Hit the Ground Running...Literally

I think I have too much on my plate. 

Yesterday was one of those days I had very little time to breathe let alone slow down.  After the school day, I had almost a half hour to shovel food in my bag and run a quick errand before a mandatory intern meeting at a further Elementary School.  I had to sneak out of the meeting early to speed back to campus to teach the a much anticipated BODYPUMP launch to our students/faculty. 

After almost an hour and a half of pump, I changed (inefficiently, with matted hair and leggings turned inside-out) to go cross campus to an Education Association meeting.  

I was literally running through a parking lot in my dress and teacher bag when my patent leather flat got caught on a curb. I not so gracefully fell. Hard.  My right foot/ankle skid across the gravel as my left knee hit the ground.  Thank goodness something was in front of me to catch my upper-body from slamming into the black top: a dark blue Honda Accord.  

Yes, I hit a parked car. I smacked the front of that sedan so hard it made a noise that had to have echoed across the parking lot.  I bet the girl unlocking the car next to the one I unintentionally hit had a good laugh on her drive home. I'm probably a trending topic on Twitter by now.  #thatawkwardmomentwhen #somegirlrunsintosaparkedcar #hahahaha

Lesson learned: I think I need to slow down...hit the brakes a little bit. (No pun intended.)

Reasons to Run in the Rain

Normally, I use rainy weather forecasts as an excuse to skip my outdoor run. Today, however, I was feeling so bad about myself after eating nothing but junk all day that I forced my running shoes on despite possible scattered thunderstorms.  Here's why I enjoyed my abbreviated jog, and why I recommend running the risk of being caught in inclement weather for the benefit of a workout:

1. It's cooler. Everyone has been suffering the brutality of a heat-wave-ridden July and August with obscene humidity levels.  If the thick air and scorching pavements are preventing you from running outdoors, use the cool summer rain to counter that.
2. Once that first raindrop hits your head, you bet your legs will start moving faster to beat the oncoming downpour. Faster run = better workout.
3.  And if you have a charming boyfriend like mine who makes disgusted remarks on the way you sweat like his roommate who happens to be a 285 pound defensive lineman, maybe you could use the potential rain showers as a disguise. "No, that's not sweat! Are you crazy? It started sprinkling half way through my four mile jog."  ;) 
4. It's badass. When someone sees you treading through muddy grass on a rainy day people will see you as a dedicated health nut. Which I am not. At all. But it's nice for people to think that even for just a minute. 

I didn't have enough time to run as far as I would have liked, but the few raindrops I felt on the short run I did map out felt fantastic.