I've just agreed to run in a 200-mile, 12-person team race... that starts tomorrow. Well, technically the race starts on Friday morning, but I leave tomorrow. It's called a Ragnar. After some crazy Scandinavian viking adventurer. And in a strange twist, I'm also a crazy Scandinavian adventurer. And a Viking fan? Maybe? That might be stretching it...
ANYWAY... I digress. (I'm getting loopy and should cut this off....)
When did I become so spontaneously crazy? And at the same time, while thinking I'm insane, I'm so excited and energized by the very idea of embracing this adventure. The stories I will be able to tell will be epic. "Remember that one time I jumped into a 200 mile race with absolutely no training and finished without puking?" (no guarantee about a puke-free finish, however...)
July 7th (was that less than two weeks ago?) I completed my first 10k. Until then, the longest race I had run was a 4.5miler, and several 5k's (3.1miles). 10k is 6.2 miles. (For the mathematically challenged...) There's definitely a difference between a 10k and a 5k, and I'm talking about more than a difference in distance. No, the 5ks are usually full of newbies and beginner runners, or not-so-serious runners... and I've always finished somewhere in the middle, passing people throughout the race, and in general, feeling pretty good about myself. But in a 10k? They're serious runners. No passing of people for me... in fact, I was passed by an embarrasingly large percentage of the runners in the race.
BUT, I finished. And I was NOT last. So it was a success. It was HOT, too, and I was melting in the sun and humidity in Minnesota.
THIS WEEKEND, it will be cooler here, however, I'm running significantly farther. I'm running three legs of a 36-leg relay (12 people on a team, each running 3 legs). My first leg is 6.8, my second, 5.7, and my third is 3.1 (all in miles). Now, none of those distances alone bother me, it's the ENTIRETY of that many miles within a 36 hour period with very little sleep that worries me. I have been assured, however, if I can't finish, there are other people on my team who can finish for me. And I still get the medal at the end. I'm all about the bling.
So at this point, my goal is to finish without dying. I'd really like to find the energy and stamina within myself to finish all three of my legs. We'll see how it goes, though. I'm also not in the business of dying or getting injured, and will ask for help if I really need to. No shame.
If you're the praying type, send one up for me. :)
Krissy
No comments :
Post a Comment