Do you remember the movie "Singin' In The Rain?" Gene Kelly sang the title song while singing and dancing on a busy street. I went for a run this morning, in the rain, and started thinking about how we change our view about getting in the rain as we get older. Kids love to play in the rain. Have you ever seen a little kid go around a puddle? I doubt it. Over the last 20 years I've really enjoyed getting out and getting wet every few months. I can hear my wife now. "Are you going to go out and run in this?" My reply, "Honey, at my age I don't have many opportunities to play in the rain, I don't want to pass this one up." I woke up this morning and heard the sound of a light rain on the roof. Now this is a sound that we've not heard much of lately in South Georgia. Great I thought, an excuse to go outside and play. The temperature was a very pleasant 64 degrees...perfect for running. I put on some old running shoes and out the door I went. I decided to go out to one of my favorite places to run, the trail at Magnolia Springs State Park. There were several reasons for this decision. First, since we haven't had much rain lately, I was looking forward to not hearing the snap, crackle, and pop (of the dry leaves and twigs) as I ran through the woods. Second, I knew there would be no one out there to wonder why a grown man would be out running in the rain. I arrived at the empty parking lot and decided to do some stretching before my run. (Here comes the snap, crackle and pop after all.) As I started up into the woods, I thought about just how lucky we runners are. I'm 54 years old, and I still have an excuse to play in the rain. Check with your non-running buddies and ask them if they ever go outside in the rain. Running from Wal-Mart to the car doesn't count. Most will say it has been years. My run was peaceful. I even made myself back down from my normal 10 minute pace--as a matter of fact, I didn't even look at my watch. I almost hate to admit this, but I even stopped twice to watch the leaves fall. As I ran, I found myself humming that tune, "Singin' In The Rain." I ran around the first big puddle I saw, but quickly threw caution to the wind and ran right through the middle of the other puddles. I was nearing the lake when I started singing. I just sang out loud, "Singing in the rain, just singing in the rain, what a wonder feeling, I'm happy again." Since those are the only words I remember, I started humming again. I finished my run in a little over 32 minutes. By now, it had stopped raining and I met a few people near the springs. (I'm sure they were too far away to hear me singing....I hope they were anyway!!!) I highly recommend that you take a few minutes out of your busy schedule and try a short run in the rain in the very near future. Remember: 1. Always check for lightening before you even consider running in the rain. 2. Don't worry too much about time, this is not a work-out, it's just a fun run. 3. Invite a friend along. (that way if anyone sees you, you can say that it was your friend's idea) 4. Learn the words to "Singin' In The Rain" before you leave, that will impress your friend and any passers-by that you might encounter. 5. If you have a good time, please email me a short account of your run. I'd love to hear from you. yarrellim@yahoo.com 6. Take off your wet clothing before you enter your house. (Check your neighborhood restrictions here, I suggest removing ONLY your shoes and socks.) 7. ENJOY YOUR RUN!!!!!!

See Ya,