Rain - what rain?

My attempt at running 5 times this week is already under threat. I have only run once so far so I am fast running out of time to fit in 5 runs - maybe I'll have to go all pro and do two runs one day!

Although I do think I should get major bonus points for my run last night. Working temporarily again in Central London ( and hating it) I thought I would make the most of my change in location and run back from the office to Paddington Station via a loop of Regents Park. Sounds lovely, doesn't it. Unfortunately, I picked the only hour this week that it actually rained to make this run.

Regents Park is lovely, but I am convinced that the rain falls heavier there than in a built up area. Is greater exposure to the sky proven to make you even more soaked? By the time I exited the park my eyelids had filled up so much with water I was genuinely concerned that my contact lenses might wash out of my eyes, leaving me unable to read the departure board at Paddington and ending up accidentally on a train to Swansea with nothing but wet kit, a fiver and an Oyster Card. The last time I went to Swansea, I was verbally abused by a drunk and pushed out of a taxi by a drug addict, so I was in no hurry to get back there.

Unfortunately this meant that I left the park by the first available exit over the west side, not really paying any attention to where I was. Regular readers of this blog are familiar with my tendency to get lost on runs and last night's was no exception, although the heavy rain should have been inducement enough to get the route right. I ended up on a lovely little detour of chi chi St Johns Wood, but luckily years of being a cricket fan meant I was able to orientate myself from Lords, and headed off in the direction of Paddington proper. There were even road signs to reassure me.

By the time I reached the north end of Edgware Road, I realised I stood a chance of catching the 6.18 train back home. Spurred on by the thought of a hot shower and a dry towel, I accelerated and went for a lovely tempo run all the way back to Paddington. Running a race pace is a new thing for me midweek - I've never been able to achieve race pace outside of a race before, ever, and by the time I reached the back of Paddington Station I was breathing so heavily the entire population of W2 was staring at me like a lycra-clad phone pervert.

Still I made the train and managed to have a lovely journey home, where no one rested their paper on me, used me as a tray for their handbag or otherwise ignored my presence. I was so obviously someone to be noticed and avoided, with rivulets of rain and sweat dropping from my hair, my nose and in particular my sleeves. Showered, dressed and dried by 7, I think all in all the rain wasn't that bad a thing to happen.

Deluded

LON