Last week we considered how to dress for winter temperatures when running before sunrise. This week we’ll talk about weather conditions:
Don’t run when the roads and sidewalks are covered with ice. A day without a run is better than a day in the emergency room. When there are patches of ice, use extreme caution & slow down whenever anything looks remotely slippery. I love running on newly fallen snow & especially if it is snowing while I run. Fresh snow has a grip your shoes can grab if you run a little more flat-footed than the normal exaggerated heal-to-toe. Snow also has a way of lighting up an otherwise dark landscape. Snow that others have trampled is pretty much ice (especially if it’s a day or more old).
As for rain, I choose not to run in heavy downpours but find that a gentle shower is not a problem; you’ll be wet with sweat by the time you’re done anyway. If a little rain keeps you from running you are not a runner. Maybe we can put all this to the old tune Kenny Rogers used for “The Gambler” … “You got to know when to go out, know when to stay in, know when to take a walk, know when to run; you never skip a session just because you’re lazy; they’ll be time enough for resting when your body’s dead.”
And there it is again: that whole thing about everybody dies. Are you more ready for your date with destiny than you were last week? You ought to be because you are one week closer to it.