Dust storms are called haboobs in Arizona. When the men and women of the military returned from Iraq a few years ago, they brought back some middle-eastern desert terminology. Haboob was one of these terms.
This morning was overcast and windy. It was still warm but it was a pleasant change from the unrelenting heat. The wind picked up mid-morning and it started to rain eventually turning into a torrential downpour. It rained about an inch in less than an hour. I was loving it!
The smell of the desert was everywhere. This smell is emitted by a listless desert shrub called the creosote bush with tiny yellow spring flowers. When the creosote bush gets wet, it has a distinct and refreshing desert aroma.
Right after it stopped raining at around 10AM, I went out for my fartlek run around my office. It drizzled a bit as I was running making conditions quite perfect for most of the run. I got pretty hot towards the end of the run though; I ended up doing a sub-8-minute pace for almost 6.5 miles in 50+ minutes. I hope the rain continues…