Caught in Rain => Elevated Mood

I was a little disappointed when nobody showed up for my 7pm run tonight, but I ran a little on my own. I noticed that it wasn't monsooning like I thought it would be and decided to try to beat the rain home and take advantage of the remaining daylight. I had parked my bike under the protective cover of the business building, expecting it to rain while I was at school...turns out that the rain was lying in wait to ambush me on the way home. You're supposed to attack an ambush and that's exactly what I did. I was at Call & Stadium when it hit me. Gusting winds and forcible pelts from full sized drops. I had my pack cover on the backpack and my rain jacket on. My shorts and the contents of their pockets got soaked very soon. The rain blew in gusts, driving stinging needles of raindrops into my exposed skin.

When I got to Ocala, the water was gushing down the bike lane. I decided to ride on the sidewalk. Runoff was still traveling down the sidewalk, but not nearly with as much force. The current on the road looked like it could push my bike into the storm sewer or the traffic lane, depending on what it felt like. I was also concerned about visibility and getting hit by a car if I was on the road. There was one point when I was going downhill that the wind almost stopped my forward progress! I definitely had to downshift from the usual gears I ride.

While I was cutting through the neighborhood, a tree branch fell about 5 feet away from me as I was passing. I thought that it could just as easily have landed on my head. I was also reminded by this point that my brakes don't work as well when they (and the rims) are soaked.

I made it home without incident and discovered that I didn't even care that water had leaked into the gap between the pack cover and my backpack. I was drenched but my upper body had stayed dryer and warm enough due to my jacket. I was riding a high off this trip back home for about an hour after getting back home. Normally rainy days put people in a bad mood. I was elated. I mentioned to Dan upon my arrival that it was a beautiful day and he snickered...I was serious.

I've found in the past that getting caught in the rain can make me really happy. I guess it's usually not a good thing if you're on the way to a job interview or something. I think I enjoy the entrapment of a storm as long as it's not violently lightening and I'll be able to change into dry clothes when I get to where I'm going.

¡Viva el aguacero!