run in the rain

I woke up Monday morning determined to get in a 2-mile run before the end of the day. Rainy days and a busy schedule had kept me from pounding the pavement for a few days and I’m trying to get back into the groove of running so I can register for a few big races next year.

The elements were against me. Thanks to the end of Daylight Savings Time I knew it’d be pitch black before 6 p.m. and because of a little run-in a sports car had with my rear end back in 2008, I’m terrified of running at night. But I left work on time (I’m a teacher and can technically leave at 3:06 p.m. but rarely ever do) and made it home and changed into my running gear before 4 p.m.

But there was another problem. Those same clouds that had been raining on my parade for the past few days were threatening to do so again. I considered putting on one of my favorite fitness DVDs and giving up on my run but something inside rebelled against that idea.

So I headed out the door.

About one minute into my run the drizzle started.

I thought about turning around but then I said to myself running in the rain needs to be part of my training. After all, If it’s raining on a race day I’m obviously not going to just stay home.

So I kept going. But so did the rain.

The drizzle graduated into a light shower. I’d left home without a puncho. Water was running down my arms.

I kept going.

When I was just shy of my one-mile marker I was tempted to turn around early. Then the muses and the universe hit me with a metaphor I just couldn’t ignore. I realized that working to build a blog into a highly successful business (which is what many of the women of See Jane Write are striving to do) is oftentimes a lot like running in the rain.

Very seldom do we have the ideal conditions in which to run this race. We have day jobs to work and families to care for. We have personal problems that always pop up at the worst possible times. We have friends and a partner we’d actually like to sometimes see. Sometimes we get sick. Sometimes we’re just tired. Sometimes we’re sick and tired of being sick and tired!

But we must keep going. We can’t sit around and wait for the rain to stop, for the clouds to break and the sun to shine.

You can’t wait until you have more time or more money to build your business.

You can’t wait until you have that home office you’ve always wanted to write that book.

You can’t wait until you have a fancy DSLR camera to start your blog.

We can’t wait until conditions are perfect because they never will be.

We must run the race, even if we’re running in the rain.

I finished my 2-mile run. When I got home I was soaked. And I felt great!

What dreams are you willing to “run in the rain” for? Share your goals in the comments section.