Another Great Dreary Day Run

Today it was dreary and overcast, with occasional drizzles and heavier rain into the evening.  It reminded me of that strange Christmas day in 2010 when, after first hesitating to go running due to forecasts of rain coupled with an annoying smoky haze settled over the area, I decided to try it anyway, amassing 20 miles before running out of energy just before the rain began to fall heavily (and the sky was nearly pitch black).  It was 63 degrees at about 3 PM when I set out on my more modest run today, intending to cover 4 or 5 miles around my neighborhood.  But there was something about the dark ambiance that appealed to me and I kept extending my run until I finished with 8.05 miles, the longest distance I have run at one time since April 9 of last year, when I covered 10 miles.  I felt that I could have matched that today as well but didn't want to push myself too hard. 

At the beginning of today's run, the weather was dry.  But about halfway through, rain began to drizzle lightly, lasting until I had finished.  The rain was a rather pleasant experience, I have to admit.  I can't remember when I have last run during a downpour: maybe I should deliberately try a short run when the next one happens to see how it goes for me...

It may seem to be a contradiction that I tend to pace myself faster when the sun is beating down on me, while I want to keep running and running when it's so grey and dark.  But running long and running fast are really two different things:  I like the endurance aspect of this activity more...