I’m standing at the kitchen window with a cup of tea going cold in my hand, watching the rain come down in that grey, relentless British way. The kids are sprawled on the sofa behind me, the telly is on, and it would be so, so easy to just say “not today.”
Toby does not agree. He is sitting by the back door giving me that look. You know the one.
The Excuse That Kept Growing
For a long time, the weather was my get-out clause. And honestly, it is a brilliant one if you live in England. It is almost always raining, or about to rain, or recovering from rain. So I used it constantly.
The trouble is a skipped day turns into a skipped week before you even notice. You tell yourself you will go tomorrow, when it is nicer. Tomorrow comes and it is still drizzly, so you wait again. Next thing you know, two weeks have gone by and your trainers are still perfectly clean and dry by the door.
I did this cycle so many times in my first year of running that I am a little embarrassed to admit it.
The Honest Realisation
What changed for me was actually quite boring. I ran in the rain by accident once. I set off on a dry morning and it started halfway round my usual riverside loop. I had no choice but to finish. And you know what? I got a bit wet. That was it. I did not melt. I was not struck by lightning. I got slightly damp and then I went home and had a shower.
It sounds ridiculous when I type it out like that, but sometimes you need to just experience the thing to stop being scared of it.
Also, Toby has genuinely started dragging me out. He will nudge my hand with his nose and stare at the lead until I give in. A soggy retriever with sad eyes is, it turns out, more motivating than any app on my phone.
What Actually Helped (Cheap Stuff, Not Fancy Kit)
I am not going to pretend I went out and bought some brilliant waterproof running jacket. I did not. Budget is always a thing in this house.
What genuinely helped was a few small things. Good socks made a bigger difference than I expected. Wet feet in thin cotton socks are miserable, and that misery is what your brain remembers when the next rainy day comes around. A cheap cap with a brim keeps the rain off your face so you can actually see where you are going. And not overdressing matters too because you warm up fast once you are moving, rain or no rain.
I also stick to my shorter loop on rainy days, the one that brings me back past the house after about fifteen minutes. That way if I am genuinely soaked and fed up, I can duck in. I almost never do, but knowing I could helps me start.
If you are just getting going with running, I wrote a post about the basic kit that actually matters for beginners, and comfortable, decent socks are on that list for exactly this reason. Small investment, real difference.
The Bit I Did Not Expect
Running in the rain has become one of my favourite things. I know. I did not see that coming either.
The riverside trail is almost empty on wet mornings. It is just me and Toby and the sound of the water and the rain on the leaves. It feels a bit dramatic in the best possible way. Like I am doing something, even when everything around me is grey and damp.
There is a real little boost that comes from going out when you could have stayed in. It is one of the things that has honestly kept me going when my motivation wobbles, and if you have ever struggled with that side of things, I found this post I wrote about how to keep motivated with your running helpful to look back on myself on the difficult weeks.
And Toby. Toby absolutely loves the mud. He comes back looking like a completely different dog and he is so happy about it. Lol.
Don’t Wait for a Nice Day
If you are a beginner waiting for perfect running weather in Britain, I say this with love: you are going to be waiting a very long time.
Give it one go. Pick a short route, put a cap on, accept that your shoes will need a rinse afterwards. You might surprise yourself. And if you have a dog like mine, well. You do not really have a choice anyway 🙂
Pat x