Rain, snow, wind, sleet and darkness.

I am up in Seattle working for a few days this week. On Saturday night I got done with work around 5 pm and really wanted to get a long run in this weekend. As I was working on Sunday and traveling home I could have only run early in the morning. So Saturday night was the best choice. Got back to the hotel got the rain gear on, grabbed a water bottle and drove to a sporting goods store to get some gels. By the time I got to the parking lot it was 6 pm and the skies a mixture of grey and black with a stiff breeze out of the south. I dressed for the occasion with half tights and shorts on the bottom and 1 short dri-fit, 1 long dri-fit, a thick vest and a rain jacket on the top. Gloves and a hat topped it off.
I parked off 188th in Tukwilla where it is a great spot to jump on the Green River Trail. I would run south to Kent and then pick up the Interurban Trail to head back north at around mile 9. Then its back north for about 8 miles then catch the Green River Trail back south to my car.
The weather was pretty good for the first 1.5 hours with just a headwind to create the illusion of a slight uphill run all the time. I had the tunes on the entire time today and it did seem to help pass the time. Once I made the turn back Northbound the skies started to open up. Only a light rain at first. Then it got dark and it really started coming down. The last 45 minutes or so it was mostly snowing. Yeah it is crazy...snow in western Oregon and Washington in late March! I never got really cold except for my quads but I was soaked everywhere as the wind really pushed the rain and snow through my clothes.
I finished 18.5 miles in 3:05 which was pretty good for me without pushing it. I felt great afterwards too. It is funny how just a few years ago 18 miles would have been a huge thing. Now its just a little cruise around town. Time is the only thing that prevents me from doing more long runs. I didn't keep track of mileage this week but it was over 40 miles which is great. Seems like the only time I get that many miles anymore is when I have done a race that week. But summer is on its way and it will be easier to get out and enjoy the runs.
Did I tell you I love Daylight Savings Time????