Why go running in the rain
Only consistent action, independent of the circumstances that you cannot control, will yield excellent, dependable results. But those are the results you deserve.
Sometimes I’m changing into exercise clothes when I hear it on the skylight above: Plunk-a-plink-a-tap-tap.
Rain.
It always makes me breathe a heavy sigh and rethink my plans for the day. Should I run later? Maybe it won’t be raining in two hours. Or maybe I need a rest day?
But usually I force myself to finish getting ready and hit the road. On those solitary, rainy mornings, I often ask, Why am I running in the rain?
The answer is always the same: Because it’s raining.
You see, running is my coffee. It chases sleepiness away. It makes my mind feel invigorated and sharp. Sometimes, the morning run is my sacred space. If I canceled all that because of rain, I would surrender my morning routine to something out of my control.
Obstacles to goals that you can’t control
This same thinking goes for any worthwhile goal or any activity that brings you joy. There will always be circumstances outside your control that could keep you from doing what you want.
But at the end of the day, do you want to say, “I did it!,” or do you want to say, “I would have, but…”
Here are a few examples of these statements:
“I would have finished writing my book, but I got a New York Times email with some really intriguing headlines.”
“I would have eaten healthier, but someone brought cookies to the office.”
“I would have practiced piano, but it was cold.”
“I would have met up with my friends for basketball, but someone cut me off in traffic and then I was mad.”
Statements like this reveal that you are not making choices. Instead, you’re expressing hopes and letting circumstances decide for you.
Regulate your emotions rather than the other way around
The author Dan Koe recently shared on LinkedIn, “Once you learn to act regardless of how you feel, you create potential for the exponential progress that comes with consistency.”
But if we only do good things when anxiety, fear, boredom, shame, worry or other emotions don’t popup, then then we lose almost all hope of consistency and success.
In the recent book Build the Life You Want, by happiness researcher Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey, the authors share how we need to regulate our emotions rather than letting our emotions regulate us. One way to do this is to do the opposite of what you feel like doing when driven by negative emotions.
According to this article from James Madison University, “Every emotion has an emotion-driven behavior or urge. It is possible to change the negative emotion by doing the opposite of its behavior."
Running the good race
Several years ago I crammed into a podcast studio with Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to officially enter the Boston Marathon, and a couple of students who were interviewing her.
Switzer encouraged one of the students—a NCAA championship competitor—to always block off time for running. “When everything else in life is totally unmeasurable, … at least with the run, you’ve gotten something accomplished,” she said. “You’ve done it for yourself.”
That moment stuck with me. It reminds me to commit to doing what’s important rather than hoping for the opportunity.
So that’s why I run in the rain—because it’s raining, and I’m going to run anyway.
It’s why I typed finishing touches on this article while fighting to keep my eyelids open—because I’m tired. But I’m going to write anyway.
I hope that the next time you face proverbial rain, you’ll go on a proverbial run. Commit to doing what is important to you regardless of the circumstnaces.
Only consistent action, independent of the circumstances that you cannot control, will yield excellent, dependable results. But those are the results you deserve.