Built-in Marathon Lessons


Picture of rain clouds moving in


Marathon training teaches “you can do hard things”. I was reminded of this lesson during my 16-mile long run last week. I was six miles from the house and needed to go out another two miles for my out-and-back route. I could have turned around at that point. I could have turned around at the five-mile mark when the drizzle started, but I kept going. While the weather wasn’t pleasant, it was not unbearable. It served as a reminder that I can do difficult things. Running 26.2 miles is not easy, and this short period in the rain was preparation for the big race.

Another memory came back as I was running. The trail had wide-open views of the horizon. As I ran my fourth mile, I could see the dark rain cloud rolling closer to me. It brought me back to the days on vacation as a youth on a lake. We would be out fishing; sometimes, you could see inclement weather move in. This past week I have spent a lot of time checking the weather apps on my phone to predict the perfect time to run. After seeing the clouds ebb and flow, I realized I had forgotten another proven weather-predicting technique – looking outside for blue skies rolling in. I have been hampered from getting out the door because the weather app says rain is imminent, but it never comes.  Looking for those blue skies is better than any app.

What techniques do you use to predict the weather?  Comment below to share.

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