Usually rain doesn't justify a change in the running schedule, be it a
delay, cancellation, or otherwise. Such alterations can all too easily
transform into a wholly unjustified excuse, and as a friend's sister
used to say, "Excuses are like bellybuttons; everybody has one, and none
of them taste good."
However, yesterday had the perfect
combination work delays, radar reflections, and available time to make
the gamble of a future mental battle worth it.
A call to try to
calm a very nervous coworker en route to an OCONUS TDY location had me
leaving the office a bit later than normal, which allowed a few
last-minute checks of various weather radars. If my estimations were
remotely accurate, the line of rain and storms looked like they would be
through the area a smidgen over and hour later.
This
guesstimation, combined with the later sunsets of Daylight Savings Time
and one of those rare nights free of other obligations, seemed like
just cause to grab a nap, then hit the road.
Admittedly, the nap
lasted about fifteen or twenty minutes longer than planned, but the
subsequent run made the gamble entirely worth the while.
Birds
chirping playfully in the bright afternoon sun, the cool, humid air
rushing by, and a general sense of post-storm revival permeated the
streets.
In spite of being slow and sluggish, the environment in
which I found myself and the inherently calming effect of watching the
slow fade of sunset into night made it one of the more enjoyable
ten-milers in recent memory.
We run, walk, trot, jog, bound,
sprint, trek, and otherwise ambulate in so many conditions, both
internal and external, that we sometimes lose sight of the wonder to be
found in our seemingly mundane routines.
...and then
sometimes we get to have a rain delay...
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