dark and wet

two words describe this morning's ride best:

1) dark
2) wet

i knew both before i started out. the dark was not a surprise at all. it was 4:45 when i set out. the wet wasn't all that much of a shock either. rain was in the forecast. the thing is, i didn't expect the wet to be quite as wet as the wet was.

i looked at radar before heading out and nothing was showing up. nothing at all! i thought, can't be that bad if it doesn't show up on radar.

the radar must've been broken.

though you could hardly call it a downpour, the water falling steadily from the sky was definitely more than a light sprinkle. my tights and shorts were soaked through almost immediately. my jersey, under my not-so-waterproof jacket, took a few seconds longer to reach saturation. we won't even talk about my gloves and socks.

thankfully, there wasn't a lot of wind to go along with the precipitation. it was a bit cool, but not at all chilly at 55 degrees. i was working hard and my core warmed up nicely.

after the first mile or two, the rain stopped. seriously. stopped completely. the road was dry! i thought, maybe it's just raining in argonia. for the next four or five miles i lived believing that delusion. then the rain started up again. wasn't too bad, but i'll admit i contemplated turning around. i pressed on. i had more time before i had to be back. this was the only ride i was going to get all day. keep going!

for two or three miles i rode on east, the rain getting heavier and heavier as i went. what did i care? i was drenched already. i climbed up nine-mile mile and, glancing at my watch, decided i needed to head for home. my 24-hour ems shift was scheduled to begin at 6:00. i couldn't be late.

the ride home was more of the same. rain falling steadily in the darkness. i wondered if the road that was dry earlier would still be dry. it wasn't. there was not respite this time.

i got home and lubed cato's chain and wiped down his frame. then i wrung out my clothes and hung them to dry. i took an extra long, extra warm shower to get rid of the chill and now i'm ready for breakfast with the lions. those helpful guys are serving pancakes and sausage. yum! (18.03 miles @ 17.2mph)