KKKKK

I successfullly completed my first event of 2012 today - The Greenville News Run Downtown 5k Road Race. (I feel they should look into shortening the name.) With that said, I shall now detract from all accomplishment and pride potentially perceived in the previous statement by admitting that I don't like running.
Usually when I say that, people ask me why I do it. In short, it's because running is a part of triathlons and I like triathlons. So, now that that's out of the way...

I got up at 6:30 this morning in such great pain that only females would understand. I worried that it could be my downfall before I even had a chance to start. But I got up anyway and took a hot shower to wake myself up and ease the pain. Once I finished, I peeked outside to see what the weather had decided to do. As it turns out, it was pouring rain. Shoot.
I made myself the breakfast of champions - a peanut butter and banana sandwich - with a strong cup of coffee. I consumed it quickly and quietly, washing it down with a pair of Tylenol. I checked outside again and it was indeed still raining heartily. Sigh. I gathered some clothes together to change into after I presumably got soaked from running for 40 or so minutes in the flood, and headed out the door around 7:45.

I brought my iPod with me and turned up some of my favorite oldies on the drive there to keep my mind off the rain and my pain. It rained hard the whole way to Greenville and I dreaded the run more and more with every passing mile. I finally arrived and found a parking spot somewhere off the beaten path. Once there, I responded to the encouraging texts of my mom and sister-in-law, got all my stuff together, and said a short, sincere prayer asking for the strength to not stop running and for a break from the cold rain. I opened the car door and let the outside chilll serve as a wake up call to my nerves and muscles. As I made my way to the start, I noticed it had stopped raining. I was okay with that.

If you have never done a run, a ride, or some other similar event, you are missing out! It is difficult to find the right combination of words to describe the excitement you feel at the beginning of one of these events. The anticipation is almost tangible as everyone walks, jogs, and jumps around nervously, waiting to prove to themselves, and perhaps others, their ability to accomplish something amazing. (And there always seems to be very loud music to walk, jog, and jump around to. That's how you know you're in the right place - heart-pumping, brain-pulsating rock and roll.) There were people there of all shapes, sizes, ages, genders, and backgrounds. Some were there to come in first place, some wanted to set a new personal record, and some just wanted to finish. Whatever their goal may have been, their mere presence there on a cold, rainy, January day was likely their biggest and hardest step in achieving it.

I shuffled about for nearly 20 minutes, trying to warm up my muscles and my skin without wearing myself out. With nearly 15 minutes left until the start of the run, I found a niche in the middle of the pack and waited for someone at the front to say "Go!" There was a muffled voice on a loudspeaker periodically reminding us that the minutes were ticking by, but I could never really understand what it was saying because there was so much chattering going on around me. Eventually, the national anthem began and a complete hush trickled over the crowd from the front to the back, like a wave at a football stadium. I felt very patriotic in that moment and grateful to know that the Star Spangled Banner still demands respect and awe from its country's citizens.
Soon after we followed the anthem with loud, amibitious cheers, the run began at the muffled voice's energized "GO!" I watched as the crowd in front of me began to inch forward slowly as everyone's breath rose in the air in forceful, steamy puffs. I was freezing and wishing I had brought some gloves with me; but I knew that I would warm up quickly once I really got moving. It still wasn't raining as we got started and I was thankful for that. Along the sidewalks lining the run course were people holding political signs, trying to convince us at the last moment to go vote for their beloved candidate. All it did for me was entice the fleeting thought of "Oh yeah, I need to vote today!"

The first mile went by fairly quickly. Before I knew it, I was passing the first mile marker. I checked my watch and saw that it had taken me 11:11 to go the first mile. That was nearly 1:30 a mile faster than I had done on my training run on Sunday. So, I kept plugging along, trying not to think too much. Approximately ten relatively non-eventful minutes later, I passed the 2nd mile marker, again without too much difficulty. "Wow!" I thought, "I'm doing it!"

Then there was a hill. A stupid, merciless hill. Many of the runners directly in front of me were defeated by the mini mountain and decided to walk. Not me, though. I kept jogging. My one and only real goal for this run was to keep running no matter what, and I wasn't going to let this hilll be the thing that stole my goal. So I kept shuffling my way up, up, and up. In the end, the hilll didn't defeat me, but it did rob me of a great deal of energy. During the last three-fourths of a mile, it was all I could do to keep my legs trotting. But I did.
Eventually, I turned a corner onto Main Street and could hear the music coming from the finish line. As I realized the end was easily within reach, it began to drizzle again. At that point, though, I didn't care about the rain, my finish time, or even voting. I just wanted to finish. I forced my legs to pound faster, all the while thinking, "Don't fall, don't fall, don't fall..." because there were parts on the road that were much more slippery than others. I figured it would be just my luck to nearly make it to the finish line, only to slip in a huge puddle and go sprawling, landing on my face.
Fortunately, though, the Lord kept me upright, and I finished! My unofficial time (according to my stopwatch) was 33 minutes on the dot. That's not awesome, but it's nothing to complain about for the first run of the season. Once done, I handed in my time chip and walked around, trying to let my breath slow down. I was extremely thirsty and looked everywhere for the line of runners getting their free water bottle, but to no avail. A mere five minutes following my finish, I was slowly on my way to my car. Usually at events like this I have some reason for staying, whether it be a free meal, or my awesome, faithful fan club (a.k.a. family) snapping pictures. But today there was neither, so I saw no point in sticking around in the cold. All the sweat I had worked up during the run was now making my clothes stick to my skin and making me colder than ever.

I walked solemnly to my car, pondering all I had accomplished in just over 30 minutes. As I went, I again noticed the rain coming down. I stopped because I realized God had answered my short, imploring prayer for momentary relief from His rain for the duration of the run. In that moment, I felt incredibly humbled. So I stopped. I stopped and thanked Him for keeping the rain at bay for just a little while, and for giving me a body that can do amazing feats. It was a personal, spiritual moment that I can't truly describe; so I won't bother trying. Suffice to say, I became teary eyed at the prospect of my larger-than-life God taking time to listen to and celebrate with His one-out-of-a-gazillion daughter.

As I said, I don't really like running. At least not all the time. But I will do it because I can. I will do it as long as I can. One day the opportunity to do so will have run its course and I will be the one on the sidelines cheering on another determined athlete. But until then, I'll run in the cold, the rain, the heat, and the impossible just because I can.

And so the season begins...