Small steps – literally and figuratively – have been slowly adding up to running progress. In the past eleven days I have moved bit by bit from a 3k distance to two 13k runs this week. Best of all, the runs, while slow, resulted in no major hip or ITB issues. My careful running is also teaching me to shorten my strides and hopefully improve my cadence. Like I said, small steps.

Today’s run started in a blanket of pre-storm humidity with dark clouds slowly approaching. As I headed out I was feeling disappointed that a thunder storm could end my run prematurely. By the time I was 3 k in I was kind of hoping a few lightning strikes would finish up my run. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to run. It was just one of those days when the humidity made even an easy run seem unusually difficult.

Shortly after 30 minutes of running the temperature dropped in what seemed like seconds. And then came the rain. I don’t even remember the last time I ran in the rain and I forgot how refreshing it could be. For anyone looking out a window, it must have looked miserable. And I am sure anyone who saw me must have thought I was crazy. At one point the drops of rain looked more like hail. But here’s the thing; once you are wet you are wet. When your shirt is plastered to your body, a small waterfall is running off the peak of you cap, and small water spouts are spurting out of your mesh shoes…well let’s face it, you are not going to get any wetter. The funny part was I still spent part of the run skirting deep puddles. Finally it dawned on me that there really wasn’t any point trying to avoid having my shoes in water. From that point on I actually started aiming for the puddles. And with the grin on my face, yep, maybe I did look a little crazy out there 🙂