There we were, yet again, staring out the window contemplating a rainstorm.
It had not been raining when I left the house, but by the time I got to our meetup spot at the shed it was pouring. Not raining, but rather a downpour of soul soaking proportions.
We all stood there contemplating the life choices that brought us to this moment. We could have been the types of people who in the face of a rainstorm cozied up under a warm blanket and spent the evening patting the dog and sipping tea. We could have even just been the kind of people who saw the weather erupt into vague unfavorability and sought out a vacant treadmill (we were even at a fitness facility after all!)
We were, however, neither of those types of people. We were outdoor runners.
Hesitant, sure, but determined.
There were hesitations. Of course there were. How long do we give it before we give up? Was a six klick run worth soaking wet feet? Was that thunder and if so were we venturing out into a lighting storm? Who’s idea was this anyhow?
The spattering upon the concrete sidewalk out the front door lessened just enough and someone, maybe all of us simultaneously, decided.
We stepped out into the drizzle and started our watches. After all, sometimes there really is only one choice, as mad as it might seem. We’re runners after all.
Definitions
- august
- In the month of August where I live summer peaks and the days are often relatively hot (in the high 20s or low 30s) muggy, smokey and dry. Rain is infrequent, but when it arrives it comes in the form of drenching downpours and epic thunderstorms. We begin our runs earlier in the day because the local marathon runs late in the month and our training distances are maxing.
- dreadmill
- If I've gotta get some distance in and there is no other choice, I'll run on a treadmill. I get it. Convenience. And you can watch a little TV while you run. But damn, I do it for the adventure and the joy of being outside, so being stuck on a treadmill to log the distance for the sake of "fitness" is my personal torture device.
- klick
- As a Canadian I run in metric. As a writer, I find the word kilometre clunky and clinical. I'll usually use the colloquial "klick" or "klicks" to substitute in for this.
- october
- Fully into autumn, October is a month of shifting seasons, short days, long shadows, and gorgeous sunsets. The cobwebs are hung on the eaves in preparation for halloween, and here in Canada we're running off Thanksgiving dinner for a couple weeks after a proper good meal mid-month.
- september
- The days are noticeably shorter when we realize that September is upon us. The post-summer routine kicks in and people are back to regular work schedules and kids are back in school. It can still be warm, but the hottest days are behind us and most of the biggest races of the year are in the rear view. We savour September knowing winter is too soon to come.
- the shed
- Clint hasn't run with us in a while, but all the credit for him for referring to our home base, a municipal community recreation centre (with a fitness area, swimming pool, ice rink, coffee shop, and smoothie bar located in the south west part of the city) the shed. I don't know if it's completely stuck, but I kinda like the term.
