"I like rain, actually"
About this Quote
A simple shrug of a sentence, "I like rain, actually", says more about Bill Rodgers than a boast ever could. The four-time Boston and four-time New York City Marathon champion built his legacy on mileage, modesty, and a New England comfort with weather that rarely cooperates. Liking rain is a runner’s way of making peace with what most people avoid. It acknowledges a practical advantage — cool, damp air helps keep the engine from overheating — while revealing a deeper habit of mind: welcome adversity, and it loses some of its power.
The quiet punch rests in that understated "actually". It gently contradicts expectation, as if turning a frown into a private smile. Instead of resenting gray skies, a runner finds companionship in them. Rain softens the edges of the world, dampens noise, and reduces distractions. Roads shine. Footsteps and breath become the metronome. Training becomes more solitary, more elemental, less concerned with appearances. For a marathoner whose success came from day-after-day, high-mileage work, embracing rain is a declaration of consistency over comfort, process over image.
There is strategy in the sentiment. The athlete who chooses to like rain suffers less when it comes. Reframing discomfort as preference converts a liability into an advantage. Wet shoes and slick streets are still there, but irritation gives way to rhythm and patience. Rodgers’ era celebrated a blue-collar ethic: show up, run long, run again tomorrow. To say he likes rain honors that ethic and hints at the psychological alchemy elite endurance demands — taking what the day offers and turning it to use.
Beyond running, the line is an everyday philosophy. Do not wait for perfect conditions. Make allies of the inconvenient. Find clarity in the blur. The weather becomes a teacher, not a threat, and persistence becomes a kind of joy.
The quiet punch rests in that understated "actually". It gently contradicts expectation, as if turning a frown into a private smile. Instead of resenting gray skies, a runner finds companionship in them. Rain softens the edges of the world, dampens noise, and reduces distractions. Roads shine. Footsteps and breath become the metronome. Training becomes more solitary, more elemental, less concerned with appearances. For a marathoner whose success came from day-after-day, high-mileage work, embracing rain is a declaration of consistency over comfort, process over image.
There is strategy in the sentiment. The athlete who chooses to like rain suffers less when it comes. Reframing discomfort as preference converts a liability into an advantage. Wet shoes and slick streets are still there, but irritation gives way to rhythm and patience. Rodgers’ era celebrated a blue-collar ethic: show up, run long, run again tomorrow. To say he likes rain honors that ethic and hints at the psychological alchemy elite endurance demands — taking what the day offers and turning it to use.
Beyond running, the line is an everyday philosophy. Do not wait for perfect conditions. Make allies of the inconvenient. Find clarity in the blur. The weather becomes a teacher, not a threat, and persistence becomes a kind of joy.
Quote Details
| Topic | Nature |
|---|
More Quotes by Bill
Add to List
