It has been a while since I have turned to the road for a long run, but there was no way that the canal was going to be a better choice. I had no doubt that there would be mud and perhaps streams of water that pushed me into a dead end.
So the road it was.
The only plan I had was to get from my house to my parents and have 17 miles of distance in between. I also wanted to conquer new roads I have not run in the past.
Because there wasn't any chance I was going to miss getting wet, I had to be prepared to the best of my ability. Since it was SUPPOSED to be in the 50s, I lay out a 2 short sleeved shirts, a pair of capris, and two pairs short ProCompression socks. I packed doubles so if I needed dry clothes at any point in my run, I could call Peter to drive them out to me. I also set out my HipsSister belt, 2 plastic baggies (one for my phone and one for my iPod), and a hat to help shield the rain from both my head and face. I did not pack food or water. Instead, I brought my credit card in case I would pass any nearby gas stations like Sheetz. They would more than likely carry Gatorade and the Power Bars I like.
I texted my mom, letting her know a general time that I would be arriving at her house and also gave Peter a general idea of where I would be, so in the case he didn't hear from me, he would know where to come looking. After that, I was off just after 9am. Thankfully, it was only misting at that point. Anything else may have deterred me from running at all. It was just a little more cold than I would have hoped, but I knew that my body would warm up soon after I started.
I took some back roads near our home and began to head towards the canal. I didn't intend on running on the trail, but just thought I would take the roads around there since I never actually ran them. I knew I was in for a massive hill climb too....
The rain became heavy around the time I got near that hill (of course!). My arms became red and were next to numb from the cold rain. My hands became harder to move, but I was hopeful that the rain would lighten up.
Not even.
I was determined to finish and told myself that I would call Peter for dry clothes onceI was halfway done. So, I pressed forward and headed towards Dam #4 Road. I wanted a taste of the JFK 50 route. At that point, I decided was going to follow Dam #4 Road to Speilman Road and then into downtown Williamsport, just as the end of the JFK 50 does.
Though I wasn't at all tired, my body was chilled to the bone. As cars passed me, their tires pelted me with water. I know they didn't do it purposefully, but I would curse under my breath as I took the spray to my already soaked body. I knew of a pavilion that was just before I would make my turn onto Speilman, so I made the decision to stop there to call Peter.
It put me beyond the halfway mark by a mile.
Once I was shielded from the elements, my numb hands dialed Peter's number. I asked him to bring me my extra clothes and a towel to help dry myself a little. He would be about 10 minutes before he found me.
I tried to keep my heart rate up by jumping around and I tried warming my hands my placing them in my pants, just at the hips, but I was soaked. I began to shiver violently. I ended up sitting down at one of the benches and watched the rain as I waited.
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| I swear, it is pouring here! |
I was so thankful when Peter arrived. His car was my savior. My ride to warmth. My ride to the comfort of a scolding hot shower.
I think I will do the 17 miler tomorrow instead. When it is not raining.
Tell me! What is your rain gear recommendation? I need a nice jacket to shield me from getting soaked!
Great job toughing it out for almost 10 miles, running in the rain is rough! We're doing our 20 miler this Sunday on the canal so hopefully it won't be flooded still :/
ReplyDeleteI hope you had a good run! It wasn't too bad on Sunday! I ran 17 out near Taylor's Landing & Dam #4.
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