It’s Friday which means the 5 a.m. running club was supposed to meet and run this morning. My alarm went off a 4:09 and I looked at the radar on my phone. It showed rain. And I hate running in the rain. I reset my alarm for 5:09 and went back to sleep. At 5:09 I looked at the radar again. More rain. And I hate running in the rain. So I set my alarm for 6:09. At 6:09 I looked at the radar once again. Even more rain. And I really hate running in the rain. So I got up to get ready.
I looked at my shoes and clothes sitting on the edge of the tub. Then I listened to the rain hitting the skylight. You know, it really wasn’t heavy and there wasn’t any thunder or lightning. And I was going to get wet from sweat anyway.
So I ran five miles in the rain.
The best part was when I was running along the path in the woods. The rain danced on the leaves, making a soothing symphony of sound that salved my soul. A cool breeze wrapped around me, comforting me as my heart and lungs worked in tandem to propel my legs forward. I thought about my life, where I am right now in it and where I REALLY want to go. I thought about what motivates me and what should motivate me.
I missed my friends this morning. I hope they had a good run. But I’m thankful that I had the discipline to get up and run in the rain without them. It washed away so many of the problems that are bothering me.
Although I cannot remember starting out on a run in the rain, I have been caught during the middle of a run many times by a rain storm. Yes, I agree there is something very cleansing about running in the rain! People stop and ask if you want a ride. They cannot understand that I am actually enjoying the experience!