'Keeping Warm in the Rain'

To anyone not already involved, Edinburgh parkrun this morning looked more like a test of character than a timed 5K. It had been raining heavily since before dawn (4.30 here at this time of year) and thunder had been forecast - always a reassuring touch, though fortunately it never materialised! 

 As the runners, joggers and walkers turned up (perhaps a bit later than usual, and waiting for the start under any available tree cover), they demonstrated what could be interpreted as either varying degrees of optimism or of varying degrees of hardiness! 
(Or, as one might say, foolhardiness?)
 
Some, including myself, came fully armoured in waterproofs, hoods up and dressed ready for a mountain hike; others turned up in already soaked-through t-shirts and shorts, holding to the belief that “skin is waterproof, after all”. 

Yet others arrived in winter overcoats and with umbrellas, leaving everyone to guess their underlying philosophy!  

It’s true, we were a bit fewer than usual, as many people evidently decided to have a lie-in today. 

Still, that finish token waiting at the end - and the sense of achievement that goes with it - remains quite a motivator, and keeps the faces smiling, whatever the weather!