Cheryl's 14 Mile Hypothermia Run.

Today... We ran long.   14 miles to be exact.   It was cool, pleasant, and rather uneventful.... until....

Well, let us start at the beginning first.   It was a pleasant 50 degrees  with a light wind blowing form the west. ( From the side,   not to our backs and not in our faces.)   That was the best we could have hoped for other than having no wind at all.

Cheryl started out in good spirits and ready to run.   I tried to keep the pictures down to a reasonable limit,  since I have cataloged this trail many times before.  
The ground had finally dried enough for my bike to not sink into the soft mud.
Meaning:  I was able to actually enjoy my ride alongside her today.  There were not many animals to see or chase, but that did not matter too much.

Check out the cool waves in the sky.

The clouds looked overcast, but not dark in a foreboding kind of way.  In fact,  we were able to witness cool wave patterns in the sky.   Kinda fun on a 2 hour run.

Cheryl completely soaked!

And then...just over three miles left from the car...the flood gates unleashed a deluge.  We knew there was a chance of showers today.  I had hoped that it would hold off until we had finished.

But alas,  it did not.
I don't have any pictures of the downpour, since I did not want to ruin the high-tech digital camera.   All I could do was snap a final picture of Cheryl before we crammed into the Subie.   Hopefully the rain on the windows and glasses will give you a hint of the conditions.  I also discovered I'm not very good at taking Selfies.   I have a knack for shooting up my nostrils. (pictures NOT shown for aesthetic reasons.)

In less than 5 minutes we were totally soaked.   I was slightly more lucky in that I had several layers on to slow the dampness down.  However,  it still permeated through to my skin.
 I was thankful that the camera did not get damaged from the dampness since the inside of my coat offered very limited protection.  Cheryl had even less protection from the elements, and was forced to change out of her soaked clothes and wrap up in the blanket.   ( Yeah Wool!) There is not much one can do at that point, other than finish.  There was no where to stop or seek shelter.  There was only one place to run, and that was the three miles to the car.  We were already totally wet, with the wind now blowing cold air.  This is how you practice being miserable.

So....after showering up and drying off...Cheryl is once again, showing off her Sushi Skills.   We are having smoked salmon with cream cheese and green onion Sushi.
  Yum!  Tonight we shall sample Longboard Island Lager,  A beer inspired by the beaches of Hawaii.   And who could not use a taste of the warm Pacific beaches on a rainy day in Iowa?

Hope everyone else is staying dry and warm.   I hear it is snowing in Michigan...again.   It snowed here just yesterday...briefly.  It did not stay on the ground, but there were definitely flakes in the air.   I'm just hopeful that the cold front has pushed through and now the warmer weather will stay around for a while.

  Cheryl has a Run next weekend after all.   The Dam to Downtown 10 K will have to be Cheryl's "Comeback" race since the ill-fated Turkey Trot.  Wish her luck.   I know I will be there cheering her on and taking pics.....