Lightning, a blister, and yogurt
Trying to catch up here.
Monday I did my full weight workout. Went up in everything except curls. I don’t know why I had such a hard time with them, but I dropped a few reps on those. Oh well, everything else went great and I even went up on bench press again. No pain at all from my shoulder this time. I think I’m back now. :)
Tuesday I had 3 miles to run (first run of training!) and so I headed to the park with wife and son in tow. It was pretty warm but big storm clouds were rolling in. We had a small set of thunderheads come by ealier but nothing came down. When we got to the park, everyone was heading for the park office, but three fools (one running, two on bikes) headed out anyway.
At about the 1/2 mile mark, the big drops started and my son began asking if we needed to go back. I explained about running the race you are given, and how you need “rain training” too. He didn’t say anything.
Then the lightning started. And not just little stuff but GIANT bolts like Thor was throwing stuff at us! My son was counting the seconds until the thunder and calling off the distance in miles (you know, that 1 second = 1 mile thing?). The rain was coming down so hard I couldn’t keep my eyes open very long and I was happy when the path moved to lower ground by the river.
By mile 1 we were totally drenched (which seems to be a theme for us at this park), and the lightning was pretty fierce. At mile 1.5 there was a cop car on the bike path, picking up a young couple with a baby in a stroller. I guess they called and asked for a ride. Three fools just kept on riding. My son was yelling to go back but I pointed out it was farther to go back than forward so he might as well keep going. Ofcourse, Dad was eyeing the shortcut wishing he were back at the car.
By mile 2.0 the storm had passed, and we were running in sunshine by the end of the 3.14 miles. We even got a rainbow. :) 25:48 (8:13 pace, guess we were a little excited for this run). In retrospect, next time I will wait for the run if there is lightning. A pretty dumb idea really.
Today I ran my 3.1 miles again (no rain). I ran the middle mile barefoot, to give that a shot again. Got another blister in the exact same spot as last time. Although not as big. Maybe that’s progress. I think next time I will put a patch of moleskin on it just to see if that helps. Yeah, its a crutch, I know.
I also came up with the perfect after race food. Meijer Low Fat Fruit-On-The-Bottom Strawberry Yogurt. In one cup I get 45g of carbs, 150 mg of sodium, 510 mg of potassium, and 10g of protein. And only 2 grams of fat. Got the little bit of protein which is supposed to help you use the glucose better, got your carbs, electrolytes, and its all very comparable to Gatorade. The sodium is a little lower. I’m thinking I need one of these after every run to recharge.
Still really busy as can be. Running around tomorrow all day. Friday may be a little slower. Hoping.
So, where are you running this weekend?
June 23rd, 2005 01:36
I’m not allowed to run during a thunderstorm, at least that is what my wife tells me;-) In the moment I would welcome some rain as it’s been too hot and dry! I have a 14K/8.7M run on my plan for Saturday, but I am thinking about either a 10K race in a nearby town or if it cools down a 50K WALK in the Black Forest.
June 23rd, 2005 07:18
…I am noticing a theme. Every time the family goes with you there is disaster…at least your kid will be tough. What a good conversation starter for a blog post-I am going trail running for 35-40 minutes!! (exact location TBD) mmm…yogurt….
June 23rd, 2005 08:31
I can never get myself out the door to run if I know it’s going to rain, but the times I’ve been caught in a storm during a run, I’ve always enjoyed it.
Running my first triathlon this weekend! So, only a 3k, but that will be after the swimming and biking.
June 23rd, 2005 08:47
Running in the rain doesn’t bother me much anymore but in lightning. I think you might need your head examined!
June 23rd, 2005 10:46
so, did your son appreciate the sun after the storm passed? but an even bigger question, what did the wife think of your stubborness? =)
June 23rd, 2005 11:12
I think the rain makes you run faster - at least it did for me when I got stuck in it last week.
My boyfriend and I are doing a 5K on Saturday - my goal is to beat him ;-)
June 23rd, 2005 13:19
we had a similar run in a T-storm a couple of weeks ago, and I have a black toe nail as a result, but it was great– we did four miles pretty fast!
we’re doing five now regularly, and last night shaved two minutes off our pathetic time. I plan to shave off two more minutes next time we do it.
June 23rd, 2005 14:11
it’s dangerous being part of your crew!
June 23rd, 2005 14:50
Sounds like everything turned out okay. :)
My weekend plans are: Run Friday, Bike Saturday, Swim & Run Sunday. Oh, and I like chocolate milk as a post-run snack.
June 23rd, 2005 15:19
I can hear my father’s voice saying “if we were meant to use moleskin on our feet we’d have been born moles.” and maybe he’d add an expletive after that for proper emphasis.
I haven’t tried the barefoot running. I have tried barefoot swimming though. GOod stuff. Goooood stuff. I find swimming in my Mizunos to be a little cumbersome.
June 23rd, 2005 17:48
I’ve run in a driving rain, but not when there’s lightning involved. Brave fellow. And fast time! This weekend I’m going to run 10 miles with my local running club for the first time. They start at 7 a.m. Hope I’m up by then …
June 24th, 2005 00:08
Running all day tomorrow? Sounds impressive! And hey, someone has to teach the munchkin that guys do dumb things every now and then.
June 24th, 2005 01:29
would they call of a race because of lightning?
Heather
June 24th, 2005 08:34
Whoa…sounds scary/exciting to be running in a storm :-) Looks like you’re in for a scorcher today! Weekend plans over here include an *early, early* long run…early because it’s supposed to hit 95 degrees tomorrow with humidity making it feel over 100. Man, I love NE summers :-( Hope you have a good weekend!
June 24th, 2005 11:30
Your either brave or crazy, i’m too scared to go to the mailbox in thunderstorms.
June 24th, 2005 12:44
See, now I prefer the storms, something to concentrate on other than ‘OW!’