I ran in the rain today.  It’s worth writing about because I so rarely do that.  With over 300 days of sunshine a year in Colorado, there’s less opportunity than elsewhere.  And then there’s the wimpy, fair-weather runner attitude to which I am not immune.  But I’m running the Denver Marathon this weekend, so now is not a good time to slack off my training regimen.  And I had an unusual gap between morning conference calls that begged for an early run.  But I’ll tell you this, it’s always a cold rain in Colorado.  It takes a bit of self motivation.

I pulled on some Nike dri-fit shorts and added Under Armour ColdGear pants.  These are sort of a cross between loose tights and tight sweat pants.  It’s a good fit for running.  I added an Under Armour all weather, long sleeve jersey to my workout ensemble.  I then pulled on some Nike dri-fit socks which are specifically fitted for the left and right feet.  Around those, I wrapped my La Sportiva Gore-Tex trail running shoes.  This turned out to be a great call.  I sloshed through a huge puddle near the start of my run in the alley cutting over to Rainbow Ridge.  And the Creekside trail had countless water traps.  My shoes were completely drenched, yet my feet remained perfectly dry the entire 4.5 mile run.  Those shoes are brilliant.

Once I warmed up, the rain became quite pleasant and added to my enjoyment of the seasonal splendor.  The trail was covered in yellow and red leaves.  No wonder everyone visits New England to view the fall foliage, the window of opportunity is closing fast in Colorado.  I suspect had I not run in the morning, the trees would be stripped clean later in the day.

Now for those of you who think I must be a huge slacker to take off 30 minutes from work to exercise, I will tell you this.  I start work at 7am and typically work to 6pm.  I might go out for lunch once a week, but mostly eat at my desk.  Either you believe that exercise contributes to your overall productivity or you don’t.  I do.  There are two types of people in the world – healthy and unhealthy.  My goal is to belong to the former group.  Plus, my work time will stretch out even longer today since I have dinner plans with a business partner at the Boulder Chop House tonight¹.  I’m trying to convince you that my time spent maintaining fitness is justified and that I feel no guilt.  But perhaps given all this rationale, I do feel guilty and am only trying to justify it to myself.  Whatever – I’d rather be fit than fat.  Well, as fat.  I figure I could still lose another 10 pounds.  And my stomach has a ways to go yet.  I won’t be running the Denver Marathon shirtless.

¹ While I consider business dinners to be just more work, I grant exclusions to the single and lonely, those in dead-end marriages or with more than 2.x kids, and perhaps those who commute to their basement offices and need to get out once in awhile, especially those whose idea it was to dine at the Boulder Chop House.