Jim and I had a long run scheduled this morning, so we dutifully went off in the rain. It varied from a gentle mist to a heavy rain all morning, but we slogged through it. We were soaked within the first mile or two, and we both gave up on dodging puddles after the first mile.

We were scheduled to do 20 miles. Jim suggested we go further south than we normally do, to break up the run a little more evenly (normally, we go 25 minutes south and back, and then the remainder would be north). I agreed and was excited by running in a new area. Until we got to the “poo plant.” About a half mile from where we normally turn around is Akron’s sewage-treatment plant. Jim had warned me in the past that some days it could smell, but I figured it would be okay in the rain because I thought the rain would “scrub” the air. Boy, was I wrong. The place reeked to the point where we were gagging so badly that we had to turn around. So, our foray south was only a total of 20 minutes in each direction. Maybe next time.

Somewhere in the middle of the run it suddenly dawned on me that were were probably carrying 4 or 5 extra pounds from waterlogged clothes and shoes. Otherwise, I’m not sure how rain affects long runs. I generally have a good time running in the rain, but usually I’m not running 20 miles in it. I’m not sure if the body can cool down with the rain. The rain feels good, but I’m not sure it can evaporate to cool the skin. At any rate, I started to have trouble with my legs feeling tired around mile 15, and at mile 19, I had to let Jim go; I could not keep the pace anymore. I walked about 100 yards and then jogged it in for the last mile. All in all, I ran 19 miles at an 8-minute pace, and then put in about a 10-minute pace for the last mile to finish around 2:42.  I was happy with that.

We burned about 3,000 calories during the run, so when Jim offered me half a banana, I did not refuse it. Normally, I am not a banana fan, but this one tasted really, really good.

Next Saturday’s run should be easier since the half-marathon is two weeks away. My guess is we’ll go 8-10 miles, but maybe Jim will want to go the whole 13. Either way, it is a sight easier than 20 miles in the rain.