You have been running for quite some time, or maybe you have only just started and your crazy running friend thought it would be fun for you to join her on a ‘fun run’. The fun run might be 2.5km, or 5km, or perhaps its a half marathon, and now you find yourself rocking in the corner wondering how you got here. I mean, you just thought one day that you would buy some decent runners and head out the door for a little bit of sunshine and exercise and BAM. You are smack bang in the middle of 5000 sweaty nervous people in lycra ready to cross a start line to God knows where, in some city you haven’t even been to before. It’s all a little bit daunting and you feel the need to use the portaloo for the one thousandth time.
Your friend smiles at you and says….’this is awesome’ and all you feel like is having a chuck over the side of the corral fence. I mean, you have all the gear. Your shiny new shoes, a hot race outfit, some compression socks that someone told you would help you run faster, and a flashy new garmin to keep you on track, but you are FREAKING OUT. Anything could go wrong. Anything could happen. What if I don’t run fast enough? What if I run too fast? WHAT IF I FALL ON MY FACE?!!! WHAT IF…..? And then……BANG. The gun goes off and all of those fears and worries are swept up into a wave of excitement and adrenaline as you cross the start line. You give a ‘WHOOP!’ as you go over and your off!
Your first kilometre feels like a blimp on a radar and before you know it you are half way there. Your breathing is easing and your in your zone. Your friend is nowhere to be seen because either she left you for dead or you have left her, but you don’t care, because it’s just you and your race. This is what you have been waiting for. The excitement, the fear, the thrill, the nerves, the accomplishment and the high. You run past the drink stands throwing down those powerades like it’s no bodies business and your legs glide along as you high five cheering kids on the sideline. It lifts you higher and your spirits soar. “I can do this” is your new mantra as you see the ‘1km to go’ mark on the side of the road.
Your legs feel like lead but your heart feels like feathers. You are a runner. This is your first event and YOU are going to finish. You run through the finish shoot like your running for your life; one last burst of adrenaline kicks in and you make sure that you give an awesome pose for the camera while catching a glimpse at the clock to see that you finished in a time that you never thought possible. You did it. Your here. You finished. Well done!
Your crowned with your medal and for a second its almost like you have been crowned Queen as you feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. You catch your breath and walk around the finish area, sweaty runners everywhere, looking for your people. When you find them you head to the finish line to clap some more runners in, because thats just what runners do, they help each other out and give each other some encouragement.
When you get to get in your car your heart bursts with pride. You just ran your first event. You have caught the bug, and now you can’t wait to enter the next one. When you get home you go to get out of your car and find it’s rather difficult. You might need some crutches. Perhaps you should have stretched?
You look down at your medal and you smile.
Then you book a massage.
You earned it.
Your a runner after all.
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