I started running for seriousness just over a year ago. I just kind of fell into it, too. It turned out that my yoga instructor of three years suddenly just wasn't coming back that January, and I needed to be doing something, or else... this worrisome mind of mine would hae sent me directly to the straight jacket! So I visually rummaged the wall at the Dofasco Rec Centre to see what was available. I'm not going to lie... I desperately wanted to do ballroom dancing lessons... after all that figure skating, ice dance in particlar, I think I'd be good at it. Only I had visions of me being the only un-partnered person there and let it pass (although, this is very much still on my "to do" list!). Scan, scan, scan the wall... Green papers, yellow papers, lots of white papers... But there's a blue one. What's it for? Running. Hmmm.... I have enjoyed running in the past... oh why not. Picking up that flyer would change life for me.
So I started with a walk/run clinic with a bunch of middle-aged Dofasco employees that January (2008). I felt pretty good... being the youngest in the pack and all (you know, there's something to said for a false sense of superiority... at least in the short-term ;).
Running for seriousness got into my blood pretty quickly. I found myself achieving pretty big gains in distance pretty fast, and feeling so awesome after a challenging experience. It was the best release I had found so far... Yoga was and remains to be awesome for stress relief for me. But running provides something more. The relase of sweat-filled endorphins, and feel-good dopamine, not to mention a change of scenery and the ability to measure what my body can physically do... Nothing else I had tried could give me these things.
I ran my first race in February of 2008. It was a small 200 person 8k fundraiser race in Westdale in Hamilton. My goal was to finish.... at the time 8k was a fair distance for me. Not so suprisingly, I did finish, and in decent standing. I was 3rd in my genderd age category (I won't tell you there were only a handful in this age bracket... it would only damage my credibility). I was so proud of myself that day, and it would serve as an inspiration to keep with it.
So I ran a few 5k races after that, one of which included the Around the Bay Road Race 5k section. Then I decided it was time to up the anti... I had decided to sign up to train for the full 30k Around the Bay.
"Christine, don't be ridiculous. That's a crazy distance".
Watch me. (Dear reader, if there's anything you should know about me at this point in this note, it's that NO ONE tells me what I am and am not capable of. And, I am quite the stubbournly determined scorpio).
The race is in less than 2 weeks, and I have managed to complete up to 28k in my training (heh hem... take that you faithless in the name of Christine!). It is one of my most biggest phsysical challenges (the other is for another blog). AND I'M SUUUUUUUPER PUMPED! Like, extremely excited! I plan to enjoy every second of this race! I plan to take in everything going on around me! I plan to not stop (if possible... depending on whether I am able to figure out my water bottle or not.... It's a complicated situation which maaaaay require the unscrewing of the top and subsequent spillage, thereby forcing me to stop and screw it back on for the sake of remaining dry), and just do the best I am able to do in the moment(s).
I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished.
And this was a bit self-indulgent.
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