Running In The Rain

I’ve learned a few things this weekend: 1. I need a drag queen to show me how to properly wear a wig so that my hair underneath does not show and 2. running in the pouring rain sucks. Saturday morning the Key West Team in Training people met, as always, at 6:00AM at the White Street Pier for our regularly scheduled training run. It had been raining overnight, but stopped by the time we started our ten mile jaunt.

The team coaches decided it was best to run the 3.5 miles from the pier to the triangle – to the uninitiated, that is the traffic light at the entrance to Key West – then double back to the airport, then back to the triangle before heading back to White Street pier, for a total of 10 long miles. I was feeling a little sluggish when we started, but kept at my 1 minute run, 1 minute walk rhythm thanks to my handy-dandy Gym Boss, which vibrated every minute to remind me to switch. I was cruising along nicely when I got to the triangle the first time.

I doubled back to the airport, and shortly after I turned back to start the second half of the run the rain started. It was a steady, but not exceptionally hard rain, so when Coach Mike happened by in his truck to offer me a ride back, I waved him off. Then the real rain came. It was a downpour. It only lasted for maybe ten minutes, but by then the damage had been done. I was soaked. Every inch of my clothes, hat and water belt were drenched. My shoes made an audible squish with every step. To say it was unpleasant would be a gross understatement.

So, why did I do it? Sheer stubbornness, I guess. I figure I may have to endure some adverse conditions on race day – last year it SNOWED on half marathon day at Disney – so I might as well be prepared. There is no way I am not going to finish this race in the allotted time, and I proved that to myself on Saturday. Here’s hoping the sun is out next weekend for the post-masquerade-march-and-general-craziness 6:00AM training run.

Oh, and if you are a drag queen reading this, I really do need some help with the whole wig and false eyelash thing, so please contact me to help out!