...and the rain came

You know you're getting a little cocky when 14 miles seems hardly worth getting out of bed for. This weekend's walk started at Ventura Cove and proceeded along the Mission Beach boardwalk for 14 total miles. I really felt like sleeping in but had to suck it up and get my butt down there for the 6:30 am start time. It was gloomy and overcast and smelled like trouble.

We were supposed to take a group photo but it was raining as I pulled up and it looked like a pretty sparse crowd. We sat in our cars for a few minutes until it let up and then gathered around for announcements. Bad news was no group photo that day. Too many people had bailed because of the weather. Good news was that I have reached 75% of my fund-raising goal of $6,500! After a few slaps on the back and some stretching we hit the road.

This was the first real workout for my new shoes. I was a little worried about taking them on the longer mileage having just gotten them the day before but I powdered up, cinched tight and crossed my fingers. We caught a break in the weather for the first 5-miles then BAMM, it was pouring rain. I got soaked to the skin in about 30 seconds but we kept trucking along. I was very grateful of my trusty baseball cap as it kept the water out of my eyes. The restaurant patrons along the boardwalk looked at us like we were crazy but a few cheered, which was nice.

Walking in the rain is a real mixed bag. On one hand, if there is no wind, it keeps you cool. On the other hand it makes shoe traction difficult, particularly when walking across metal grating. I wouldn't choose it but it honestly wasn't that bad. Thinking about it, it was probably good practice for Dublin as there is a good chance we'll see some rain there. Once it cleared up, the performance clothing I was wearing dried remarkably quickly. Makes sense since it designed to wick away sweat from your skin and cool you via the evaporative process.

Didn't time myself this week but I did very well making it back to home base first along with super-quick Johanna. Feet were OK, although the big blister on the bottom of my foot from a few weeks back threatened to make a reappearance. Definitely going to use Mole Skin next week.

Signing off....