The rain falling on central Arkansas Saturday morning was relentless. And chilly. A workout enthusiast we know watched a sizable group of runners trot past the window of the gym where she was doing the same thing on a treadmill, minus the rain. Those runners looked pretty miserable.
Sure, the temperature was reported to be near 50 degrees, but a drenching, steady rain means wet feet (even neoprene socks can't repel every bit of moisture), and rain-repellent jackets and tights seldom cover every inch of a vulnerable human body (hands are particularly susceptible to becoming numb when water invades those supposedly waterproof gloves).
But the Little Rock marathon is less than two weeks away--it's happening March 4--and this is no time for those training for the 26.2-mile challenge to sleep in. The official training schedule on the Little Rock Marathon's website recommended the following mileage schedule for last week: Monday-4. Tuesday-6. Wednesday-off. Thursday-3. Friday-off. Saturday-20. Sunday-off.
That's a total of 33 miles. Blowing off those 20 miles on a drippy, dismal Saturday might have been tempting, but it won't help in getting across the March 4 finish line in a respectable time. And besides, many runners train in groups like the one observed from the comfort of a treadmill inside a gym, so failure to show up on a rainy day could bring about unwanted peer pressure from the cohort.
Hang in there, runners. The training program tapers down to a weekly total of 26 miles this week, 15 miles for the week ending Feb. 25, and a mere 9 miles the week of the marathon. You're almost there. Don't let the excitable late-winter weather get you down. And good luck!
Editorial on 02/20/2018