Today I did something I’ve never done before… I ran in the rain. Grant it, that’s not groundbreaking but for a black man in his 40’s, that’s big. In case you didn’t know, black people don’t do physical activity in the rain, let alone run. Mind you, many people have already told me I’m not acting my race (no pun intended) by running.
Now, I must be honest, my intention was not to run in the rain. I looked at the forecast before I started and saw a 40% chance of rain so decided to roll the dice. The first half mile was good, and I thought the rain would hold off, but boy was I wrong.
As I approached the one-mile mark, it started sprinkling. I figured I’d keep going for a while and see what happens. Besides, my truck was about a mile away, so I didn’t have much of a choice.
Once I got to the two-mile mark, I had a decision to make, do I go back to my truck or keep going? Mind you, this was my long run… 8 miles. (All you advanced runners, give me a break. I’m a 45-year-old average runner who didn’t start taking this seriously until I was 41ish).
Anyway, I kept going.
Before I continue with this story, allow me to paint a picture of the track for you. It’s a two-mile loop with a straightway that extends an additional mile or so. Normally, I park along the straight of the track, walk a short stint, and start running just before the loop starts.
On my Friday runs, I’ll do three laps, which is approximately six miles, and accumulate the other two miles on the straightway.
Now that you have that mental picture, let’s pick back up where I left off.
So, I’m making my second loop, and the rain starts getting harder. At this point, I’m thinking I’ve made a mistake. But, at about the 2.25 mark, I noticed a group of people (15 or so) in the distance, lying on their backs doing flutter kicks… in the rain.
As passed through them, I said to myself, “Surely if they’re out here lying on a wet ground, I can handle running in it.
That sight kept me motivated for another mile and a half but as I approached the point where I could easily go back to my truck, the rain got a little harder. I had all kinds of thoughts going through my head.
- I should probably shut it down because there’s a chance I’m damaging my feet.
- I should keep going because I’ve never done it and it’ll be cool.
- I’ll probably get sick if I keep running because not only is it raining, but it’s also cold.
- You won’t hit your mileage goal for the week if you stop… so keep going.
I went back and forth on what I should do as I approached the straightway back to my truck and then a song came on that got me pumped. The Weekend, “I Can’t Feel My Face”.
Normally, I run to an audiobook or an album, but on this occasion, for whatever reason, once I was finished with the album I was listening to, I let whatever was recommended play.
So, The Weekend was blasting in my ears, and something told me to not think about my feet, don’t worry about getting sick, and keep running.
Interestingly, my pace got faster the third time around. I felt amazing and completed the run feeling like I had only done three miles.
To not drag this story on any longer, let me say that I was proud of myself. I was able to push through some challenges along the way and accomplish something I had never done. This motivated me to challenge myself in other areas, like business.
Hopefully, this article has inspired you too. What’s the last thing you did that you were proud of? Leave me a comment below and let me know. Maybe we can start a chain reaction of motivation.