Running in the Rain

Running in the Rain

When I was in Dunoon today, I watched the storm clouds brewing:

IMG_2629

And my first thought was, urgh!

You’d think I’d be used to it. I live on the West Coast of Scotland. Rain is something you’d expect me to be used to running in. But I’m not!

In the past, I’ve always been a ‘fair weather’ runner; I’ve skipped any runs that would involve running in the rain.

Yes, I know, I know.

rain_run_stevenjohn19-300x199

But over the past 18 months, I’ve run in all weathers, and I really do love it, but I still find that I need to drag myself out there when it rains. When I’m actually running, I enjoy it- running in the rain is great! It’s refreshing, it keeps you cool, the roads are generally quieter, I get to splash in puddles…… but why do I still find it hard to get myself out the door?

Tonight, the rain was torrential, and the wind was quite strong. I didn’t really want to run. But I did. And I LOVED it! We were pretty speedy (well, for us, that is). We only did a two miler, since we’re, ahem, lazy ‘tapering’ for Sunday’s 10K, but I’m really pleased with the run 🙂

And, I found another heart!

IMG_2631

Here’s a heart I found a couple of weeks ago, that I forgot to share….

IMG_2540

Run: 2 miles

Time: 18:44

Trainers: LunarFly GTX

Weather: very wet, rainy and windy

I listened to a Jillian Michael’s podcast again today, instead of music 🙂

Today’s Life Lesson: am I the only person who leaves their reusable bags in the car EVERY time I go to the supermarket?

How do you feel about running in the rain?

Newsday Tuesday

Newsday Tuesday

Today, I have a news round up for you, from the last 24 hours.

News-Cartoon-1471285

The main news headline is: I GOT COMMONWEALTH GAMES TICKETS! Hurrah!

Glasgow-2014-Commonwealth-Games-logo cycling

@TheWelshWookie and I submitted requests for six events, and were allocated tickets for our two top events! 😀

We’re going to see the judo all day on Saturday, 26th July 2014: it’s the heavier weight categories, men and women’s and features all qualifying, right up to the repechage, but not the medal matches.

And, on Friday, 1st August 2014 we’re going to see Mo Farah run the 10,000 metres! I’m so happy! 🙂

We’ll also see triple jump, javelin, steeplechase, 4×100 heats, 4×400 heats for men and women, pole vault, women’s 800m, 100 hurdles, high jump and discus.

It’s so exciting!

IMG_2619

In other news, our Super Saturday race packs arrived today, for the Great Scottish Run! We’ve already received our packs for Sunday’s 10K:

IMG_2553

But the packs for the Family Mile, which my four oldest nephews are running along with the ‘big’ boys (i.e. their dads, and @TheWelshWookie) arrived today. They each get a proper race bib, and a tshirt, so it’s a great introduction to running for kids! I’m looking forward to taking lot of pictures!

IMG_2620

And finally, did you notice my new address, tartanjogger.com? I’ve had the domain name for while, but since I’m not very tech-savvy, it’s taken me a while to get it set up! If you’re having problems viewing my blog, please let me know!

That’s tonight’s news headlines; now for the weather.

It’s cold and windy, so I haven’t run. I’ll definitely need to head out tomorrow! 😉

The Cheerleader

The Cheerleader

You know what it’s like. You have a tough day at work. You trail around the supermarket. You head home, and the last thing you feel like doing is going out for a run. But you don’t sit down: you pull on your kit, lace up your trainers and head out of the door. And you have a great run. You know?

Well, that didn’t happen today. My run today sucked.

558169_3943571740337_1861952164_n

I moaned for the whole four miles. @TheWelshWookie was a proper cheerleader, keeping me going and making helping me get it done. He even had me laughing at one point. Thanks, Wookie, I owe you a tough run! 😉

We finished just after 6pm, and the lights along the harbour were on, for the first time this autumn:

IMG_2555

Here’s hoping that’s my last tough run for a while!

Run: 4 miles

Time: 42:20

Trainers: LunarGlides

Weather: cloudy, and definitely much cooler today

I listened to a Jillian Michael’s podcast again today, instead of music 🙂

Today’s Life Lesson: Sometimes, running sucks. Fortunately, not always 😉

When did you last have a rubbish run that someone helped you out on?

Reading and Running

Reading and Running

Today’s run was a bit of a disaster. We set out to do a half mile warm up, a fast mile, and a half mile cool down. When we reached the half mile mark, I set off like a hare out of a trap (well, for me. Normal speed for most), thinking I was doing some sprints. After 30 seconds, I remembered that I was supposed to sustain my pace for a mile- not. a. chance.

I’d set off so fast that my heart rate was crazy, so I had to do a short walk to bring it down. And to shout at myself for being so daft! I set off again for the last 3/4 mile, at a more sensible speed!

@TheWelshWookie had a great run- he ran a great mile!

This arrived in the post today:

IMG_2553

I’m so excited! This year’s Great Scottish Run has only two start waves: green and pink. We’re in the green wave, which goes first. I wonder if that’s because us slowbies need a head start? Surely I’m not in the faster wave?

Tonight, I’ll be delving into this:

doctor_sleep

It’s the long awaited sequel to The Shining! I re-read The Shining on Saturday, so I’m ready to get stuck right in 😀

Today’s Stats:

Run: 2 miles, 1 mile run in the middle

Time: 19:45

Trainers: Lunar Racers

Weather: cloudy, and still warm. Might be my last vest run of the year!

I listened to a Jillian Michael’s pod cast again today, instead of music 🙂

Today’s Life Lesson: Spread sheets are sources of pain and torture.

What are you reading?