I love running in the rain. Always have. Might have something to do with it being a rainy day when I discovered I had a talent for covering long distances in a short amount of time.
Spring of 1988, 8th grade. The mile run. This was essentially our PE class final exam. Track season had ended just a few days before. I don't remember much about that season, except I'd run well enough to win a few medals. But I couldn't run a mile in less than 5 minutes, 30 seconds. And I was only the second or third best miler on a team that didn't have a particularly impressive distance group.
Blue Valley Middle School sat what couldn't have been more than a half mile from a convenience store. Might have been a Quik Trip. Our daily distance workout consisted of jogging to that store, buying a soda, drinking the soda, and jogging back. The track/football coach, Mr. Porter, never paid much heed to where we went, so long as we didn't bother him.
Ironically, I got a much more intense workout during daily PE class. We'd run laps around the perimeter of the school and, not knowing any better, I'd turn every day's run into a race. Come to think of it, it's probably a good thing I wasn't running any harder at track practice, given how hard I'd already run during PE class.
Anyway, back to our final exam, the mile run. It's one of the few memories from that time of my life that doesn't involve humiliation. Cloudy morning. Rain spitting from the sky, but not hard enough to send us back inside. There must have been 30 of us amassed in a gobblygook on the track.
But I don't remember what anyone else did that day. The teacher yelled, "Go!" and I took off. And I hope I never forget how the next few minutes felt. It was as if I was empowered by the cool sprinkles. Between the rain and the concentration I devoted to navigating the maze of lapped runners/walkers, I just didn't have time to think about being tired. The four laps went by in a blur. And I'm not sure I'd remember my finishing time if Omar Davis hadn't signed my yearbook, "I can't believe you ran the mile in 5:11! Have a good summer."
I have lots of other rainy running memories. Like my college 1500M PR, run in light mist at the University of Minnesota, when I and three of my KU teammates finished behind Olympian Steve Holman. Or the many training runs where a steady downpour could turn an otherwise forgettable eight miles into an hour of play.
And so here we are on June 16, another rainy morning. I sit in the living room at 5 a.m., trying to convince myself to head out to the wet streets. But while I do love running in the rain, lightning is another matter. The creation of a new rainy running memory will have to wait.
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Outstanding. I could relate, not only to the race in Minnesota (where I too was schooled by Steve Holman), but also to your love of rain / fear of lightening. I'll run in a tornado before running in lightening.
ReplyDeleteI could also relate to jr. high track workouts (same here), as well as to the feeling of your final 8th grade race. I had a VERY similar experience, and I still contend that my final 8th grade mile was one of the 2 best races of my career- the best up until my last one at KU.
The difference for me was that it was the first time I ever had a "strategy." I told myself to go out and if you feel yourself settling in or relaxing, push harder. I wanted to push as hard as I could, and I felt this strange sensation of going faster with each step. Haven't felt that since, save perhaps that xc race at Penn State, which also felt surprisingly easy. Surreal.
You know, I also think there's something about the finality of 8th grade- your last chance before moving up to high school. Great stuff- thanks for sharing. -dj