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Rich on Running: For bad weather, cross that bridge when you come to it
While the trees, bushes and grass must love the rain that has descended upon Greater Boston – right in time for Lilac Sunday – chances are this is one “hydration” that local runners won’t like.
Running in the rain just isn’t for me. Rain makes my normally light jacket feel like a heavy winter coat. My sneakers get drenched whenever I hit a puddle. And the one time I went barefoot running in wet conditions, I sustained my first running-related injury: a cut toe.
Still, the sight of a fellow runner braving rainy conditions one morning this week – in a T-shirt, no less – goaded me to try running that day, too. This time, unlike doing something unwise like going barefoot, I would play it pragmatic.
I covered my head and shielded my glasses with a ballcap. I layered up with a light jacket, sweatshirt and light long-sleeve shirt. (Maybe a little too much layering up.) Throw in the gray sweatpants from Target, plus my trusty New Balance sneakers, and I was all set for a run on a bike path along the Alewife Brook.
I warmed up for the run with a walk of a few blocks to the entrance of the bike path in Arlington. Centuries ago, in the waters by the path, Native Americans caught the fish that gave the Alewife Brook its name. Today there are other landmarks: the spire of a Serbian Orthodox Christian church, St. Sava, in Somerville; and a wooden footbridge that you tramp across to reach Henderson Street. The trees provided a bit of a canopy from the climate (thankfully, the rain had slackened), and the surface felt gentle as opposed to the hard concrete of a street or sidewalk.
Just remember, running in wet weather is not for everybody. I let my Westie, Daisy, a frequent running buddy, stay home for this run. I am sure she appreciated the gesture, especially since the rain picked up in time for the trip back.
Congratulations to St. John’s Prep track coach Ray Carey, who was named honorary chair of the Walk for HAWC (Healing Abuse Working for Change) in Salem this past Saturday.
Carey, a Revere native and Marblehead resident, has been affiliated with HAWC for “close to 20 years,” he said. For the past six years, he has been a board member of the organization, which helps victims of domestic violence in 23 cities in towns on the North Shore.
This year, for the first time in the 20-year history of the Walk for HAWC, there was also the option of a run along the 5-mile course. Carey said that about 250 runners registered for the fundraising event.
“It was an exciting additional feature,” he said. “It brought some new people into the event.”
He quipped, “It was a coincidence with a track coach being honored as honorary chair.”
Carey and his wife, Diane, opted to walk the course. He said that St. John’s guidance counselor Deb Tierney “mobilized” a strong turnout from the school, and veteran Prep coach and teacher John Boyle ran the race.
“A few kids from track ran,” Carey added. “They had Saturday and Monday meets, so they were instructed to run easy.”
There has been a bit of a symbiotic relationship between the Prep and HAWC, it seems.
“Originally, I contacted them to come into my classes at St. John’s,” Carey said. “They would speak about dating violence and other issues.”
He has found further help from HAWC in the areas of “socialization of gender, other things, differences and perceived differences between men and women that contribute in some way to the problem of domestic violence at times.
“The boys from St. John’s go to help at times,” he added.
Of his honorary chairmanship this year, he said, “I was surprised and humbled but really touched. I’ve been lucky in life … this was certainly one of the great honors of my life.”
Ready to hit the trails? The Lynn YMCA 3rd Annual Spring Fling 5K will take place at 10 a.m. next Saturday (May 19) at the Great Woods Road entrance to Lynn Woods. Cost is $15. Online registration is at active.com and closes at 11:59 p.m. next Friday.
Rich Tenorio can be reached at rtenorio@itemlive.com.
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