Caught In A Storm
Checking the weather is always a must before a run. Especially knowing I had a twenty mile run to accomplish. It stated, a slight drizzle around 5 and 6 pm. I was planning to be done running around 7 pm, and thought around mile twelve a little rain wouldn’t be the worst thing. Running in the rain isn’t ideal, but it is definitely doable and happens on race days. Little did I know what was in store for me on this day! As I ran my miles, I was giving a live update at each mile on my Instagram account . I was feeling pretty good even though at mile six, it started to sprinkle and get extremely windy.
I just kept running. Mile seven, my bladder was screaming. Sometimes it’s the simple steps or maneuvers that cause the body to not react the way the mind would like. Mile 8 almost took me out, by me tripping and almost falling on my face. At ten miles in, I started to walk and checked the weather app again, because at this point, it was so incredibly windy, and the clouds looked insane ahead of me. TORNADO WATCH and Severe Thunderstorm Warning on app!
I only continued walking in the same direction for a few more moments. I could see a sheet of rain up ahead of me (thinking it was a longer distance away than it actually was.) so I made the decision to run to Meijer so I could take cover and end the run for the day. However, Meijer was a bit of a distance away. There was NO WAY I would out run this storm and make it there in time. I crossed the road and turned around to head the opposite direction. Literally, I only had seconds until branches were flying all around me. I wasn’t able to run into the closest restaurant because of the massive tree branches falling and the direction of the wind. All I could do was run as fast as I could while the rain was about to devour me. I did have my phone recording, and was squeezing it as tight as I could so it wouldn’t slip right through my fingers. There was no turning back, the wind and rain was so intense all I could do was run forward. Thankfully, there was a large pole I was able to run into and hold on to for dear life.
I do believe if the pole was not there, I would have gone airborne and become one with the sky, maybe land on a car in the road, or maybe land in the field across the road. Obviously, I have no clue what could have happened, but I am grateful for the metal pole! Yes, the pole could have gotten struck by lightning, but thankfully it is what kept me safe during the wildest moments. What felt like a lifetime of holding on (I did stop recording once it got too intense) and all the “is this how I go?’ thoughts running through my mind, I was finally able to run against the storm into shelter. Did I make it to Meijer? Absolutely not! Only a three minute drive, would have been over a ten minute run. Once I made it inside Evil Czech Brewery, I was safe and able to call home. I had to wait close to thirty minutes for the storm to pass inorder to be safely picked up.
I have never been outside in a storm quite like this, let alone, running in it. I’ve never experienced holding on to a pole for dear life, until this day. The destruction from this storm was unreal. Massive trees uprooted all over the Northern part of Indiana and into Michigan. A tornado did touch down on the route that I ran (miles one-three). Wind gusts were 70-75 miles per hour.
This is a whole new experience of training! Words can’t express how grateful I am to be alive. When people talk about ‘the storm’ and all the damage, it is wild to share that “Yes, I experienced it too, I was out for a training run and got caught in the thick of it!!” It took me a few weeks to give up the treadmill and run outside again.
​
This training is necessary for my big race I’ll be doing in June to race more funds. More details on that race coming soon.
​
