Tuesday, January 31, 2012

It never rains in Southern California…unless you are running 13 miles- PART 2

The plan was simple – a friend of mine was running a 5k in downtown LA which just happens to be about 13 miles away from my house. The rain drumming on the roof created a perfect melody for sleeping, that coupled with the fact that my bed was extra warm and comfortable made it impossible for me to get up as my alarm sounded at 4:45am….snooze…10 minutes later the alarm sounded again…snooze…alarm…snooze…finally Denise’s elbow in my kidney was just the right amount of encouragement I needed to get out of bed. I dressed slowly in the dark waiting for a valid excuse to skip the run and get back into bed – nothing came to mind, so I set out on my trek to downtown…only 45 minutes behind my scheduled departure time – somehow my mind failed to recognize the fact that I would miss the 5k entirely.



Sidewalks at intersections in California typically slope 5% towards the gutter which slopes back towards the sidewalk 3%, this creates a nice canal for run-off to travel down, so it can get to the drain and eventually to the ocean – as we learned in Nemo – all drains lead to the ocean. These facts are usually of little importance, but on a morning you choose to run in what some Southern California’s would call “a torrential down pour” these simple truths become of paramount importance. The first intersection brought several options – jump over the raging river, go over the river somewhere close to the intersection where the river seem to be at it’s narrowest, or just run through the water and accept the fact that I was going to get wet…I had put ben-gay on my legs the night before and stretched before my run, so I felt limber enough to make the jump…the reflection from the street light seem to go on and on, making me realize I had severally under-estimated the width of the river…SPLASH! Well, that didn’t work out well…in less then half a mile I had to accept the fact that I was completely soaked…12.5 miles to go!



The rest of the run I resigned myself to the fact that just running through the puddles was not going to get me any wetter, so despite odd looks from drivers passing me in the comfort over their cars, I jumped, hopped and maybe once or twice, skipped through the approximately 100 streams I encountered on my run. I arrived in downtown LA 40 minutes after the 5k my friend was running in had started…I know he’s slow, but I don’t think he’s that slow, so I cheered for him…on the inside. I called my wife to pick me up and she was on her way before we even hung up. We planned to meet at an intersection ½ mile up the road. I tried to time her drive in my head so we would arrive at my extraction point at approximately the same time…I sprinted the last block (which for some reason made me feel like I was 10 years old), turned of my iPod and found a good spot for her to park to pick me up...unfortunately LA traffic decided that I would need to wait another ½ an hour. In 13 miles on the streets of Los Angeles I learned that I could indeed run in the rain, that I was an “*@#!(@~! Loco” (as was noted by a man waiting for a bus with his wife), and that jumping over, around and through puddles makes a run go by much faster!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

It never rains in Southern California…unless you are running 13 miles. Part 1

The annual rainfall in Los Angeles is typically 15 inches (which usually arrives during the 35 wet days we have a year) and 80% of our days are cloud free. Ideal temperatures and conditions for most outdoor activates…except this past Saturday – I knew trouble was brewing when weather.com said there was 100% chance of rain…this is LA, we never have 100% chance of rain! So, I resigned myself to the fact that I would be running in the rain…besides last years LA marathon was run in the rain, so this would be good “just in-case” training.

I searched the archives in my brain for the rainy day prep I was taught in the Army and married it with the new “I don’t wanna get wet” attitude I had developed in the years since my time in the trenches. So, the plan was simple…I would try to stay as dry as possible for as long as possible, but pick clothes that would not weigh a ton once they did get wet…but I came across the question most fashionistas ask themselves everyday…which shoes should I wear?? My dilemma was more practical than fashion – do I wear the old shoes (250+ miles on them) and risk ruining them, but I was seriously considering those for the marathon…or do I wear the newer ones (less than 100 miles on them) and risk ruining or severally shortening their life? My wife offered no practical advise (sorry dear – “it’s up to you” doesn’t help!) so I did the only think I could think of…eanie meanie minie moe!! Old shoes it is!!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Dancing in the rain?

100% chance of rain during my run tomorrow. Will let you know how it goes...but my expectations are low.