It was raining so heavily during my warm up walk it was almost comical. I run in hiking gear, and I was wearing a ripstop nylon shirt - no problem in rain - but poly cotton hiking trousers which I thought was a mistake as they were soaked through before I started running. Next time I'll wear nylon trousers as well. With heavy trousers I was expecting a rubbish time especially as I could see my heart rate was lower than usual - staying below 140 bpm.
But surprisingly (to me) my pace was faster than all week 7 runs which were done in better conditions. By half distance I felt very comfortable and looking at the data the further I ran the faster I ran.
Maybe I'm getting a little fitter, although it seems to me that managing these longer runs may be as much in the mind as down to the body.