Well, OK, so I haven’t been posting.  But I have been exercising, so I suspect you’ll forgive me.

In fact, I’ve been running.  A lot.  I actually made it up to 5 miles.  In a single work out!  That’s incredible for me - I haven’t run that far since high school.  Has it really been 20 years?  Wow.  Should old people really run that much at once?  Sigh.

In the process of “becoming” a runner again, I’ve ended up on the email lists of a few sports retailers.  This morning I received a promotion that looked pretty good, and I began looking for another pair of running pants.  (In our harsh Arizona winters it’s about 35 degrees in the morning when I run, I won’t be able to wear shorts again until at least February….).

And then I found these “breathable rain pants”.

Get this: the product description states ”You’ll slice through rain in this breathable, water resistant, windproof pant designed for free movement.”

What kind of crazy person runs in the rain? On purpose?! 

Someone who really freaking loves to run, I guess.   I mean, rainy days are why treadmills were made, right?  Of course, I hate running on treadmills…but that can’t be as bad as running in the freezing rain, could it?!

True, I can envision a summertime run with a welcoming - yet unexpected - cloudburst that cools you off.  Facing that, I would definitely keep running.  But I still don’t think you’d see me leave the house to start a run while it was raining. 

Just who are these loonies running in the rain?  There must be a number of them - enough to drive the product development that resulted in these “rain pants”. 

I guess my biggest question is WHY?  Set me straight. If you are one of these crazy, rain-running, rain-pant purchasing people, please enlighten me and post a comment.  Perhaps your rain-running wisdom will help me defeat my Inner Slug on those cold, drizzly mornings.

Tags: rain pant, rain pants, running

So maybe I was being a bit arrogant.  A little too boastful, even, regarding my ability to maintain my committment to a daily workout for two full weeks without missing a day at the gym.

Plus, I had concurrently stayed on top of a variety of projects, including all household activities, pending travel, my daughter’s back-to-school routine and two separate visits from out-of-town family.  A true record for me!  I was riding high on this sense of accomplishment.  Woo-hoo!

But my prideful euphoria and Superwoman self-image was soon whisked away.

I read that Sarah Palin - Vice-Presidential Nominee, Governor of Alaska, mother of five children (one of whom is a pregnant teenager, another an infant with Down’s Syndrome) - is working her way back up to her daily 7-10 mile run. 

In Alaska.

Where - by Slug standards - it’s only possible to go outdoors for 2.25 months per year.

I felt a little hopeful when the reporter asked about Palin’s exercise pitfalls.  Palin said that her biggest obstacle to consistency was being pregnant every few years.  That made me think that she likely falls victim to her Inner Slug, too!

But then:

“If I get lazy and go weeks or months without exercising it’s not because of circumstances but because I’m being less disciplined. Shame on me.”

Great.  She avoided hiding behind an easy excuse and took responsibility.  What kind of politician is she, anyway?

Tags: running, Sarah Palin