Rain Makes for Bike and Run Fun

I was lucky enough last week to get in a bike workout and then a transition run on a cool day with light rain falling.

That wet workout reminded me of some epic events from past years that took place in really wet conditions.

Although many people instinctively retreat indoors to the stationary bike or treadmill during inclement weather, bike and run events or workouts that take place in rain (or mud, or snow) are special and should be looked forward to.

One of my most memorable ride-in-the rain events took place on the second day of the 1999 Ride the Rockies cycling tour in Colorado.

That day’s ride was a 76-mile trip from Cortez to Telluride with the final part of the route going over the 10, 222 foot Lizard Head Pass and then down into Telluride.

As is typical in the mountains during the summer, storm clouds had started building over the higher terrain during the early afternoon and as the pack of 2,000 cyclists slowly pedaled their way up toward the top of Lizard Head, we rode straight into a heavy thunderstorm.

The final ascent to the summit and the twisting 1,500-foot switchback descent down into Telluride took place in blinding rain, hail and thunderous flashes of lightening — an experience that none of that year’s tour riders will ever forget.

On another occasion, I raced the annual Barking Dog Duathlon in the rural eastern Colorado community of Keensburg on a late spring day that was marked by steady, unrelenting rain with the temperature hovering around 45 degrees.

The Barking Dog was the largest duathlon in Colorado, so there were hundreds of athletes splashing through standing water during the running legs of the race and then doing jet ski imitations on their bikes.

All cyclists had the pleasure of riding 30 kilometers while enduring what’s know in cycling lingo as ‘a cold-water enema’ with the water being thrown upward off the back wheel constantly pelting each rider’s lycra-encased posterior.

Trail running races that take place during rainy conditions always end up being epic events, and race #3 of the 2012 San Angelo trail running series took ‘wet and epic’ to a completely new level.

The rain started falling on Friday and was still coming down at a steady rate on Saturday morning as runners lined up for the start of their 15-kilometer slog through the trails in San Angelo State Park.

Uphill and downhill sections of trail became small rivers with cold-water rapids and the flatter lowland sections morphed into muddy swamps with ankle-deep mud and water.

The park’s Nature Trail, normally a flat and fast stretch of red dirt winding through mesquite and cactus, was transformed into a red-mud lake with several inches of water covering a long and treacherous churned-up mud pit.

The options were run slow, walk fast, and try not fall with some runners laughing that swimming might have been a faster option.

It was wet, muddy, hard, cold, slippery, and miserable — all great ingredients for an epic race in the rain.

Here in the desert we don’t get to play in the rain a lot, so let’s hope the forecast El Niño weather pattern materializes this winter so we can do a lot of riding and running in the rain.

When the drops start falling, just lace up those running shoes or get on your bike and go outside to enjoy the wet conditions.

I guarantee you’ll enjoy the experience - rain combined with cycling or running is a recipe for fun workouts and epic races.



Upcoming Events
Nov. 1: 30K of the Dinosaur trail race, roadlizards.org
Nov. 1: Six Hours of the Dinosaur mountain bike race, angelobike.org/6hour-dinosaur
Nov. 15: West Texas Masochist Run II, roadlizards.org/events/masochists-relay-run/