Rain Delay

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...