I ran my first 10 kilometre race on Saturday morning. It was brutal. I have no idea why I decided to go and do it that day. Sure, I jog several times a week and had been toying with the idea of running a 10K race because I was curious to see what participating in a 10K would be like and also to see how I would perform. But I had other perfectly good plans set-up for Saturday – I had registered for a 1-day habitat for humanity course. However, for some reason when I woke up early on Saturday morning the thought of being indoors and sitting for most of the day seemed unbearable. A few weeks earlier I had picked up a flyer for a 10K run to be held on Ward Island on Aug 16th, and for some reason I thought “Why not go do the 10K race instead”.
So I headed out – barely grabbing breakfast and forgetting to have my mandatory cup of tea. Deeply mistrustful of weather reports and deeply disliking the cold, I ignored the indication that the mid morning to afternoon would be nice and sunny and wore a long sleeved top. I successfully found the Ferry Terminal by the Habour-front, got registered for the 10K, and an hour later runner 112 (aka yours truly) was on a ferry over to Ward’s island. So far all was well. They say your world can change in an instant. In my case, an instant was 1 hour & 30 minutes after I stepped off the ferry. That’s when the 10K run began.
I figured based on my personal runs, 10K should take me an hour. My goal for the race was simple – finish it. I started the race with the pack, and fell into a nice rhythm listening to Lil’ Kim and Sean Paul courtesy of my ipod shuffle. The first 2K were comfortable. Between 3k and 4K the running surface transitioned from the road to the boardwalk. I had a great relaxing view of the lake on my right, but I wasn’t feeling very tranquil. I felt like I was running the race of those around me and not running my own race. By then could tell that the pace I started at was faster than my normal run. Also, it was getting rather warm – darn those weather geeks to be right on the one day I needed them to be consistent. Just as my ipod switched over to a song by Pink, a runner passed me, and a few seconds later another 2 runners passed me. My knees were beginning to hurt, and I was getting sick of the beautiful view. Right then I didn’t want to see water if I couldn’t drink it... so the lake was becoming annoying. I had endured enough of the boardwalk. My body was telling me I must be past the 4K point; but the course organisers seemed to have made a mistake because I hadn’t arrived at the 4K marker yet.
Finally I came to the 4K mark. Between 4 & 5K, the running surface transitioned from the boardwalk back to the road. Just before I got to the 5K mark, an older gentleman passed me. I mean an “older” gentleman. Then a more “mature” lady moved past. I was indignant. I was hot. I was all fed up with the outdoors; I wanted to go indoors, preferably somewhere with cold Jamaican beer and a bed.
By the 8k mark my knees were really hurting; almost like a deep ache. My left knee had been operated on many years earlier due to a sports injury, and it didn’t help that changes in the running surface were adding to the normal stress placed on my knees during runs. I kept telling myself, “just don’t stop moving; keep moving”. As I passed the 9K mark, I didn’t feel the relief I thought I would feel knowing that the finish line was relatively near. 1 kilometre seemed a far way off. Then as I was getting engulfed by my thoughts about the aches and pains I was feeling, I heard a voice from somewhere say “Almost there. You can do it”. I looked around and beside me was another female runner. We acknowledged each other with weak, exhausted smiles and automatically kept step with each other as a sign of silent support. A hundred meters later we turned off the road onto a grassy path for the final approach to the finish line. Within a few seconds I had completed the race in under an hour: meeting both my goal to complete and my goal regarding timing. And Lynda – my new acquaintance - finished shortly after.
In running you get discouraged if you focus on others progress rather than your own, you get tired, you at times forget what you came to achieve and waste energy trying to match someone else’s game plan. In running you have unexpected interactions that support you when you really need it, and you often surprise yourself by coming through challenges even when you are not necessarily fully prepared. Sounds a bit like the experiences of life doesn’t it? I wonder what I will learn the next time I follow my urge to get out and dare to run. Maybe on one of those occasions I’ll look around and share a smile & encouragement with one of you.
(August 2008)
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