Praise for a wet run

I was really dreading my run last night. It was cold and it had been raining all day. The carrot at the end of my stick was that after I finished my run, I was meeting up with friends to go see a movie. That's what got me through the entire soggy day anticipating a miserable run. "Run for the movie" became my motto.

I took 2 hours of vacation time to get the run in with enough time to shower and change before meeting my friends for a pre-show dinner. So I headed to the trail at 3:15 in my running tights, long-sleeved shirt and wind breaker. It was not actually raining when I started my 4 miles but it soon started - first a mist, then a light rain and then windy, sideways rain.

But a funny thing happened. I was actually enjoying my run. The rain pelted my face, my clothes grew soggy and the wind whipped around me with a November fury but it didn't seem to phase me. I lifted my knees higher, pumped my arms faster and enjoyed the rhythm I was in. I knew in that momen,t as water was streaming down my face, that I was doing something important. I was working toward a goal that few people ever reach. I was proving to myself what I could do. There was something special about me. And that's something I don't remember very often.

The next time my legs are sore, my run too long or my desire to run nonexistent, I hope I remember that run and what it represents.