Running in the Rain and Training Yourself to Walk

Since the beginning of June, Maryland has been getting pummeled with storms. We may get a day or 2 between storms, but another one is guaranteed to stroll on through.


Can we not share this ample amount of water with other areas of the world that are in drought?

Anyway, I switched my Saturday long run for the 5 miler planned for Sunday. They were calling for some pretty nasty storms all day on Saturday, so I didn't feel like soaking myself for 16 miles or devoting that much time on the treadmill.

I had every intention on hitting the 'mill late in the evening to get that 5 in, but as I was driving from the grocery store that morning, I had an urge to run in the rain.

...and I did.



This morning, I was kinda bummed I still had my long run to do. Although the temps were down (a definite plus), I just wasn't feeling it. Still, I was committed completing what I planned!

Nearing mile 8, the halfway point, I decided it was time to try that walking thing. When you train for an ultra, you have to train yourself to walk. I know it may sound odd. Walking should be pretty easy, right? But the more I read about ultras, the more training yourself to get acclimated to walking makes sense. You have to get the most out of your miles and energy conservation is key. You can't exhaust yourself by running up a steep hill, knowing that there are 48 more miles to go, right? It's best to learn what works best for you. Whether it's walking hills, running 20 minutes and walking 5, or a combination of both. Everyone is different and everyone has a method to making it through.

Anyway, today, I decided I would walk just the hills. It not only gave me the opportunity to conserve my energy, but I was able to get some good pictures.







I am not certain how long it took me to finish and to be honest, I would rather not know. I think that it would put me in a bad mood knowing that my time was probably slower than normal. That is one of the main reasons I dumped the watch to train for the JFK.

Though I did walk some of my run, I am still pretty beat from it. I don't think it really matters how acclimated I get to the summer weather. Running in the humidity (no matter the temperature) is exhausting.

I am still going to try to tough out a run on the AT tomorrow. There's no rain in the forecast, so I want to take advantage of it! After that though, I think a rest day is definitely in order!!!

How do you feel about the weather in your area? Ideal running conditions?

Do you run in the rain?

Do you ever walk during a long run to conserve your energy? Do you just walk hills, or do you do running/walking intervals?

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