Ya know, I’m really digging my “running lifestyle.”  My runs are getting more comfortable and predictable, and I’m finding it’s a great way to work through stress and challenges, while doing something good for me.  Cool.

I’m also enjoying that what I’m doing is helping others.  I know that my little races alone aren’t rocking the world, but with enough other folks running them too, these races are making a difference here and there, and that’s another great reason to run.

I’d been waiting for this beautiful medal to come from Get Fit for Bling for a while, and while I was in Philly, it arrived.  Given the global events of the last few days, it seemed very appropriate to take on this race.

We’re in the midst of a multi-day deluge of rain in Da Lou.  Today, I think the prognosticators are expecting about 3″ of rain.  Knowing that the forecast for Tulsa this weekend is for rain, I figured it made sense to get my Hokas and wicking socks on the trail, and see how they did with very wet conditions.

I’d been watching the radar this morning, waiting for a nice long stretch of rain, and finally the next wave started to make its way through.  (Silly, eh?)  When I dropped in at the Greenway, it was drizzling.  I started running, inspired by the great run I’d had in Philly, and trudged down the trail.

The rain was gentle for the first half of the course, and I made pretty good time.  Typically, I’ll have some Sport Beans around the halfway point, but today, I decided to try a pack of Gu Energy Chews.  They were good enough, but I was still tasting them after I got home from the race, which wasn’t something I was expecting.  That’s why I only experiment at home!

With about a kilometer to go, the wind and rain really picked up… and I totally loved it.  There’s just something energizing to me when the rain falls, and I can’t imagine better running conditions.  Now, when it rains in Tulsa this weekend, it’s gonna be much colder, but I knew I needed to get some wet running miles in before I got down there.

In short, it was a great run, and a great way to escape the state of world for a brief bit of time, as well as continue preparing for Tulsa this weekend.

This race benefitted the American Red Cross.

Race Course