Run, run, in the rain: Michelle Style

PSY may be picking up ladies and cracking pistachios Gangnam Style, but the really cool kids are running Michelle Style. Ok, so maybe crazy would be a little more accurate than cool. I have never gone for a run in the rain before tonight. That's right. I have been running long distance going on three years now, and I have turned home as soon as the rain started to fall every time until tonight. I did turn home once during my run tonight at the beginning, but that was only because Matt originally made me take my phone with me tonight, and when the torrential downpour started, I decided to book it home and drop it off so that I wouldn't ruin a brand new iPhone 5.

When I stopped in to drop off my phone, I realized that I didn't really have anywhere to put my keys because I took off my SPI belt, and the tights I had on today didn't have a key pocket. Matt and I briefly tried to come up with a solution to getting me back in to our apartment building that is locked, but none of the ideas we had really worked. Matt decided he would just throw on his old shoes and go for a run with me. I decided I would only run five miles instead of seven because I felt bad that Matt was running with me in the rain.

I am a fairly particular person. In fact, one of the reasons I decided to make 2013 my year of thanksgiving was because my family and close friends always comment about how I hate everything in the world. I don't really want to be viewed as that person, and I thought that I should spend more time being thankful and less complaining. Well, even though my family might say I hate everything, it just so happens that the two things I hate more than anything happen to be wet socks and rain. In that order. Top freaking two. Now you know why I usually turn home when it starts to sprinkle. Well, in true Michelle style, the first time I ran in the rain, I just had to go all out. Flash flooding and lightening accompanied my torrential downpour this evening. Yes, I realized about a quarter of a mile in that we were under a flash flood warning.

I didn't let it get me down. I ran my five miles in the downpour with water-logged shoes, a soaked white t-shirt, and a smile on my face. Even with the rain, the heavy shoes, and my terribly wet socks, I managed to run 11 minute miles. I even ran up the two biggest hills that I encounter on my regular routes. It may take a week for my shoes to dry out, but it was surprisingly fun. I don't know that it would be as much fun during the day with the threat of the sun coming up to kill me with the humidity, but for a rainy, flooded run, I'll take it!