Are We There Yet?
| Category: General, Sports and Wine, All about me | 4 Comments
There are two types of running that I’ve noticed in my time here on this lonely planet; there are those people who are running to run, i.e. for fun/physical activity, and there are those people who are running to get some place. (As in, they’re late, they’re trying to catch a bus, or saw a UFO, and are calling the tabloids.) I’ve rarely fallen into either category, preferring to be in the third category, Those Who Make Fun of People Who Run.
“That person? Running to run. That one, running to get somewhere… That one, feeling the ground shake as they plod by…”
One of the many reasons that I haven’t been blogging lately is because I’m afraid of you, Internet. The truth is, I’ve been “training” for a 5K. I didn’t want to tell you in case I decided I couldn’t do it, or I failed miserably. Yes, running. Even though God told me not to. I started way back in August, (the 7th, to be exact) and the results have been mixed. I was doing really well on the treadmill. No, really. Ask Zigzag, he watched me. I haven’t really lost any weight, but I think I’ve traded fat in for muscle, so it’s hard to tell. I certainly feel in better shape. I’ve been using a great program entitled “Couch Potato to 5K.” I was up to running 2.5 miles in 25 minutes, with no walking (again, on the treadmill, where you have to run, or are forced to do the desperate lunge for the change-of-speed button.) In case you were wondering, the farthest I’ve ever run is the 200 yards I once ran to chase down the ice cream man. Then I tried to run outside. I even bought fancy new running shoes for them. (It was so hard not to laugh at the clerk who sold me the shoes when she said, “Now, these shoes are good for about 500 miles…” To which I thought in my head– “These are the last pair of running shoes I may ever buy…” Nevertheless, I kept trying. It’s probably hard for many of you to understand; I’ve NEVER been a runner. I like to bike, I love to play sports, but running has never been anything I do voluntarily. I’d rather wait for the next bus. My sibs however, have been participating in a running club at their elementary school, and have run two 5k’s since October. Also, four of them are great runners. The same four runners decided to run with me at the 5K I signed up for (on Thanksgiving morning). They had been running the three miles in around the 23-25 minute range. And yes, none of them are even in middle school. So they are natural runners.
It can best be summed up through a conversation I had with my sister Tsigereda the day before the race:
“Just so you know, Tsigereda, I won’t be able to keep up with you on Saturday. I run like a buffalo.”
“What is that?” (remember, she’s been in the country less than a year…)
“A buffalo? Well, it’s like a big cow, only usually dark brown, and really hairy…”
(Commence massive giggling fit from my sister…)
Thanksgiving morning came, and I was really psyched. I was going to run. I was going to be great. I was going to try really hard not to walk at any point.
I ran for two miles straight. I then took two minutes off to walk, then ran another nine-tenths of a mile, walked for a minute, and finished strong. If I had known how close we were to the finish, I probably wouldn’t have walked the second time. Oh well. I finished in 32 minutes and change; respectable for my first time out, and for never having run more than a mile for time. I felt great afterwards– it’s probably something I’ll do again, but I need to train outside a lot more, and probably more than once a week like I did the last month of my “training.” I was thankful to have friends running with me; thanks to Marc and Waj for pacing with me for the first two miles.
And of course, the real reason I wanted to run on Thanksgiving Day was so that I could gorge myself that afternoon. Which I did, with gusto.
Overall, it was a great experience.
Tomorrow, my thoughts on the end of the Larry Coker Era at Miami.
