplets within the first 20 paces.
No raincoat or other protection. It was cold, but the exertion would soon warm me up.
As I left the shelter of my eaves the first cold droplets hit my shoulders. Yikes. Icy.
Turning right out of Fernside, I exited the lee protection of Charlie's large hedge and immediately copped the arctic blast of the easterly wind. You expect this along the escarpment, but I still couldn't help wondering if I'd made a terrible mistake.
In the glare of my headlamp I had trouble telling shiny black pavement from shiny black puddles. This sped the process of soaking my shoes and socks.
As shit as that all sounds, it actually turned out to be a really good run. I had Prince Henry to myself. No walkers, bicycles, or cars were braving the elements. The novelty of the conditions distanced my mind from the normal concerns of injury and weariness. My body felt more balanced than it had in months.
A nice easy pace took me clockwise down, around, and back out of Prince Henry. As I crested Bridge and Curzon I gazed at the blurry lights receding down towards Ruthven. The running gods were smiling on me, was today the day for a long run?
Nope.
Without regret I turned left and headed for the shower. 7.2km in these conditions was enough.
I would bank the win.
It was time to savor what had been an unexpectedly enjoyable and invigorating run.
