Last night as I was nodding off to sleep I caught the smell of rain. This morning when I woke up thinking of watering the garden I quickly realized I don’t have to. Rain had been falling all night and the ground was soaked, good thing I mowed the grass yesterday! So I haven’t ventured out into it yet, but I am looking forward to it a lot. It will be really nice to not be running in the heat.

Running in the rain is a lot easier when you have some sort of rain protection. My two priorities are a hat and a rain jacket. The hat mostly is to keep rain off of my glasses, but I am also not a big fan of it hitting my bald head either. Even with hair I don’t think I would like. Rivulets if rain streaming down my face is annoying! The jacket is a must to keep my clothes reasonably dry (of course that hasn’t been an option during the hot runs where I am soaked with sweat). My jacket isn’t totally water proof but I think that might be a bit of overkill though I certainly wouldn’t mind a nice new WP jacket. Mine does fine and serves as an orange beacon warning others to please not run me over. The problem with the jacket at this time of year is that it gets really warm inside it, especially when it is so humid out. So sometimes I have been forced to take it off despite the wet. It is just too hot running in what amounts to a plastic bag.

One thing to consider when running is your traction. My Asics Gel Kayanos have never been the best shoe for the rain. They slip and slide quite a bit more than other shoes I have run in the rain with. especially on push off. I actually don’t remember having an issue with either of my new pairs this year (a model 10 and a 16), but I will watch for it today. The other traction issue to watch for are others on the road. Today will be especially bad as it hasn’t rained in a couple weeks and the roads will be slick with water and oil. I will have to be extra careful with others.

Keeping your feet dry is also a priority. I usually do ok on my regular 6 mile runs, but any longer and my feet get pretty wet through my shoes. I also have a tendency to step in puddles. Usually I am trying to jump over them and don’t quite make it or I step in a wet spot where I misjudge the depth. Wet socks can be a real drag and can lead to blisters. I know some runners like to wear the footies that cover your feet with a water-proof layer. I have never worn a pair, but I imagine they are a huge help and would be especially necessary for a long run. I wonder how hot they actually make your feet?

I won’t today, but I also like wearing gloves in the rain. The reason I won’t wear them today is that it is pretty warm out still. But if it were cold enough for them it gives me a good option for squeegeeing off my glasses. I have often though of sewing a rubber strip onto my pointer finder to wipe away the drops, but the gloves do ok without it. I often will bring a bandanna with me to help keep my face dry, serves a similar purpose when it is really hot out.

On an ms note, I noticed yesterday that I was feeling slightly dizzy. When I woke up this morning I felt the same. That and stuffed up. I am not sure that the rain had any affect on this, but I am also pretty sure it did. I took and antihistamine this morning so hopefully that will help. More later…