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The first four miles on Saturday ended with me walking to the finish line. Started out feeling stiff in both knees, but that usually only lasts for the first mile at most. Everything was going good by the end of the second mile. I thought that eight would not be a problem. (The longer runs always seem easy at the beginning.)
Somewhere during the fourth mile my right knee started feeling stiff again. I tried to compensate but by the last quarter mile it was obvious I wasn't going to be finishing eight. I also have a rule: if I can't work out what is causing me pain within a couple of laps, I am not going to risk severe injury by continuing. That may sound weak, but I have learned from past experience. It is better to stop and try again tomorrow, than to keep going and be unable to try again for six weeks.
The first four miles today ended with rain. The first drops hitting the track became a warm vapor that came up around my ankles and calves feeling like a relaxing sauna. Then the rain picked up and the feeling of warmth faded away. I could have headed to my car like everyone else. I wanted to keep running.
There wasn't any stiffness in my knees today and I didn't think the rain would last. Besides, my shirt was already soaked and by the end of eight miles very little else would be dry anyway. The clouds were pretty thin, so the rain did only last about twenty minutes--or about a mile and a half. It should have been closer to two miles, but I'm still having trouble keeping a steady pace after the first three miles or so.
All-in-all today was a win. I went out with a goal of eight miles and finished it despite the rain. It doesn't completely make up for the fail on Saturday, but I have heard it said, "You can't win 'em all."