Running Through Ankle Deep Water
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Running Through Ankle Deep Water

Byrichard

Yesterday I went for a run, despite the rain being heavy. I wore a proper rain coat and waterproof trousers. I should have also worn waterproof shoes. I didn’t so I ended up soaked once again. What made this run special is that the rain was heavy from the start.


The rain was so heavy that water running from fields and hills was creating deep rivers that ran downhill along roads, filled with muddy water. Normal people would postpone their run for the following day, especially since we knew yesterday that the weather would be good for several days to come.


I got into the habit of walking and running in all weathers so the weather doesn’t affect whether I will go out or not. If it’s raining dog walkers and normal people are usually not out, so the paths we walk and run are free for us to enjoy.


I ran uphill for the first part and it felt hard. It always feel hard to run uphill but there isn’t much choice. If I run downhill I run along the roads where drivers have no respect for pedestrians. I walk and run uphill because that’s where I feel that the roads are safer from cars.


In this day and age everyone is trying to make towns and cities pedestrian friendly but when I lived in London, when I walked in Paris, London, Florence, Geneva and plenty of other cities I never felt bothered by cars. It’s in between villages and towns that cars behave cruelly towards pedestrians and cyclists. To me roads should be dedicated to cycling, running and walking, and there should be a requirement for dogs to be on leads.


I run up the hill because I know that where I am exposed to traffic the roads are wide and I have space to move away from the sadistic drivers speeding by pedestrians. I also walk along those roads because they’re wide enough for cars to avoid us, when no other cars are coming the other way. Where agricultural roads are used by normal cars, where they are wide enough for a car but not two, drivers drive too fast.


If I was driving I would slow down to walking speed as I pass pedestrians and cyclists. They don’t. They almost never slow down.


Yesterday, in the heavy rain I could have gone downhill and stayed dry. I didn’t. Every single time I walk along those roads I yell abuse at cars being driven too fast, too close to me. Words about wanting people to walk rather than drive are empty when you make it impossible to walk between villages and towns safely.


That’s why I went uphill. That’s why I went to the farm roads that flood when it rains. The fields get saturated in water and that water runs downhill, onto the road, and when it hits the road it runs down the road. Yesterday it rained so heavily, for so long, after several days that the roads were now deep rivers. The rivers were now ankle deep. I put my foot down, and the top of my shoes was underwater for a few steps.


I went to the side, I went to avoid the deep water, but I couldn’t avoid it all the time, so I ran through the river running down the road. My shoes and my socks got wet, and it wicked upwards, onto my trousers, up to my t-shirt. I was soaked from the shoes upwards.


I didn’t feel cold. I wasn’t bothered. It’s only rain and muddy water. I ran for 37 minutes in this rain, before I walked the rest of the way home. When I got home I put my shoes on an empty cardboard box, and hung the socks on the same box, to dry. If the box gets wet I don’t mind. It will be recycled anyway. So will the shoes I used.


A few months ago, or last year I frequently said that I was impatient for rainy weather, to have a rest day. Recently I have found that I will go out in all weather, whether we’re in a heat wave heavy rain or other. The time when I really would think twice about going out is on a cold and windy day. I find that rain is fine. It’s the cold wind that is unpleasant.


In circumstances like yesterday’s there are two choices. The first is to wear quick drying shoes, like I did, or to wear hiking boots, that reach above the ankles. The drawback to such shoes is that they are not good for running. Quick drying shoes, in yesterday’s situation were the best option. Feet get wet but we just change socks when we get home.

Cycling In The Rain

Cycling In The Rain

Byrichard

By some fluke I have now gone for two bike rides in the rain. The first time I rode in the rain my hands got cold and I had to warm myself up again. Yestrday I went for. a bike ride again, expecting the weather to stay good. It drizzled almost non-stop. As a result my socks got soaked and I was once again covered in splatters of muddy water. I didn’t even ride through mud. I was covered in mud despite riding on tarmac.


Shorts Weather


For the first time this season I rode in shorts rather than long cycling clothing. I didn’t feel cold. I didn’t regret it. I prefer summer cycling clothes because it’s easier to put on and to take off. It’s also less hassle generally. I didn’t bother with suntan lotion because I expected to be in cloud the whole time. That assumption was correct.


Barely Noticeable


Riding in the rain is no different to riding in the sun. In both situations if you ride beyond a certain intensity you’re going to be wet at the end of the ride. By riding the bike I didn’t come home, with shoes caked in mud as if I had walked.


Longer Stopping Distances


There is a big difference in stopping distance between good weather and bad weather cycling, especially with old fashioned brakes. When you apply the brakes they’re not half as efficient as normal. They’re old. My bike needs a service. I tightened the brakes after writing the last line.


A Shortened ride.


I got to a point where I could turn West and go towards Geneva or turn East to start heading home. I turned East to head home. Although the rain was light and I wasn’t getting soaked and cold I was getting wet. When I got home my socks were waterlogged but I felt quite dry, despite the wet legs, soaked socks and more. The rain fell gently enough for my body to warm it up, without feeling chilled. That’s perfect. That’s ideal.


And Finally


When I got home I took a shower, not to warm up, and not because I felt cold. I took the shower to remove the mud and dirt that had collected on my legs. Riding in the rain might be pleasant in some respects but it isn’t clean. I put my cycling clothes to wash, to remove the accumulated mud splatters and I changed socks, as the others had become soaked. The reflex. to wear a rain coat is not always justified. In this scenario I’d wear lighter socks, that absorb less moisture.

Day 57 of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – Another Walk In The Rain.

Byrichard

Walking in heavy rain for two and a half hours doesn’t make much sense. You don’t see much. The more time you spend outside the more of you is wet, and by the time you get home you’re cold and in need of warming up.


It’s day 57, the 11th of May. In theory Switzerland has rebooted in safe mode and we can start returning to normal life. I don’t know whether the shops or other places were busy because I didn’t go into any shops.


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My daily walk.

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Day 47 Of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – A Walk In The Rain
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Day 47 Of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – A Walk In The Rain

Byrichard

Yesterday I went for a walk in the rain. I walked for two hours, took pictures and listened to Echo Der Zeit and this episode of the Thru-Hiking podcast. Gretel Scarlet was the interviewee. She talked about South Bound (SOBO) hiking the PCT.


It’s interesting to see how different her attitude was to most people’s, how being a dancer, and someone who considers nutrition, speaks differently of food and injuries.


Thanks to the rain most people stayed indoors. This was a good opportunity to walk along routes that I have been avoiding for weeks due to the pandemic. In the process, my trousers and shoes got soaked so I was squelching along. Even cars were not that frequent. I crossed two people during my ten-kilometre walk.


A walk in the rain during the 2020 Pandemic.


I walked through a wooded part and the trail that I usually follow was now a river. I had to step to the side of the path to avoid walking through the “stream” that it had now become. My shoes were already wet from walking through some tall grass earlier on.


I used to be a cold water diver so being wet doesn’t bother me. I was comfortable for almost the entire walk. It’s only during the last kilometre when I turned to walk into the wind that I started to feel cold and tired. By this point my trousers were soaked and the humidity was moving upwards.


I had considered making the route longer when crossing the last village before home but decided not to. I didn’t want to have to walk along the road when agricultural paths were clear of people. In light of how I felt on the last leg that was a good decision.


@richardazia

##rain ##river ##switzerland

? Let’s Do It Again – J Boog