Motivation

I guess motivation is something most new runners struggle with. I started running when the dark nights had set in, the weather was turning lousy and damn, it was growing cold! Some people said I was mad. Maybe I am.


The hardest one for me was running when it rained and the first time I did this I became really disheartened. It was raining quite hard. I was as waterproof as I could be without sweating too much, and I had baby N strapped in the stroller, covered with his raincover.

I was doing quite well... until I came into contact with an older lady walking her dog. Usually I can't hear anything people might say to me because I have my music on, however on this occasion the song was changing and the silence gave way for her rant. According to her I was cruel--a terrible mother. I shouldn't be taking my baby out in the rain just because of my own vanity.


At first I was stunned--amazed that someone felt the need to pass judgement on another person who was doing exercise. It wasn't as though I was hurting my child, though to her I was. After a moment I asked her why I was so terrible when the only person getting wet was me! Baby N was snuggled up, and fast asleep. (He usually sleeps when I run.) Whereas I was drenched.



Now, maybe I should have simply ignored her and moved on but something about the situation got under my skin. I wasn't being vain, or being cruel to my child. If anything I was improving his lifestyle while I improved my own, so I asked her why a child being out in fresh air was cruel....to which she had no answer. While I was on a roll, I also asked why she wasn't a 'cruel' pet owner, as she was bringing her dog out in the rain and he wasn't covered like baby N was.
The woman was speechless, showing me she had spoken out without giving the situation any real thought. The altercation stuck with me, but not for the reasons you may think. I use it as a way of telling myself that I know what's right for my child, that people will always have something to say but it won't always be correct. I use it to prove to myself that no matter what people say I have to continue forward. I use it to motivate myself.

I know my lifestyle now is far healthier for baby N (and my other two boys) than it was a few years ago, so people's mean comments about my choices no longer matter. I will run regardless.