What to wear? Which singlet?
Music or no music?
Wear sports watch or not?
Run with Runkeeper logging or not?
These are the questions running through my mind as I prepare for tomorrow’s event. I let myself focus on the mundane because I am not feeling 100%. I do not want to entertain any doubts regarding my physical condition. I was fine until yesterday. Today, I have my period pains. I spent the whole morning on my feet from cooking breakfast to doing the groceries and the laundry. Not in that order. I was tired. So darn dog tired. So I took a big nap which I wanted to last for two hours. My body woke up after one hour and could not catch another snooze. But I felt rested. The pain was gone more or less. That gave me hope and courage and encouragement and all sorts of good feelings.
I tell myself to treat the #RunSydney event as a FunRun, no more no less. This 10K is not going to be a chase for Personal Best or PB. This will simply be to gain experience, to look around me, to listen to my body and to learn. This will be about having fun in the run. No pressure. After all, I’ve been running the full 14KM of City2Surf since 2010. 10KM is not too bad!
Run Musings
The good thing about running at the Olympic Park is that it is mostly flats. A perfect condition for an amateur runner such as I. The slopes are gentle. Unlike City2Surf (C2S), #RunSydney is a smaller meet. Around 4000 runners lined up at 8.30am. The morning had a cool breeze but it was warm enough for me to ditch the running jumper.
I was racked with anxiety. Because although, my period pain was gone, I hardly slept last night. Waking up every hour from 1am until 5am. I was experiencing pre-race stress, apparently. Also, I treated this run rather more seriously than C2S.
Did I train enough? Did I have the right breakfast? Darn, I have to go to the loo! (I went 3 times!!!) Did I stretch enough?
Then the gun went off.
Easy… easy. Run your own pace. Don’t chase! I ran with no music and I wore my old green singlet. I wore my $10 sports watch from Aldi and remembered to press the start button at the starting mark. I used RunKeeper and promised Ariel to check and switch it off if I go low on my battery.
At the 3KM mark, I started feeling the niggling pain in my left knee. I decided to strap my knee for added support and to stop the pain from flaring. A great call. The pain subsided.
I decided to run beside a young lass in pink tights who seemed to be enjoying herself. She doesn’t stop for a walk, which was a good enough peg for me. Later I noticed that when I am ahead of her, she picked up her pace. Was she also using me to push herself? Ha. That was just me making up stories to while away the 10KM.
Running is a loner’s sport. To me, it is. And it is a sport that requires mental composure. The longer the run, the harder it is in the head.
I got tired. So I allowed myself to walk. Yes I did. I walked 4 times. The first was at 5KM which was my normal running distance. Then again at 7KM, and 9KM and finally at 500 meters from the finish line, just before we entered the Olympic Stadium. Always, I only allowed 30 second walking breaks. No more than that or I wouldn’t be able to make sub-70 minutes.
Entering the Olympic Stadium was an absolute dream. The stands were empty of course. But in my head, I heard the crowd roar. Keep running Cha, imagine this as your first marathon. Raise your arms, that’s right, and gracefully run into the (non-existent) finish tape. Cue: Chariots of Fire soundtrack.
I won! I won!
The feeling of finishing is beyond words really. My time of 69.26 minutes is truly sweet. Of course in my heart I wanted it to be 60 minutes. There is always that real goal at the back of my mind. Runner’s World Magazine did say to have 3 goals. Good, Great, Awesome. Finishing is Good, sub-70 is Great, sub-60 is freaking Awesome.
Great, I finished. And it was freaking Great!
What next? Or When next?
I resolved to run the half-marathon next year (21KM). Not one, but two. First in May (The SMH Half Marathon), for a first taste, a maiden run. Then another one in October (RunSydney’s Half), to chase a Personal Best.
WOW. Can you tell how freaking excited I am?! Oh dear, the runner’s bug has well and truly possessed me. I have found a new calling. I hope you keep me company, and run the distance of this new adventure with me!