September 1, 2011 - 4 miles

Not every run can be accomplished in ideal situations. Mid-60s, sunny with a few white, fluffy (It's so FLUFFY!!!) clouds and enough of a breeze to keep cool just doesn't happen every day. More often than not, there's some challenge with the run due to the conditions. I've had to run in the heat and humidity, the snow with giant drifts, and the pouring down rain just to mention a few. Now that the days are getting shorter, I've added 'running in the dark' to the list. The suburbs, while sufficiently side-walked, do try to limit the number of street lamps therefore it can be difficult to see at times. But training runs won't run themselves so out I venture...in obnoxiously bright clothing of course.

The affect of running in less than ideal conditions is interesting. As much as I would like to always have the perfect day, the best weather, these training runs are equally important, maybe even more important. On a sunny day, it's easy to be distracted by the sights and sounds around me. I may not be as focused on the run itself. When it's dark, I'm forced to focus on the steps ahead of me. I concentrate on the details of the path I'm on. I'm more aware of the cars and other traffic because I know with certainty that they are not aware of me. The only close encounters I've had with vehicles are when running on a bright day because I wasn't paying attention. It may seem that the hazards are higher when running after the sun sets, but the run is still necessary, darkness or not. At times, I've had a friend to help guide me pointing out things to watch out for. Other times, I have to travel the dark places alone.

It's the same with the dark places we travel through life. I would love for life to be all sunshine and happiness all the time. But the dark times are necessary, too. They can serve to focus us from distractions, to look only at the path before us. Sometimes we have guidance and a helping hand when we stumble. Other times, it's important that we travel that path alone. During one of my previous runs, it was in the middle of the day, but a storm was coming. Coming up to my last mile, I had sunshine to the South of me and storms to the North. To get home, I needed to turn North. With the clouds dark and menancing, it would have been nicer to turn South. But South didn't lead home. It was necessary to purposely go into the storm, to face the clouds and rain before me. Because once I was through it, I was where I was meant to be. I was home.