Running in the rain

Summer and early fall in Florida is the rainy season. Typically, afternoon rains that are short lived. One might think this would be an excellent time to run and enjoy a brief reprieve from the heat. However, lightening and thunder often accompany these rains. Lightening strikes are very common in Florida and result in several fatalities at year. Therefore, the experienced Floridian takes shelter during these potentially cooling rains.
Today, I ran with my daughter's XC team in Sarasota. The sunrise was accompanied my clouds and rain. We waited til the early storms passed and then went out for the weekly bridge run. It didn't take long for the clouds to find us and periods of rain were strong. The thunder held off until the end and we managed to complete the distance.
Running in the rain does provide an opportunity to test equipment to be used in the marathon. Cloths typically do not cause a problem until at least 15 miles. I have found that SmartWool socks can take a soaking and not leave blisters. Carrying my cellphone in a baggy placed in my waist pouch also helps to keep it dry. During this part of my marathon training I start to decide what clothes I will wear in the marathon. It will certainly be a lot cooler in Ireland, but I am able to decide what rubs an doesn't at this point. Tomorrow is a 20 miler so I will test a new hydration pak with a gel flask for the first time in a while. I am leaning toward the Hammer gels at this stage. I am using a combination of Accelerade and Motortabs for hydration.