Resolution Run 2010

New Year's day arrived cloaked in clouds. By mid-morning, the soft showers had transformed into a drenching downpour. Still pajama-clad, I lazily looked out the window, warmly remembering all the tropical storms I've enjoyed in the past few years. A smile slowly emerged as I entertained the idea of dancing in the rain..... "Better yet..." I thought, "I should go for a run!"

About to set out on my run....

New Year's is always about the resolutions. People make them, in no time, they break them, and by February, they completely forsake them. So this year, I decided not to make the traditional list. No declarations of what I will change this year, or what I desire to accomplish. This does not mean there are not changes to be made or desires to be fulfilled..... but all those things - the goals, changes, desires - were all encapsulated into a run: a resolution run.

Heading out into the cold, pummelling rain...

It was only about a 2-mile run, a petty, insignificant distance in the world of running, but it was highly symbolic of this new year to come.....

It represented literally what I want to achieve in terms of running: I want to continue running, despite the weather, despite my schedule, despite the stresses of life. But it also signified, in a broader sense, how I want to live this year: setting out despite the challenges, persevering even when the conditions aren't ideal, pressing onward when rain is blurring my sight and puddles are soaking me every step along the way.... yet there is a smile on my face, a happiness in my heart, and a peace in my soul.

Smiling & soaking wet afterward

Near the end of my run, the rain once again had dwindled down to a drizzle. The clouds no longer looked so threatening, and off in the distance there was even a slight possibility of blue skies showing through in the near future. I hope even that is symbolic of how this new year will be..... I hope the clouds that have been plaguing me will begin to recede allowing a chance for the sun to shine. Perhaps, this year will bring some blue skies into my life!!