Running in the Rain

Saturday was a beautiful day. The sky was blue; there was a slight breeze in the air; the sun was shining; the temperature hoovered around 75 degrees. The perfect day for a run. Unfortunately, due to the fact that Jon was out of town, I missed my regularly scheduled Saturday morning run with my friends. This meant I had to do my long run by myself on Sunday. I wasn't looking forward to running so far all by myself, and then I woke up early Sunday morning to a dark and ominous sky. A complete reversal from Saturday's picture-perfect weather. I knew it was going to rain Sunday, but I didn't think it'd be storming so badly. As I pondered not running at all that day, I knew I'd be hurting next weekend and regret not going, so I decided to simply wait it out. The forecast did indicate the worst of the showers were coming to an end. After about an hour, the raining stopped pounding and turned into a light drizzle (or so it appeared!). I then decided to just go for it. In hindsight, if I would have known how bad the weather actually was, I probably wouldn't have even stepped outside the door. That is the beauty of making this sort of decision by simply looking at the window. Walking through the neighborhood, I already regretted my decision, and over the next several minutes, I changed my mind a zillion times. Eventually I realized that I was already soaking wet and things weren't going to get much worse. When my mind finally made the mental switch and accepted the misery that lay ahead, I actually appreciated the cool rain and cloudy sky, despite the fact that I was drenched from head to toe. After running a while, amazingly enough, I felt good. I was enjoying some tunes, happy to be outside, thankful to have some alone time, excited to take a new route, and anxious to test my legs. I know to some I may sound crazy. Why even contemplate going out in the rain, especially running 15 miles in a constant downpour? But the answers is actually quite simple. Because I can. I am strong, competitive and determined. I am healthy, able and thankful. I have legs and feet that can carry me, a heart and lungs that fill me, and a mind and perseverance that push me. I didn't see another crazy person out running that morning, and I'm proud of that fact. As cheesy as this sounds (and yes, it actually did happen!), after 14-some miles, I turned onto the road to head home and ended my rainy run on these notes: "I run for hope. I run to feel. I run for the truth. For all that is real. I run for your mother, your sister, your wife. I run for you and me, my friend. I run for life." (Melissa Etheridge)