On saturday I planned a visit to a 10k road race to cheer on two of my good friends running the race along with various other running folks I know from running races.
While driving to the race I got this giddy feeling inside. It was the feeling that I was about to run a race. The sun was out my achilles was not feeling too bad and my knee. Well it is manageable. Suddenly I realized that "holy crap" I am going to run this race. Should I? No… But man that sun was pretty, boy that air is crisp and man have I drank way too much coffee. You see a runner going to a race to cheer is like a drunk going to a bar to recover from drinking.
So I made a deal with myself. If I can run the race for free with no bib keeping me from being competitive then I would do it. So I ask the directors if they minded that I ran bandit style just to see if I could run the 10k without dropping. They said sure just don't cross the line. That was it. I was running and it was a race.
Started at the back of the pack. My goal… Do 9:30 miles and come away not injured. How strange it was to be at the back of the pack. How strange it was to not shoot off like a rabbit at the start. But it was nice. I was running with others and not alone. A good friend of mine Larry is recovering from various injuries so we ran together.
The first 2 miles went as planned but we were running 8:30s, it was downhill.
IT Band bothered me a little but I could manage it. Achilles didn't feel so well on the down hills. But I figured it would loosen up as I warmed up. Then it happened. Everyone kept groaning about a "serious" hill at mile 3.5 and mile 5. I LOVE HILLS!
Sure enough at mile 3.5 there was a hill. Not a mountain trail hill but a good sized hill non the less. My achilles does not hurt on hills too much if I don't toe off at all.
I hit the hill and took off. Bombed straight up the hill. Passed about 50 people.
Guess what folks.. I was a runnin fool. Man did it feel good.
My soul was freed on that hill. My spirit was a gust of wind ripping through the trees. I was doing what I was meant to do. I got to the top and realized man I have not run almost at all for 3 months and I just bombed that hill. The strength training at the gym was going to be a very very valuable asset later on this year when I can really run. I was thankful.
I backed off a bit and waited for hill number two. It was another very nice hill. Again I took off and nailed it with everything I had that day without using my achilles too much. Passed a bunch more people and cruised to the finish minus crossing the line :). At the finish who did I hear and see? My good friend Derek Schultz. Derek could hardly yell because he has a nasty chest cold but he yelled with everything he had that day for me. I ran with everything I had that day. We were honest. We were trying. At that moment I was colored from head to toe in thankfulness.
At this time of Derek yelling and me running I had taken a step back because I have had to. I have slowed down. I have begun to smell the the subtle blessing in life. I have seen the richness I have. We are not always meant to be perfect. Both spiritually but also physically. This world has brokenness in it including me. But from brokenness can come healing. Without one there is not that other.
Today I am sore. My achilles is not happy. Should I have run? No. But I learned so much from doing so. I have also discovered that thick thighs+rubbing=chaffing!!
I have never had an issue with this. But I was not sweating much while running and my thighs have gotten so thick from weight lifting that they rubbed like there was not tomorrow. As we speak I have large bandages on my inner thighs because they are so torn up! So now that you know that let me crawl back into my humble hole and recover.
Cheers,
Jess
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