Running in the Rain July 20, 2008

When I woke up yesterday, it was cloudy.  Again.  I don’t know why the weather keeps insisting on being dismal for my long runs, but it wasn’t raining, so I decided to suck it up and head for the trails.  I drove 15 minutes to the Swallow Cliff Woods where my Run for the Cops race was held in June.  I had about a new distance PR of 15 miles on the schedule; one full loop was about 6 miles so I figured I could do two loops and then an extra 1.5 miles out-and-back (3 total).

Less than a mile into the trails, the downpour began.  I reasoned that if I ran back to the car, I would get wet anyway, so I pressed on, deep into the woods and the darkness and the heavy rain.  Every part of me was drenched, rain was dripping from the brim of my Nike cap, and water sloshed through my shoes and socks, dirt and gravel seeping between my toes.

I kept running.  I felt so primal and pure, just me, alone in the woods, braving the elements; I felt like I was in an Adidas running ad.  The rain just wouldn’t let up, through the first loop and then the second loop, it pounded on me steadily.  I loved it.  I splashed through the unavoidable puddles, basking in the feeling that,Yeah, I’m one of those crazy runners.  I couldn’t even hear my footsteps or my labored breathing through the sound of a million raindrops hitting the leaves, and ceased to notice my own effort.  I felt invincible.

15 miles down, and I’m finally starting to feel like a real runner instead of a poser.  I walked into Victoria’s Secret the other day and the only thing I emerged with was a pair of running shorts.  I guess that makes me legit…and maybe a little bit pathetic too.  

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I went out for Indian food with a friend after work the other day.  We went to Indian Garden, which is just a little bit off Michigan Avenue.  The service is really attentive and the food is just fabulous.  I highly recommend the Murg Makhani – chicken pieces roasted in a clay oven and then folded into a spice-filled, creamy tomato sauce.  Sooooo good with basmati rice.  We also got the crab curry, the chicken pakora appetizer (spiced and roasted, then deep fried), and the garlic naan.  I forgot my real camera, so I apologize about the crap-tastic photo quality.

 

Chicken Pakora appetizer

 

 

Garlic naan - to die for!

Post 15-miler, Fiancee and I went to see Dark Knight (very good) and then to Giordano’s for some Italian food.  I ordered a thin crust sausage-mushroom-green pepper-onion pizza that was supposed to serve two people, and the waitress started taking away our menus.  ”Um, we’re not done ordering,” Fiancee said.  ”That pizza’s just for her, believe it or not.”  True to word, I finished the whole thing.  And washed it down with a brownie bowl afterwards.

 

Pizza - food of the gods

 

 

Brownie Bowl