Saturday, November 8, 2008

Wet Run

Today was supposed to be a 16-mile run. Wil got us up early, made bagels for breakfast, and had us out the door by 7:30. But about 45 minutes into the run it started to rain. Not too hard, at first... just a steady drizzle. But as we continued, it got worse and worse. By the time we got to the stadium, we were drenched. The 2-minute wait for the light to cross at Royal Brougham was misery. But on we plodded, reaching the viaduct and turning to run underneath it.

The rain kept pelting down. When we reached the end of the viaduct -- the point where we would have to go back out into the rain -- we stopped to think. We knew we still had just over 6 miles before we were home, and none of it was under cover. Neither of us had brought any cash, cards, or bus passes. No identification whatsoever. I proposed getting on a bus and begging the driver for mercy. Wil suggested we try going in to one of the WaMu locations and asking the teller to let us withdraw $5 for bus fare from Wil's account. So we climbed up the hill from the waterfront (ouch! my quads!) and ran through the market, past wide-eyed tourists and sleepy-eyed locals. We tried two branches -- shut at 9:15 on a Saturday morning -- and then found an open one. Dripping wet, a bit snivelly, and completely underdressed for the weather, we ran in.

The teller was very friendly, very helpful, and chatted with Wil about the new branches, the model branch, and so on. He gave us $5 (4 ones and 4 quarters, for bus fare), and pretended to be impressed that we had run 10 miles already. Which was nice.

Then we ran to the bus stop (notice how we kept running? When we walked we got too cold...), saw that the 28 was a 20-minute wait, and then ran to the stop for the 15.... which was there when we arrived. Hooray!

A shivery bus ride home, followed by a very stiff and cold last half mile run from the bus stop to the house, and then we were home. Wil and I are both feeling a little disappointed in ourselves for not running our scheduled 16 miles. But I think we made the right decision, given the weather. We both laughed at the fact that, not too long ago, 10 or 11 miles really felt like an accomplishment!

Now that it's later, I'm showered and warm, the sun has come out again. Boo. But it's still blustery and very changeable weather.

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