Running in the rain makes you resilient… or crazy 

Just after I took this photo, the rain came down. I knew it was coming. The weather app warned me. But I was happy. I was hoping to make it to this point before the shower. Thankfully, the lightning didn’t show up until I was nearly done. By the time I finished I was drenched.

In the past, a dear family member or two would call me crazy for running in inclement weather. Friends usually say nothing but give me that look as if I had sniffed too much rubber cement in my early graphic design days.

Maybe it is crazy. Then again, I hate the cold and you couldn’t pay me to wait in line on a cold, wet day-after-Thanksgiving morning to usher in the Christmas shopping season. If I’m crazy, it’s a selective malady.

So why would I do it? Why run on a rainy, cool September morning?The same reason I will run on an icy, cold, dark January morning with a near-zero wind chill. Because perfect days are rare. I now know that’s true, whether in Indiana, Florida, Arizona or Ohio. When those perfect running days happen, embrace them. But don’t expect them to be around much. If you’re going to get out there, You better take the challenging weather days as well as the perfect ones. It builds resiliency.

It’s the same endurance you need when you are going through life. The perfect days are rare. Cars break down. Good people disagree with you. Jobs disappear. Unexpected bills greet you like a jogger-chasing dog. We all have our issues and each day is far from perfect.

But each day is valuable and full of good experiences too. An unexpected check comes in the mail. You find unity with a trusted friend. You discover you worked yourself into your dream job.

Take the bad with the good. Get out there and run each day. A little rain may fall on your brow, but the risk is worth it.