Yesterday I went on a 10 mile run, my first in a long time, and it was…delicious. Seriously, it was heaven.
I know, I know. For those who absolutely DESPISE running, you think we runners are INSANE. And in truth, we are.
Humans are bizarre creatures. After all, what creature exercises for fun? I remember those XC runners in high school, who proudly wore shirts that proclaimed, “Our sport is your sports’ punishment.” True dat. As a kid, I was never a big fan of running. Niether of my parents are runners, and on field day in elementary school, I was the slowest runner in my class. Every sprint, every relay, I was schooled. The taller, stronger, more athletically inclined kids crossed the finish line long before I had run past the first turn on the course.
I am, and will forever be, a tennis player. It’s the sport I’ve been playing since age 6, and continued all through my adolescence–USTA tournaments, practices, high school and college tennis. It’s only been the past few years that I haven’t been playing as much, but I never set aside my racquet for good. I still love tennis, it’s the sport I first identified with. Running came later–my college years.
I can tell you the exact day I discovered I actually LIKED running. 18 November 2010 was like any college day for me. Go to classes, have lunch before tennis practice. But instead of the usual 2 hr. tennis practice, it was a shorter one as the women’s team had to run 3 miles to raise money for the college tennis teams (our annual Runathon). I had never run 3 miles in my entire life. The days leading to the run, I was very nervous. Thoughts swarmed me: I’m never gonna make it, I’ll have to walk it, I’ll embarrass myself, I CAN’T RUN!
The day of, I told myself to do my best, whatever that meant. The course was city sidewalks in the middle of my small college town. As we all assembled in the parking lot next to the courts, my heart sped up. As our coach called go, we all started running up the first hill. Keep pace with the other girls was my thought, but I immediately realized something: they weren’t running competitively. Nope! They wanted to socialize instead, whereas I found myself wanting to break free of talking and running as a group; I wanted to a) run fast and b) run solely on my own. So I did. Quickening my pace, I soon found myself passing everyone and taking the lead. With my trusty iPod Nano blaring Crystal Castles in my ears, I flew away, rounding corners and speeding across town. I CAN DO THIS! This revelation reverberated through my being. I. CAN. RUN. And I realized I didn’t feel tired at all; my fitness from months of tennis and conditioning had come to fruition. I felt free and was having…fun! Fun while running! What a concept.
The last 3/4 of a mile were a gradual slope, and I flew down the hill at such a pace that a guy standing in front of his house cheered, “Go! Go! Go!” and waved his arms in the air. Encouraged, I sprinted the last quarter mile back to the tennis bubble: first one to finish!
My feet seemed to float as I walked into the tennis lobby, and my face and body felt aglow: my first runner’s high. Who knew running could make you feel soooo good? I was hooked—and for life.
I don’t remember the time I got, just that it was under 30 minutes (the time limit for us). Once the team started finishing, they looked at me in astonishment: “Dang, you were quick!” “I didn’t know you liked to run! Wish I did!” “You took off!” My tennis coach high-fived me: “Well done out there!” Uber-proud and content, I knew I had just discovered a lifelong passion.
~LMC